TE HENUI CHURCH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 306, 4 June 1915, Page 8

TE HENUI CHURCH.

70TH ANNIVERSARY. Tho 70th anniversary of the foundation of Holy Trinity Church, Te Henui, was celebrated yesterday with special aorvices. 1 There was a largo congregation at the service in the afternoon, whpn there were present fhe Veil. Archdeacon Evans, Revs. Colvile, Crawshuw (St. Mary's), Hamson (Waitara) Kempthorne (Inglewood), Fowler (St. Aidans, RemuerA), und Favell (curate-in-charge). Tho choir was augmented by a number of St. Mary's choristers, and the singing was very nicely rendered. The Rev. Fowler preached an appropriate sermon, taking as his text the first verse of the 44th Psalm. After explaining tho text, he pointed out how tho British race was helped in the present by the thought of the glorious deeds ilone in the past. The past and present were linked together in the ancient House of God in the Motherland. It was right to connect history with religion by placing, memorials in churches, as character was the basis of Empire, and religion was the basis of character. The preacher referred to the quaint little church of Te Henui, well preserved, with memorials on its walls of worthy men, whose names would live in the history of Taranaki. Church people of New Plymouth had done rightly in connecting the history of the province with the parish church; with tho memorials of its founders, the colors of citizen soldiers, the

parchments speaking of Imperial might, —it was like a bit of the Old Country transplanted in tho New. Tho preacher referred to the work of Bishop Selwyn, Archdeacon Govett, Rev. Bolland, and

Hundley Brown, and to the early settler* Who won the land from the primeval forests, declaring that if ever there wan a country in which the gray hairs of old age should be honored it was New Zealand. That little building was the

first to represent England's great national church in the province, standing untouched in a time of strife. It was a lowly little building, but was loved by many. What were Holy Trinity and St. Mary's to many of them —only churches. But in 300 years' time they would probably be places "of pilgrimage for many thoughtful Christians. They had not assembled that day for nothing, but to offer thanks to God and to try to gather up tho threads of the past and gain some inspiration by thinking of the worthy men and women of the past in that proTince, Supported by the thought of God'a goodness in the past, they could look forward with hope to the future. A social gathering was held in the evening, the Rev. Favell presiding. During tho evening songs were contributed by Misses Foote, Mildred Thomson, and Messrs Hill-Johnson, and Kempthorne. Mr. Hoffman kindly lent the piano, and Miss Leatham acted as accompanist. Altogether, the- anniversary gatherings were most successful.