AFTER FORTY YEARS' SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 767, 16 March 1910, Page 4

AFTER FORTY YEARS' SERVICE

FAREWELL TO REV. C. E. WARD. 'V ——" A pleasant gathering was held on Monday evening in the Sydney Street Primitive Methodist Church/ lor the purpose of bidding good-byo to. the Rev. C. E. Ward and family on'tho evo of their deparhire from th'is city.- The occasion constituted a 'duel event, inasmuch that it was not only tho termination of five years' successful work, in connection with the Wellington No. 1 Circuit, but it also marks the Rev. : C. E. Ward's retirement from the active.' ministry, after forty years' faithful. service,Jtlie' greater partion of which has been jvith the vamous churches, in New. Zealand. The chair was occupied,by..Mr: Mi .Murdoch. > .... The chairman, in referring' to tho splendid,worlf. accomplished by the Rev. C. E. Ward, 6ori> l \'testiinonyr.:.to.,.thc' 1 unselfishness which had characterised that gentle- , man's .lengthy ministry.. . Mention was also made that the guest of the evening was tho soil' of the late Rev. Robert' Ward., the pioneer minister of the Primitive Methodist Church, in New Zealand. During..-Mr. : Ward's-.stay in Wellington the; church property had been placed on" .a sound.financial basis, and the prospects for the. future generally were very much .brighter. '. Snort, appreciative, and sinccre addresses! were a]so delivered : by the Rev. J. DunibeH'(retired minister), tho Hon. C. M. Luke, and Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P. (both of whom had known Mr. Ward for the past thirty, years), Messrs. W. I. Clark; J. B. Haddon, and J. Cable (for various departments of the Sydney Street and Northland Churches), and Mr. Hes- ' sey (Petone . Church), whilst the Rev. Hedley White, ; a, former Sydney Street School secretary and teacher," spoke on behalf of the young ministers of the connexion.. Kindly and feeling reference was also made to the good work performed by Mrs. Ward and family, special. reference being made to the services of Miss Ward, who had been church organist and a loyal worker in the mapy departments in connection with the- church and Sunday School. A letter _ was read from Mr. David Goldie, of .'Auckland (the general secretary of the New, Zealand Connexion), expressing. appreciation of tho worthy manner in which-ths Rev. .Mr. Ward and upheld the traditions of the Church, and a telegram was received from the Rev. J. Dawson .wishing the meeting success. Towards tho close of'the proceedings, ths chairman, on behalf of. tho- Sydney, Street and Northland Churches, presented Mr. and Mrs. Ward with a handsome silver tea . service suitably inscribed. • On behalf , of . the ' Sunday School, Mutual Improvement Society, and church.' friends, Miss -V. Clark presented Miss - Ward with' a silver-backed hair brush, mirror, "and comb. Mr.. Haddon (Sunday School superintendent) made a presentation to Miss Muriel Ward of a copy of Tennyson's Poems, whilst Mr. Hessey, representing the IJetonc Church, hande'd Mr. and Mrs. Ward a silver cako dish and a sugar basin and cream •jug,'with stand. ' In returning thanks for the many tokens of esteem, the Rev. C. E. Ward briefly recounted many of his experiences during his forty years' ministry, with '"special reference to his, connection with tlie Wellington churches! Ho stated that, although retiring from the active list, he. would still bo closely associated with the ministry at Cliristchurch, where ho hoped'to render much faithful service; During tho evening. a musical programme was given,' the following contributed Pianoforte duet, Misses'Gillespie and Larcombe; songs, Misses Baker (encored) and Jean Nicholas, and Mr". N. Grant (2). Mrs. Lambert and Mr. Grant contributed a duet. Mr.. Grant acted as accompanist. '.