CHURCH FINANCES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 430, 22 November 1876, Page 2

CHURCH FINANCES.

At the annual general meeting of (he members of the church (Anglican) held recently in the Choral Hall, Symondsstreet—the Right Reverend the Bishop of Auckland (Dr Cowie) in the chair, the Rev. C. M. Nelson read his paper upon “ Church Finances.” He apologised to the assemblage for having chosen a somewhat dry and uninteresting subject. But it was, nevertheless, one of considerable importance. There were few churches in Auckland which had not acquired the honor of having contracted a church debt. These debts were often the source of a good deal of difference of opinion, and occasionally undue warmth. He recommended a consolidation of church trusts, as far as this could be effected. He was not a centralist, but a little centralism in this direction was extremely desirable. He read an extract from an American paper which wrote upon this subject with rather critical sarcasm. What would be said of the Christians who left their church to their posterity encumbered with a good round mortgage P How could such Christians pray with satisfaction to release the church from possible foreclosure? He hoped to see some action taken which, in course of time would lead to the abolition of pew-renta. Fancy fairs, bazaars, and a variety of similar methods for aiding a church, he considered unmitigated abominations, often supported for the purpose of vain display. How was it to be supposed that the blessing «>f God would rest upon the resort to means so thoroughly mundane. The most legitimate means of securing aid to the Cnurch was by means of the concert annually given by the church choir, It was most important that Church members, if they were really zealous in contributing to its support, should devise means of attaining that object by a resort to other expedients than those which he had mentioned, which were in every way so objectionable.— Southern Crust.