HOLY TRINITY CHURCH.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 184, 16 July 1884, Page 2

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH.

ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS. The adjourned annual meeting of the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church was held last night at the schoolroom. There were about twenty-five present. The Rev. Mr. Fox was in the chair, and opened the proceedings with prayer, and said he was very glad that they were, what Chrcsar’s wife was not—above suspicion. No doubt the notice of the meeting had not been fully given, though he considered sufficient notice had been given for the meeting last week. He would now call on Mr. Matthews to read the minutes of the last meeting.

Mr. Matthews now came forward and read the minutes, saying he did so on behalf of Mr. Murchie. The Chairman said the next business was the reading of the report. Mr. Matthews said they would remember that the minute book and report were not forthcoming at the last meeting. They were in the hands of Mr. Berry, and he had ommitted to see and let him have them. After all the matters were in perfect order. He then read the annual report and balance-sheet. He might mention in regard to the balance-sheet the offetories were some £27 less than last year ; the seat rents about £4 10s. more ; subscriptions and donations, there was nothing to compare with those of last year. In regard to stipend, the last year they paid away £3OB ss. lOd. for the years 1882-3, and some £l2 less for 1883-4, that would be about £296.

The report and balance-sheet were then adopted.

The Chairman said, he thought before going on to the next matter before them, he might now mention what words he had to say to thorn, especially looking at what, he thought, was a very favorable report, and prosperous balance-sheet. Considering the difficulties under which they had labored it seemed to him very much to the credit of the congregation in having done so well, and many thanks were due to those who had done so much towards carrying on the services, and the Sunday school, and the other branches of Church work, during the absence of any clergyman. Now for himself, he was very thankful to come to a Church were so many laymen took a deep interest in the affairs of the Church of England, as many of them knew it was not always so in England. In some parishes there it was exceedingly difficult to get any laymen to take any interest in the Church at all, but here from the necessity of the case it was very different. The state of things which prevailed here was far preferable to the other. He remembered a friend of his who joined another Church, and he remarked that one of the great attractions in that Church was the way in which laymen were induced to take an interest in the matters connected with the Church, and referred not only to material matters but also to spiritual matters, and here, in this place, it was evident there was a large body of laymen who took great interest in the prosperity of the Church, and who helped very much to advance that prosperity. It would not become him to speak of what he had to do in the future. It was his earnest desire, with God’s help, to do all he could for the Church, and he would be very thankful for the advice on the part of the Vestry or of that meeting. With regard to the details, he had only lately come among them, and was not yet able to judge what the wants of the parish were. He was going to start a few things shortly, but would like to have their advice before doing anything definitely., He hoped they would work together and with harmony, for the glory of God, and they would stand on very light vantage ground with the laity, who, it was stated, did not take the same interest in the Church as those of other bodies, but when that reproach was removed they would certainly have great advantages in the Church of England, and they might all be thankful that they belonged to it, and for three reasons, first, because he thought it was such a great blessing to have an historical connection with the past Church of Christ. All bodies had a spiritual connection with the past, but they had a connection not only in the spirit but in the body. He remembered a certain Cardinal who, when he joined the Church of Rome, took down one of the volumes of the Fathers, and almost embraced it with rapture, feeling that at last he undoubtedly belonged to the Catholic Church. He (the speaker) thought it a grand thing to have historic continuity with the Church of all ages past. Secondly, he thought, it was such a great advantage to stand, as it were, at the middle point. They could sympathise in all directions, and it was one of the boasts in the Church of England, because it had such a broad basis, and it was able to stretch out the right hand of fellowship in all directions, and could gather good in from every source. Thirdly, the other point which had attracted him to the Church of England, had been the rich treasury that they had in their prayer book —the rich treasury of prayer and praise. These were the three points which chiefly attracted him and many others to the Church of England, though there were many more. Nothing could be done by them without God’s blessing, and he hoped they would all seek for that. The • next business was the election of a parish churchwarden.

Mr. Matthews said he had been authorized by Mr. DeLautour, who had filled this position formerly, to state that he (Mr. DeLautour) was very anxious not to hold that office during the coming year, as his engagements prevented him from attending to the necessary duties the office demanded. He would have much pleasure in proposing Mr. Beere to the office, who had had considerable experience in Church matters elsewhere. Mr. Murchie seconded. Carried.

Mr. Beere then briefly expressed his thanks for the honor they had done him in electing him to that very important post.

The following gentlemen were nominated as Vestrymen :—Messrs. C. P. Davis, F. J. Morgan, C. A. DeLatour. G. L. Greenwood, R. Watson, Dr. Pollen, D. Johnston, W. L. Rees.

This being just the number required the names were duly put to the meeting and elected.

Messrs. Chrisp and Matthews were elected auditors for the ensuing year.

Dr. Pollen had much pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks to the Venerable Archdeacon Williams and the Rev. A. Williams, for the way in which they had conducted the services in the absence of an incumbent. Mr. Booth seconded. Carried. The Rev. A. Williams said he thanked them very much indeed for their kind vote of thanks on his behalf, and on behalf of the Venerable Archdeacon. For his own part it had been a very great pleasure to him to be enabled to give some amount of attention to the services of the Church. His work was more amongst the Maorics, and of course he had very little time to go visiting, Ac., as he would have done. The Archdeacon had taken his part in the services under great inconvenience ; he was always exceedingly busy, and really had no time to call his own. He was so overdone with work that they were almost at a stand still at the Maori College. Mr. Woon proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Greenwood for the services he had rendered as layman. (Applause.)

Mr. Watson seconded.—Carried. Mr. Greenwood returned thanks for their iind recognition of his services, and said it

was always a pleasure io him, and he would continue to do so if required. A vote of thanks 'to the auditors and the outgoing vestrymen terminated the proceedinga, After this a s-jt of diseusoinn was held on the questions f co ’ . the Sunday school, <kc., die.