Parish News.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XV, Issue 4, 1 October 1924, Page 450

Parish News.

St. Andrew's, Port Ahuriri. An Appreciation. — It is not the common experience of parishes to be so fortunately situated as St. Andrew's, Port Ahuriri, m respect to the capabilities of its Vicar. Time was when cathedrals, churches, colleges, and such like were erected by monks, men who combined with their clerical duties ability to construct and beautify buildings which exist to this day for God's honor and glory and the uplift, of man. These men were the product of their day and their memory is held m high honor. St. Andrew's Hall, as the Sunday' School has been called, was formerly a 'fine substantial building, but wanting- m convenience. It consisted of a simple large room, having ja, tiny plat-, form about 8 feet broad, raised some 10 inches from the floor, situated at the west end of the building. Access was obtained through a porehway at the east end, but there was also, a d6orway at the back of the small platform which could. be used. The steps' leading up to this doorway Avere steep and most inconvenient for the little ones using them, while the need of class rooms has long been a serious want, and the ' ' kitchen arrangements for occasions of social gathering, or foil the. provision of afternoon teas at sales of work and other functions always proved . a trial to even th 6 best willed of workers. ' But now all that is changed and a Sunday-School and Hall exists which greatly increases its opportunities for' parish usefulness. ■.""■*. , The i Vicar, Rev. W. T. Drake, not. only initiated and planned out the scheme of alterations, but three-parts. ©£- ; tne' Actual carpentering' and " " re-

arranging are- his own porsonal work, from the preparation of .the ground to the setting m of the windows of the completed. building. By. the purchase of a portion of _ St. . Mary's Home, he was provided .with material which he adapted to his purposes. Removing the porch arid cutting away two-thirds, of the. east wall, he set back the hall . to . the edge of the section, securing, sufficient., space on jvhich to build a fine platform 14 feet back and 26 feet across. This quite transforms the appearance of the hall, and while providing a noble platform for meetings, concerts and the like, will also,. if necessary, give easy space to accommodate two classes.. At .the north side of the building he erected a. lean-to, forming 'two .fine rooms 18ft. x 14ft. each. One will be devoted mainly to the kindergarden ■ branch and the other, while it will be used as. a . classroom, is especially adapted to also furnish .the"kitchen. requirements so necessary at times. The entrance is noAv from the west end of the hall, where he haserected a much more accommodating porch, with broad concrete steps leading up to . it. . Altogether the result is strikingly attractive and workmanlike and redounds with very great credit to the Vicar 's capabilities. He needed to ■ be a man of faith and vision to un- ■ dertake the work, for he had but a single five pound note to commence' financing with. St: Andrew's is a poor parish, and Mr Drake 's helpful efforts are all the more to be appreciated not only by his parishioners but particularly by' his Church officers and workers. It is also a fine example to non-church folk of how little a parson spares himself m his efforts to minister to the needs of his flock. Some willing help was .provided by several members of the congregation,one of whom actually gave up his whole holiday m order to help the Vicar through Avith this work. To the; writer it appears but just that such a notable effort should be exactly .re-, corded. ' H. [Editor's Note: We think H. is very unwise. If a Vicar excels m virtue and energy, it is best to keep it quiet, lest somebody should try to steal him. We have heard that St. Paul's, London, has serious structural problems to face. We should be sorry for St. Andrew's if our English readers set eyes on this article] . Puketapu. — In spite of very bad weather the concert and' dance at Pukeapu on 29th of August -was a great success, £21 12s 3d being, netted towards the reduction of the debt on the Vicarage. The. concert was . arranged by Mrs Lqwi*y,.and was given by "the jSlierenden and Okawa Con-

cert Troupes. Perhaps the best contribution was the impersonation of a child by Miss Marion :Lowry. The Puketapu ladies provided, an excellent supper, followed by a most enjoyable dance. To 'them, ; to the performers, and particularly to the Moteo Maori Orchestra, who gave their services free of chrrgey our best thanks are due. ■ • St/ Augustine's; Napier. The annual Sale of Work m aid of the Parish Buildings Improvement . Fund was a magnificent success m every . way. . At least 5,0 workers came on the two previous evenings to erect the stalls, decorate, etc., • arid : the Parish Hall looked most beautiful. The record sum of £128 was cleared, and there were no lotteries or guessing competitions of any kind; A beautiful lych-gate is to be erected at the entrance to the Church at once, and there will be certain repairs to be made to the Vicarage before the new Vicar comes m. The parish has made a rule for many years not to undertake any work until it has the money m hand. . An urgent need m the parish is a new 1 Church hall m Napier South for Sunday School and Celebrations. The population is increasing by leaps and bounds, and now the High School and another State school are being built down there. We have a site of a half acre at the corner of Vigor Brown street and Nelson Crescent, and we have over £160 m hand, towards it. Are we not justified 1 m appealing to other parts of the Diocese for help in/ttiis? It is not the parish's fault that the population of the parish" has increased so tremendously, and ...in, this direction. Atpresent many of our Church children are attending Methodist and Presbyterian Sunday Schools down there, because it is too far to send them to ', their, own school. Unless we provide for them we shall lose them. ; The next Healing Service will take place m the Clmrch on Friday, October 17th, at 3 p.m. All who wish to come for the laying on of hands should send their names m to the Vicar as soon as possible, and start at once m their spiritual preparation by repentance and persistent prayer.