ST. PAUL'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2205, 21 March 1881, Page 3

ST. PAUL'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

The annual congregational meeting was held on Thursday evening last. The ifov. Mr Elmslie, as pastor of the congregation, ocoupied the chair, and after the usual devotional exercises briefly addressed the meeting. He congratulated the members and office-bearers on the state of the congregation generally considered. They had oause for thankfulness, he felt, in the unbroken harmony and brotherly love that prevailed in the Church, and also in the fact that, notwithstanding the heavy strain they had been subjected to during the past year, their resources had not suffered in any material degree. He ascribed this, tinder the divine blessing, to the energy and liberality of his office-bearers and people. And he took this opportunity of expressing his indebtedness to all who had co-operated with him in the various departments of congregational work. He no'.ed specially the coEsiderateness for his personal comfort the managers had shown in the purchase of an exoellent manse ; and he spoke also of the obligations under whioh he felt himself to be to the members of the Ladies' Association, the members of the choir, the very efficient staff of Sabbath Sohool teachers, and also to those gentlemen who had done so much to further the interests of the Young Men's Society. After an anthem by the choir Mr John Gibb, session clerk, read the kirk sessions report, which showed that, notwithstanding the fears entertained by many that the almost simultaneous formation of two new congregations in the city and its suburbs would greatly affeot St. Paul's, being, as it was, so largely composed of recent additions, the congregation had not materially suffered in this respect, for the attendance on the Lord's Day was again nearly as large as before ; and over against twenty-six removals from the Communion roll, most of which were those of persons forming the new church at the North Town belt, the session had the satisfaction of being able to place fifty-eight additions to the roll.

On the motion of Mr Farr, seconded by Mr Rose, the report was unanimously adopted. The Session Clerk at this stage read the names of the newly-elected office bearers, as follows : Elders —O. E. Button, Robt. Beattie, Wm. Ohrystall, Arch. Scott; Managers—Messrs. H. Aitken, P. Duncan, J. C. McDowall, S. O. Firr, Wm. Henderson, S. P. Johnson, J. Monson, B. Sutherland, and R. Struthers.

Mr Sutherland, treasurer, read the finanoial report, as follows : The committee of management have now to submit to the congregation the annexed statement of accounts for the financial year, which closed on the 3lst January last. It will be seen that during that period the congregation raised, in the various ways mentioned, the considerable total ot £2657 18s sd.

Ordinate Revenue and Expenditure.—As the congregation are aware, the two main sources of ordinary revenue are the Sabbath collections and pew rents. In respect of the former, the total amount received during the year was £945 18a 7d, against £963 17s lid, for the previous year, while under the head of pew rents the total receipts were £426 10s, against £470 5s for the preceding period. The Maintenance Fund, the only other source of ordinary revenue, yielded only £55 2s, as compared with £62 Is for the previous year. It will thus be seen that for the year just closed there was an aggregate falling off in the ordinary revenue of £73 13s 4d, and ia view of this regretable feature the committee would beg to remind the congregation of the great necessity for continued efforts to raise, from the three sources men tioned, a yearly aggregate sum at least sufficient to meet all current expenses, in addition to the interest on the floating debt. In addition to the receipts before-mentioned, the sum of £162 6s 6d was raised from collections for special objects, as detailed in the accounts. The total ordinary expenditure for the year (including the collections devoted to special objects) amounted to £l6ll 5s 2d ; and, as will be seen from the statement, there was at the close a balanoe of £195 Os lOd against the church, in respect of current expanses, £l4l 12s 9d of which was carried forward from the previous year. Floating Debt.—-At the end of the pravious financial year, the balance at the debit of this accoant amounted to £2407 13s lid. There was also at that date a pending liability for repairs to the roof of the new church, which was settled by the payment of £242 13s 6d. To effect a saving in interest, and with a view to placing the account in a more satisfactory form, £IOOO of the balance before-mentioned was transferred and added to the mortgage on the property of the new church. In ordor to reduce the considerable liability still remaking on overdraft, the committee decided, in accordance with the resolution unanimously carried at last annual meeting, that some special effort should not be any longer delayed ; and they have now the pleasure to report that, in response to a personal canvass which was instituted, a total sum of £992 5s 6d has been received. This result the committee regard as the most gratifying feature in the accounts now presented. And, feeling confident from the response already made, that the liberality and resources of the congregation will be found equal to the occasion, they would now earnestly recommend that the special effort whioh has been so (productive in the past year should be repeated during the current one, so that the balanoe of the floating debt—namely £IOO4 19s 4d—may be entirely liquidated.

New Lecture Hall.—Tomeettherequirements of the Sunday School and Young Men s Society, and as a convenient room for the holding of meetings in connection with the work of the church generally, it was deemed advisable _to provide this building in the form of an addition to the old church; and for the purposes mentioned the room has proved so advantageous as to fully justify the moderate expenditure of £l3O 10s 6d, which was the total cost of its construction.

Manse.—ln view of the difficulty of finding a house with adequate accommodation,and within easy distance, the committee considered it advisable in the interests of the congregation to purchase, for the minister of the church, a conveniently situated and in every respect suitable residence, which had been offered to them on exceptionally advantageous conditions aa to price and terms of payment. In view of the readily marketable character of the property, the committee concluded that any liability attaching to the purchase was merely a nominal one; they could indeed have re-sold the property since at an advance on the price at which they purchased it, namely, £ISOO. The committee, therefore, hope that their action in this matter will meet with the general approval of the congregation. St. Paul's Church Property Bill.—With the object of consolidating the whole of the property of the church into one trust, upon a legal and workable basis, the committee have decided to take the necessary steps for presenting _to Parliament at the opening of the ensuing session, a short and simple measure, which they have devised after much careful consideration, and with the assistance of legal advice. The first important benefit to be derived from the provisions of this Bill will be that the truetees will be in a position to renew the mortgages on the church property at the minimum rate of interest for loans on first-class securities.

In conclusion, the committee have again the pleasure to record their appreciation of the ready and effective cooperation of our much esteemed pastor in furthering the best interests of the church; and they earnestly trust that the congregation may long enjoy the benefit of his ministrations, which continue to meet with so much acceptance and with Buch a large measure of success. The committee would »lso express their obligations to the members and adherents of the church generally for the liberal m?nner in which they have secondfd tho efforts of the committer to place the finances of the church on a more satisfactory footing. And, as the committee rf gard the matter as one of the highest importance in the interests of the congregation they earnestly hope that renewed efforts during the current year will result in the final liquidation of the floating debt a consummation which would at once liberate the congregation from a heavy burden and leave it free to prosecute with greater energy, and with increased hope of success, the numerous important branches of work which lie within the scope of of the operations and legitimate aims of the chnrch.

Tlm adoption of tho report was moved by Mr W. Chrystall, and seconded by Mr R. N. Qnnn. Mr John Cooko also supported tho motion, which was unanimously carried, and save it as his opinion, as one who had much to do with balance sheets, that this report showed that, financially consideied, St. Paul's Church was in a very healthy state. Iu connection with the receiving of fie treasurer's report, Mr John Milu moved that the financial committee ba instructed to make an effort during the current jear to wipe off the remainder of the floating debt. This was seconded by Mr Lanrenson, and carried with approval. It was moved by Mr .1. Cooke and seconded by Mr ft. Beattio that tho number of trustees, now consisting of Mr John Andtrjen, Mr John Mile, and Mr Kobt. [Sutherland, bo increased fey two, and that Mr K. W. Black and Mr W. Chrystall be elected as the additional members. l>.o motion was very cordially adopted. After another anthem sung bv the choir. Mr J. B. Chisholm and Mr J. M. Watt gave in the reports from the Sabbath school?. It appeared from the report that, although no new work had been undertaken during the past year, a considerably increased attendance of scholars had taken place both in the central anil Bingsland schools. The attendance in Bingsland averaged upwards of eighty scholars, also in the

central school there was usually an attendance of about three hundred, and notwithstanding the commodious additions provided by the congregation during the past year, the echool was generally crowded. Attention was called by the chairman to the very great importance of this department of the Chnrch'B work, after which the reports were unanimously adopted on the motion of Mr Beattie, seoonded by Mr Tait. The meeting was then closed with praise and prayer.