Havelook North.

Waiapu Church Gazette, 1 July 1927, Page 8

Havelook North.

(Vicar: Canon- Maclean, 8.A.) ! We have 'made the plunge and, m May ,put the Duplex Envelope System into operation. Our first intention was to hold it back until promises had been received which covered the whole budget, but, on second thoughts, we put it into action when the pomises received were substantial but still short of the budget amount. With their promises m, people who had formerly given' donations to mission work or •parish funds did not quite know where they stood, and Aye felt we were losing a definite sum towards both parish and missionary work every week we delayed. It ir hoped also that as a result of the two canvassings those who have not yet sent m their promises will be . reminded to. do so. by seeing the system m action. The congregation has got accustomed very quickly to no collection being taken up during the service, and we have no doubts as to the rightnesg of this thoughtful and deliberate way of making our offerings for God's service. In July we go on to carry out another venture comtemplated m our budget — we are going to deliver the "Church Gazette", free to every Church household m the" parish, tf a corresponding system of propaganda is worth while for hard-headed business firms, it is likely to be worth while for the Church. It will cost the parish about £40 a year, and we are confident that it will mean increased interest m the Chiych and its doings. We hope that all who receive it will join the Duplex System and feel they have a share m the Church's life. Another new thing m sight is the use of our new hymn books, which we hope to start as soon as the next instalment arrives from- England. We are giving up "Hymns Ancient and Modem," which, through no fault of the publishers, so largely reflects the taste and ideas of 1867, and we are adopting the newest and, as we believe, by far the finest hymn book yet produced m English: "Songs of Praise." Edited by two of the foremost church musicians and the Rev. Dr Dearmer, it has been hailed m England as a real advance, and has already been adopted as the hymn book of Liverpool Cathedral. In it we get the benefit of the astonishing revival of good poetry and good music j which is such a notable feature m Great Britain to-day, and not the least m church music. The change will not mean losing our old favourites. The new book contains 180 familiar old hymns out of a total of 470, and few churches really use much more than the 180 hymns they like

best m Hymns A and M. We have here m addition nearly 300 new ones, and many of them are so magnificent that it would be a great pity not to have them available m our worship. N.B. Will those, whoi have been taking the "Gezette," please send one shilling to pay for "'Gazette" Jan. to April., if they have not paid already. Otane. (Vicar: Rev. R. T. Hall. L.Th.V The Annual Meeting of Parishioners was held on June 12th. There was only a moderate attendance Mr G. C. Williams and Mr A. Clark were reelected Vicar's and people's warden re- . speotively. The churchwardens report and balance sheet showed an adverse balance of £42 10s largely due to interest on the debt incurred m building the new. Sunday School. Subscriptions to the General Diocesan Fund amounted to £570 15s 7d and £490 14s 5d was contributed for missionary purposes. The Vicar, at the request of the Vestry, explained the Duplex Envelope System, pointing out its merits and urging its adoption. Major Warren and Mr Spargo also supported the scheme the latter einphasi sing the advantage it would be to have a regular source of income, obviating the necessity for paying interest on bank overdraft for a considerable portion of the year. A motion to introduce the system for one year was carried. July 25th is St James Day.— Patron Saint of our Church m Otane. We shall observe the festival the day before, being Sunday, a s a. day of thanksgiving for the blessings we have received m our Parish Church. Communion will be celebrated on July 24th at 8 a.m. There will be a service for children at 3 p.m. and Festal EVensong and Sermon at 7 p.m. It is hoped to secure a special preacher whose name will be announced later. On Monday the 25th a social will be held m the Sunday School to which all parishioners are heartily invited. It is hoped to make this our annual Parish Festival and that all who appreciate the privileges of their parish Church will take part m it. Baptisms : June 21st Bernard, son of John Arthur and Ida Lily Harbottle. Barbara Mary, daughter of John Arthur and Ida Lily Harbottle. Porangahau. (Vicar: Rev. B. R, Brierley, L.Th.) The annual meeting was held ,on June 9th. In his ' report the Vicar made reference to the severe loss the Parish had sustained by the death of Mr. Paul Hunter.

The spiritual work m the parish was being maintained with quite encouraging results, with the exception of Porangahau itself, which showed a decrease m communicants, attendance at church, and finance. The other parts of the parish are m a healthy condition. The Duplex Envelope System has been taken up by over 30 people so far, though the envelope for missionary work is receiving very little support indeed, only 3 out of 30 are contributing to missions as yet. Mention was also made by the vicar m his report of the deep debt of gratitude that he and the parish owed to Miss Sargissdn and Miss Siteman for their work m the Sunday schools at Porangahau and Herbertville respectively. The vestry decided to hold a stock drive early m December m aid of the Church funds. Mr. R. P. Wilder was asked to take charge of the drive, and to do the organising. This he willingly accepted. A kerosene stove is to he purchased for heating the church, also a lamp for the polfch. The Vicar thanked those people of Weber, Wimbledon and Herlbeirtville who had given him hospitality the past year during his travels.. A silver chalice 'and paten, also brass candlesticks have been purchased m memory of the nieii from the parish who gave their lives for us during the war. The money came from the offertories on Anzac Day this year. The following comprise the vestry : Mr. Ormond, Vicar's warden; Mr. Sargissori, people's warden, ; Mrs. Paul Hunter, Sir G. Hunter. M.P.. Mr. F. Herrick, Mr. A. Langley, Mr. H. Wall, Mr. R.P. Wilder, Mr. L. G. Crosse. Mr. J. Nairn. Itolaga Bay. (Vicar: Rev. — Smith.) TRINITY. We have now arrived at the second half of our ecclesiastical year during which it should be our object to follow m practice the blessed steps of that most holy Life which we have hitherto been following m commemoration; and to apply the truths we have learned from its contemplation to the various circumstances, difficulties and duties of our own lives. LADIES' GUILD. .-.,,,, At the fast meeting held on June ..,10th, which was well attended, Mrs. ;- Charles Seymour was good enough to ... gi-ye a demonstration and explanation .. of the making of paper flowers. Mrs. vSeymonr's description was most interesting and was much enjoyed and -appreciated by all. At the next meeting which will be held on the Bth

July, a lecture will be ..given, by an expert, on Rose .'culture. ' OBITUARY. Our sympathy goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Bert Lincoln m their great sorrow arid bereavement m the loss of their little daughter. Te Karaka. ■ (Vicae RW; W. S. -G; : Cameron.) The aniiual meeting of parishioners was' held m the Waikohu Hall, Te Karaka, pn'May 24th, at 8 p.m. home sixty parishioners were present, which was quite a good attendance for a small and scattered country district. About twenty apologies for absence, chiefly on account of sicknesSj were received. The meeting was an enthusiastic one and it was decided to hold a three months' carnival to try and raise sufficient money to. pay off the amount owing on the parish car, and to augment the parish hall building fund. The district was divided into four, and Mrs C G. Holdsworth was appointed chairman with .'Mrs C. H. Bridge as General Secretary — Treasurer. Sister R. Turner was appointed secretary for Te Karaka. — Kanakania centre; Mrs L- H. Mac Lean as secretary for Puna — Waikohu centre; Mr C. T. Stone as secretary for Waipaoa— KaitevatahL The "vicar' s report showed that ther© wene many sighs of progress which gave every reason for hope and encouragement m the ensuing year. In spite of the loss of several regular communicants from the district, the Acts of Communion were 78 m excess of. any previous year';' the general offertories had increased and a marked advance was noticeable m the Sunday schools, Mr J. G. Appleton was re-appointed Vicar's warden: Mr L. H. Mac Lean was appointed people's warden and the following were Selected to the vestry : — Messrs C. H. Bridge, H. A. Dobson, R. D.- Dymock, E. J. : MamWing, El. T. Stone (all re-elected), W. L. Fisher, F. H. Mac Lean, G. C. Morgan and R. H. Newman. The number of the vestry was increased from seven to nine members. After the meeting a conversazione was held, when light refreshments were provided by the Ladies' Guild. The evening' closed with the singing of the Doxology, and the Blessing. We have suffered still another loss among our workers. Miss Seamons, who have given devoted service as organist at Te Karaka and as a member of St. JohnS Lja.di.es' Guild, left on June 7th for Eltham. A surprise evening was given to her on June 4th at the

Vicarage, and a presentation consisting of a handsome black Morocco bag was made to her by tha Ladies' Guild and vestry. The Vicar, m making the presentation, spoke of her a.& having always been a volunteer and never a 'pressed' worker, and also paid high tribute to her valuable services as organist m a voluntary capacity. The president of the Ladies' Guild and two senior members of the Vestry also spoke m appreciative and eulogistic terms of Miss Seamon's work, and of the loss the parish would suffer by her departure. The St. John's Ladies' Guild held its first shop and jumble sale of the year on the 11th inst. when a sum of over £12 was taken. Waipukurau. (Vicar : Rev. Canon Rice, M.A.) We had most inspiring services on Whitsunday, when we were not only celebrating that great festival, but also the jubilee of the consecration of the parish church. The Riev.. John Hobbs, perhaps the most widely known priest m Hawke's Bay, celebrated at Ba.m., and preached an inspiring sermon at thje choral Eucharist. Archdeacon Brocklehurst also kindly came up and preached another splendid sermon at the evening service to a full church. On the Monday evening the ladies had prepared an excellent (banquet at which about 150 sat down, including several who v.ere present at the consecration service m 1877. The evening was spent with history and reminiscences and song. Many voted it one of the finest and most enjoyable, events of the fifty years of the life of the church here. The first Church of England priest to he stationed heile was the Rev. Edwin Wheeler, 8.A., m 1859, and his parish extended from Te Aute to the Manawatu Gorge, On Whitsun Tuesday 120 Sunday ""hpo! children had a, great blow-out, with' games and concert afterwards. Ormondville. (Vicar: Rev. F. W. Whibley.) The Church of St. James, Whetukura, was filled to overflowing on Friday, May 20th, with the members of the late William-. Junius King, and the farmers of the district, m which Mr King had lived since 1899. For 38 years Mr King was on the teaching staff of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, and was the first teacher when the state school was opened m Whetukura. His kindly nature endeared him to young and old, and the example of a

consecrated life is never without results m the lives of others. Before commencing Divine Service on the Sunday following the Vicar drew attention to the fact that this was the first Sunday since their fellow-worship-per,, the late William Junius 'King, had called to higher service. Each Sunday since the Church had been consecrated to the Glory of God, Mr ' King had read the lessons m such a reverent, heartfelt way that his hearers themselves felt the influence. Whetukura has lost one of her best citizens, for not only was he a father of soldiers, a good friend and neighbour, but by his example he shoAVed that he regarded the public worship of God as a bounden duty. He was 78 years of age, and among those whom the late Bishop Harper confirmed. He leaves a widow, four sons and five daughters, 34 grandchildren, and one great grandchild, to. cherish his memory. On Whit Sunday there were good attendances at the three services, as i» usual here at Pentecost. This is the third year since there was started tlfe practice of sending a short printed circular to each parishioner telling as the good results of the Melanesian Mission among the Islanders both socially ' and spiritually, and of the need for expansion. Since this has been done the offertories have more than doubled. Puketapu. (Vicar : Rev. R. F. Geddes, M.A.) The Annual Meeting of parishioners Avas held at the Vicarage on June 21st having been postponed on account of the bad weather earlier m the month. In spite of the fact that the day Avas almost as bad as that originally fixed it was a very representative gathering, there being present parishioners from almost every centre of the parishThere Avas a good deal of discussion on the state of the parish finances. A financial situation, Avhen year by year deficiencies m the. church accounts had to be made up by the. holding of concerts and fetes, could not be regarded as satisfactory; and it Avas clearly the feeling of the meeting that the principle of raising money for God's work by such means was a wrong one. Finally a small committee wa& set up to consider the possibilities of using the Duplex Envelope -System throughout the parish. This committee, after going into the matter thoroughly, will report to the Vestry at an early date The question as to whether a parish on an unsound financial basis should be asked to contribute to Foreign Missions came up for discussion. The Vicar pointed out very definitely that

the matter was not one on which the Church left us any choice. The whole aim and object of the Church was for the spread of the Kingdom of Jesiis Christ, and no parish refusing to accept its missionary responsibility, could hope for the outpouring of God's Ho!y. Spirit m His fulness. Again and agßiii< it had been proved that the awakening of a parish to its missionary responsibilities had been quickly followed by an entirely new and satisfactory state of home parochial finance. The following onicers were elected for the ensuing year: Vicar's warden, Mr J. H. Absolom; People's Warden, Mr T. N. Lowry. Vestry, Mrs Kinross White, Messrs. G. R. Beamish, H. F. Beamish, W. A. Moore, P. Drummond. Auditor, Mr A. J. Pallot. Secretary, Mr R. E. H. Pilson. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to Mr Pilson for his services to the parish during the past year. One feels- hat some mention must be made of a most beautiful service ou Whitsiin. Morn iv the Parish Church, when Mr and Mrs Harold Large took charge of the choral part of the -service Mrs Large sang four solos : as a gradual "The Loud is my Light" ; after the sermon the Avords of the Vicar's text "God is a 'Spirit"; during the com-" munion the "Veni Creator Spiritus" ; and at the end of the service "Come, ye Blessed". There Avas none m the Church Avho did not feel the inspiration of her beautiful and consecrated voice : and we believe that such a service adds something of permanent beauty to th* atmosphere of our little church. We are indebted to Mr Robin Cooksey for the gift to the Parish Church, of a beauiful Font cover, designed and carved by himself. Mr Cooksey las* year made our Font cAver from a shell used m the Great War and presented to the Church by General Sir Andrew Russell.