METHODIST CHURCH EXTENSION

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 5

METHODIST CHURCH EXTENSION

, FIRST ANNIVERSARY. ' ' anniversary. - of. the.' inatiguratioii on the Wellington Methodist Council for OHmA.J&stomoii was., held last , night, and proved, a great bucogss. Despite the unfavouxable weather, there waa a-large attendance at the tea-mectmg in Wesley Hall. -Ladies representing ''all the;-Methodist.districts Of Wellington city and suburbs took part in the arrangements, -which were well carried OUt. . . ;..--.-V : ithe tea a publio meeting was -held I in.gio-Taranaki,Stroet' Wesloyan' C%ir<?hy/tlio ■ m ''iJ- Williams presiding over a -large attendance. . - b - Tho secretary's report, which was adopted at ,th«'meeting, .stated -that tho council was fonned last June, and considerable • success nad attended -its formation: and working/ "It wa3 , of'a tea and meeting of I office-bearers,-and -membersvropro-i T/ n rf j V - 6 ■ city and , Buburban Methodism, held on May 15, 1908. At" that gathering. the. .council wag formed, and the officers Appointed 'WWo: , "Revs'.'-''W.' i J Williams (president), S. -J. Serpcll (vicepreßident),_E. P. Blamires: (secretary), and ST* ,P-- (treasurer), The executive of the council, consisting of tho minister and cu-ornt. stewards of. all tho Wellington circuits, was forthwith formed, and'had sin'co been considerably enlarged by the addition of representatives elected .by'the several quartorly. meetings. Several mostincs bfthe executive were held, a .Sites Committee appointed,.and a;pohcy outlined, and-at a meet: mg of the council hold in 'Wesley Church', on /j'i' that policy was approved. It embodied a to raise a Thanks- . church e-Ttension purposes, Wv the- sum. to be aimed •at ■as £4000," mUun apenod of. throe years. It empowered the Executive .Committee to make grants as circumstances; require, and for'this 'purpose to rocoivo from quarterly meetings or Trust Boards of. mterested,circuits or others applications.for stfoh grants. It directed its otheory and Executive, Committee to hold a great-.Methodist. reunion tea and public mabojm appeal to Wellingon ;behalf of tho fund. The of a Central Mission in the city was also included as one of the obWts'to be specially considered. At this mooting of the council, Messrs. G. Tiller and J R Kandereon were appointed to act as treasure C H. Jones, and-theso three treasurers, were elected trustees of the of - any .property donated or to meeting on Juno 10, 1908/ was m eVory sense's I pronounced sufyess. The Thanksgiving Fund _ta\ church.extension was duly 'launched, and % of £1673 promised. The'total'amount £ " I ';.P ro^ B , to fund now amounts 40 us. ,Dd. The work-that has been accomplished as a direct" result of this move ls ,. a ?-Jfollows:—A site -secured . new church/at! Island value .£200; a church site ..prosented onManne Parade, Worscr Bay-the gift of WW ! and a site, at Hataitai. at a.cost Applications for grants in aid of now erections have, been made as follow— Brookljn, £400, granted by the Executive , bommilteo. conditionally on £100 being locally I of -now church to -bo not less / than £700; the contract , has 1 been-let lor£'sß, and the work is now in,progress. Island. Bay; aslccd for £500. and' £400 was granted,'of .which sum £200 has already been f? 3 . 18 ' trust. Kilbirnio requested tcKJU, which sum was voted provided £200 is raisod locally; and_ a new church erected at a Karori aßked for £500, and MOO was promised conditionally on the "nfew church';costing'not less.than £800. Thus,'the applications amounted to £1700, of which £1500 was granted subject to £300 being locally raised, and now buildings apartfrom than ' erected .at, not: less cost of- a Central Mission' in Wellington occupied, a good .deal of time both by, the, executive-and particularly by, the sUb.committee, and .the; efforts of the latter, have met; with' considerable sucoess. ,', An appeil was. made; to Synod and the late conference for tho .inaugnmtion of the above .mission, and,,-the .result.-was the appointment' of -a ; mismoner, .the Rev. A.- F. Burchell, and .'the practical .agreement, of the .Herbert Street " i 'r- * After the; presentation of the report,-ad-dresses, on; the aims of the'council for chnreh aven by the Revs. S. J. Serpel, W R. >Tuck, ;M.A„ B. ,F. Rdthwell, A. F. Bnrchell, and . Messrs. . C. .H.. Jones (treasurer), and .L R. Randersen (secretary). iho musical portion of the -programme for tho mooting consisted ■of old Methodist hymns rendered by the combined choirs aiid tho Mission Band. The duet "Excelsior" was snng-in pleasing style by Messrs, Ashley (Auckland) and Hupps;(Wellington). ■,