Methodist Church..

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1922, Page 4

Methodist Church..

CENTEX AK V CONKER EX( IE OPENED. AECixLAND. Feb. 22. The .Methodist Centenary Con lore nee op ned to-night. The delegates, who number 320, include the ltov Grainger Hargreaves, of Oxford, representative fit the Methodist Church o! England: Bishop C. E. Locke, of Manila, representative of the .Methodist Episcopal Church of America; and the Rev A. McOnllum, president of the Gjencral Methodist Conference of Australia.

Tlic presidential address was delivered by the Rev 0. H. Laws. In tracing the History of the church in New Zealand, b° said Methodism began in 1822 at the Bay of Islands. The first (biistian services held at Port Nicholson and in the South Island were conducted by Methodist missiomu ies. The Rev Janies Puller walked 009 miles to welcome the iirst immigrants to arrive at Port Nicholson ; the Rev Creed welcomed tTic firs' white settlors to Otago ; and a Methodist minister -.a the first white man to cross ti’ Oilrinto Westland. 'Hie f lent'imrv Km'* now stood at C 30,031. Mr Laws spoke of the necessity for the chuivh to halert and evangelistic to meet the increasing needs of this o.ieat end gro.viug country. He expiesie l regret a L the fact, that the Moth <Tis Chii'e'alone among the larger denominations had not a single ; ducalional institution except Wesley College. He drew i-i-

tention'to tile recommendations of tl rTheological Commit!:’ to he lo ! h fore the conference, tint a moduli college he erected in Auckland to provide: (1) A thoroughly efficient training for students for the miiVi.-t;y : (2' iwo years’ preparatory course for such orospectivo candidates as may ho able to attend; (3) a Don ion of the residential area of the college tu he set aside as a hostel for non-TI:eo!ogial Hi.iiversitv students, with preference for these of their own church. Referring to the lack of candidates for the ministry, MLaws said lie scorned the suggestion that youths rejected the ministry be-