PARISH MATTERS.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 333, 17 November 1875, Page 3

PARISH MATTERS.

TO THE EDITOR. Slß,—As there appears to bo considerable misapprehension in the minds of many of ll © members of the Anglican Church in this plat© as to their duties and responsibilities to their present minister, it may not bo out of plat© now that their new Church has been couse* crated to try and set them right on two or three matters, looked at in a legal point of view. The connection of the Church of England congregation of Tauranga with the Bo? 0. Jordan commenced on hit arrival among them, when certain members thereof signed a bond guaranteeing to the Bishop of the diocese the sum of £l5O per annum for three years. On or about the Both of December next this guarantee expires, and the guarantors have taken the opportunity of the . Bishop’s visit among us to remind him of this fact. What then will be the position of Mr Jordan in a short time as it regards his flockunless these or other guarantors enter into a new guarantee ? simply this that ho will have no legal status among them. As Mr JoVdan has not been appointed permanent minister of the Church here according to the constitution of the General Synod (which provider that the clergyman shall be chosen by a majority of five nominators, three to be chosen by the parish and two by the Diocesan Synod) he is not and never has been incumbent. Now is the time if the congregation wish to retain permanently their clergyman’s services to request their three nominators (if snob a body: exists) to unite with the Diocesan nominators in recommending him to the Bishop as “Incumbent of Trinity Church, Tauranga remembering at the same time that having taken this step, and the nomination having been confirmed by the Bishop an Act of the General Synod only could remove him, unless for some moral delinquency, when the Bishop of thediocese may do eo, giving a reason in writing for so doing both to the person so removed and to the Vestry if required.—l am, &c.,