UNITED MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 785, 7 April 1910, Page 6

UNITED MISSION.

ARRIVAL OF DR. HENRY,

AN ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME

OBJECTS OP THE CRUSADE.

_ The party of missioners who have been invited by the evangelical churches to conduct a religious crusade of several months' duration in New Zealand, arrived in Wellington by the Manuka, from Sydney, yesterday. The party consists of. Dr. J. Q. A. Henry, preacher and organiser- of. the mission, Mr. Charles A. Potts, choir leader and soloist, Mrs. Homy, who will address women's meetings; Miss Henry, secretary of the mission, and Mrs. Potts, accompanist. Dr. Henry has planned to carry on campaigns in the Dominion until August 1, and if his services are needed, they will be continued till the end of the year. .The mission in'.Wellington will close on April 29. ;

; it .. welcome was given to Dr. Henry and party on behalf of , the Wellington Ministers' -Association' in ,the Kent Terrace Churph" last "evening/ There was a full aftendance,, 'including. - ministers of all the'eyangelical churches. , The'' Rev.'. J. -Kennedy Elliott, chairman- ',of.'.the.. Ministers' Association, presided, and-gave. a ; hearty;ivelcome to the. visitors. He' welcomed them, he said, because they came ; from a great country, and the meeting welcomed them with expectation • and prayer, knowing the triumphs which had been vouchsafed them elsewhere. Those present had admired Dr. Henry's great, fight for civic and national righteousness, and they had watched his work in Great 'Britain, where he had meant to-;mako a 5 tour of a few months, and the success;'; of his work caused him to remain: for'years. He assured Dr. Henry and-Mr. Potts that their welcome' by the meeting carried with it a pledge of hearty co-operation in the mission. . . .(Applause.)

V Denominations 'as Ons. The- Rev.. J. J. .North, speaking for the Ministers' Association; i.said ■ that the initiative of this 'mission > was regarded as a very: solemn- occasion. "The', churches of this city desired to welcome the missioned. Denominational barriers had never been very high in" Wellington, and just now, they were, all down. Denominational feeling had neyer been unkind, and just now' all denominational thoughts were in one channel; arid the churches were proposing to co-operate with all their strength and energy and enthusiasm in this mission. He thought he could say every. ministerof the Free Churches in this city stood in with the movement, and would work and pray for it with all his power. Wellington- was a city with a thousand problems... It contained thousands of citizens who did not know their right hand from: their left- morally speaking, thousands who were :living frustrated lives, and many more , who had lost the ancient land-marks. and . were rudderless 011 unchartered, sea.. There was not a single moral movement in this country that would not-receive an impetus from .the fresh preaching of= the. old Gospel.

Two: Kinds of. Missions-. .The Rev. Dr. Gibb, speaking-as a representative of-the Presbyterian Church, said that though he had formerly heard very little about - Dr.- Henry, he had heard a great deal about him lately, and every succeeding item of information had deepened the anticipation with which he had_ regarded his -coming. He had the profoundest sympathy with aggressive evangelistic, work', - though; he believed that- to; 'salvation by 'conversion the onurch must-,add salvation by education, the-spiritual education of the home, the Sunday school/and the.Church,-if-'it was. to accomplish-'its; great purpose. .' In and beyond- Wellington there .were thousands and probably tens of thousands who would never experience salvation, except . through - the gateway of downright conversion. '; He- recognised the dangers that undoubtedly existed in connection with evangelistic .crusades such as that which they were' commencing. Some of the movements with which the speaker had been connected in ™ past had done more- harm 1 than good. Alter the temporary excitement and debauch of sensationalism the reaction was greater, and the spiritual condition ot numbers of.-people was lower than before. On the other hand, he had been connected with evangelistic crusades that had done great good. If the present mission should seem to him of the sensational "big drum" order, not all Dr. Henry's reputation would muzzle him (Dr. Gibb), but he was satisfied from all that; they had heard that Dr. Henry came to them in the .- right spirit; and that he would do good work. He had great pleasure in welcoming him to Wellington.

The Kev. S..J. Serpell welcomed the missioners on behalf of the Methodist , ey did-not want a mission that would bo characterised by sensationalism, but there was wanted right throughout tho .Dominion a mission that would vindicate itself by. changed lives, by transformed characters, and that,would compel adversaries to admit that God had been working in their midst. Ho prayed that Dr. Henry's mission would produce results of this kind.

Dr. Henry in Reply. Dr. Henry, who on rising' to speak was given a,' most enthusiastic reception, said it was a great joy to the missioners to be in Now Zealand, of which they had heard many favourable things. Their visit was the ; fruition oi" a hope which he had had for many years. In his mission to the United Kingdom, he, had visited about 150' totras, and, met a good, many New Zea- ! landers, who urged him to visit this Dominion when" he should have an opportunity. The captain of the Manuka nad assured him that New Zealand was the hub of the universe, and that .he could stand on the bridge "and see the whole stellar system round it. He returned thanks for . the'warm welcome given to the missioners, and for the promise of cooperation. For twenty years he had been dealing with, problems similar to those of Wellington on the frontier line of American civilisation—the Pacific slope. He believed that the solution for all problems was to.be found in the proclamation of the Christian-Gospel and in an open Bible. He had been a pastor for more than 20 years and had been associated with the most eminent evangelists in tho world, so that, he could look at missions from the point of view of the co-operat-ing churches, as well as of the missioner. Evangelistic missions should have five effects. They must win men and women to the immediate acceptance of Christ, and these converts should bo added to the Christian churches. He' would havo grave suspicions as to the conversion of anyone who refused to join himself to a Christian church. Thirdly the meetings were meant to deepen the spiritual life; fourthly, the missioners should he able to leave behind them an increased number of men and women in the'churches who would take on themselves the responsibility of personal and soul-winning work; and fifthly, there should be created in the church, and largely in the community,. a new conscience in regard to moral and social questions. It was of the greatest, value that churches should cooperate in a broad basis to prove to the community their essential unity and their regard for those outside their membership. He believed that they had reason to eipect that a great blessing would be accorded in connection with this campaign, and other compaigns throughout the Dominion. His message would bo the simple message of the Old Book, in which ho had faith, and his sole object was tho glory and exaltation of Christ. If the spirit of that meeting obtained I throughout tho campaign there could be 110 doubt of the results, ne was glad to see representatives of the Salvation Army and Y.M.C.A. present, as he had experienced the good work of these organisation's in other_ countries. Mr. Potts, who is a comparatively young man with a sunny manner and a sense of lmmour, also returned thanks for tho welcome. ' Several solos nnd'hymns were sung during the evening. j' Programme For Mission. Dr. Henry will meet personal workers at 8 p.m. to-day at the Y.M.C.A. rsoms. To-morrow Mr. Potts will meet the united choirs in the Town Hall. Tho mission proper will he opened on Sunday by, a men's meeting in tho Town Hall at i) .H.iu, and- a-n-n-ftor-churcU rplly at 8 p.m.