SYNOD DOINGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 204, 17 November 1927, Page 13

SYNOD DOINGS

MISSIONS DISCUSSED EXTENDED ACTIVITIES The Methodist Synod continued its discussions this morning. The prevailing financial stringency was reflected in the diminished income of the missionary department of church work, this being reported by Hey. H. Hyan, district secretary of Foreign Missions, at £7,547 up to October, 1927. A country layman said that tfie farmers had been .passing through such a difficult time that it was only to be expected that difficulty would be experienced in maintaining missionary contributions at the peak level attained in previous years. Circuit secretaries and treasurers were urged to use their best endeavours to complete the year’s effort as speedily and successfully as possible. The present year had been notable in missionary annals as the semijubilee year of the Solomon Islands Mission. A deputation from the New Zealand church, consisting of Rev. A. N. Scotter, secretary of Conference, and Mr. J. W. Court, missionary treasurer, had visited the Solomons during the year, to the great encouragement of the missionaries and people. The mission field in due time will have two medical missionaries, Drs. E. G. Sayers and Clifford James, both of whom had achieved scholastic distinction. The former is already on the field. Motion pictures had been effectively used during the year for missionary propaganda and the extension of this method of creating missionary interest was Contemplated. The Rev. J. F. 'Goldie, chairman of the Solomon Islands district, is writing a missionary history of the islands. An experiment in the education of native boys is being conducted at Paerata Wesley College, where two Solomon Island youths are receiving tuition alongside European and Maori boys* The Synod expressed its appreciation of the work of . missionary departmental officers and especially of the excellent service of the Auckland Women’s Missionary Auxiliary, whose report was presented by Miss E Mather. *

Laymen’s work in the church evoked sentiments of deep appreciation, -fdlLowing upon a report presented by Mr. T. Clark, of the activities of lav preachers.

The deaconess order in the Methodist Church received Synod’s attention. The proposal of a Christchurch committee to raise a special sum of £5,000 to supplement the capital count of the deaconess’s retiring fund was given sympathetic consideration, but it was recommended that the effort be deferred, so as to link it up with the semi-jubilee of the 'institution.