CALL TO MINISTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 899, 17 February 1930, Page 12

CALL TO MINISTER

ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH THE REV. I. E. BERTRAM The congregation of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is making a call to the Rev. I. E. Bertram, who has been acting as supply at the church for the last 12 months. The call was decided on at a large meeting last week. The minister, who is New Zealandborn, was trained for the Church at Otago University, where he held the Somerville Scholarship. He graduated B.A. in 1897, and M.A. in 1099 with honours in philosophy. His first charge was Hawera, and from there he went to Devouport, Auckland. 'W hile at Devonport, he obtained leave of absence to take a post-graduate course in philosophy and mental science at Glasgow University. In 1914 Mr. Bertram accepted a call to Prahran Church. Melbourne. Seven years later he was called to St. Peter’s, North Sydney, and remained there until 1924, when he returned to New Zealand to be minister of St. Paul’s, Oamaru. In 1928 he came to Auckland and acted as supply for the Rev. D. C. Herron, of St. David’s, in the latter’s absence abroad.

While at Oamaru, Mr. Bertram was seriously hurt in a motor-car accident, and he resigned from St. Paul’s. His doctors advised him not to take a fully-sanctioned charge for at least two years. Mr. Bertram then took up the study of law, and for the past 12 months he has been supplying at St. Andrew’s. The esteem in which he is held by the congregation was manifested at the congregational meeting last Tuesday evening, when it was unanimously decided to call him to the old mother church of Presbyterianism in Auckland. The last minister of St. Andrew’s was the Rev. J. Lamb Harvey, who resigned in June, 1928. He is now stationed at Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland.