PARISHIONERS'MEETING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1545, 29 April 1887, Page 2

PARISHIONERS' MEETING.

- » . I. .. The annual meeting of the parishioners' of St. Stephen's Church was held last night m the schoolroom. After prayers, the Incumbent, the Rev B. A. Scott, addressed the meeting as follows :— It will be impossible for me to give you a cursory report of the work of Bt. Stephen's Church during the past year; impossible to do more than to make & short statement of things as they are and refer a little to my hopeß and projects for the future. For I need not remind you that, during nearly the whole of the past year, I have been absent m England. I trust that the experience gained there will have furnished me with greater capacities for a right fulfilling «f my duties as a minister of Christ and his Church. Meanwhile I oan only acknowledge with muoh gratitude the warmth of the welcome which you have accorded to me and to Mrs Scott, and at the same time offer my personal thanks to the Rev. E. B. Otway for the manner m which for nine months he has filled my place. I arm sure that the many appreciative remarks which I have heard throughout the parish m regard to Mr Otway, would gladden his heart if they could only be duly reported to him. Communicants. — The exact number of communicants m the parish is not as yet known to me. There were, however, 94 ; present on Easter Sunday and the Sunday ollowing. One of my great desires is that there may be a greater approach to equality m the number of men and women who come to the Holy Table than is now the case. At present, however women considerably .predominate. There have during the past twelve months been 43 baptisms, as against 72 m the previous year, and 28 burials, as against 19, and 3 weddings, as against 2. The choir, I think, is m a satisfactory state, the only weak part m it being the boys, who are few m number. A stranger remarked the other day thpt m A&hbsrton the choir led the congregation. The criticism is, 1 think, just, and I hope that the congregational nature of our singing may always be maintained. One point, however, I much desire, and that is that the attendance m the morning may be more equal to that m the evening than is sometimes the case. To the members of the choir we owe very much. To Mr Horace Gates, however, a special debt of gratitude is due. Two 5 ears ago Mr Gatea came forward when we were m great straits, and offered to fill the post of organist until someone else could be found, and for these two yearß Mr Gates has filled the office with increasing ability and with much regularity. But, with the exception of a sum under £5, the proceeds of a complimentary concert, no pecuniary recognition whatever has been made to him. The difficulties which the Vestry have had to . meet is the sole cause of this, but the fact is still the same. I think you will agree with me that the office of organist should be a stipendiary one. It m nnlike any other office m the church. A Sunday school teacher or a Vestryman can occasionally absent himself from his duties, but the organiat .is almost as much tied as the clergyman. I trust the future Vestry wiil take this matter into their careful ' consideration. The state of our Sunday Sohools is enoouraging ; that which meets m this room has 79 boys and 72 girls on the rolls, total, 151, with 17 teachers. The Hampstead School contains 35 boys and 46 girls, total, 81, with 8 teaohers. The total number of scholars is therefore 232. The attendance last Sunday was 187. The weak part of our St. Stephen's Sthool is m the small number of the older boys* I trust that parents will use every en* deavour to induce the older members of their families to attend. May I take the opportunity of thanking the teachers for their work — an arduous work remember — of the past year. I would especially mention one gentleman who for many years has laboured with us at a cost of much time ani energy, and who will m all probability be compelled before long to forego his work on account of impaired health. I allude to Mr R. S. Bean, The Seafield services are still main* tdned. Mr Otway held ten services m the past year, myself one, and Mr Marineduke Red may ne nine. I beg to acknowledge Mr Redmayne's aid with muoh gratitude. Finance . — I must now refer to a very important subject, namely, the financial position of the Chnrch. lam impressed more and more with the excessive tmpor* tance of freeing the parish from every penny of debt. Tho debt has for long been like a millstone around the neck o£ the Church. A Church debt hampers a clergyman, it tends to undermine his independence, and to sap his spiritual vitality It cnnoys a congregation, and demands from the members energy and labour which might be better expended m charitable or other efforts. Itgivesa handle to unbelievers to say that money is at the root of Church work. I hope* the oqngregation will second me m a concentrated effort to make this debt a thing of the pa&t. At present it is perfectly plain, as a glanoe at the balance-sheet will show, that the congregation cannot afford to pay the stipend which your Incumbent is now receiving. My first aot on the neir Veatry will be to request that they will" guarantee me £200 a year instead of the usual £230 lam quite deoided on this point, and I hope no discussion will be raised on the point. In the teoond place I wish to express my faith iv the envelope system. 1 1 is regular and Byatematic, and I believe that its more extensive use wonld relieve us from all difficulties as to oarrent expenditure; And lastly, I wish to inform the meet* ing that I have matured a plan whloh will be of material aid m liquidating the debt on the pariah. With the consent of tke meeting, I propose, to relieve th« vestry of the paymeut of the yearly sum of £118 for sinking fund and interest on the old building debt, a charge which will only last one more year or perhaps less. In order to do this I have created a fuad nrhich will be called the St Hephen's Building Debt Extinction Fund, The first charge on this fund will be the £118 juot alluded to, and the second the £90 still owing on the Schoolroom This will be done, I hope— (l) By donations; (2) by monthly or quarterly BubßorlptioDs; (3) by entertainments; (4) by contributions from the Ladlea 1 Work Soolety, which haa juafc recommenced work. A committee of ladies will invite the members of the congregation to subscribe, especially those who are not among the regular contributors to the Church funds. The People's Churchwarden and myself will dct'a3 Treasurers. The machinery of the fund is m readiness, and I shall ask the meecing to set it io motloa by signifying their approval of the scheme. I now oonclude by commending the deliberations of thin meeting and the future work of the Church to the guidance and biasing of Almighty Ood, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Mr George Jameson, on behalf of himself and Mr F. T. Mayo, read the report and balance sheet, which showed the total indebtness of the parish to be £406 16s 10d, as against £464 17s 3d at Easter last year. Toe reduction, however, it may be noted, is entirely due to contributions, amounting to £G4 ss, collected by tho Incumbent when m England. The present liability includes £132 19s Gd, still due on the building fund, and £99 3s 4d, due to the Incumbent for stipend. The Incumbent said he wished to establish a fund to be called the St, Stephen's Building Debt Extinction Fund, to .be managed by a Committee of ladies, the object of the fund being to liquidate tho above sum of £132 \fa Qd. and, £90