LOWER HEATHCOTE PARISH MEETING.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 581, 29 April 1876, Page 3

LOWER HEATHCOTE PARISH MEETING.

The annual parish meeting was held at St John's Church, Ferry road, on Thursday evening last; the Rev C. J. Merton in the clnir.

The minutes of former meeting was read and confirmed.

Mr Huddleston, the parishioners’ churchwarden, read the report of the vestry and statement of accounts, as follows : “ It is our pleasant duty to present to you what may be fairly called a highly tatisfactory report. Peace and harmony reign in the parish, and there is every prospect of their continuing. A comparison of the present condition of affairs, with the state of affairs six months ago, shows that very satisfactory progress in the parish has been made. Then we had no clergyman ; our parsonage and churches were in a dilapidated condition ; a church was required at Sumner ; St John’s Sunday school was closed, and the parish had no available funds. Thanks, however, to the liberal manner in which the parishioners have seconded the efforts of the vestry, a great deal has been already accomplished, Our pastor, the Rev 0. J. Merton, commenced his duties with the New Year, and services have since been held at Sumner and at St Mary’s and St John’s Churches. Mr W. H. Lane kindly allowed the service at Sumner to be held at his residence until the erection of the district school, where they are now held. The thanks of the parishioners are due to him for his kindness. The Heathcote Valley parsonage has been rendered habitable at a cost of £92 Is lOd, of which sum £2O was contributed by the ladies of the parish as the result of a parish gathering, and £34 14s 4d is still due, this being the only liability of the parish. A new church is to be erected at Sumner, at a cost of about £4OO, including fittings. A committee has been elected, plans procured, and the work wiU shortly be ccmmcnccd. Of the amount required the Church Property Trustees have contributed £100; the S.P.O.K, £ls; and the balance is being raised by subscription. There is good prospect of the church being paid for when completed. An American organ has been procured, and is now used at the services in the school. In accordance with a resolution passed at a parish meeting, a new parsonage is to be erected on the ground adjoining St John’s Church as soon as the funds are available. Application has been made to the Church Property Trustees for a grant of £SOO to supplement a sum of £250 to be contributed by the parish, towards which there is to our credit the sum of £125. This amount is held by the Church Property Trustees, who allow the parish interest for it. The balance required will have to be raised by the parishioners. Owing to the manner in which the Churches of St John’s and St Mary’s, and the harmoniums in them, have been neglected, a considerable sum will soon have to be spent in repairing the former and replacing the latter. If the congregation continues , to increase at the present rate, 8t John’s Church will soon require enlargement. From the foregoing remarks it will be seen that a great deal has been done, but that a good deal still requires doing, and that the church officers to be elected this evening will have to act energetically. That they will be able to do all, or nearly all that is required in the parish during their term of office is not to be expected. How much : they will be able to do depends on the liberality and support of the parishioners. The Sunday Schools of the parish are pro ( grossing satisfactorily. A new school has been opened at Sumner. St John’s school has been re-opened with a good staff of teachers, including several of the former ones; and St Mary’s school continues to progress favourably. The tbauks of the parishioners are due to the Venerable the Dean, Archdeacon Wilson, and other clergymen, who have gratuitously conducted services ; also, to the Sunday School teachers, organists, and members of the choirs. We ha've to regret the loss to the parish caused by the death of Mr Felix Wakefield, one of the vestrymen, and the removal of Mr W. Mardon, also a vestryman, from the parish. The accounts were closed on the 31st of March, but, bringing them down to Easter, the liability is reduced to £7 16s.—H, B. Huddlestons, C. E., John W. Dayis, Churchwardens.” It was resolved that the report and accounts be received and adopted, The chairman said the next business was the election of officers for the ensuing year, but before proceeding he desired to express his deep sense of the manner in which the vestry had worked. They had been untiring in their efforts to forward the progress of the church. They had been but three short months together, yet an unusual amount of good work had been done. Their financial statement he thought was a sufficient proof of that. Considering the extraordinary amount of expenditure that the parish had been forced to they were but £7 16s in debt, and against this even his churchwarden whispered that they had a few pounds still to come in. He had great pleasure now in nominating Mr J. W. Davis as clergyman’s warden for the year, and called upon the meeting to appoint a parishioners’ warden. Mr B. Martindale was unanimously chosen people’s warden, and Messrs W. fl. Lane, J. 8, Monck. W. Jones, H, B. Huddleston, W. Dale, R. Davis, E. Garland, 8. Stuckey, H. A. Bamford, and G. Bennington were elected as vestrymen, and Mr W. G. Shepheard as auditor. The thanks of the meeting were unanimously given to Mr and Mrs W. H, Lane for the use of their rooms at Sumner for divine service, to the Ven the Dean, Archdeacon Wilson and other clergymen for their assistance to the parish, to the organist and choir,'and Sunday school teachers, and alto to Mr Jenkins for bis services as verier. A - vote of thanks to the retiring officers and the chairman closed the proceedings.