N.Z. Church Congress.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 2, 1 August 1922, Page 391

N.Z. Church Congress.

.To, inaugurate the work m connec-; tion with the Christchurch share in' the -prepaiuatioii far next year's' Church Congress an enthusiasticmeeting, was .-held -in the Jellicoe Hall, Christchurch, on June 18th. In: spite of counter attractions the . hall . was full and one of- the best meetings held" for years resulted.- Canon Coursey had* been brought', over as a special speaker, froni the West Coast of the Nelson Diocese, . and from the very first word of his speech gripped art expectant audience. . The burden of his message was that the -Church, m these islands is now at last going to make herself articulate. . Theological learning was necessary, and. would : have its due part m the programme, but the Church was out to. show that she was the Church of the people arid that without her- aicfno proper solution could be fourict for present-day. problems. The man "'in the street must be led to see that the Church stands for vital principles. Once get him. to judge her as ~ he would an ordinary man and he. would gain an altogether different conception of her. It was impossible for a man to sling mud and at the same time think straight. The Congresswas going to take a message of hope to the furthest distant of the N.£ backblocks. But it is impossible to report the speech. A devoted son of the Church, one to whom an outstanding love for his Saviour* meant self -sacrificing devotion, to .the Society Avhich He had founded .stood before us as one who knew that next year's Congress is replete with hopes for the Church . of this Province. The Archbishop followed and cliriched the whole matter. Everyone, he told his people, must look upon' the Congress . as his very own and realise that its success depends upon himself . He reminded them that the mOst necessary thing of all was prayer. Then followed a scene which will not soon. be forgotten. One of the secretaries was m an instant upon the platform. People clamored for the first of the membership' cards, and paid four times the price of them. Offers of

hospitality came faster than they could be written down. In the collection the people literally emptied their pockets. And the meetings m all the other centres of the Province Avill come up to this.