THE CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 21091, 24 May 1930, Page 12

THE CHURCH

MEWS AND NOTES.

FROM PULPIT AND PEW.

■ A German professor asserts that Protestant Churches are growing so rapidly in the Ukraine, in spite of the repressive measures of the Soviet government, that there are not enough ministers to man them.

The Rev. C. H. Olds, 8.A., will preach at the Central Methodist Church, Leet street, oil Sunday evening, on the theme A Royal Warrant.” The choir will sing ‘‘Lord We Pray Thee” (Roberts) and “What Are These?" (Stainer). “I believe . there is ho one in the world to-day so alive as Jesus of Nazareth.’. This is how a recent writer begins a singularly fresh, vital and thought-provoking little book entitled, “Who is this Jesus?” It is published by Hodder and Stoughton. The Rev. C. Olds, 8.A., and the Rev,, S. Bailey of the Central and St. Peter s Churches will exchange pulpits in the forenoon service oh Sunday. In the evening each will take his own service in his respective charge. A warm welcome is extended to visitors.

Invercargill is to be favoured by a visit from one of the greatest preachers in New Zealand in the person of the Rev. J. W. Kemp, of Auckland and president of_ the New Zealand Baptist Union. \Mr Kemp will preach at' North Invercargill in the morning and Esk street at night. The World Alliance for Promoting Inter national Friendship through the Churches is endeavouring to arrange tours of British young people in Germany this summer. The objective is to foster good relations between the young folk of Germany and Britain by the practical method of setting them to take their holidays together in parts of Germany that are full of historic and romantic interest. The mission which has been held during the week in connection with the Presbyterian Bible Class Union, Western Sub-Dis-trict, has been well attended and of spiritual help to marv. The Rev. Mr Gow conducted the mission in Riverton on Monday and Tuesday evenings and at Orepuki on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. On I'riday night the service was held at luatapere and on Sunday Mr Gow will conclude the mission with a service in the church. An average ofy about ISO poor and unemployed men have been provided by Sister Esther and the Presbyterian, Social Service Association with a hot dinner each day since the opening, a fortnight ago, of Manna House, Cook Street, Auckland. Ladies from the different Presbyterian churches assist each day in serving the men. On Sunday last 71 men waited behind for a gospel service. Free meals will continue to be given to necessitous men during the winter months. A few women and children are also provided for. The Rev. D. C. Herrort, who has accepted a call to Knox Church, Dunedin, will preach his farewell sermon in St. David’s, Auckland, on June 1. The induction will take place on Thursday, June 12, and Mr Herron will begin his ministry in Dunedin on the following Sunday. Mr Herron, who studied in Glasgow as well as in Otago University, . and, later, took a post graduate session under Dr Buchanan Gray in Old Testament work in Oxford, has a considerable reputation as a student in classics, philosophy and Hebrew, and some months ago, was a candidate for the Hebrew Chair in Knox College, Dunedin. ' In his book, “Our Present Philosophy of Life,” published a short time ago, Mr Montgomery Belgion makes his ground plan such social changes as those between the old and the young, the relations of the sexes, the growth of class hostility, the growing power of governments, the trivial objects in which many people are interested, and the value attached to the possession of money. These changes he considers as symptomatic of the change in the popular conception of life. He then sketches and comments on the ideas of such men as Bernard Shaw, Andre Gide, Freud and Bertrand Russell, who, he considers, express the popular philosophy of the day with most acceptance. Commenting on his references to Gide, a thoughtful writer points out that M. Gide intends to write a book advocating a return to Jesus, and that he regrets “worldliness” of the age. We are apt to take “brotherhood” to mean the brotherhood of humanity, leaving out of consideration the sub-human kingdoms. There is one life in all—in the mineral, in the plant, in the animal, in all fellow human beings, yes, and in the world’s greatest. One life. Does this not suggest a great process of evolution ? When we contemplate the great teachers of the world, and all the lesser great men and women, does not this implication of brotherhood involve our becoming in the future that which we see them to be to-day, or to have been yesterday? Does not the future thus begin to open up before us? And does not the past begin to become clear to us, too? Do we hot begin to realize that our individual consciousnesses must have reached their present unfoldment by passing through the various stages of development known as the sub-human kingdoms of nature through the consciousness—condition of the mineral kingdom, through the consciousness—condition of humanity? And do we not see a pathway clear in front of us, a still further unfoldment of consciousness bringing us to the' consciousness condition of the Great Ones of the earth, through the various intervening stages of greatness which we may notice in the lesser great? This implication of brotherhood is wonderful and leads us to wisdom, to a knowledge of God’s plan for this world and to a wonderful sense of comradeship—comradeship with the saint, comradeship with the sinner, comradeship with the poor, the sick, the miserable, comradeship with the animals, the plants, the minerals—all our younger brethren, members of the same family acknowledging the common Fatherhood of God.—Rev. G. S. Arundale.