ANNUAL EASTER MEETING.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 78, 17 April 1877, Page 2

ANNUAL EASTER MEETING.

The annual parish meeting was held in the Town Hall on Friday evening last. The chair was taken by the Bey, W. H. Cooper, Incumbent, who opened the meeting with prayer. The following report was read:—The past year has been one of unprecedented activity in Church work in the parish' and district, the result being that a much more satisfactory report than was presented last E aster 'can now be laid before the parishioners. At the beginning of the year there was a deficiency of £88 in the general parochial account : the parsonage was being built and there was a large part of the contractor's tender to be provided, the Church required enlarging, and there was only a small and delapidated schoolroom at the Head of the Bay. Although no special collection was made by a committee which was appointed at the last annual meeting to collect funds for the liquidation ot the debt to the parochial fund, yet out of the general income old bills to the amount of £27 have been paid. Offertories —■ i The offertories in St. Peter's Church for the last year amounted to £134 Os 2d, j being an average of £2 per week, an in- j crease of £12 on the previous year, and j ths largest amount ever contributed in ' the offertory in one year. Parochial ; Fund—For'this fund £161 8s 2d has , been collected, and shows a steady in-

crease yearly ; some £20 is still outstanding, of this sum of £168 there was collected in Barry's Bay upwards of £35, at the Head of the Bay Lls, and in Robinson's Bay about eleven pounds. It will be necessary in these two latter bays to organise a better mode of collecting, and it is to be hoped that the inhabitants will endeavour to support the stipend fund more generally during the next year. The Parsonage is now completely out of debt, with the exception of the architect's fee, to meet these feces there remains on hand some of the most saleable of the goods from the last bazaar, and steps will be taken to dispose of them as soon as possible so as to pay of Mr Mountfort's account. The amount raised during the year for the parsonage building fund was LSB 8s 7d. St. Peter's Church. —A very commodious transept has been added to the church, and the work is nearly completed, the amount of the contract is L 284. In the parish Ll5O has been already collected and paid into the bank on this account, a further sum of L4O has been promised, and subscriptions are still coming in. The i*eadiness with which the necessary funds for this important work are being subscribed is a cause for great thankfulness. The members of every denomination have helped in the good work, and so readily were subscriptions given that the collectors' task was light and pleasant. Church of the Resurrection—A very handsome church has been erected at the Head of the Bay to replace the chapel school in which services were held for many years. This was a great undertaking for so small a community ; upwards of LBO has been locally collected for the building fund, about L 75 stillremains to be raised, and it is proposed to hold a gift auction on the Queen's Birthday to endeavour to provide the required sum. It will be seen by this statement that during the past year above L6OO has been raised in this parish for church purposes. The parochial liabilities now amount to L7O, of this sum L 7 10s is due to the Incumbent for stipend, L 6 10s for a quarter's cleaning the church and bellringing, L2B to the cemetery, L2B to the Incumbent for rent before he occupied the parsonage, L 7 for candles and kerosene. The accounts were then laid before the meeting. The Chairman- said that before the adoption of the report and accounts were moved, he must congratulate the parents on the very great success that had been accorded to their endeavours to further church work. He thought that in the opening words of the report the past year had been unprecedented in the annals of the parish, and he was sure that no other parish of the same size in the diocese had raised so large an amount as the parish of Akaroa. He was glad to be able to say that the congregations were during the year larger than they had ever been, and with the increased accommodation in the church, they might look forward to still larger attendances for the future. He thought on reviewing the last year they had indeed cause to " thank God and take courage." Mr. Wagstafp moved, and Mr. Saxtojt seconded, that the accounts, as read, be adopted.—Carried. The Chairman then read a statement of the accounts of the Memorial Window to the late A. Nalder and G. Sayle, and apologised for not having called a meeting before to lay them before the subscribers, but there had been considerable delay in getting- the brass inscription plates. Mr. Fenton read the accounts of the Fancy Fair. A balance of £12 remained on hand, which he proposed should be used for moving the organ to new chamber. When that was done, he hoped they would be able to close the gallery and the space underneath it, for the present at all events, as constant complaints were made as to the conduct of those who sat there. He might say the rowdy characters of the parish assembled there. Mr. C. W. Bridge objected to theremarks of Mr. Fenton, who then explained that he particularly alluded to the conduct under the gallery. Mr. Harlock said he wished to endorse the remarks of Mr. Fenton as regarded the conduct that went on underneath the gallery, The Chairman said he did not think the meeting could dispose of the balance of the Fancy Fair Funds ; the Vestry had not taken any part in it, and the Committee should allocate the funds.

The following is the report of the Superintendent of the Sunday School :— St. Peter's Sunday School, Akaroa. To the Reverend Incumbent St. Peter's Church, Akaroa. Your Superintendent begs to forward report of average attendance and progress of children attending the above Sunday school. When the present superintendent took charge of the school, the number on the roll was 89, and the average attendance 45. There are now 110 children on the roll, and the average attendance is 85. While acknowledging the valuable services of the teachers who have during the last year assisted in the work of the school, your Superintendent cannot but regret that there are not any male teachers ; not one young man appears willing to give up one hour in the week to assist in the work that must by all be admitted to be of the first importance. Your Superintendent would remind parents and all interested in the religious education of the young in the parish, that it is impossible to carry on a Sunday school unless money is subscribed for the purchase of bibles, hymn books, reward tickets, &c. He would therefore earnestly appoal for the necessary funds for this purpose.

If the general management of the I school is considered satisfactory by the parishioners, your Superintendent is willing to continue for another year. A. K. Harlock, Superintendent. The Chairman nominated Mr. G. EL Saxton as his churchwarden. Mr. H. H. Fenton was proposed,, seconded, and elected as people's churchwarden. The following gentlemen were elected vestrymen :—Messrs. E. C. Latter,. T. S. Baker, A. I. M'Gregor, F.Robertshaw, and H. Wagstaff, The Chairman said he wished to record his grateful thanks to the churchwardens and vestry for the last year. He was glad to see so many of them still in office. To Mr. Fenton especially the thanks of the parishioners were due. He had taken the greatest interest in the enlargement of the church, and although the plans he at first advocated were not adopted, still he had worked with undiminished zeal. He (the chairman) would also thank Mr. Inwood for his services as organist, and the ladies and gentlemen who had taken part in the choir, To the superintendent of the Sunday school he would offer his best thanks, and to the teachers who had assisted him. He felt that the most important post in a parish next to the clergyman was the superintendent of the Sunday school, the training of the young, and the iormation of their religious life being in his hands. (Applause). A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings.