Primitive Methodist Church.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 82, 3 October 1895, Page 2

Primitive Methodist Church.

* RE-OPENING CEREMONY. The re-opening of the Primitive Methodist Church, Feilding, was celebrated t rsff rfJay nflrvG^on and evening with a :i : v'u-.-j vi 0 p.m., tea at 5.30, and public ...... ..:!;{ at 7.80. For the OPENING SERVICE the yhiu'cb was well filled. The service was commenced with the selection " Easter at Rome," played by a strong orchestra consisting of the following : — Mr D. Simpson (conductor), Misses Ross and Valentine, Messrs John Watson and Staffan (violins), Mr A. Watson (flute), Mrs J. C. Thompson (organ), Mr J. Bellit (cornet), Mr S. Daw (euphonium). Mr C. M. Luke, Mayor of Wellington, preached an eloquent sermon, taking his text from the first chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, the 16th verse. At the conclusion of his sermon he declared the church open for worship. The Rev. Mr Guy (of Wellington) read as a lesson the last chapter of the first Epistle to the Ephesians, and the Revs. J. Cocker and Grindley (of Halcombe) assisted at the service. The orchestra played " Hear the Trumpet " while the collection was being taken up, and also rendered considerable assistance with the hymns. THE TEA, which was held in the Temperance Hall in the early part of the evening, was largely attended ; in all nearly 400 persons, composed of several relays, partook of the sumptuous repastf provided by the ladies of the congregation. The six tables were given by the following ladies : — Mrs H. and Miss S. Worsfold ; Mrs H. Trevena and Miss C. Trevena ; Mesdames McLaren and R. Heald, and Miss M. E. Heald ; Mrs Evans and Mrs M. Belfit ; Mrs Adams and Miss Bull ; Mrs Cocker, Misses Staff and North. These ladies were assisted by a host of young ladies who materially assisted to make the tea the success it was. The tables were all nicely decorated and heavily laden with dainty morsels, and it is needless to say that all who attended were well satisfied with the good things provided. THE PUBLIC MEETING in the church, after the tea, was largely attended, m fact dozens could not gain entrance to the building and had to stand around the doors. Mr R. Linton, of Halcombe, acted as chairman. The services were commenced with an overture by the orchestra, and this was followed by the anthem " Blow ye the Trumpet, Blow," by the choir. The dedicatory prayer by the Rev. Mr Guy created a deep impression on the congregation. Captain Matthews, of the Salvation Army, and formerly a member of the Primitive Methodist Church, addressed the meeting, bringing fraternal greetings from the sect he represented. The Rev. G. Grindley spoke on the subject, " More abundant life," touching on the physical, intellectual, commercial and spiritual phases. The Rev. H. M. Murray, in his address, referred to the Christian inconsistency as found in the church and the individual, and advocated a strong crusade against the worldliness in the church, Mr C. M. Luke took for his subject " The mission of the church," referring to the moral and spiritual message the church had to the masses, and his remarks went to show that it had a nobler and higher mission than the legislature. He also pointed out that their success depended on the continuance of the hearty co-operation between the minister, church officers, and the members as shown in the past. The Rev. J. Guy referred to the church's work in the colony, and what lie considered would be some of the features of the church that would survive in the future. He also expressed the opinion that the church must go back to primitive methods to be successful. Messrs G. Adams, J. Gould, J. C. Thompson and F. Flavali also addressed the meeting, speaking in laudatory terms of the work as carried out by the builders (Messrs Wilson and Tarrant), painters (Messrs Watson Bros), and the architect (Mr D. Simpson). The report of the building fund in connection with the enlarging and beautifying of the old church was read as follows : — The old church was built in the year 1876, during the ministry of the Rev. J. Standing, at a cost of £380 4s 2d. A debt of £260 was left upon it, £129 4s 2d being raised at the time of building. Since then £71 has been spent in improvements. There is still a debit balance of £76 upon the old church, and, also, a debit balance of £4 4s Id upon the working expenses. Last May it was decided to enlarge the church, witb the present result. The full cost of the enlargement will be £200. including free material and labor. Towards this amount £65 10s has been either paid or promised in cash donations and £19 10s given in material and labor, making a total of £95 raised up to the present. £50 had been borrowed from the loan fund of the connexion. The choir sang the anthems "AH Hail the Power of Jesu's Name," " The Lord Shall Comfort Zion," " Onward," "Jubilate Deo," "I am With Thee," 11 How Excellent," " Hear Me Jehovah." The effect was very much improved with the assistance of the orchestra. Apologies were received from the Revs. W. H. Judkins and A, Innes Jones, both of whom were absent in Wellington, the former on business connected with the Christian Endeavor Convention and the latter at the Synod. Mr F. Y. Lethbridge, who was expected to occupy the chair, also sent an apology for his absence. On the motion of the Rev J. Cocker a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the speakers, to the ladies who provided the tea, to the singers and to the orchestra. During his address Mr Cocker said the average wealth per head of all the Primitive^ Methpdists'in jibe, colony was £20. He said" the book "containing the names of persons who had given donations was open for inspection, but he did not think it advisable to read out the list. Not one member of the church who had been asked to give a subscription had refused. The collections during the day amounted to £8 and up to the present (including the tea) at least £120 had been collected towards the fund. The meeting closed in the usual manner. In the church to-morrow evening the Rev J. Guy will give a lecture entitled " Some famous singers apd their songs." The opening celebrations will be continued on Sunday, when special sermons will be preached, and on Wednesday next will be concluded with a sale of work and concert in the Assembly Rooms.