EAST BELT WESLEY CHURCH

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17282, 25 September 1916, Page 5

EAST BELT WESLEY CHURCH

ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. Tho forty-first anniversary of the East Belt Wesley Church was appropriately celebrated yesterday by special services, a feature of which was the music. The Rov A. C. Lawry, president of the Methodist Church, officiated at the morning service, at which there was a good attendance. Ho gave a short address to tho children from a verse in Psalms 127, " As arrows to are childdrcn," in which he sketched in humorous manner analogies between the juvenile and well-made arrows. Speaking to the adults of the congregation. Mr Lawry took his text from Kings xv. 22, "And they took away the stones of R«mJah and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded, and King Asa built with them Geha and Mizpah." Tho speaker said that his address would be on " Reconstruction." The text gave them an instance of enemy forts being made into a moons of homo defence. A lesson could be learned in tho twentieth century from that old Biblical story. Reconstruction was needed in personal character, in tho social world, in tho church and in the nation. There was no need to belabour tho first point. Many great men had felt the need of such reconstruction, including Admiral Foote, Robert Louis Stevenson, H. M. Stanley, tho African explorer, and John Bunyan, and many others both in ancient and modern, days- There was no need, however, to go back to these, men, the need was there still for every individual. Human society as well as the human heart required reconstruction, to get rid of the mutual suspicion of distrust felt between members and classes of tho community. Honesty in business, thoroughness in work, fairness in play, help for the week, were all needed by society., rations, too, needed reconstruction, and Christianity was working to that end. India war, being reconstructed by the Gospel. Christianity also had done much for China, and could do the same for every nation. Only in that way comd another great war bo averted, or the "vcllow peril" or tho "black peril and other racial problems bo solved. Civilisation was not enough. The history of tho first twenty-two years of New Zealaud settlement proved that.. It was not until the Maoris became Christians that peace and prosperity came. Tho civilised German with his "kultur" had shown that civilisation was nothing without Christianity. Civilisation would not stop war, but Christianity could. The Allied armies were now breaking down the power of Bernhardi and other apostles of the gospel of halo, and were hastening the hour when Prussiailism would be abolished. Christ would show His followers what reconstruction, could do, and in the dny of His triumph would show how weak' humanity could bo lifted up. In the afternoon, a sacred sonc: service was givon by tho Durham Street choir, under the conductorship of Mr Ernest Firth. In the evening there was another large congregation, the Rev W. A. Sinclair being the preacher. The offertories for the day were on behalf of the trust fund.