HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1817, 25 July 1906, Page 3

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

ANNUAL MEETING. The animal meeting of parishioners o the Holy Trinity t'lnirch was held in tin schoolroom last evening, the Rev. Dawson. Thomas presiding. Thero was a large and representative attendance. The annual report which was read and adopted was as follows : "In submitting link annual report and balanoo-shoot of tbo parish fiuanco for tbo p»;t year, tbo ohutobwardons and veetry feel satisfied that its satisfact.-ry position will bo gratifying to tho parishioners, who have so materially aided in its develop ■ moat. Tbo vostry think that the custom of drawing comparison with tbo previous vrar should not bo departod from, and havo u mitt d for your information tbs I financial figures of this and of tbo year ending 30th Juno, 11.105 :—Pew rents I eolkotad, 1905 G £2',S 4s 4J ; pow rents collcotoL 1904 5, £205 10s lOd ; inorrase, AMU liis fid ; pow rm's unpaid, ! £9l 4s 4d ; general offirtor'es, icoluding subso iptions, £390 10s 2d ; general offertories, including subsoripiicns, 1904, 1905, £371 I9s 10.1 ; increase, £IS 10s4J “ As thoso two items are tbo basis of tho pa'ish finance, it must bo gratifying to tho parisbioueis to sco that Ihey aro in | creasing year by year. Tho largo amount of £9l odd taken to credit for outstanding pow rents may bo questioned, but tho ohurobwa’dons aro satisfied that tho amount is on avahablo asset, and to which the auditor concurs. Extraordinary revenue : Tho vestry has not found it neoessary during tho past yo tr to avail itself of this qu st'ontionablo means of augmenting tho parish finance. " Church property : Tho necessity of beaut fyiog the grounds bat n t boon lost sight of by tho vestry, aud all available funds at their disposal havo been dovotod to that puipcse. “ Organist aud ohoirmaster : Mr Side bottom in those capacities has given every sit'sfaotion to the ohurch ifficiuls, aad [

they are of opinion that the pirishioners as a whole will agree with them, that this necessary adjunct to oir church sorvioss is well oared for in the hands of its oapable administrator. A’ the ssrne the gratuitous servioes of the ladi s and gentlemen who form the ohoir must not be passed without a cordial vole of tbacki from the vestry and parishioners generally.'' Tho concluding portion of the report referred to the liberal support accorded to the several missions and also dealt with the question of church extension which would be again brought before the parish-

ioners. Mention was also made of the appointment of Mr 11. N. Wright as curate

A pastoral letter was attached to tho report, the Vicar dealing fully with the progress of the Church during the past twelve months. Referring to the question of church extension, the Rev. Dawson Thomas stated : The subject has become a household word, and I am pleased that this is so, for discussion is always followed by action. But so many extraordinary reports are abroad that 1 must briefly state what wc do hot wish. Wc do not wish to pull down the present church, and erect an expensive building. Wc do not wish to load the parishioners with a largo debt Briefly the whole question may bo summed up thus There is a remarkable growth of population in tho more central parts of the parish. The present church is utterly inadequate to seat the growing congregation. The free seats in the Church are filled to excess every Sunday evening. Newcomers also, who would become pewholders, have to wait months before they can have them allotted. The work of extension must be entered upon by the present parishioners, leaving the future population to do its part. The question that appears to trouble many is how shall the extension be best made V Personally I am still of the opinion that it should be in brick, and on the lines laid down in the plans already laid before you. lam content, however, to leave the matter with the parishioners. To those who, up to the present, appear to be uninterested I have but to say that the reputation of the Church of England here is at stake. The Church has ever risen to her duty. Shall this parish, so wonderfully blessed by the Giver of all good things, tarnish the fair name tho Church has won ? The present church, in the condition it now is, is a disgrace to us. To extend and improve it will not be expensive. I ask all to remember that the duty is one that rests not upon the few, but upon each individual Church member. I thank those who have responded. I am confident that many m re will respond. The repott of the Sunday School, presented by the Supeii AsLdeot, Mr G. H. Lyanar, stated "I regret to say that the average attendance is not quite as good as that of list year, a'though tho number on the roll has slightly increased, The following figures speak for themselves, vz: Number of obildreo now on the roll, boys 87, girls 108, total 195 as against 136 for last year. The average attendance has been 114, as against 125 for last year. A though, as I have just said, these figures speak for themselves, I cannot refrain f o'm stating that such an attendance, whioh is not quite an averagi of threefilths of the number on tho roll, is very uosa isfaotory. It must be obvious to the most oasual observer that children attends iog a Sunday School irrignlarly for about Ihbty Sundays out of fifiy-twi oinnot expool to participate in the benefits to be derived from rgular, systematic teaching. Same children do not even astml thiity times in the year, while there are otherß, I am glad to say, who never m'ss a Sunday. Apart from the loss, both spiritually and morally, whioh the children sustain by such irregular attendance, it is very disoouragiDg to the teaohers, who, it should be remembered, must devote a certain amount of time daring the week in preparing the lessonq whiob, I might say in parsing, is not such au easy matter as some people imagine; then to give up the best part of S today af.ernoon for the purpose of attending a class of children, many of whom attend so iregu'arly and learn their lesions so imperfectly, that it is no wonder that some teachers beoome d soouroged and give up trying. 'Pa-cnti should therefore remember, that if they oaunot teach tbe'r children at bom', or attend the Sauday School for the pupo3e of assisting io tho properly bringing up of tho ohilJren hi the Chtistian fa th, which i< a sacred duty they owe to their children, they o n et 1 ast see that tho ch'llreD learn their leseons and att-nd regularly.”

The ileoiion c.f officers for the ensuing yov rrßulled as fullowß : —Viom'd cburobwsrdin, Cipinio Ftrris; pitisVi nerb’ chiuohwardo'', L'eut.-Colorol Winter; veetry, Mossis 0. Blackburn, E. H. Maun, A, U. Walli", 3biirlav, T. A. Co-nn.n, J. E Foster, G. Lyanar, W. E Akroyd, nnl L. R-.dwa-d ; auditor, Mr E. G. Matthows ; pynodftnen, Lieut.-Oolontl Winter aud Mr A. H. Wallis. Votes o( thai ki to the outgoing officers, choir, and Sunday-school toaobors were oartied unanimously. CHURCH EXTENSION. In rcgor 1 to the question of ohurch extension the Obairmaa said that the vostry thought that at the close of the annual meeting the meeting should form into a general meeting rf paiishiooers, This would allow the ladies present to have a say in the matte". Me Pct’tio thought the minutes cf the special mooting of parishioners held last year sbonld bo read, so that the meeting oould obtain some idea as to wbat had been done. It was agreed lint this should be done, and a lengthy report of the prooetdugs was read, the main quest : on being that the meetmg approved of tbs recommendations of the committee appointed to I report. The Chairman read the fo’lowing ox tract from the r port on the question : ■'Church Extension,—This mattor was brought before our last annual meeting without any permanent result, and it was subsequently relegated lo a speeitl meeting cf the parishioners to consider the question, at wh'ch a fairly representative number of the parishiootrs attended, and a resolution was carried to tho Effect that if a sum of TBCO wore p 0 uised that a sta't of a permanent building iu brick should bo made in ihe eastern end of the present church. The members of the vestry havo endeavored to oolloot the required amount, but there appears to be a diversity of opinion as to whether the proposed alterations should be in brick, stone, or wood. There arc many wbo would willingly subscribe if the extension wete to bo in at cjasidorably loss

cost than brick or stone. Under tbeao Oiroumstanoos thu vestry have thought it advisablo to again lay the inattor boforo 'ho general meeting of parishiouors for thrin to decide as to whether tho orootlon s to bn wood or brick.” Continuing tho liev. Dawson-Thomas said that his foo'ing laid not changed one iota If the Church was to eater for tho increasing population there must be an extension of the present building. Whereever he went he was met with the excuse from young people when asked why they did not attend church, Wo cannot come, because there is no room for us! This was l disgrace to the Church, and immediate stops should be taken to have it remedied. Captain Kerris as an old oflicer of the jhurch, made a very forcible speech »n he question and moved a resolution that .n extension of a permanent eharaetor :i totara he made at a cost, of JCI,OOO, and hat a Committee should be set up to auvass foe subscriptions. in answer to questions, the Chairman aid the extra accommodation would provide for del) persons. Tho building at present accommodated -100. The cost of a new building in brick would be about £9OOO, and in totara £SOOO. A number of very handsome plans of oburobos in briok nnd atone were exhibited to the meeting. In answer to further questions, the vioar aaid that tho efforts of the Voatry to oollcot bad reaulted in £650 being given in cash and promises, the latter extondiDg over a poriod of five years. Mr Symos questioned whethor thero was suoh a wide difference in the cost as stated of building with briok and totara. Ho pointed ont that beforo the meeting could go aDy further it would be neoossary to j rescind the resolution of the speoial meeting that the building sbonld bo in brick Mr F. J. Morgan said the original proposal waa that the extension should bo in briok at a cost of £2300, and that tho sum of £6OO was to be r >isod boforo the work proceeded. Mr Fettie urged that tho extension of the church should be in the direction of erecting a new building in briok at a prioe within their means. At the present rate of progress it would mean that a brick building costing £9OOO would take from 20 to 550 years to erect. He preferred to " a new obnroh at a oheaper cost er6oted ..s soon as possible. Oolonel W nt r r-rgjd that the legality of the proceedings that evening sbou : d bo defioed, or rise they would have some members objcctiDg on that score. They should first rescind ihe former resolution. The vistry were getting is y tired of always ditoosairg the ques'ion of church extension, anc! ha wantod to seo something done without delay. Thoy had rot ‘officiant accommodation in tho present bu'lling and were always encroaching on the free seats. The vestry had t;iod hard to rairo £BOO, but they could not do i*, and they a.k-d the parishioners to help thrm out of tho d flicuity

Disoussion continusd without Captain Farris’ motion being seconded, and finally the Chairman rulol that aa the meeting was an informal one it was not oompotent for it to restind the resolution passed at the speoial meetirg. Mr Wallis said thit if the meeting was an informal one, then they con'd not pass aoy resolution. lie did not see any use of continuing the discussion.

Mr T. A. Coleman urged ths necessity of the churoh being added to. Parshioners should be loyal, aud put down their names for whatever sums they could afford. Ia the coarse of the disoussion that followed it was urged by several speakers that tbe extension of the church should be in the direotion of securing auitab'e buildiog eitss in the suburbs, as with tbe popu>ation it would soon be necessary to hove moro than one eburob. Colonel Porter desired to see a definite proposal placod btfjre the pari.hioners, when he was sure it would be heartily supported. some desultory disoussion the motion wa3 sroondsd pro forma.

The Chairman referred to the great igniranee that exis’od in the minds of many parishioners os to tho vestry’s proposals. 000 of h's leading parishioners had informed him that it wes reportrd th t they were going to sell the present building and go to M ingap spa to build. Mr F. J. Morgan s id that if they could not get the mooey to build in brick, wbai chsnoe was there of g tting it if they bui't in t.tara ?

The Chairman sail the psrishioners as a whole wore not in favor of buildirg in brick nor were tb6y a'l io favor of build - iog in wood. Ho thought tbe majority favored extension in wood.

Mr Vincent Ba ksc proposed that the meeting recommend that tbe original proposal to build in briok be adhered tc, the motion beiDg seoended. The legality of tho proceedings ware again disonsaed, but the chairman deoided to take the motion as a recommendation from the meeting.

An animated discussion followed, there being a difference of opinion as to the form tbe chmoh extension should tak9.

Co'onel Winter, rep'ying to the members who nrged tbe claims of the suburbs, said that ho would not give 6d for the extension of the church at Whataupoko or Eaiti. At the present time they had not more ih\n 25 attendiog the chnrch from either place. Even if they had churches in tbe plaoes mentioned the people would flock to the most popular chu-ob, whero they would hear the best sermon, It was the same a'l over the world.

Discussion on the question continued until a few minutes to e’even, when there were several propositions before the meatiDg, one being that it should Bdjourn, > The Chairman su’d that whilst they had a representalive meeting they should endeavor to get some recommendation in regard to tbe much-vexed queation. Finally, Mr Barker’s suggestion, that tho meeting recommend tbe vestry to carry out the original p.'oposal lo build in brick was accepted as tho motion, and Captain Ferris moved the following amendment: 11 That this meetiog reoommends that an rx'ension of a permanent oharacter in totara at tbs eastern end of the presoot churoh be prooetdjd with as soon as the Bum of TBJO is available, and that a committoe consisting of the vestry and the whole of tho parishioners favorable to the scheme p'elga thcmielves to use every endeavor by canvassing on subscription lists to be supplied, so ae to provilo the omsuot required for the pur pose, and to give effect to this resolution that a speoial meeting be oonvened to resoind the resolution already before tbe parishioners.” O.i tho amendment being put to tbe mro'ing th.-ro wore ten for it aud thirteen against.

“ I hope you wll vote ono way or tbe other, the ladies included,” rem i'ked the chairman, and a eccind oount being takon

there were 17 for Ibo ammdmeot and 11 agnicst. The Chairman doolared tho amendment carried, and the proceedings wero biought to a el.'S9 at 11 o’clrck.