Anglican Church Makes Progress

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 78, 6 August 1948, Page 5

Anglican Church Makes Progress

LOCAL NUMBERS NEAR 4000 MARK A very progressive year was reported to the annual meeting of the Whakatane parishioners of the Church of England last night, both on the spiritual and the material sides. The grounds and interior of the church have been improved, and the general and special funds of the church have increased over the past year, besides a number of contributions which have gone straight to the source of the appeal The number of communicants has been close to the 4000 mark. The Vicar, Rev. J. C. J. Wilson, L.Th., in his report to the meeting, said new services which had been started around the district had brought a good response and showed well for the increasing popularity of the Church. The Sunday schools and Bible classes were exceptionally well attended by the younger folk of the Parish and their numbers augur well for the future.

He then went on to enumerate the improvements that had been carried out by the parishioners over the past year to the church property. In thanking all for their support of the various appeals run by the church over the past year, Mr Wilson was pleased to state that all the appeals had been over-subscribed. The appeal for food parcels for overseas had been well responded to by all, and, in addition, about thirty pairs of shoes had been sent women Church workers in Europe. The other associations of the Church had functioned well during the year and all had shown signs of growing much bigger in time to come. All the efforts made by them in raising funds for the Church had been more than successful. The Vicar concluded by thanking those who had helped in the Church during the year and had made it the success it had been. In his annual report, Church. Warden, Mr C. R. Coates, said that the organ in St George’s church had been amplified at a cost of £l5O, the paths to the church had also been sealed and were a great improvement to the appearance of the church. To overcome the coldness of the Church in winter a set of oil heaters had been installed. Mr Coates thanked all those who had been so good in the way of free labour and paint for the renovating of the Church, the hall and the Vicarage which now had a complete new coat of paint. The choir, he continued, had been restored after a period of -recess, and had proved a great asset to the services.Concerning the Edgecumbe branch of the Church’s activities the Warden said that there had been similar amenities installed in the Church there. The arrangements for the enlarging of the All Saint’s Church would be completed soon and this would provide a good sized room for the holding of Sunday school and ordinary Church meetings. , The balance sheet . showed that owing to unusually high expenditure there was a debit of £l3B Is. However; the treasurer considered that the added improvement to the Church and surroundings justified the small debit. These officers were elected for the year: Vicar’s Warden, Mr J. C. Cannell; People’s Warden, Mr C. R. Coates; Vestry, Messrs C. S. Armstrong, W. Bishop, B. S. Barry, S. T. Keen, A. C. Ranby, T. H. Howell, L. McL. Cristall, D. Scragg, H. M. Quayle, J. B. Slipper; Auditor, Mr T. A. Bridger.