THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 742, 15 February 1910, Page 9

THE CONGREGATIONAL UNION

'' A PLEA FOR THE L.M.S. . (By. rolcßraph— Press Association., j/i'/.''.: . ' Auckland, February 14. . The Council of.tho New Zealand Con-, gregatio'nal Union -resumed its. sittings ; . .to-day. The Rev.>R.'; M'Naughton spoke strongly regarding the need lor creating nioro interest in missions.' The ■ Rev. ,A. E. .Hunt quoted statistics to 6hovr . that the Anglicans, with 368,065 adherents, ! raised .£4734■ last ■ year' for., foreign,. missions; the Presbyterian . -Church,with 203,537 adherents,.;, had.. ' raised .£3795; Methodists. (including.V the . Primitive Methodists), 'with 69,038 adherents, " had found: .£29lsthe Baptist Church;! with 17,747 adherents," ',£2000; .and, the ;: Congregationalists in. New 1 Zealand contributed per Capita.more than the others. 'At the. same time, there" was no shutting out the unpleasant fact: that while, last year, fivo churches in "New '.'. Zealand ' had raised. ',£17,000 for foreign missions, the sum:'of .C1,9C0,000 passed through the, totalisators of the Dominion.: A good deal-of .money was being raised for'home missions wort,, but, when they learned that the London Missionary Society showed a' deficit last year. of. .£40,000, surely, .it was time to make an effort to raise more money in the Dominion; The Rev. W. J., Smith ! was-reappointed organising secretary for. tho London Missionary Society .for the ensuing year. :, . .;-'■. •; . . Tho Keference Committeo recommended "That the New Zealand Union. ■will- not Tccogriiso any ministers'coming to the Dominion unless> officially transferred, and trusts that other unions will act similarly- .towards.,men -leaving .New. Zealand." This was adopted on the motion of the Kev. W. Saunders.'A deputation fi;ora the Auckland Ministors'- Association waited; by appointment upon the council, for the purpose of extending fraternal (treetings... The.\ Rev.Gray Dixon referred to ■ the similarity between the Presbyterian and tho Congregational Churches in their aims. Ho felt sure that, in the weaving, of the;web of religious life of this young Dominion, the strands supplied by tho Congregationalists wero a* necessity for the completeness of the whole.- Tho Rev.; Messrs.' Cook and Cocker also said a few words.-of welcome, after which tho Rev. W. J. L. .-.Closs,8.A., briefly "replied on behalf of the council. , . ' .