CHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE IN THE DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 15

CHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE IN THE DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY.

'" ; Bt the REf. Robemt ,"Wooi>. ".Tie Proceedings of the General N Assem-, n ; T>ly of the Presbyterian Church of ,. New j Zealand," held recently in Wellington, have,, just been issued_ from the .Otago Daily j Times printing , office in the 6hape of a ' volume running to nearly 300 pages. _ This book, among other things,, gives full infor- I mat ion ,6n the eubject -of fixe <Ghristian ■ beneficence of the Presbyterian Church. . The gross revenue from, congresf^iicme ,all— over N£w 2*ealand ,'was £114,907, but w,hen ■ the extraordinary revenue from legacies and gifts, is added ijb" brings the ..total up to nearly £150,000. "Tie .gross 'givings in the congregpaficns. in tKe IPxesbyteriep in Otago amount io £4? 3 090, and as the total, attendance in Oiago . was \ 28,553, it follows the average contribution was £1 12s 9d per ettencleri In tijs nine Presbyteries in the northern section' of the Church the gross Tevenue was J>67,"817, and as the total attendanqe was 41,571, it ,follov/« that the average contribution was £1 12s . 7d. The average giving is thus about the same north , and sooth, but, if anything,, liberal giving \ ie slightly stronger in Otago. In the followintr tables particulars a-re given about , the Jiberality of tibe -oonxjcegations in Dunedin Presbytery : — Total Ordinary Revenue and Average Contribution per Attendant at Servi<ses: — T«tal v rev^nue^ Average

less debt

In the -, foregoing . the revenue is divided among the attendants at services. It would be wrong to credit the communicants with all -the liberality in a congregation. But there is - this drawback- to dividing the*.. jrivings ;, among, the attendants: the atten- ' dance /is frequently a jough estimate, and < it follows that, when the attendance is over- ' estimated, the average contribution falls, and. the converse ie teoe if tie attendance is under-estimated. Witn regard to the communicants there is not this difficulty. There is a definite roll kept. When the total givings , above axe divided among the communicants in the above congregations a change takes place in their positions. The amount jjer .eomxrrunieant is as follows : — Anderson's Bay, £2 We 2d • Cav«*sham, £2 6s 8d; ■Cnalmeiß. JB4 Qs 7d; Fiist Church, £2 ltej.Kaikorai, £1 13 a sd; Knqx, £2 11s I'd; Maori v Hill,'£4- 3s 4d; .Mornington, £1 17s- M; N-ortfa-JEast Valley, £1 15s lid; . Koslyn, £3 15s 2d; St. Andrew's, £3 2s Sd; St. Stephen's, £2 3s I<3; South Dun- i edip, £1 l£e bd', Blueekin, £2 -3e; East Taißri,-*H4fi-,7dj Gxeen Island, £2 10s' *d; Mo6gidL'J&l-19s Bd; JSforth Taieri, £2 13s 2d ; Otago Peninsula, dB2 7« 4d ; Port * Chalmers,- £3 15s Jd; Kavensbourne, £2' 3s 8d ; South Taieri, £2 2a Id ; .Strath- f Taieri, £3 7s°7d; Waikouaiti, £2 lls 10d;. j West Xaieriv £2 10s 4d. It falls also to be ! noted that in ,tfae total revenue above the amounts raised for debt reduction and new -i fmiidings are not included. .Last year for j these ••objgete congregations contributed as > follows^ — Anderson!s Bay, =£137; Chalmers, i £6 ;'Fit»t -Church, £2237; Kaikorai, £495; Maori Hill, £56; Mornington, £25; North- ■ East .Valley. £38; »oslvn, £141; St. | Andrew's, £422 ; South ' Dunedin. £112 ; j Otago Peninsula, £44; Port Chalmers, i £210; Ravensbourne, £19; Strath-Taieri, ■' £56; West Taieri, ,£22. The shillings and pence are omitted, but the total amounts

to £4423 146 -7 d

{Jongregs

to XW6d 146 -Yd. ' ! Altruism in Congregations: Contributions to Missions — Home and Foreign. <■ Aid to Susteutation • ~ - ~ Foreign' Fund - , ■ • Mission- (i.e., amount Church . . ■ : and - over exten'Congregation.- Maori. dividend), jsion. *'. <£,b.- d. £ -b. d. li.d. Anderson's Bay -,'.. AL 10 8 — 5 0 0 Cftverfiham 2 5 0 — S 0 0 Chalmers' 2 0 0 — 3 4 6 Fizst I Ciurch 100 0 8 161 16 10 22 13 3 I Kaikorai 48157 16 10 8 10 Oj Knox. .. 536 5 9 195 4 1 42 19 10 • Maori Hill XI 6 7 — 6 5 9 Momington 2559 66 10 615 9 N.E.V. "42 4 10 10 6 10 6 0 0 Koslyn '.. 52 14 6 . 211 10 11 10 0 6t. An- l drew's 266 16 O 146 6 10 20 0 0 St. Stephen's 14 0 0 — 2 0 0 S. Dunedin 57 15 1 — 6 0 9 Blueskin j and " I Mertpn ' 11 8 4 - — 111 6 East Takri' 11115 9 14 10 2 17 13 9 Green " - " ' Island 45 15 8 6 610 3 12 11 Moegiel "- 42 0 3 -"" — 90 0 Nth. Taieri 12 0 0 — 110 0 Oiago ' ' I Peninsula 28 11 1 4 13 6 3 18 S Pott Chalmers .. ~40 6 0 18 610 10 85 j Ravens- I bourne 10 10 6 — 3 16 9 Sth. Taieri 8 14 9 — — I Strath- i Taieri . 416 10 . — 210 0 WaSkouaiti SI 18 2 3 16 10 6 2 7 West Taieri 77 10 4 -r- 6 4 0 - £1666 8 X JES7I 14 8 JE2O3 8 O The amount given to Foreign and Maori Missions is very considerably, above that t

given, to Home Missions — i.e., OhuTch Extension and Ai«f to Sustentation Fund. Knox Ohurch gives to' Foreign and Maori Missions £200 more than the previous year, and St. Andrew's increases £100. These two congregations for the rise^ of nearly £300 to and Maori Missions. The

s to Home Missions are not satisiac-

giving —»i Uu . _ toiy, but they show'an improvement on the

previous year's. The fact that .the. Sustentajj tion Fund is-a-^Hojhe Mission ; FimcKanc{ enables the best agents to do Home Mission work is not. .generally recognised, and the result is that "no support comes from a num-

ber of -congregations.

There 16 a notion

abroad in some quarts** that there, iB-,Aftt

much room for Home Mission jvork. That- • there is still 0111611 work to be .done is proved by statistics. The report of the " State of Iteligion " says : "Last year (1906) there were 203,000 Presbyterians, according, . to the census. We provide for, say, 90,000, leading 115,000 Presbyterians churchless." This, however, is a pessimistic exaggeration, .but there are many thousands yet to be reached by t.he Presbyterian church. „ Aid-giving Contributions to Sustentation Fund. Minimum,

On the 4th September, 1906, a conference ■ of- officebearers, .which completely filled the Ijall of Ffr6t Church. JDunedin, passed a' * resolution affirming that all congregations

paying supplements should give aid to the " Jimd. to the' extent of -at least £1' for "every ,£2 of supplement. This resolution is -now a law of the Presbyterian Church, having met wrfch the approval of presbyteries, -and been passed by the General Assembly. In the foregoing figures it will be seen that last year Dunedin Presbytery has not been so generous in its aid-giving contributions as might have been expected. However, this year's law-makers will no doubt show a better example in law-keeping. It will be notioed that one congregation paying no supplement (Otago Peninsula) gives a contriJ ( bution of nearly £5. It received generous help in former years, and now, outside of ] Tegulations, it gives help. Such thankofferings are rare. Were there not ten helped, but where are the nine? One congregation, St. Andrew's, implemented the regulation that asks aid to the extent of £1 for every £2 of supplement. In thus showing its loyalty it has stood alone, and it has had its Mission Sabbath school to build, and its givings to Foreign Missions have not decreased. Several congregations have moved forward in their givings — e.g., North-East Valley, Port Chalmers, and East Taieri. One or two congregations show a backward movement. They give less than. , the year before. They have increased their givjngs to other outside objects, or have , spent more .on themselves, but this year their liberality has not gone out to the same extent in sympathetic interest in the support of our underpaid ministers and in } Home Mission work of the best kind. In one or two cases Peter has been robbed to .pay Paul. Six congregations above give ■no aid to tne fund. Most of these oongregai tions in their early days were nursed by ' the Sustentation. Fund : they received many hundreds of pounds of help, and to-day there 1 are many congregations in the church in j the- position they were in once. In these | congregations the Sustentation Fund is all Absorbed in finding in part the stipend of t the minister, and yet in some of these" congre- ■ Rations (if not all) people subscribed to the fund, with the idea that they were giving I some aid to weak charges. This artmcs1 piere of ignorance will only be dispelled by ' ministers explaining to the people the claims of the fund and its Home Mission aspect

In the United Free Church of Scotland the

following instruction is given to ministers: "It is most important— perhaps, unon the whole, the most important thing, humanly for the efficient working of the jSustentation Fund that tfae minister should take $.. deep interest in it. ... The upholdingand extending of gospel ordinances in the. Free Church depends on the freewill offerings of Chriet's people, and it is an important part of a faithful minister's duty wisely to expound and enforce the obligations which such ciscumstances imply." INSTRUCTIVE COMPARISONS: DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY GIVES XE IJILY ONE-THIRD OF TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO MISSIONS. The total contributions of the above 25 congregations to home and foreign missions were £2440. The number of members in full communion in these congregations was 6415, and the number attending services 9022. When we divide the £2440 first among the communicants Vnd then among the attenders at services we learn that the average contribution per communicant was 7s 7d and per attender 5s sd. When we divide the £1655 given to foreign and Maori missions in the same way we find that the average eontribii^ tion was per communicant 5s 2d and per a (tender 3s Bd. With regard to the £755 given to home missions— i.c , to assist stations and charges, — when we divide this amount in the same wav, the average contribution, was per member 2s 4d and per attender Is Bd. The giving thus to home missions were less than a third of those contributed to foreign and Maori missions. When we compare the giving in the Dunedin Presbytery with the contributions to those objects all over the New Zealand Presbyterian Church we find a surprising discrepancy. The givings all over the Church to home and- foreisrn missions amounted last year to £6238. The number of communicants was 31,981, and of attendees at services 70,124. The average

] oontribdtion therefore,, to these objects y^as f per cbmniunicant Ss Id, oy per attender :} Za, 4d. -When we look at the contributions, to foreign and Maori missions? we see they amount tq £5847. The -average ~-contribu1 tion,-. therefore,-to tihese^object^i-was per ! commvmicant 3s Bd, or per attender Is ,§d.^ The total contributions-ifco' 3 noma -miSsidhs^ embiacmg church extension north and . 85ntk : *^uMJ'waid-gMnSJ>toiitribution^ tSVSus.^ ■ tenlafcioift^undT TfeTSiveragi contribution to hpme missions, therefore, Aras per communicant- '15, "69. '• or per '&£■' tender Bd. From "the foregoing statistics, it will be seen that the communicants iri , Dunedin Presbytery- (forming less "than onefifth of the total membership of the Church), .or j.th& attenders in Dunedin Presbytery (forming about one-eisrhth of the adherency of the Church) contributed nearly one-thirdi of rh© money devoted' "to home and -foreign --itf issione. - ".- ."" hi'^V '-'• n

reduction ' per or - Number attendant 'building attending at ; Congregation. " ~ iimd, services. service. , Anderson's Bay . . £ 526 0 0 276 £1.18 1 Cavorsham 402 0 0 275 19 2 Chalmers^ 266 0 0 v —120 2 44 FiTgt Crniich 2055" 0 0 1075 t 118 0 Eaikoiai 415 O'O 270 1 10 8 Knox .. 2921 0 0 1185 2 93 Maori Hill 350 ' 0 0 ' 270 15 11 Ifornington 577 0 0 370 1 11 2 N.E.V. '. •. . 566 0- 0 435 " 16-0 Roelyn 632 r 0 0' 300 2 21 _St Andrew's 1410 B 0 ' 520 ' 214 St. atej?t«ii'fl '487 " O « 18 7 S.Buneaia ; ' 597 00 400 ■ 1 910 Slueakin »nd Merton "211- DO' 246 "0 17 --2 EitßtT?aaeri- - 500 ovo . 460 ' 1 1 9[ Gxeenlslwia 480 O 0- rßsa 17 5Mosgi«l •>. 478 0-0 320 1 9 10 North Taieii 274 0 0 160 • 114 3 , Oi«go Penin- . '' «ul» -.. «69- 0 0 260 178 Pt. Chalmers 828 -b, O 355 - " 2 6 7 Jlavena- - . , bourne • . ~ 286 jO & 200 18 7 •Stii. -Ttaeii 200 0 0 130 , 1 10 9 " StrivthTaieri 284 0 0 195 ,1,91 W«ibduaiti - «66 0 0 211 114 8 "Wsst T*ieri . .602: 0 0 • %00 2 0 1.

Congregation. Stipend. £ s. d. given to Sustentation Fund. £ c. a. "fortmder ) regu- I lations. j £ s. d. ' Anderson's Bay 252 0 0 Caversham 250 0 0 First Church 780 0 0 Kaikorai 246 0 0 Knox 650 0 O Morningtan 300 0 0 N.E.V. . 300 0 0 Eoelyn. 250 O 0 St. Andrew's .. 500 0 0 v St. Stephen's 300 0 0 South Diuiedin 300 0 0 EastTaieri 300 0 0 Green Island 260 0 0 Mosgiel 300 0 0 Port Ch*l- ■ mars 300 0 0 TSfest Taieri ..295 0 0 Otago Peninsula .. 200 0 0 161 18 10 1 6 10 195 4 7 .6 6 10 10 6 10 2 16 10 146 6 10 14 10 2 6 6 10 18 6 10 4 13 5 I 12 10 0 12 0 0 250 0 o'. 11 0 0 ' 225 0 0 33 0 0 , 33 0 0 < 12 0 0 ' 146 6 10 : 33 0 0 33 0 0. 33 0 0 19 0 0 33 0 0" 33 0 0 31 0 0 J .£567 19 10 £949 16 10