PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH, GERALDINE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1497, 9 October 1886, Page 3

PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH, GERALDINE.

The annual mission meeting of the Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine, was held on Thursday evening. Mr J. Huffey occupied the chair, and on the plat f orm were the Revs. G. Barclay and J. Boothroyd. The meeting was opened with devotional exercises. The Chairman briefly addressed the meeting and called upon Mr Boothroyd to read the annual report. This Mr Boothroyd»did, stating, however, that the figures given were not quite up to the present date, as the returns from the conference lately held had not yet come to hand The report showed that since the foundation of Methodism by John Wesley, less than 150 years ago, the society had continued to grow until now it was one of the most important of Protestant Christian Churches. There were now some 33,000 ministers, 5,000,000 church members, 5,000,000 Sunday School Scholars, and 23,000,000 adherents of the Methodist Church throughout the world. There were six different branches of the Church in Great Britain, the Wealeyans being the largest and the Primitive Methodists the next in size. There were in the latter connection over 1000 ministers, nearly 200,000 members, nearly 16,000 local preachers over 6000 churches and preaching places of the value of £3,000,000, over half a million regular hearers, 4000 Sunday schools, 60,000 teachers, and 400,000 Scholars ; last year they were able to report an increase of 1187 members, 219 churches and preaching places, 78 schools, 968 teachers, and 7819 scholars. It was regretted that this year both the Wesleyans and the Primitives bad to report a decrease of several hundred members. The report then wept on to speak of the missionary work done by the Church, giving the.statistics for the Australasian colonies and also of East and West Africa where mission stations had been founded. It also gave a short retime of the progress of the work in New Zealand since the founding of the Church here by the Rev Robt. Ward 42 years ago. An earnest hope was expressed that the temporal and spiritual depression from which we in New Zealand have been suffering would soon be over and a bountiful harvest be reaped. After the singing of a hymn the chairman called upon the Rev. G. Barclay to address the meeting and that gentleman did so in a highly interesting speech, pointing out the remarkable results achieved by missionaries all over the world. He quoted several authorities who refused the statements of those who said that the missionaries were doing nothing as compared with money expended upon the missions. Mr Barclay was listened to with much interest and loudly applauded for his able speech. Mr Boothroyd then addressed the meeting and distributed a number of prizes to the children who had been collecting for the past fortnight for the mission fund.