Y.M.C.A. NEEDS MORE TRAINED STAFF

Press, Volume C, Issue 29515, 17 May 1961, Page 17

Y.M.C.A. NEEDS MORE TRAINED STAFF

“As our voluntary leadership and staff resources are being exploited to the full, it is our immediate and urgent task to have more trained and dedicated men for programme development and to train more voluntary leaders than ever before,” says the °ightv-sixth annual report of the Christchurch branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association, presented at the annual meeting last evening. “Staff training is the most urgent problem facing the association and the movement generally. If we can come to grips with these vital issues we shall go a long way towards becoming a fully effective instrument . . . for the building of Christian character and a Christian society.” The report, presented jointly bv the president (Mr A. T. Watson) and general secretary (Mr R. J. O'Kane), said the association’s membership was not as large a' it should be for a major centre, but the recent, develooment in Bryndwr seemed to indicate that the association would in future experience “new life and growth as it reaches out to new fields of endeavour.” This new centre appeared to be capable of doubling its activities and membership in a short time. Other extensions of the association's work had taken place at North Beach. New

Brighton, Aranui, Mairehau. Sockburn, Hornby, and Woodend, said the report. Present membership now stood at 2128 persons. 782 of whom were affiliated to the association's youth department. Generally, the last year had been one of “new oooortunities and serious problems,” said the report. Finance Although the cost of the Bryndwr building project completed earlier during the year had amounted to more than £lO,OOO it was significant that the financing of the project had not been a drain on the association’s general funds, the treasurer (Mr G, R. Lawn) said in his financial report.. i The balance sheet for the project showed that only £l9l 19s 9d of this figure had been taken from the association’s general funds. The association's general balance sheet showed a surp’us of slightly more than £6OO. a feature that had not occurred for several years, he said. Officers As members of the branch’s board of directors retire or are re-elected in rotation there were only three members to be elected last evening. Two present members, Messrs V. M. Busby and A. E. Collins were re-elected and Mr D. Botherway was elected. In addition to the above the sitting board of directors is:—Messrs A. T. Watson, W. Ainsworth, G. Dempsey, C. E. Fenwick. G. R. Lawn, R. Jiller, E. G. S. Powell, K. Royds, L. Scott, E. H. Smith, I. Todd, G. W. Walker, B. E. Williams and the Rev. P. N. Wright.