THE NEW QUOTAS.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XXI, Issue 15, 1 November 1931, Page 4

THE NEW QUOTAS.

ADDRESS TO SYNOD BY THE SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. It is with mixed feelings that I take advantage of the kind permission given, me to address you. As an out-

aider, I have watched the progress of the diocese since the earthquake with mingled distress and hope, and lately, as one has heard of the splendid efforts made by one and all to rehabilitate ruined homes and businesses, Tiope has predominated. But on coming here, and seeing so many ruined buildings still lying about, and hearing afresh of ruined fortunes, one feels like a thief or a robber in daring to plead for an outside cause, and one is thrown back on what has been mentioned in this Synod already, from the president's chair, faith in God. As I came along here in the train and saw the lambs skipping about in the green fields under bright sunshine I felt that God Himself was quickly healing the wounds He had allowed nature to inflict on His children, and though the dealing takes time, it will some day Tje complete. Now, I am here not to give an address, but rather to explain a position and to convey the thanks of the Board of Missions for the splendid help this Diocese gave us last year. We had expected a shortage of £1500 on the quota set for Waiapu, and the deficiency was only £799. This was a glad surprise, and one Which in all your sad circumstances fills us with •gratitude and appreciation. It is an astonishing thing really to find that some parishes in this stricken diocese, were able to give us considerably more than the quota asked. Thus "WJaipiro Bay gave £150 on a ■quota of £110; Puketapu gave £115 on a quota of £75; similarly Rotorua (£9l), Waerenga-a-hika (£63), Patutahi (£37) and Woodville (£27) gave amounts in excess of their quotas. Then there were parishes that were but a few pounds short of their quotas. For instance, Havelock North gave the very substantial sum of £296, which was the third largest amount from any parish in the whole province; Dannevirke contributed £100 on a ■quota of £120; and Waipawa £71 out of £80. Other large 'contributions were— and it is to be noted that some came from heavily stricken parishes — £185 from the Cathedral, £177 from Hastings, £144 from Gisborne, £169 from Otane, £67 from Waipukurau and £61 from Tauranga. There were lesser amounts from other parishes, but they all showed the same heroic effort to do all that was possible for this outside cause, in spite of the inner ■distress and burden of the earthquake.

You can understand how genuine is the appreciation of the Board and of the rest of the province for such unselfish steadiness. A word of thanks is also due to the eight Maori centres that continued their welcome support to us last year. I expect you all know that though the shortage was less than was expected, it was not entirely counterbalanced by the efforts of. other dioceses. Great efforts were made, and many parishes succeeded in getting not only their quotas, but also an additional 10 per cent, towards the expected shortage. But the general depression militated against that being done in all parishes, and the net result was a provincial shortage of £1870. This was spread — in the way of short payments — over the co-ordinated missions. The two chiefly affected were Melanesia and the N.Z. Church Missionary Society. Melanesia was paid £1055 short and the C.M.S. £676. These shortages are having crippling effects. In Melanesia the pay of the missionaries has been reduced 10 per cent., and so has the pay of the native clergy and teachers. Certain readers and helpers who used to get a small sum for their work are now made "honorary," and the schools and colleges have been cut down in numbers to reduce the cost 33 1-3 per cent. Bishop Steward, who lately retired from the charge of the Mission, calls such "cuts" a "crime" and "a sin," as they will lessen the supply of Evangelists and clergy in the near future. In the C.M.S. the effect has been to hinder the local Society from giving urgently needed help to the Society in England. All the world over the C.M.S. is working with reduced staffs, and having to give up this and that area. Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, is one such area, and efforts to save it have been drawn out for the last seven or eight years. The last was the visit of the Rev. W. W. Cash, of London, to us here, and the request that New Zealand should take over Sindh. Alas! that our reply has been ?. non-possumus. We are not able. The very question must be postponed for a year. When the Board of Missions met in Augub t all these things were on the minds of members. Yet it was apparent that all thought no advance could be made, if, indeed, a reduction could be avoided. Yet, wonderful to

relate, speeches were made calling for an advance. One quoted General Foch's dictum: "When my right is shattered, my left falling in and my centre wavering I give the order to advance." Another said there was money in the Dominion if we only went about righ'tly to get it. Eventually it was agreed that we should try; we should at least endeavour to get £1000 more for Melanesia and some £900 more for the N.Z.C.M.S., and smaller amounts for others to compensate for last year's shortage. The resulting budget is £20,360, as against £18000 for last year. It is perhaps well that we should endeavour thus to advance, for we have had the budget at or near £18,000 for the last five years, and we were tending to stagnate. But that the advance should begin in such a year as this can only be attributed to the influence of the Holy Spirit. He wills us to go ahead. Shall we not obey? The increase represents an advance of 12J per cent, on the present quotas. What is to be done? Some parishes are still very badly circumstanced. May I suggest that the stronger ones help the afflicted by taking part of their burden? And shall we not all just continue in the well-worn tracks ? We have duplex in some parishes, mission boxes in others, with private subscriptions and special collections. Is it not a case of "Be not weary in well-doing"? Let us just continue, doing what we can and putting our faith in God. Our work is entirely a God-given task, and we undertake it for the love of God. When Sadhu Sundar Singh was a Hindu boy of 15 he had a vision of Jesus Christ. The vision iiaved him from contemplated suicide. He had been distressed because he could find no peace for his heart in any religion. Christianity he hated as false, because it pretended that a dead man was alive. Then, lo! before him stood One with wounded hands Who said, "I died for you; I am the Saviour of the World." The vision disappeared, but the boy was changed. He became, as all the world knows, an ardent Christian. His family were horrified. They were wealthy. His father and his uncle offered him jewels and rupees, land and honourable position if he would remain one of them. But he thought of that figure, looking at him, loving him, rescuing him, calling him, and he turned from the

powerful temptation, and became a wanderer for Christ. The last we. have heard of him is that he is lost on the Himalaya Mountains. It was his custom to walk across them to carry the news of Christ into Tibet. He may be gone. But he has left a lesson behind him. For the love of a living Christ he abandoned all. Does it not strengthen us to do what we can for the same cause? I have confidence that Waiapu Diocese will try, and by God's grace will succeed in reaching its full quota this year.