TRINITY CHURCH JUBILEE.

Evening Star, Issue 14931, 18 July 1912, Page 7

TRINITY CHURCH JUBILEE.

THE OLD FOLK ASSEMBLE. AND TELL OiTeXPERIENCES. The meetings held yesterday afternoon and evening may be regarded as the most import-ant of the series that have been arranged for in connection with this jubilee. Fully a hundred Methodists who class themselves as old identities went to tho meeting that began shortly after 3 p.m. Tho Rev. P. W. Fairclough welcomed them individually at the door, and many of tho visitors remembered the Rev. W. C. Oliver, who stood by the pastor, Mr Oliver being one of tho old circuit superintendents, now superannuated and living in Christ-church, and visiting Dunedin for the express purpose of fraternising with tiie people who he formerly ministered to. Portable heaters were provided to take the sting out of tho low temperature, and the old folk were well looked afteT in every way. The Rev. Mr Fairclough said on mounting the platform that they were going to sing and pray, but it was not to be a prayer meeting. Ho would like to see cho meeting made reminiscent and historical and social. By way of a start the congregation sang one "of Charles Wesley's typical connexionai hymns, 'And are ve yet alive,' and the Rev. F. T. Reid, of "Port Chalmers, prayed. Then the chairman invited tho friends to offer sentence prayers, and many responded, quite in the old Methodist style. A personal touch was given to the. proceedings by the chairman's next move. " I want to try to date you, a? it were," said Mr Fairclough, "fo as to let us see where u-o are. I ask those of you who were in Otago in 1862 to hold up your hands." Several responded, the chairman, who was in a position to count, declaring: " A large proportion, 1 see." Then he called on these who were in Otago in the fifties, and he announced "Quite a number." Three or four intimated in like fashion that they remembered the Rev. Isaac Harding, and two signalled that they had worshipped in the old church on the hill. So, though it did not appear that any who were at the meeting had been married or christened in the old church or in tiie n-r;w church during its very early days, it may be taken that the gathering had, as the chairman said, "a flavor of antiquity." Another of Charles Wesley's hymns was then sung. It was a great favorite in a bygone generation, ' Come on, my partners in distress,' and to the delight of tho old folk it was sung to the tune with which it is inseparably connected, ' Grosve-nor.' The Chairman said that ho had not arranged any programme ior the speaking, except to "ask Mr Albert Bock, who was deaf, to give his After Mr Beck had spoken tho iriends could take the meeting into their own hands. Mr Beck's address proved very intcrcisting. Ho spoke of his arrival in 1858, _ of his surprise to find that the term " Wesleyan" was not known, of Mr C. Duke's visit to him with the proposal that they should do something to honor their upbringing, of the starting of services in the Oddfellows' Hall, and of how that beginning of Methodism led through fluctuations and anxieties to the building of the church that was top heavy and pet blown down, and thence- to the'erection of tho present ttructure. Mr Beck spc-ko in an exulting strain of the circuits that had been built up by offshoots from Trinity. Port Chalmers," Cargill road, Mosgiei,"and St. Kikla hud each ventured cut in turn, and St. Kilda promised to be one of the strongest of these young churches. He would have liked to "see his old friend and colleague Mr I). Haynes present, and suggested that the meeting should .send a message of sympathy with" Mr Hnynes, to shew ti>* r , in his lay up through ili-heaith ho was not forgotten. Other speakers followed in brisk succession. Mr W. Lind, the Rev. W. C. Oliver. Mr Andrew Gardiner, Mrs Rosevear, Mrs J. Sparrow, Miss Cameron, Miss Wright, Mrs Wells, Mrs Bridgman, tho Rev. U. J. Murray, Mrs Moyse, Mrs Wootten, and Mr J. Crow were amongst those who spoke. Miss Wright mentioned that her father and inert her had landed in 1857, before there was anv Methodist church here at all. She believed that her mother was the first Methodist woman to live in Dunedin. One of the speakers also referred to Mrs Lawson. daughter of Mrs Patton, and said that Mrs Lawson, who as a baby was th". first to be christened in the present church, was somewhere about the buildin;;. It turned out that she was below, helping to prepare for the tea. The Rev. Mr Fairclough said that he could not claim to be a jubilee man. He came to Dunedin 45 years ago by a sort of accident. The steamer Alhambra, by which ho travelled from Melbourne, met bad weather, and was seven days making Hnkitika, and as the vessel had 200 horses for Dunedin and coal was running short, the captain brought his ship south about to the Bluff and Port Chalmers, and, after coaling from the hulk Cincinnati, she went on to Hokitika, reaching that roadstead 14 days after leaving Melbourne. The next time he came here was as a student for the ministry, in January of 1873, when Alexander Reid was in charge. He iMr Fairclough) then preached several times at Trinity Church, and also took turns at services down t lie Peninsula. He had brought to this meeting the first baptismal register and marriage book of Trinity Church, so that anyone interested might" see them. It was not generally known that there were two Methodists on tho first ship that e-inn to Otago, the John Wickliffe, these being Mr Ferens and Mr Monson, the first gaoler here. The meeting lasted till about 5 p.m. THE TEA MEETING. A great crowd attended the tea meeting at 6 o'clock. Three relays were necessary to provide for all. Mrs Brebner, who was present at the first tea meeting held in connection with the Methodist Church in Dunedin, in the year 1863, was amongst the distinguished old identities present. The following ladies gave or presided at tables :-—Mesdames Bromner, Haynes, Sparrow, Raintree, Patton, Pixley, Moyse. Hartley. H. Beck, A. Beck, Ferens. Gardiner, Wells, West, Lawson, Stephens, Calvert, J. Love, Love sen., Carringt.on, Bull, Bennett, Vanes, Rosevear, Coventry, Aekrovd, Gordon, King, Eastabrook, Harris, Penrose, W. H. Duke, and Fairclough. Mesdames Osborne, Davis, and Reed, and Miss Runciman assisted. The tables given by the choir were presided over by Mesdames Dey, Martin, and Christie, and Miss Gilmour. THE OLD-TIMES MEETING. The church was crowded at the meeting that started at 7.30 p.m. A feature of the proceedings was the pinging of hymns to old tunes. Mr W. R. Don, who has made a special study of the tunes that our fathers and mothers iwed to sing with fervor, led a reinforced choir, and Miss Hartley was at the organ. The opening hvmn was that constant favorite '0 for a thousand tongues to sing,' set for this particular occasion to that lively tune that used to be known as " Nativity," now styled " Lyngham." Other venerable tunes revived were "Tranquillity," "Praise," " Cianbvook," and " Diadem." It is a pity that our young folk do not know this lino old music better. The seniors present found these tunes a great pleasure. The Rev. P. W. Fairclough said he had been receiving for weeks past messages of congratulation from all parts of the Domtnion, from men formerly connected with the church and from representatives of sister churches. H» wm pleased to s»e representatives present from InvercargiU, Oamaru, Timaru, Waikouaiti, and Port Chalmers, to say nothing of the numerous visitors from nearer at hand. Among the sheaf of congratulatory communications that had been received was ono from the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly (tho Rev. G. Lindsay), who wrote extending -his Church's congratulations in connection with the Methodist jubilee celebrations. That Church's 50 years of devoted service was a noble record of work done in the can3e of Christ. Great and praiseworthy as its past 50 years had been, he hoped its future would bo even more glorious. Probably before another 50 years had run their course a union or federation of all the evangelical churches of the Dominion would havo become an accomplished fact..

The Rev. R. Evan Davies, on behalf of tho Council of Churches, conveyed tho heartiest congratulations of that body. They rejoiced with the Methodist Church, and were glad to note that it was able to report such great progress all along the line of its history, and trusted that the present celebrations would prove an inspiration to its people. The Rev. Graham H. Balfour wrote saying that the occasion was of great interest to him, as Dr Burns, the first minister of the First Church of Otago, had preached at the opening of Trinity Church in 1862. The I.ev. R. Wnddell also wrote in congratulatory terms. The branch of the Christian "Church to which they belonged was distinguished by high and noble traditions. From his personal knowledge he could say the succession of ministers in Trinity Church had been singularly happy. Other greetings were from the Rev. M. La wry, secretary of the Methodist Conference ;" the. Rev. W. Ready, tho president and the founder and first minister of the Central Mission in Dunedin ; the. Revs. C. H. Law, G. W. J. Spance, and J. Crump (former ministers of the church), the Rev. Wm. Baumber (of Nelson), the Rev. M. A. R. Pratt (of Gore), Mr William Watson (of Lawrence), Mr W. H. Walker (one of the earliest elders of the church), Mr Wheeler (circuit steward for Palmerston and Waikouaiti), and Mr Enoch Tonks (of Wellington, who was at the opening service in 1862). The Chairman said he very much regretted tho absence of Mr Daniel Haynes, who was one of the original trustees of the church, and he thought a motion of sympathy should be 6ent to him in consideration of the cause of his absence.—This was heartily agreed to. Mr J. Stead (ex-Mayor of Invercargill) voiced tho congratulations of visiting friends. .Mr C. Duke, one of the founders of tho congregation, related in a vigorous manner his recollections of the stirring early days, and Messrs E. A. Rosevear and W. 11. Duke spoke as representing what was termed the middle age of the church. More singing followed, and a number of lantern scenes were shown, depicting old groups and friends. The meeting closed at 10 p.m.. with cordial votrsof thanks to the ladies, to Mr W. R. Doft? to Miss Hartley, and to Mr W. F. Simpson for working the lantern.