WESLEYAN TEA MEETING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 390, 8 July 1881, Page 3

WESLEYAN TEA MEETING.

■ijc'^jy 1 :.'; ',, ‘ ? T ; 'Vf‘fr I '' " j '*&>, the Wesleyan P:} - "Ohowii in, Ashburton, along with other institutions in this district, was in a very j; „ unenviable position, caused through a heavy and increasing debt, winch embiurrasaedtlie officials o£ the church, and dis- *“ heartened all those who had the welfare ofr tket Connexion at heart. Matters had ■. 4 become so' serious that it waa thought r; . mete than once that the cause in Ashbur- £ ton would have to succumb to the- weight offxnancial difficulties which burdened it. *-i. z Sowevfer, -the office-bearers, _ with the " jßev, YK Keall at their head, determined v nbt-to irarrander the contest until every -effort had boon expended, and all rational 1 aehemes for relief niled. A tea meeting , ~1-~ was consequently held, at which the - 'whole affairs of the church were laid <T ° brforo those present, and the advice and ■ co-operation of the whole congregation sought. JHw result was that, after ' earnest discussion and deliberation, it 1 was decided to. adopt the “ envelope ” I; and a circular drafted, and subse- , printed fot circulation throughout , fraternity in the colony, t setting forth the needs of the Church. •. It ..jwas not long before the beneficial effects .-■/jsSif the " envelope ” system were seen, and •'■uilha appeal fb other circuits was, not in vainseveral' very handsome - donations. ' V|i being sent by benevolently-disposed and w;- symphathetic friends of the cause. Twelve ? t cmonths having expired since the adoption -:of the seheme, and its entire success being so apparent, it was thought by the pastor ..V'- and his.lay-colleagues that a sort of anni’r versaryteameeting should bo held, where tim * oongratal&tions could be inter- ■ ! changed bn the success of the past year, " - and - measures - devised for the further carrying out of the project commenced in June, 1880. About seventy persons sat down to tea in the church last evening, wandafterdiscussinga capital tea* catered ’by Mr Thiele, the more serious jpart of 1 the evening’s business commenced, and 1 i • the general work of the church vigorously 1 1 entered into. The Rev. W. Keall, with f *.r Messrr H. M. Jones and J. E. Buchanan, 1 placed : the usually dry subject of finance ’ before the meeting in a moat interesting 1 and attractive manner, while several c ; other members of the congregation varied J the proceedings somewhat by the intro- | duetxon of matters of more or less 1 The church’s progress has 1 from time to time been chronicled in theae-> columns, and we will not ’ weary our readers with a repetition of c '.; the 1 various . statements of accounts £ ; periodically placed before the quarterly * meeting.; f A spirit of harmony prevailed - throughout last night’s gathering, notwith- - standing the fact of some of the speakers ? ; - going Jq. for very plain and forcible bar- * ; angoes.;. Various melodies pleasingly * interspersed the addresses, and a veiy , . successful 1 and sociable meeting (termin- . atedat about ten o’clock. It may not be .j ■; put of place to auggest that if any other . of., the Ashburton denominations are in ® a sU,te of financial embaraasment like P - , their rister ohbroh in Caineron Street, a * considerationof the .system which has P been so advantageous to that body might 11 be of service to others. The Wesleyans have rtill a heavy burden of debt upon ® them, but instead of allowing it to accumulate, have decreased it somewhat, and * intend to dp so still more. n