Churh Union Issue Will Re Decided In June

Chronicle (Levin), 23 February 1948, Page 4

Churh Union Issue Will Re Decided In June

Tn Turie of this year all com^b^h^" i cant members of the Phu^h of New Zealand would be , asked to indicate their attitudes to- j Sds the proposal for. union Withj ,the Methodist and. Oongregational ; Churches of New Zealand, said Rev. A.. Salmond, "preachina' m ^t* i Andrew's, Levim iast night. I The Methodisu Church a num ber of years ago had mvited tfie Presbyterian and Congxegationa Churches to discuss the possibihti.es of union, and had at the outset der clared that in prineipfe tha Methodist Church was m fav9ur ot union. continued Mr. SulDioiid.. The Presbyterian Church had made no declaration or principle but had set up, a committee of assembly to, co-operatq With tfie other churches and, by di'awing up a sketch of what a United Church would be like, had tried to see what the proposed union would mean m practice. "In the negotiutions Which have been carried on since i"q40. it has been found by the

three churches tbat they^we.re m; agreement about their Christian ! faith. All havu been able to q^ent freely to 'the brief statement _of j faith contained in the first PUr^~ graph of the basis of union. The membership of the three Churches are this year giving eonsideraiqn to the forin of church ordef a Uniteq 'Church would of necessity, ad'opf.

Mr-. salmond poihted o.ut thut Christian groups the world over were feeling th&t the ca/use of the Gospel could be more effeetivply forwarded by a greater meqsure oi j unity beween all, branches of the j Christian Church. j The point which membera of the Presbyterian Church of • New Z ea- 1 land , would have to. consi4et Und express a mind upon, was whether [ the proposed union of Presbyterian, ' Methodist and Congregational j Churches in New Zealand would , really forward that unity. Tne; national situation as well as the ; local situation would require to be considered carefully. No union i could take place unless the ranki and' file of the membership willed - tfiat it should take place. It Was not'a matter of foflowing a lead from tlie Geheral Assembly or ; dbeying a direction from. an ; ecclesiastical bo.dy. • The' General Assembly sought to know this year, the mind of the communicant membership on this important "issue.