SOUTHLAND PRESBYTERY

Southland Times, Issue 18838, 3 June 1920, Page 2

SOUTHLAND PRESBYTERY

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Southland Presbytery was held in the First Church Hall on Tuesday morning, the Rev. Arch. MrNeur (Moderator) presiding. The Moderator of the General Assembly being present was welcomed and associated with the Presbytery. An application was received from the Rev, W, T. Findlay, of Fori rose, .asking that owing to failing health he be released from his pastorate and granted the status of a minister emeritus with a seat in the Presbytery.

The Rev. A. ('. Wedderspoon, Woodlands, stated that he had met with the congregation and session and they had agreed to put no obstacle in the way of the dissolution of the pastoral lie, though they viewed his departure with great regret. During his long ministry’ Mr Findlay had won and held n large place in their alTeciion and esteem. The Rev. W. T. Findlay expressed his regret that he found himself constrained to take this step ami to retire from the active work of the ministry. He said that he had been 3-i years in the service of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church and had been pastor of three different charges, Pnkekoi, Waikaka am! Fortrose. Throughout his ministry lie had regularly conducted four services each Sunday. During the fifteen yearn and a half ho had spent in Fortrose he had lived on the most friendly terms with his office-bearers and congregation and he desired to express his appreciation of the unfailing loyalty, liberality and kindness of his people. He wished also to thank the members of the Presbytery’ for their forbearance, kindness and sympathy shown to him at all times. The application was granted and the pastoral tie was declared to be dissolved as from June 30. The Rev. F). Gardiner was appointed in-terim-moderator. The Rev. J. Lawson Robinson presented a call from the St. Andrew’s Church, South Invercargill, in favour of the Rev. E. Gardiner. As this congregation had been raised to the status of a fully sanctioned charge, it had now, according to the usage of the church, to give a formal call to its pastor. This had been done with remarkable unanimity, the call to Mr Gardiner being signed by every eligible member in the charge.

Messrs Paterson, Grant and Allison, commissioners from the congregation spoke in support of the call aud bore witness to the unanimity of the congregation. The call was then sustained and placed in the hands of Mr Gardiner who accepted it, expressing his gratitude to lus people for this hearty reiteration of their loyalty. He had had grave doubts as to the wisdom of his returning to South Invercargill a year ago but this acknowledgment of his ministrations had dispelled these doubts and he looked forward to continuing his work among them. The Right Rev. J. A. Asher, Moderator of Assembly, then addressed the Court. His relations with the Southland Presbytery, he said, dated far back. He had been a student of the Presbytery and had been ordained by it to the Gore chr.rge before the .separation of the Mataura Presbytery from Southland. He wished to thank the ministers and their wives for their hospitality and kindness during his visit. He gave interesting and valuable reports of the home mission charges that he had visited.

The Presbytery commended the proposals of the committee on life and work for another week of re-dedication to all sessions.