DAY OF INTERCESSION.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 9 October 1917, Page 3

DAY OF INTERCESSION.

Heavy rain in the early part of the day rendered impossible the holding in the Domain of the local service of intercession and prayer which was arranged in accordance with the wish of the Government and the various churches and was one of a series which took place throughout New Zealand on Sunday. The Century Hall was therefore utilised and it was filled by a gathering representative of all the churches. The Rev W. H. E. Abbey directed the order of the observances and the clergy taking part occupied the platform, the civil authority being represented by the Mayor, Mv C. Blenkhorn. The service opened with the singing of the hymn " O God our Help in Ages Past," so appropriate to times of national stress and anxiety. Adjutant Parsons led in prayer for our soldiers and sailors and for peace and victory, and concluded with the Lord s Prayer. Then the Rev Mr Abbey impressively read the Fifty-first Psalm, remarking upon the call to repentance and contrition it sounded. The Rev G. B. Stephenson amongst other petitions prayed for all in anxiety and sorrow. "Peace, Perfect Peace" was sung and the address was given by the Rev M. Bowden Harris. The singing of John Oxenham's fine war hymn and the Benediction brought the service to a close. Miss Goldsmith presided at the organ.

Mr Harris prefaced his address with the reading of portions of St. Luke's Gospel, chapters v and viii> and proceeded to give a thoughtful exposition of the nature and power of prayer. He explained how its influence was not confined to the individual, but reached out until it embraced the whole human kind- He regarded earnest prayer as the most powerful agency in man's hands, and in that sense as a very real war measure.

The Day of National Prayer was celebrated by a Divine service in the Roman Catholic Church in Levin last Sunday. The Rev Dean Hills celebrated Mass at 8 a.m. at which there was a general communion of the congregation. He preached a sermon suitable to the occasion and made special mention that by a remarkable coincidence the day appointed for the purpose was the 346 th anniversary of the glorious victory of the Christians over the Turks at Lepanto. The services for the day concluded with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at which a large congregation was present