OTHER DIOCESES.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 26, Issue 8, 1 August 1936, Page 1

OTHER DIOCESES.

WELLINGTON. Work is going on apace at Putiki with the building of the third replacement of the first Church to be erected m the Wellington Diocese. On June sth Sir Apirana Ngata and a party of Rotorua carvers on their way to put the finishing touches to the new carved house at Waitara, paid a visit to Putiki, and an enthusiastic meeting was held at the Pah m the evening. After inspecting the building with the contractor, and going over the plans for the interior carvings and panelling work, Sir Apirana advised us to aim at another five hundred pounds for the completion of the building and decorations. The local Maori representative of the Native Department has assured us that he is confident of being able to raise half of this amount among the Wanganui Maoris, and the chairman of the H. and W. Williams Memorial Trust has also given his assurance that, if the Maoris do raise this further contribution towards the cost of the Church, the Trustees will subsidise it with a further grant" of two hundred and fifty pounds. This will be the second grant for this amount that they have made towards the cost of the Church.' The building is being erected as a memorial to those who have been specially connected with the work of the Maori Mission m Wanganui m the past, and several handsome gifts have already been received towards the furnishings. Mrs H. D. Bates has given fifty pounds to provide a carved altar and choir stalls m memory of her husband, who was a pupil m Mr Richard Taylor's Mission School, and who was always keenly interested m the work at Putiki. A sum of £200, which was part of a legacy from Mr. Bates' estate for Maori Mission work, was the first contribution received towards the building fund for the new Church. The altar and choir stalls will form a 'fitting companion to the carved pulpit m memory of the Revs. Richard and Basil Taylor, for which the members of the Taylor family have given the sum of £75. Mrs. A. E. Barton, of Wanganui, has given a handsome sanctuary chair, carved by

herself, m memory of her mother, Mrs. Harper, who was a daughter of Richard Taylor. Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Katene, of Putiki, have given a carved font m memory of Miss M. Tahana, who stood as godmother to many of the children at Putiki, and who was well known for many years as the contralto soloist of the Putiki Choir. We understand that there is a movement on foot m Wanganui to put stained glass m the two east windows m memory of the Rev. A. O. Williams, who was for 35 years superintendent of the Maori Mission m this Diocese. Contributions may be sent to Mr. C. R. White, City Council Office, Wanganui. We still hope tc see memorials to the Rev. John Mason, who was actually the first missionary m the Wanganui district; the Rev. Thos. Grace, who preceded, the Rev. A. O. Williams for three years; and the Rev. Arona Te Hana, who splendidly carried on the work between the death of the Rev. Basil Taylor m 1876 and the coming of Mr. Grace m 1883. A carved Prayer Desk, Lectern and Credence Table would form fitting memorials to these three pioneers. We also are urgently m need of a new organ for the Church. The present instrument was the original organ m the Collegiate School Chapel, and was given by the late Mr. Walter Empson to the Rev. A. O. Williams when the first pipe organ was installed m the Chapel about forty-five years ago. The Maori carvers and panel weavers will begin their part of the work m August, by which time the erection of the building itself will be completed. The roof will be lined with kakaho and the walls with panels of tukutuku work. All exposed woodwork, including the ends of the pews, will be carved, and a carved canopy will be erected over the font at the west end. The Church when completed will certainly be unique among those m the western portion of New Zealand. The new Bishop of Wellington, who will have been consecrated before this Gazette is published, landed m Wellington on July 16th and was welcomed by the Commissary, Canon James, and others. As usual, he was beset by reporters for his opinion of New Zealand before he had set foot

m the country. He seems to have dealt with them with wisdom and tact. We add a report of his farewell to his old parish and diocese, for which the Editor is indebted to Dean Brocklehurst. The clergy of the Kineton Rural Deanery met on Friday afternoon at Barford Rectory to take leave of the Archdeacon of Warwick, Bishop-elect of Wellington, N.Z., and to give him a token of their gratitude for all that he has done for them as Leader of the Way of Renewal Meetings for Prayer and Study and as a mark of their affection and esteem. The gift took the form of a Pastoral Staff, the shaft of which was made of twelfth century oak from Strat-ford-on-Avon Parish Church; this was surmounted by a Shepherd's Crook m polished wrought iron, a facsimile of one which has been m the possession of a Warwickshire shepherd for more than 70 years. The Crook carried an inscription cut into the iron and was enclosed m a leather case bearing the Archdeacon's initials. The Bishop-elect said: "Seven years ago I came here with one purpose only — so to lift up Christ that many of you might be drawn to Him, might enter into His service, and help to bring m His reign of joy and peace m this place. To-night I am largely conscious of failure. If I had not failed there would not be so many who, while accepting their pastor as a friend, do not want him for their leader and guide m spirit things." Taking as his text, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit," the Archdeacon spoke of the way m which he was moved by the sight of so many friends come to hear bis last message as their pastor. After expressing doubts as to the success of his ministry, he said he wanted to put on one side this doubt, and the inevitable grief of parting from, so many friends, and to let the service be one of thanksgiving. During his life among them he had been blessed with the loyalty and affection of many, and the pain of parting was mutual. However, he did not want his closing message to be about himself, but about Christ. The joyful message of the Christian faith was

"Sursum corda" — "Lift up . your hearts"— and he wanted that to be his parting thought. At the conclusion of the service the Archdeacon stood at the church door to say farewell to the many friends from a distance, and afterwards the Rectory grounds were thrown up to visitors. WAIKATO. St. Stephen's, Lewisham. — About forty- years ago the Bishop of Waikato, New Zealand (the Right Rev. C. A. Cherrington, 8.D.), was one of the altar servers at St. Stephen's, Lewisham. He returned to the church on his visit to England, sat m the chancel during High Mass, sung with the beauty of music and ceremonial for which this church is famous, and preached at the end of the service. Recalling the days when he served at St. Stephens's, he said he lived two miles away and used to walk to and from the church to serve. He felt very proud at being asked to return and preach there. His diocese was only ten years old, and they had been able to make its affairs financially sound, but he was over now to try to raise £5000 for six parishes which were handed to him m 1926 heavily m debt and still were m that condition. They had no endowments and had to collect every halfpenny for clergy and parishes. He gave instances of his dioces's lack of means, and said that all the six parishes had Eucharistic vestments and three had Reservation. Some of the Waikato clergy have a revolutionary suggestion about the observance of Sunday. One of them says: We are all aware of the difficulty of Sunday observance m these days, and we are also aware of the futility of pious exhortations of how the day should be spent, and of diatribes on the way it is misused. What is needed is a careful examination of the whole problem m the light of modern conditions; and the urgency of the matter is increased with the approach of what is known as the 40-hour week. To begin with, there is nothing particularly sacred about our habit of beginning the day at midnight; it is a comparatively modern innovation, arid m the early Church the day began and ended at sunset, the method

of computing the days apparently being bettered at one of the many calendar reforms. At a meeting of the Taranaki Archdeaconry Board m this diocese, the suggestion was made that a possible solution of the. problem of Sunday might be found if we reverted to this earlier method of beginning the day at sunset. It would mean that the twenty-four hour period known as Sunday would be moved forward by six hours and would begin at, say, 6 p.m. on Saturday and end at 6 p.m. on Sunday, and the present laws m force regulating the observance of Sunday would extend over that period. Saturday would be an ordinary work day and Monday would be a whole holiday, seeing that the 40-hour week now seems to be a matter of practical politics. What would be the advantage of this change? (1) Ev'ensorfg could be said on Saturday evening, and would be a devotional preparation for Holy Communion on the following morning. Such a preparation would be preferable to the present habit of pictures and dances on Saturday night which is the real reason at the bottom of so many lapsed communica)nts. It would be also m accordance with the ancient custom of Eves and Vigils, which finds expression m the Revised Lectionary. (2) If the 40-hour week becomss general, it is more fitting that the worship and recognition of God should come at the beginning of the period of rest and rscreation, rather than at the end, or would be easier if Saturday became a whole holiday. (3) A whole holiday on Saturday will make worship m the Summer months even more difficult than it is at present, seeing that week-end excursions and, week-end camps will get an even greater stimulus than at present. The change suggested would not, of course, make people come to Church, but it would enable the faithful to fulfil their religious obligations before setting out for their recreation. It is of course quits obvious that a change like this could only be brought about by Act of Parliament, as it is a matter that affects the whole community m more ways than one. New Zealand is, more or less, a self-contained entity and it would be easier to introduce the change

here than it would be m a country like England, which is closely tied to the Continent of Europe. Such difficulties as would arise could easily be overcome by the exercise of a little common-sense. The Church of herself can do nothing practical m the matter, but she stands as a guardian" of Sunday as a holy day, and not just a holiday. She must bestir herself m her stewardship, and do something for the spiritual observance of Sunday under the conditions of modern lifa. A practical scheme sponsored by the whole Church would demand the attention of the Government. The above is offered as a first step towards a solution of the problem.