CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1919, Page 8

CONGREGATIONAL UNION.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE, ,v By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Maieh. 6. The Congregational Union conference commenced to-day, seventy delegates attending. A civic reception was tendered by the Mayor. Rev. J. Reed Olassori presided. The Rev. W. Moore (Christchurch) was received into ministerial statusIn the annual report reference was made to the honorable mention won by those Island troops who are the product of the Wand Missionary Society's work. It was reported that the institutes at Featherson and Tauherenikau would he dismantled and the proceeds divided among the contributing churches. The military fund s>howed £132 in credit. In the afternoon W. A. Beaven read a paper on ''The church in relation to civio life,'' and Rev F. do Lisle on "The dhureh and social reconstruction." CHURCH UNION-

In the evening the president delivered an address in regard to ofyimVi unionTie agreed with those who affirmed that the iireat-:st issue of our time, was the uiron oi the divided church. It hell piiority over every other issue because in the atmosphere of the united church ivi-.uld he established sosdal justice, international goodw'il find every othev principle that had to do with the common ccood. ft was the bedrook of a nation's siifetv, and a perpeli's.l rugn and guarantee of international brotherhood. It was no i-li 1 "- ""'rd !.o ?<u- that the great war should in as by fire modem Christianity; Now that peace of a kind had been made by the sword the church was to be put to <he test of its greatest opportunity. Th" critical question of the hour for the church whether after the war there w.xiid b» a new epocl' of internatienal Christianity. The subject of reunion of Christendom had tak en hold of the imagination of OhrU+i«people everywhere. The heart of the people was ready to respond to (.he call of the liroea, but the ywW rwjiv.red leaders who '-vers church statesmen, men possessed of prophetic vision and the will to follow it- People were be. ginning to sec in true proportion tnn value of docir':ne-s. dogmas and orgaTi'«itions, that benaqtb the varying creeds of organisation* lay politics These were the days of great and growing U'litic. We wern coming to see the unit'.' of hmuanity, and were rirt'ir !<w;.rrl? ?rganisatif.ii and the federation of the world Regarding the v.-.vs and methods bv wh'ch the union <■■". various communions were to be con•Htlidated into one trreat united church, the speaker said none would be bol-1 enough to predict the detail?, of thmovement. We should he much more concerned about the spirit i'f unitv man about the form. Ov.ee tV spirit of unitv permitted the churches the form would evolve materially.