METHODIST WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3015, 28 February 1917, Page 3

METHODIST WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

THE LEAD FOR MISSION .WORKERS. A pleasant break to the business proceedings in which the Methodist Women's Home and Foreign Mission "Union were engaged yesterday was the tea adjournment which was made midway during the afternoon, and at which the delegates to the Men's Conference were invited to attend. Mrs. JohnsonWright presided, and after tea had' been dispensed she called upon the llev. Mr. Sinclair, president of the conference, and secretary for the Dominion of tho. Methodist Home and Foreign Missions, to speak. In responding to the call, Mr. Sinclair congratulated the Ladies' Auxiliaries upon the splendid work they bad done, and hoped that in tho coming year the men's unions throughout the Dominion would display as much energy as the ladies had done. It had b6en decided at the conference that the Methodist Churches should set themselves the task of raising the sun>. of £10,000 by 1918 for their foreign missions. It might seem to be a high mark that they were setting themselves, but lie believed that it could be done.

The llev. Mr. Garland, of Auckland, Was next asked to outline something of what had been, dealt with at the Methodist Men's Conference during their sittings, and in reply he told his audience what it was proposed to do with the £10,000 which they hoped to raise. This £10,000 was to be divided into three parts, the first part, consisting of £6000, or, say, £6300, to be handed over to the Missions ~' Board. The next sum, that of £2000, was to be made the nucleus for their own New Zealand mission work, and the final £2000, if they were successful in getting it all,"was to be handed over to the board to supplement thesprevious amount. The ladies' auxiliaries had heartily endorsed the movement, and in. every centre .these auxiliaries had increased in number and also in a large majority of cases in financial resources. Their assistanco would be invaluable in the forthcoming campaign. From Auckland, Mr. Garland told his hearers, he had already a conditional promise of £500. One thing he suggested was that their ministers should organise. If they led in this movement a great deal would 'bo accomplished, and every Methodist would surely rise to the heroism.'of giving what he or she could for their cause. He greatly hoped to soe the Church a. living force., a "church in khaki." Supposing our Navy or our Army had shown tho same dilitoriness in their work as had been shown in church work, we as a nation would have been swamped long ago. The spirit that animated these two great services should not be greater than that that existed in their church, and if such is to prove to be the case then they would not fail in raising the desired sum. The announcement was made later in the afternoon that the conference had allowed two .of its ■ ministers, the Rev. Mr. Suckling and the Rev. Mr. Evans, to enter foreign mission work. * Mr. . Suckling briefly outlined the causes that, led to their'both desiring to take up such a work, the chief causo being tho great! scarcity of'workers and the great field in which there was such clamant need of help. Mrs. Bannatyne, who had been a worker in the mission fields of New Guinea, in the course of a very brief speech, said she did not think that they were justified in forgetting tho great need for missionaries in the mission fields. It was not the work that killed, but what did sap their strength and their courage was the fact that the need for workers was so overwhelming, and there were so few of them to cope ? with it. The natives were crying out to learn the truths'of Christianity, and asking why did not those people who knew these truths come to tell them about them. It was very hard—hard for the natives and hard for the missionaries. The morning session was presided over by Mrs. Bowron (New Zealand president). Mrs. Paoey, of Auckland, led the devotions, and gave a Bible reading, the subject being "Tho Widow's Mite." Mrs. Pacey reminded the members of conference that ■' the women of to-day were "in many instances being called upon to give their all, even as the widow whose sacrifice is described so graphically in St. Luke's Gospel. The business of the session was .then proceeded/with. It was ■ decided that' the executive for the ensuing year have its headquarters, in Dunedin. Mrs.' E. Rosevearo was nominated for the presidency, and Mrs. AVest secretary, the remaining officers to be held over until later. The secretary then read the roll call. Sixteen branch auxiliary representatives rose in response to their name. Reports from these, branch auxiliaries were then rerfd. In nearly every report there was sounded the note of progress. A.large amount of money has been raised during the year for foreign mission work.

The Rev. G. Bond and Mrs. Bond, of Auckland, who have come to Wellington to attend the Methodist Conference, are the guests of Mrs. Campbell, Duncan Terrace;

A London correspondent, writing on January 11, states that the staff of the Marama was having an opportunity of seeing 'London and their friends in the Old Country, and were to be seen "about town." Major Dutton (Dunedin) had been in London. ■ Miss L. B. Brandon, N.Z.A.N.S., who came over on the Marama, had been staying at the Bedford Square Nurses' Hostel. Sister G. E. Ward (Riccarton), also of the nursing staff, had been in London for a few days. Miss Una Carter will take "preserved fruits and request dishes" as the subject for her demonstration of gas cookery at the Wellington Gas Company's rooms this afternoon.