PARISH MEETING.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 87, 24 March 1880, Page 3

PARISH MEETING.

A well attended meeting of the parish* cneis of St. John's Church, Feilding, was held in the barracks cn 'SVemlesday evening last for the purp< se of hearing Arehdcacon Thorpe’s address on the objects of the new General Church Fund, which has just been instituted iu the Diocese of Wellington.

Mr A. F. Halcombe occupied the chair, andbriifly explained the objects of the meeting, and introduced Archdeacon Thorpe to his audience. Mr Thorpe laid he experienced some diffidence in meeting them, because be had said a good deal oil file subject before, and to a certain extent would bo travelling over the old ground. He would address a few words to them on cliurcb matters. It was necessary fur the Church of England people to bind themselves together for church purposes, * and form a body for mutual help. He referred to the advantages of proper representation, as for example iw New Zealand where irom parish vestries to church synods every member had a voice iu church affairs. The people hove a so n voice iu the nomination ol their pastors* If people come out to the colony with un interest in church mattters, they would na'urully undertake to find churches for themselves and their children, and it rested with them to Jay the foundations of further churchis, There was a largo amount of church work to be done, independently of what any district or parish could carry out. Iu travelling over ihe districts of the colony, it pained him to find that l umbers of people were entirely shut out from the benefits of the church. This wa9 in many cases not their own fault, but was owing to force of cii cum. stances, and it was necessary that a church should be sent, to them* The result of religious teaching being eliminated from Rare schools was that the resprrisibility of the teaching of the •children devolved on clergymen. Clergymen were veiy small in number, and it was a heavy tax on their tiino to carry cut educational ,duties. It religious teaching and the responsibility connected with it has to be undertaken by the church, the consequence will be that the number of clergymen will have to be increased. There was an idea prevalent that an unfailing supply of clergymen could be obtained from Home, but ho did not think it hud entered the minds ol church members that they should train their own clergymen, as at the present time all who were educated at Jlome were required there as the work was increasing* The supply therefore would gradually decrease year by year, and the work of BUpplyin g the demands for ministers must be curried on by the church. Asa body it was a matter ot impossibility fur any parish to carry out such on important work. Another feature in the advantages to be derived from the General Cnurcli Fund was that tie maintenance of the clergy should be carried on from a central fund. Tin* nmunerutioti ol’ the clergy was ceitainly very small, and he foil certain thut it many of them were employed in other work they wou'd make a gnat deal more, but when they entered the ministry remuneration fir their services was a secondary consideration. If they re* ceived their stipends from a central fund it would do away with that ieeltng of fdtamo ai d vexation which they somelimi s ixperience when they know that a few people are taxed for their maintentenance while others escape free. \V lth regard to ihe particular object of his mission, (he rev. genthmun said the Diocesan Fund should be a mutter of calculation among them, and that their coniributions should be a kind of volun. tiry tax. They should consider the aim uut they paid for pew rents and oilier church tuxes, ar d p : y the balance of their contiibulions into the general fund. He knew it was a severe struggle for a number of churches to hold together, and it required ail effort on the part ot the numbers of those cliU'ches to respond to the r<quest ot the Synod. It bnd often been brought before h>m that Church of England members did not do so much as members of other churches, but lie differed from that opinion, ns In* was Irmly astonished at the amount of church work done in S 1 me places, but li«* found out this, tLat it was generally done by one or two. That was precisely the object of his Diissir n, for the purpose of k tiling the me in lx rs up, and thereby ta ring the burden oil the me or two who t» >k an interest in the matter. The Organization of the Dice- san Fund would l ot all- ct the voice ot the people in ihe local gevcrnnicnt of parishes exvep aa

far as finance wrs c nerrm d The actual administering of the funds co'lotted would bo at (lie disposal <f the Synod. If the effort now made to establish the lund wore successful il would .place the ol urcli on a boiler and sounder basis. It was the no st imp riant matter over b ought before the lnon.beis tt the church , I liiis Diot'ese. They wore facing a gnat liilliculiy and had a seiiouproblem to solve, but ho Jio| cd tbuy would nil work cheerfully end willingly lo ensure ns success. lie then invited any person pio.-ont to ask him quosin us ot. any matters they wore in t quite clear abut.

Mr llaultoin wished to know if (lie parishioners u uld sub be allowed to fix' Hie clergyman's stipend. Mr Iboipe s'oted that it mul l rest with the Bnliop, as it Lad clone so pre\ iouslv.

Mr Jackson said bo thought the Dio-cc-oii Fund wouid commend itself more readily lo parishes if the S'andin* Committee were appointed in some dilf, rent manner. lie thought that if the parishioners hail a voice in the mailer it would give them more confidence. He thought they might p,y more attention to the building ot churches in outdistricts, and altogether their administration was not conducted in a businesslike manner.

Mr Thorpe said the matter was one ol general interest ami also lie was sorry oi geneial suspicion. The administration of the Diocesan Fund nut rest with what is knotty as the standing Committee, bur with the Synod. A slrong finance committee would be appiinted at next Synod and only men of known business capabilities would be placed cn the committee, lie thought the clergy should be kept out of finance matters, as they all knew that parsons were not good business men, and the less they bad to do with finance the better.

The Jiev. Mr Junes said that one of the advantages to be derived from Ihe formation of the fund would be the criation of a reform iu the eonstouction of the Synod. The members of llte Synod no doubt did their beet, but he did not consider it was right that a paii-h hko Feilding should be represented by tt gentleman residing in Wellington. This should not bo so, and tlio fault rested "i'll thems.-lyes, but tiiey should now make a Mir in the matter, anti elect men who would lake an interest in the wink of the church.

Mr Jlnlcombo said the subject of 'he Church fund had been well tbscussed in the Synod, nnd an Act was passed making spec a! provision to meet the difficulty of the administration ot the fund.

In answer lo oilier questions Mr Ihorpo saili ho would inquire on bis return to Wellington, the reason that bending parish had no voice in the election of a member of the General fiymd. Mr Kcmpthornc lad been appointed local tiva-urer to the Fund,, and he would be in constant communiCtttmn with head quarters in Wellington. H the Synod returned a clergyman's stipend lire only remedy would be for their representative to fight the matter out m the Synod. Such a contingency however was not likely to arise, as such a question would alfect the clergy ns u body and not any particular individual' All local lunds raised outside of the General Church bund would bo at the die j osal of the parish, lobe expended as the numbers thought fit. I here beiug no other quo-lions, Mi Haultain proposed and Mr J3eat ie seconded, “That the thanks ot this meeting be accorded to Mr Thorpe for hiable address ; and further that this meeting pledges its support towards carrying out the Dieceasan Fund scheme.”

The resolution was put to the meeting and carried unanimously. A vote of thanks lo ihe chairman terminated the proceedings.