WESLEYAN DISTRICT MEETING.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1799, 26 November 1879, Page 2

WESLEYAN DISTRICT MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Canterbury district opened its session in the Durham street church yesterday morning at ten o’clock. The following Ministers were present: Hers. A. Reid (chairman), J. Aldred (Christchurch), W. Worker (Leeston), W. Oannell (Rangiora), J. A. Taylor (Springston), J. B. Richardson (St. Albans, Christchurch) J S. Smalley (Colombo road, Christchurch), W. H. Beck (Lyttelton), W. Keall (Ashburton), W. S. Harper (lomuka), J. Armitage (Kaiapoi), W. Baumber (Christchurch), T. Fee (Waimate), Te Kote (Native Minister, Raupaki). The Rev. W. L. Salter, of the Wellington district, was invited by the chairman to a seat in the meeting. The session was opened by singing and prayer.

The hours of session were fixed at from 10 to 12-30 a.m., and from 2 to 5 p.m. The Rev. J. Aldred was unanimously elected secretary, the Rev. J. Armitage was appointed reporter to the daily papers, and the Rev. J. S. Smt lley reporter to the “ New Zealand Wesleyan.'’ The Rev. J. B. Richardson was appointed t> prepare statistics.

F our candidates for the ministry werepre* sented for examination, viz.:—Messrs T. F. Jones and J. Alison, from the Ashburton circuit; G. Hall, Rangiora circuit 5 and E, Sykes, Christchurch (Colombo road) circuit* After arrangements had been made for the preaching of their trial sermons, they underwent an oral examination, conducted by the chairman, as to their conversion, religions life, and call to the work of the ministry. Ministers were appointed to hear their trial sermons and report thereon. Each candidate handed in a written sermon. On the names of ministers on the district roll being called, it was reported that the Kev. Henry Ellis, of the Sangiora circuit, had died during the year. Testimony was home by the Beys. Messrs Aldred, Connell, Armitage,'and the chairmanto the sterling Christian character of the deceased, and to his conscientious devotion to hie ministerial work. Messrs Connell and Armitage referred to several visits paid to him during a most painful illness, borne with true Christian patience and hopefulness. A letter of condolence with Mrs Ellis was ordered to be sent, and instructions given to prepare an obituary notice for Conference. The names of the ministers were read over, and the usual questions proposed, which in each case were answered satisfactorily. Under the question—•“ What new stations do we propose to occupy ?” attention was called to Rakaia and Ohertsey, in the south of the district, and to Amberley in the north. Both these places had occupied the attention of previous district meetings, but with the exception of sending a home missionary to Rakaia for the past six months, it had not been possible to furnish them with a stated ministerial supply. Referring to too Rakaia, the chairman read a report from the home missionary there, which showed that while church operations had been retarded somewhat by the prevailing financial depression good had yet been done.

Rev. W. Keall, of the Ashburton circuit, under whose supervision the home missionary had been employed, believed that though the financial prospects were at present not of the most encouraging character, yet the Conference ought to bs asked to continue a homo missionary in the.Rakaia district.

The Bev. J. B. Bichardson and others expressed themselves in favor of the recommendation, which was carried. It was reported that although Amberley had stood upon the minutes of Conference for a few years past, Conference had not been able to appoint either a minister or a home missionary there. The Bev. W. Cannell, as superintendent of Bangiora, the nearest circuit to Amberley, stated that while services had formerly been held at Amberley and Leithfield, they had now been discontinued at both places for some time, and so far as the Bangiora circuit was concerned, it was utterly impossible to render them the assistance he would like to see given to them. Bev. J. A. Taylor, speaking from a knowledge of the district, believed that the only hope of its having Wesleyan services was in the appointment of a home missionary. The Bev. J. Armitage had resided in the district two years, and had deeply regretted ever since he left it that Conference did not appoint a successor to himself. Ho had no doubt that bad that been done a good Wesleyan cause, by this time self-supporting, would have been established. The mistake in this instance, as in others in the colony, had been made of not following up the preparatory work which their church had done. While no one could be more anxious than he was to see the Wesleyan church take its place in the northern districts, he would not like to see Amberley placed upon the station sheet, unless the Conference could and would appoint either a minister or a home missionary to it. He would be very sorry to see the district doomed to a disappointment additional to those of the few past years. The Bev. J. S. Smalley did not agree with Mr Armitage. He thought that such places should have a position upon the Conference minutes year after year for many years, even although Conference was not able to supply them. To retain them showed that the Wesleyan Church was at least disposed to supply its ordinances as far as it was able. In this way Napier had been unsupplied for several years, but eventually had a minister sent to it.

The Bev. W. H. Beck believed with Mr Armitage that a mistake bad been committed by their Church’s withdrawal from the northern part of the provincial district alluded to, and this impression bad been deepened by a visit he had paid to the locality. Population was going northward, and their Church was not doing its duty, and was certainly not true (o its traditions, if it’ did not supply it with the ordinances of divine worship. After some further discussion it was unanimously resolved to ask Conference to appoint a home missionary to Amberley. The book committee was re-appointed, with the addition of the superintendent minister of the Leeston circuit. The church building committee was re-appointed. Permission was given to the Bev. Messrs Worker, Cannell, Taylor, Beall, Smalley, and Armitage to attend the Conference, to meet in Dunedin in January, 1880. Statistics were ordered to be given in to the secretary of general returns on Tuesday morning, from which the district secretary of Sunday-schools was instructed to compile Sunday-school returns. The Bev. J. A. Taylor, while not wishful to see the efficiency of the rising ministry impaired, could not but think that the work done by the Three Bings Theological Institution was scarcely needed, because he believed they could obtain quite an ample supply of ministers from the Australian colonies and England. This year they had an abundant supply from those sources, and ho believed they would have for some years to come. He thought, therefore, that the money spent on on the Three Bings might be saved, and devoted to home missions. The Bev, J. S. Smalley thought it highly desirable that the Throe Bings Institution should be maintained in efficiency. As to their present supply from England, he believed that could be by no means relied upon. The Bev. J. B. Bichardson maintained that, to look to England or elsewhere for ministers would be to ask somebody else to do their work. The Three Bings Institution was doing very good work in behalf of both the European and the Maori students. It should be borne in mind that, with its aid, they had not been able to supply themselves with ministers, and with those imported this year they would probably bo only just able to meet their demands.

The Eev. W. H. Beck was of opinion that the only ministers likely to bo obtained from either the Australian colonies or England would be those who, having completed their probation, required parsonages, and this would only aggravate their present evil of an insufficient number of parsonages. The Chairman advised the passing a resolution in favour of making their ministerial training as efficient as possible, so as to strengthen the hands of Conference in its efforts to elevate the standard of their ministry. The Conference was desirous of affording all the facilities it could to their students. The Eev. J. S. Smalley How many students will the institution accommodate P The Chairman —Ten, though at present there are only three. The Rev. J. S. Smalley would prefer seeing a special o ollection made in all the churches in behalf of the institution rather than see it suffer. He believed it would be well responded to, and it would relieve the Home Mission fund. Ultimately the Revs. Messrs Richardson and Beck were appointed to bring up a resolution on Tuesday morning approving of the work done by the Three Kings institution, and commending its claims upon the Church. The next district meeting was appointed to sit in Christchurch on the fourth Wednesday in November, 1880. The report of the Maori mission was ordered to be presented by the Bov. Te Kote on Tuesday. The meeting adjourned at 5 p.m.