APPEAL FOR THE CHURCH ARMY.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 27, Issue 5, 1 May 1937, Page 2

APPEAL FOR THE CHURCH ARMY.

The position of the C.A. is that the Bench of Bishops consents to the effort being made to establish the C.A. on a permanent footing m N.Z., and the Dioceses of Auckland, Waiapu and Christchurch are co-operating m the effort. From November last the C.A. staff m the Dominion has been entirely supported by wellwishers m N.Z. £3000 FOR TRAINING COLLEGE The minimum amount aimed at is £3000, the immediate purpose of which sum is to establish the Training Centre for the training of young N.Z. men and women m the principles and technique of C.A. work The Diocese of Auckland has already placed at the disposal of Capt Banyard, Field Secretary of the Army m N.Z., a large building m

Richmond road, Ponsonby, formerly used as an orphanage, and for the first few years, until permanent quarters are obtained or the site of the permanent headquarters is decided, this commodious building will serve as the headquarters of the Army m N.Z. and its College. Already there are twelve C.A. workers engaged m N.Z., and there are many prospective trainees awaiting their call to college for training as soon as the financial support is assured. . The minimum of £3000 aimed at is the minimum for the Dominion or the co-operating Dioceses. It must be remembered that this sum is merely a nucleus, the minimum on which the C.A. authorities m England consider it safe to establish the C.A. m N.Z.. The primary need, of course, is for trained workers familiar with N.Z. conditions. Capt. Banyard and his associates are convinced from their experience that they can get the right C.A. type, m the Dominion, and once they have got their first group through their college, the C.A. will indeed begin to move. Our Lord Himself began his own evangelistic and social work with a small band of workers, and He trained them before He senx them out; and from the work of that small band, whose names are almost all we know of them to-day, tha whole mighty edifice of Christianity has grown. So from the small band of trainees it is hoped that the Church Army work will grow ii New Zealand. WHAT THE C.A. WORK REALLY IS. It is likely that the average Churchman's impression of the C.A work is that it is nothing but the evangelism of conducting missions m this and that cure, and then passing on. The impression arises from the fact that the C.A. work m N.Z. has hitherto been limited by force of circumstances to this type oE evangelism m most places. Pure evangelism was and is the primary purpose of the C.A. but when Prebendary Carlisle began his work m London, he quickly found that he must do something more to help th 3 souls he saved from sin than sing hymns to them and soothe them with comforting words. The evangelistic mission quickly became a social mission with an economic object—the men and women had to be

helped back on to the social rails. And from that need has grown up piece by piece the magnificent network of social relief institutions m various parts of England which h&s made the C.A. one of the institutions of which the Church of England is most proud. Last financial year the C.A. provided 655,920 beds for homeless men and lads, 131,347 for shelterless women and girls; nearly 320,000 days work was given to men, 4677 were admitted to training work-aid homes; over 8000 women were admitted to free night shelters m London, about 9000 beds were provided for women at the Night Advice bureau m Marylebone.

The evangelists visit m England 1J million homes of people annually. The C.A. has -its own model housing scheme for giving the poor of London better homes at cheap rentals.

The m methods of the C.A. are its own. *They are no slavish copy of any other organisation. The Salvation Army has its own tried methods and preferences; the Church Army, m an experience of over 50 years, has followed and developed along its own lines within the fabric of the Church, The work of both is admirable. The difference for us is that the Church Army works with the Church, teaches as the Church teaches, brings those it saves to the Church, does all its good m the name of the Church and not of itself, and never sets itself up as an organisation independent of the Church or at variance with the Church-. It does the work of the Cburch m departments where specialised technique is called for, but on its own approach to its task it is not under the thumb of the Church or any section of it. It prides itself on being the humble maid-servant of all. It believes m the spiritual teaching and the Sacramental life of the Catholic Church as expressed m the Church commonly called the Church of England. That is the main difference between the Church Army and the Salvation Army. Apart from that they are not rivals.