Youth Conference

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 308, 30 December 1939, Page 12

Youth Conference

RECORD OF YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS The summer conference of tho Presbyterian Bible classes and Sunday school teachers was continued in Palmerston North yesterday. The theme of the worship service in the morning was “Teach us to pray.” In tho singing of a hymn, in the reading of Scripture, in spoken prayer and in silence they were reminded continually of the Lord’s Prayer, and of their own need to learn how r to pray in the Spirit of Jesus. “I am to talk to you about 'Our Church/ and the first thing I have to say is that it isn’t our church, it is God’s—it is Christ’s, and that is the first thing we need to learn/’ said Rev. J. W. McKenzie, B.A. “What is the church?” he asked. “You can give a dozen or more answers to that question,’ but there is one answer we must get to that question. We get it by saying: ‘Who are the church?’ The church consists of all those who believe in and love the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Master. It doesn’t matter whetner they call themselves Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists or Presbyterians. It doesn’t matter how they organise themselves. The Church consists of people who believe in and love the Lord Jesus Christ. We might ask another question and say, ‘What is the Church for?’ What is its work? First of all I believe it is for the worship of Almighty God. It is also for the preservation of the great things that are ours, the Bible, the Sacraments and all the means of grace. It is also for the fellowship of believers. Tho Church is to get together those who believe so [ that they will help each other and ex-j change ideas. Tho Church exists for tho preaching and propagation of tho j Word. There are three answers to the | question, ‘How does it work?’ First of ( ; all the work of the Church goes on by ; ! the Spirit of God. The second thing is that the work of tho Church goes on by unconscious influence. The third way in which tho Church works is by a deliberate and sot will.” God, the Bible and Myself The leaders and senior members of tho conference wore addressed by Miss C. Loosemore, of Queensland, on the above subject. She said the only text boon for truly satisfying life was the Bible. The Bible is the meeting place between God and man. We have tho Bible in our classes and we have the explanations of the Bible in our church services. We may also have mid-week meetings, but between these times there are great [ gaps which njust be filled by reading I God’s Word. Arc we too lazy? If the Biblo has meant so much to the people in all walks of life, surely we snould take time to read it and listen to God through the same channel. Inheritance Last evening the delegates 'were

addressed by Rev. Alistair McLean, M.A., of St. Paul’s Church, Wanganui, “Inheritance” being his subject. Mr. McLean said the years in their passing had borne witness to the faithfulness of the saints to whom the faith had been delivered in generation after generation, each of whien had provided its quota of heroes who died that our inheritance might not be lost or sullied. Among the preservers of our faith an honoured place must be found for John Maefarlane and the other hardy and loyal pioneers of our Presbyterian Church in this land. Our inheritance thus preserved and transmitted to us by the zeal and loyalty of our fathers consisted in a Gospel, a message of good news that had made men even more than conquerors. It consisted also in a fellowship, a new feature for men and women who knew no friendliness with God and little with one another. In contradistinction to Communism, Christianity provided a fellowship among men based upon a common purpose and not upon an individual aim. It consisted further in a purpose, a steady vision toward which men were drawn, confident that it would be achieved. That inheritance was ours. It had been provided through the years by our fathers, in sunshino and storm. What it would mean in the future depended on us. To-day’s activities are the sports meeting and garden party at the Showgiounds at 1.30 p.m. and the conference roll call and re-dedication service in St. Andrew’s Church at 7.30, preceding which the delegates will march from the .Showgrounds to St. Andrew’s Church. The morning service to-morrow will 1)0 at St. Andrew’s Church, the preacher being Rev. C. Mackenzie. The attendance at the evening service is expected to be so large that the Meteor Theatre j has been engaged for the service, which .will be conducted by Rev. J. Hubbard.

i On Monday there will he a picnic at the Domain at the Woodville end of the Manawatu Gorge. A special train has been engaged, leaving Palmerston North at 10 a.m. and returning from the Gorge at 4 p.m. Monday night is missions night at St. Andrew ’s Church, the speakers being Revs. D. M. Cattanach and Hemi Nikora.