MODES OF RAISING MONEY FOR CHURCH PURPOSES.

Evening Star, Issue 3018, 22 October 1872, Page 4

MODES OF RAISING MONEY FOR CHURCH PURPOSES.

The Bishop of Nelson, in his address to his Diocesan Synod, was very severe on bazaars. He spoke as follows : I feel that we ought to appeal more clearly to religious motives in making our collection' - , and in asking for help; it is for this work, as it is a spiritual wor|i, that we crave t|}e help, If this he sp, this will still allow us a very wide range in taking advantage of means whereby we may raise funds for necessary purpsses, but I do not think \ve ought to approve of means which, in themselves, contain elements of evil, or even have tendencies iu that direction. The raising of money by sales of works, by music, and lectures, by bazaars and gift-auctions, if properly conducted, cannot, as far as I see, be objected to, for the performers and workers are the real contributors, and they may, as in the case of work, music, and lectures, be made highly instructive and useful ; but lotteries, raffles, and art unions falsely socalled, and such like, ought, I think, to be unanimously disapproved, and repudiated by us as illegitimate, improper, and unworthy means of raising money. The spirit of gambling is so rife in all classes iu this Colony, that this is a sufficient reason why the Church should set itself against everything which encourages gambling, and certainly decline and disapprove any proposition for raising funds by such a means. An example of the way in which money can he raised in and by a small community has been afforded us this last year by Richmond; the parties most concerned first of all contributed themselves at the outset very liberally ; _ this evoked other similarly liberal contributions ; the assistance of friends at hand and at a distance was earnestly sought, and with the exception of a loan of LIOO from the Diocesan Loan Fund, the whole sum necessary, L6OO, for the building ot a small but suitable structure, was cheerfully and quickly raised, much to the astonishment of many, but greatly to the gratification of all concerned. I would rather that the building of a church were delayed, than see it helped and hastened on by such questionable means as the lotteries, raffl-s, &c., I have referred to above. Undoubtedly, the temptation to yield, in order to get monetary difficulties out of the way, it great, but equally undoubted is the clearness of the path of our duty to eschew and discountenance such things ; and we must not only induce our people to assist for the sake of the work itself, hut endeavor to train them to give from ever higher and better motives.