WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 276, 21 November 1877, Page 2

WESLEYAN HOME MISSIONS.

A public meeting in connection with these missions was held in the Church last night the Rer. G. S. Harper in the chair. Addresses of a very interesting character were delivered by the chairman, and the Re\s. H Bull (Kumara), and Mr W. Price, and muaical

selections were performed by the choir at intervals, Miss S. Green plajiog the harmonium. At the close of the meeting a collection was made amounting to £2 18s. The following report was read by the Rer. X H. Bull, the Secretary of the District Meet* ing:— " The object of the Association is the support and extension of the Church throughtout the Colony. This desirable end is sought, (1) By grants to aid such circuits as may be unable to support their own Ministers. (£) By supporting lay agents in outlying districts, and among scattered populations, all such agents to be approved by the District Meeting and Conference. (3) By grants to aid circuits iu providing and furnishing parsonages. (4) By grants in aid of training candidates for the Ministry. (5) To aid in Church extension in such other manner as Conference may direct.

I" The f uads for carrying out these objects are derived from the following sources: — (1) Rente of connection^ properties. (2) Proceeds of district investments; (3) Circuit branch associations, which are formed in each circuit in the various districts to circulate information, and to obtain funds for the foregoing purposes by annual sermons, public f nieeting3, subacriptions, donations, and juvenile Christmas and New Year's offerings. " The purely Church extension attempted in this district during the past year has been at the new goldfield, Kumara, where a Minister has been stationed since April . last. Kumara presents a fine field for home mission labor. It has a population of 4700, but the average attendance on public worship (including all Churches) is not more than 500. If, as Mr Wesley observes, ' We are to j'gQ not .only to those that want us, but to those that need us most,' then surely here is aloud.call for evangelistic effort. In our more immediate neighborhood, the Collingwood district presents a needy field for our operations. We are of opinion that if this and similar thinly populated districts are to be reached by Methodist agency, the Conference will have to appoint men similar to .th<? early pioneer Ministers of America, who, with trusty horse and saddle-bags, rode from place to place, from hamlet to hamlet, calling sinners to repentance. While we do not neglect the towns and cities, we must care for the scattered population of the country— if our Church is to prosper more and more, we must go forth to spread Scriptural holiness through all the land.

"We now come to the balance-sheet for the financial year. The income for the whole colony for the last year was £1365 8s 9d, and the expenditure £1529 lla sd, leaving a deficiency of £164 2s Bd. " The estimated expenditure over the income at the ensuing Conference is £3 1 9 4s 2d, unless we have greatly underrated the liberality of our people in the various circuits throughout the colony. "Towards the income of last year the Nelson district raised the following sums — Nelson circuit, £27; Motueka, £3; Blenheim, £l5 2s6d; Hokitika, £5; Greymouth, £10. Total, £60 2s 6d.

grants were made to any circuit in this district out of last year's income, hence the above balance was employed in carrying on the work of God among Europeans and Maoris in other parts of the colony. "The last Conference estimated the following suras as the income from the circuits in this district for the present year:— Nelson circuit, £30; Motueka, £5; Blenheim, £20; Hokitika, £7; Greymouth, £15. Total, £77. Towards this amount the following sums are reported to the District Meeting:— Nelson: Juvenile offerings, £10; donation from a young convert, £1; donation from a miner at the Buller diggings, £5; last Sabbath's collections— Nelson, £6 8s 6d; Richmond, £1 3s; Spring Grove, £1 8s 6d; Stoke, 18s Id; Wakefield, 15s 6d; Fox Hill, not in; Hope, uot in; making a total of £26 13s 7d towards the above £30, which we hope will be made up by thi3 evreniug'a meeting, and to-morrow circuit, £3; Blenhefmr£ls- fssrHokufka; £7; Greymouth, £10 12s; Kumara, £1. 1 -ii i e tr p ? ad , itar f this y ear ia this dis t"c ?i .«7« £n Ue r ft) for the y^r ending March J«sri '/,, ; . Kumara » March 1877, £50. Ihe following grants for next year have been recommended by the present District Meeting to the ensuing Conference :- To wards the erection o£>ew parsonage, Richt7Kumfm;i 0 o W » rd3 fUrUiShiUg dftt^ £25 '