METHODIST CHURCH EXTENSION FUND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 880, 28 July 1910, Page 3

METHODIST CHURCH EXTENSION FUND.

THE SECOND' -ANNIVERSARY.

.The'second anniversary meeting of the Wellington Methodist Council for Church Extension was held, in the Taranaki Wesleyan Church : last evening, a large' number of people being present, 'i'ho chair was .occupied, by the Kev. T. Feo (ex-president of the conference), and there ,\vero associated with hiin: The Itevs. ,C. H. Laws (president of the conference), S. J.'Scrpell, J. Ward,-J.'B. Clark, and' J. K. Andqrson. The report showed that liberal i responses'", to, the ever-growing needs of the Church .of .Christ in this city and suburbs have" enabled the executive to. assist some, of the! most, urgent, claims. The total payments; (including last year's) are as follow:—,£ 100 to the Island'. Bay '.Trust; bS-JOO to the Brooklyn Trust (on account '.-of the handsome. new church, opened- October' 3 last, at a cost of ,£B9o),':nnd-.£lsd to the Wellington-Cen-tral-Mission.'These payments are in addition to amounts paid on account of sites. To- other, new. enterprises the following conditional promises: have."been" made, viz.: J3OO to Kilbirnie, conditional on'-a new church being erected-at Hataitai at a cost of .£IOOO, of.which sum .£2OO to bp raised locally ;• .£4OO to Karßri bn T ,condi-" tion that'not less than v£SOO be expended on new church : building; ,£IOO to Worser Bay, provided JEIOO be raised locally, the total .cost 6f. : church-room, to,:bo7<£3oQ; JJIOO to Marnnui, Kilbirnie South,.conditional on .£l3O being locally promised by December .31, ,1011, for building; and ■E2OO to Wadestown, provided ,£IOO be contributed locally, the cost of new building to be .£3OO.

The balance-sheet showed that receipts to ,£859 10s. 7d.' had been received, while the-expenditure totalled the sarno ' amount. The' total: cash • paid in' to date amounted to .£1133 17s. Id., and a site had been presented which valued .£l5O, making ■ in all a sum of .£1283 17s. Id. • . ' ,

Mr. Laws remarked 1 upon 'the great growth'of- Methodism Iliac had taken place of late years,' of the. great activity it displayed in its work. A good example of this activity was to be' found in Wellington itself as.the oites which had been secured for church . buildings in the suburbs witnessed. There was a very great need for this extension, for which they had been . working. He'. congratulated -the council and wished them a prosperous year. .

The Rev. S. J. Serpell. superintendent of the Taranaki Street Circuit, and the chief mover in this extension movement, spoke of the need of united effort among the city and suburban churches in this matter. The suburbs were entirely dependent upon the Central Church, as they were unable to supply themselves in the matter of necessary sites and buildings. The Rev. Josiah Ward,, of Trinity Chnrch, also' spoke of the movement, and then moved a vote of thanks to the president, the ladies who 'had provided and waited upon the tables at the tea meeting earlier in the evening, to the members of the choir, the conductor, and the organist, also to the Her. S. J. Ser : pell for his special, effort in connection ■with the extension woYk.

During the course of. the evening seiections.were given by the choir under the ■baton of Mr. T. Cooper, and the soloists of the crenine; were:. Miss Bennett, nnd the Messrs.. Bowling and Travers. The organist was Mr. Harland,