BOARD OF MISSIONS NOTES.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 24, Issue 5, 1 May 1934, Page 4

BOARD OF MISSIONS NOTES.

Miss G. F.. Opie, of the N.Z.C.M.S., left Auckland for Colombo on April 16th, to resume charge of tile Girls' College there. Nurse Lindsay, who has been working under the N.Z.C.M.S. m Tanganyik ing under the N.Z.C.M.S. m Tanganyika diocese, m Africa, during the last five years, arrived on furlough a few days ago, and will spend a few months on New Zealand. She will do some deputation work during May and June. Nurse Kathleen Hall, of Auckland, arrived just before Easter, together with Miss Grace Young, daughter of Canon Young, of Milford, Auckland. Miss Hall is from the Chi Chou Hospital m North China. She expects to be some months m New Zealand, and may be able to do some deputation work, but she is desirous of spending some time m a hospital, m order to keep up to date m regard to hef nursing work. Miss Grace Young has also been nursing. She works m the adjourning diocese to the South, namely Shan* tung, under Bishop Scott, who speaks most highly of her work, and expresses the hope that she will be able to return after her furlough. He informs us that the Australian Board of Missions does not expect to be able to undertake her support. The question of New Zealand doing so must surely be faced and solved m the near future. ISLAND BISHOP. The Bishops of Melanesia and Polynesia have been attending General Synod m Napier, and will shortly visit a number of centres, giving addresses on the work of their dioceses. Bishop Baddeley's engagements are as follows: — . May Ist Tu.— Wellington. „ 3rd Thu. — Nelson. „ 4th Fri.— Westport. „ sth Sat. — Greymouth. „ 6th Sun. — Greymouth. ,i »7th Mon. — Hokitika. „ Bth Tu — Christchurch. „ 9th Wied. — Christchurch. „ 10th Thu. — Oamaru. „ 13th Sun — Geraldine, Temuka, Timaru. „ 14th Mon. — Christchurch. „ 15th Tu.— Christchurch. „ 16th Wed.— Wanganui. „ 17th Thu. — Palmerston North. „ 18th Fri.^-Feilding. „ 20th Sun. — Hamilton.

May 21st Mon. — Auckland. „ 22nd J Tu.—Auckland. „ 23rd Wed.— Auckland. „ 24th Thu. — Auckland. „ 25th Fri. — Leave for Sydney. Bishop Kempthorne's are: — April 26th Thu. — New Plymouth. „ 29 th Sun. — Christchurch „ 30th Mon. — Christchurch diocese. May Ist Tv. — Milton. 2nd Wed. — Milton. „ 3rd Thu. — Gore. „ 4th Fri. — Christchurch. „ 6th Sun. — Blenheim. „ 10th Thu. — Leave Wellington for Australia. INTERESTING QUESTIONS OF GENERAL SYNOD. 1. The Status of the Island Dioceses. — As we are going to Press, "the question is being debated m General Synod at Napier as to whether or not Melanesia and Polynesia ought to bo regarded as integral parts of the Church of the Province of New Zealand. Some have been under the impression for many years past, that certainly Melanesia was such an "integral" part, and the Bishop of Melanesia and two or three clergy and two or three of the laity have been sitting and voting as members of General Synod since the diocese of Melanesia was formed. Similarly, the Bishop and clerical and lay representatives from Polynesia have been sitting and voting m Synod. A few years ago, however, the question was raised as to whether the Church of the Province of New Zealand had the power to incorporate into itself, as it were, provinces lying beyond the boundaries of New Zealand, and committees have been appointed to investigate the legal questions involved. The latest committee appointed is bringing a proposal before the General Synod that the Island dioceses should be allowed as heretofore, to send represntatives including their Bishops to sit m General Synod, but that m future they should" not have a vot. By the time these notes appear m Press, this very weighty question will have been decided. 2. This section of the General Synod also will decide the fate of the Maori work for some year's "to come. It is being proposed, not that any Maori diocese shall be formed, but that the work of the four dioceses m

the North Island shall be unified under the Bishop of Aotearoa, with a special committee to assist him, and that the Bishop of Aotearoa shall still remain Suffragan to the Bishop of Waiapu, and may also be apointed Suffragan to the other bishops. The decision of General Synod on this point will also be of great interest. THE BOARD'S FINANCES TO DATE We have received to date £5,607, which is almost identical with the £5,634 received at this time m 1933. There" is a certain amount of encouragement m the fact that these figures are almost equal, but it must be remembered that last year was one of the worst on record, and the Board hopes to see some improvement this year. The Latest from the Bishop of Dornakal.— Bishop Azariah writes that he has just been attending a meeting of the Diocesan Council of Lahore. He says: "The attitude of the delegates to the Union Scheme was on the whole sympathetic. Every one was theoretically m favour of Union. Some were keen on the South India Scheme; a few had doubts about certain provisions. One or two were frankly critical, but not violently so. They were on the whole very eager to learn and to understand. No vote was taken. That will be takn two or three years hence. Certain recommndations were made to the Metropolitan and the Joint Committee regarding a few of the provisions. It was emphasised that none of these was m the nature of an ultimatum, but that all of them were* inspired by a desire to improve the Scheme. Fam sure that the Diocese will vote m favour of the Scheme when the time comes to give the final vote."