METHODIST CHURCH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 46, 24 February 1930, Page 11

METHODIST CHURCH

YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORK

VITAL AND FUNDAMENTAL

Young people's work engaged the atilentiou of the Methodist Conference ilo-dtty »» thu Tar;uiaki Street Church. The department's report for 111—11, presented by the young people's organising secretary, ■ ltcv. E. P. BJnmire.s, stated that the largest issues in the world to-day are represented -by secularism on the one hand and religious education on the other. The Jerusalem Conference represented not only foreign missions, but the whole world situation before the Church, when it declared that secularism is the arch-enemy of Christianity ■in the 20th century- "it is significant," the report stated, " that the church leaders of the world have come at length by sheer necessity to give the centra! placo to religions education as -the way of hop'o in every1 land. ~ The "power of secularism is in its eaiiy grip of the youthful mind, and for that reason religious education is the only effective w-ay to overcame the enemy. . As. Britain's Prime Minister .declares' that the nations will readily pass resolutions in favour oi' inter.nationalisni, but obstruct as soon as concrete proposals am submitted which demand a change from traditional mentality, so the church will acknowledge the paramount... importance, of religious education, bat.is tested when the implications are niade.. practical. The Church in practice will pay for and train 100 men to preach, more readily than one jto teach, aiid she will form committees and spend much time and money to j organise for traditional revivalism, but gives relatively small thought to the much mcirc promising field of educational evangelism. Until there is a new perspective, tho outlook for the Church is that things are likely to get worse before they get better." Continuing, the report referred to the danger of regarding the young people's department as ono somewhat aside from the main work of the Church, instead of giving it the central place in the whole task for which, the..Church-exists. The work; was vital to circuit work, to missions, Ijoth home; and foreign, to Church finance, and to everything else. CO-OPERATION WITH OTHEBS. The need for a measure- of co-opera-tion with other- churches ■ in religious educational, work Was emphasised, in view of .the. impossibility of fulfilling some of the most responsible tasks of the department,' while working on exclusively denominational lines. It was. in youth work that the1-.churches could really find that' closer fellowship and co-operation which they professed to desire, and the Young People's Department was concerned to get the attention of the Church this year to the 'present tendency iv the direction of co-operation. lv this connection the report referred gratefully to the conference of the churches -on religious education recently held ,in Christchureli, which had focussed the studious thought of several hundreds of people upon a theme that is fundamental to every movement for national progress. Tho invaluable1 findings of tho, conference, and the importance of the tasks assigned by it .to the council, more tli.an justified the board's decision to permit the Rev. K. P. Blamires to act as the Convener of the conference and secretary to the council. . -f

The reference in the report to the proposal of the board"'for a departmental central office . in ' .Ch.riistchurcli gave .rise to some discussion. A number of' Speakers deprecated what they dc^ scribed as the tendency/ for depart-, mental'expenses U> increase, and'urged that the .money proposed to be expended on a Youni; I-'cople's Central Ol'iico could be better spent on visits of the organising' secretary to backbloek districts of,-New Zealand,'"for the purpose of encouraging the smaller and struggling churches and Sunday Schools. Referring to critieisnv of the proposed: new. office.'.Mr. I<\ Thompson (hoii. secretary to-the Young People's Board), regretted, that there appeared to bo a disposition on the part.of Some sections of the Church to look with a d'ljrrc'e <.<( suspicion at the Young - People 'a, Department,,, with -the result that tin) department: was often placed in. the posi-. tiou of having to explain and defend its existence. He could wish that the Church-could realiso that the young people's work was the most fundamental work that the Church could engage in, as it was from this department that the church of the future was to be recruited, and the national welfare promoted.. . • ' ■ ■■'.. :' . The report further referred to the acliievements-of. the department, in the matter of new Sunday School enterprises, better architecture, more efficient primary instruction and-stalling generally, attendance of children at church, the recruiting from the Bible Class movements of preachers, teachers, and other leaders in church work, etc. SUPERNUMEKARY FUND. The Supernumerary Fund Board's report, presented by the Eev. . M. A. B. Pratt (connexional secretary), showed that during the year a ;total of £7228 had been paid out in ministers' annuities. The accumulated fund now totalled £13S,1CS.' . The .report was adopted, with a tribute to the efficiency of the connex-ional secretary's work.