BAPTIST TABERNACLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 282, 28 March 1913, Page 8

BAPTIST TABERNACLE.

FOUNDATION STONE LAID. Yesterday marked a new era in the history of tlte New Plymouth Baptist Church, when the foundation stone of , the new tabernacle was laid in the pre- , sence of a fairly large assemblage. The new building, which is to replace the , present structure in Gill street, is being constructed in ferro-concrete and is a considerable advance on its predecessors. Prior to the ceremony, the Rev. Mr. Drew, a former pastor of the local Church, offered his congratulations to i the congregation on this the consummation of their hopes. Tt represented nn important advance upon the old order of things and should instil renewed life and vigor into the Church, lie was glad that they had chosen tabernacle as the name for the edifice instead of chapel—an appendage, which although often found in the Old Country, was well nigh unknown in New Zealand. Passing on, the speaker said that England might possess many handsome churches and cathedrals of several centuries' standing, many of whJch were built by forced labor, but at the same time Nonconformists in New Zealand did not labor under the same disadvantage that Nonconformists in the "Motherland did. He hoped that those who came to worship in 'the tabernacle would get linked together as closely as the stones in the building itself. He" hoped that the laying of the foundation stone would signalise brighter and better days for the Baptist Church in New Plymouth than had been experienced in the. past. Concluding, Mr. Drew expressed his thankfulness to those to whose liberality the building of the Church was largely due. A BAPTIST'S POSITION. Mr. G. 11. Maunder then enlightened the gathering on "Those people called , the Baptists." He did this, he explain- ', ed, because many people did not under- ' stand a Baptist's position. There were Baptists amongst the earliest settlers who came here, and it was because they had been located in a back street they thought they would like to come to the front. Hence the new building. The reason why the Baptists were not so prominent in New Zealand was .because ' of their policy. The Baptist was not a ' Connectional Church. Each Baptist l \> Church was independent. This fact, j however, did not tend to an organised 5 1 movement throughout the Dominion. | Baptists, although not organised in every 5 town, were "there all the same." Pro- - 1! eeeding, Mr. Maunder pointed out that B ) Baptises were not born Baptists. They ' ] joined the Church through their own " s judgment and convictions. They were * { not taken as little children and "put in" the Church. They were not to be found * gathering in many churches in the Dos minion, because they were not as wells .organised as other churches, but they were present in every community. Where e there was no Baptist Church followers i '• ;of the order were to be seen as active '> I workers in other churches. "We are," " said the speaker, "first of all and above l > all Christian men and women, and if " God's gospel is pressed upon men, and accepted by men, Ave are quite content ~. to let our own little name sink into in- !) significance. . . . Baptists are very often ! > hot known as Baptists, and yet they [ - are Baptists." Delving into history, Mr ■• Mander, said that the first Baptists in >• the district came to New Plymouth in >! the early forties," about 1841 or 1842. >- Although they had experienced many d viccissitudes, they had always maintain- '•■ ed their position here. The pld Church i- was built about 1864 or '65, and the i- foundation stone was laid by "that »- good martyr-missionary, the Rev. J. ; Whiteley, who was a Baptist before he |i became a Wesleyan. The Baptists did 5- not stand for a very difficult and tech»f nical creed. It was astonishing in. its e simplicity. Concluding, the speaker appealed to those present not to forget r- the central font of all, "Jesus Christ." ie The foundation stone was then laid d by the Rev. F. Hale, who said that but ie for the generosity of-Mr. G. H. Maunil der and Mrs. Maunder and his brother and his wife there would have been no if new church that day.

During the afternoon a collection was taken up in aid of the new building, which is not entirely free from debt.

TEA AND PUBLIC MEETING. Following on the very successful function at the laying of the foundation stone of the Tabernacle the Baptists of New Plymouth held a well-attended tea meeting in the Gill street Church. In the company round the table were many members of the Grand Lodge of Good Templars. The tables were well-furn-ished, highly decorated, and gracefully tended bv the members of the Church as hosts and hostesses for the occasion. Mesdames Honnor, Coleman, Goodacre, Maunder, Hales, Carthew and Lightband and Misses Drew and Ambury were among the ladies. * After the guests had been well-served, a public meeting of tlie friends and wellwishers of the Church was held. Rev. Frank Hales presided, and 011 the platform with him were the Revs, T. 11. Roseveare, J. W." Burton and William Drew. The Revs. H. T. Peat and R. J. LLidlc had to leave early to attend another meeting. After praise and prayer, Mr. Hales explained the prospects for the new building, and shotted that with the definite promises already given, there was good reason to anticipate that at the opening of the Tabernacle there would be only a small debt unprovided for. Rev. J. W. Burton expressed his good wishes for the Church, and said that lie was sure Methodists wore glad tint, the Baptists wore going forward. He was ahle to explain, oven to a cl.ilil. whore the two Churches were united ami wlnt they held in common, and while he always found it difficult to explain

where they differed. Above all lie exhorted nil to keep vevv close to Jesus Christ/ and to join hands in tryinj to win men. now outside the Churches, to our Lord and Saviour.

Rev. Wm. Drew gave a very interesting address, largely historic, and his story of the progress of the Churidi was quite sufficient to inspire confidence in its future prospects, when they entered on their Work in the new building. Tie pointed out that Baptists anion™ all evangelical churches the world over were the most numerous, and yet, in considering the millions who had no true knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, how few all were, and how much need there was for more earnest and aggressive work.

Rev. T. H. Roseveare pointed out that there was no jealousy among the churches when a sister church made an advance such as the Baptists were nowmaking. On the contrary, they all followed the apostolic injunction that when "one member is honored all the members rejoiced with it; so, he said, the other churches rejoiced in the Baptist forward movement. ' It was most cheering to note how- very cordially all the ministers of the other churches expressed their congratulations to the Baptists and wished them every blessing. Mr. G. H. Maunder addressed himself mainly to his Baptist brethren, by way of exhortation, to aim at a still higher Christian life and thus show to the world that they were not only liberal in giving, as they were, but that they were striving above all things to be 1 wholehearted Christians in their every-day lives.

The meeting closed by singing "Lead, Kindly Light," and the' Benediction.