ST. MARY’S. GERALDINE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2187, 11 April 1891, Page 3

ST. MARY’S. GERALDINE.

The annual meeting of the parishioners of the above Church was held on Thursday afternoon. The Rev. Jas. Preston (incumbent) presided. The following persons were present; —Dr R Fish, Messrs H. W. Moore, W M Moore, B P Bartrum, A Fisher, A White, J Wilsem Smith, W Hawke, F Wilson Smith, W Sbiers, and G H Patrick. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous annual meeting were read and confirmed. incumbent’s ebpobt. The following is the incumbent’s report:— Gentlemen,I—ln 1 — In furnishing my report for the past year I feel at a lops to clearly l«y before you the work of the parish. My labors extend over such a wide area that I car. only touch upon matters connected with peisonal duties, ih* Sunday Schools, e’c. I still have (ha charge of the parochial district of Burke’s Pass, and shall continue my visits there quarterly until I receive notice from the bishop that arrangements have been made to relieve me of my responsibilities in that part of the diocese. .1 thank God that through the able assistance I have received from the lay readers the services of ihe Church have been kept up regular'y in the 7 churches and 4 schoolhouses and other phces where they are appointed to be held. Many things combine to make the work of the parish more arduous ns time goes on. Population is increasing, and as people get older and sickness and infirmity become more prevalent (lie duties of the clergyman multiply. 1 feel that my work is only carried out ; n a very imperfect manner. I know there are places in the parish where services on ihe Lord's Day ought to be held jftener, and there are places also that, owing to ray numerous fixed services, I cannot at present reach. I know that more regular house to house visiting is required than I myself and the few good people who assist me can give. I regret very much that I am about to lose the able assistance hitherto afforded by Mr Postlethwaite. I find the important duties of the parish so numerous that minor matters get very often neglected. I ask all in the parish and district oyer which I have charge to consider my position and strive to give what assistance they can to strengthen my hands, and advance Ihe work of Christ. As time gets on changes must come, which will bring about a closer and more systematic of the parish. Io the meantime I cannot do more than my strength will allow, but by the help of God I shall continue to do what I can. I do not propose much alteration in my Sunday services during the coming year. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Sapper will (D.V.) be admin : s!ered as follows : Ist Sunday in the month parish church, II a.m. ; 2nd Sunday in the month St. Thomas's, Woodbury, 11 am.; every other 4th Sunday in the month Church Holy Innocents, Mount Peel, 11 a.m. ; every alternate 4th Sunday in the month St. Steven’s, Peel Forest, 11 a.m, and 630 p.m, in other places of worship once a quarter, or after due notice given. The Sacrament of Baptism will be administered as usual in the parish church at 3 p.m. on the sth Sunday in the month. My services in the schoolhouse, Eakahu Bush, will be held (D.V.J at 3 pm. on the 3rd Sunday in April, June, September, October, December, and January; in St. Ann’s Church, Pleasant Valley, at 3 p.m. on the Ist Sunday of every month, excepting the months of May, June, July, and August, when service will be held in St. Thomas’s Church, Woodbury, at that hour. My services at Fairlie Creek and Burke’s Pass will be held on the 3rd Sunday in May, August, November, and February until further notice. Services otherwise will be the same as usual. The Sunday Schools at Geraldine, Woodbury, and Peel Forest, also the outlying schools at Gapes’s Valley, Eakahu Bush, and the Union Schools at Orari Btidge, Fairlie Creek, and Burke’s Pass are doing good work. The number of baptisms during the past year was 73, Ihe number of burials 7, the number of marriages 7. Mrs Andrews still kindly acts as the librarian of the Sunday School library, but a fresh supply of bosks is greatly wanted. 1 have been doing my best to collect £lO for the purpose of sending to the Society for Pn - moting Christian Knowledge for a supp'y of new books, as yet 1 have only got in hand £6 9s, but 1 hope shortly to be able to gather the sum required. The Sunday School account stands thus Balance in hjand from last year's general Sunday School account £4 7s 2d. Receipts from offertory and other sources £3 8s sd, this make a total of £7 15s 7d. Expended during year : working expenses of school £5 Ha sd. This leaves a balance in hand uif £2 4s 2d to begin the present year. The Sunday School prizes, consisting of 66 books, were distributed to th* scholaron the 14th March. The treat and pr’ze account stands thus ;—Receipts, treat, etc , in all £lB 2s 8d ; expenditure fo> prize books, treat, etc., £lB 5s lid. The deficiency of 3s 5d was supplied from the general Sunday School fund, The above accounts have been duly examined by Mr Webster.

James Preston, Incumbent* April 9, 1891. cauao a wardens’ report. Tfee following is the Churchwardens’ report : “ Gentleman,— -We have the honour to lay before you our annual report. We regret to say that neither fioanc ally nor ot liar wise is the church in so good a petition aa formerly. The Babce sheet .ahdwa an overdraft of £3 13> Thi°

is owing to a decrs-ise in tha attendance at the church services und a consequent diminution to the off-.rtories, It wou'd be «s well to mention that certain cheques which will appear in text year’s balance nheet have been paid, which raises the overdraft to £9 2t 3£i. The following Sgurea will show what we mean when we refer to the position of the church by comparison with former years, but yon will ba able to draw your own conc ut-ions. The average attendance at a Sunday ervice the year before lest was 73, last year, 66 ; ihia year 55. The average offertory was last year, £1 Is 6d or £2 3r a Sunday, r i his year it is 19j 3d or fil 18t 6d a Sunday. Means having been found lo blow the organ. Miss Alice Fish has consented again to act as organist. 'Vith regard to the resignation of the lale‘ organist, Mr Thomas Sherratt, more will be said later on, as we intend to move a vote of thanks to him for the trouble he has taken in connection with the organ. We have engaged Master Willie Berry at Is per week. This engagement the incoming vestry will be requested to confirm. Wo moat thank Mr Shiers for his work in connection with the church yard. He not only completed the work but also collected sufficient money to pay for the same. Before concluding we wish to draw attention of the incoming vestry to the repairs necessary to the church which should be attended to if possible Ibis year. We may also mention that all the repairs to i be parsonage have now been satisfactorily completed. Gentlemen, we think we have nothing more of importance to briog before you. Hbvbt W. MooAeJ ohurchwardenß . Robert Fish f BALANCE-SHEET. The balance-sheet showed that the year had been began with a balance in band of 18a Id. The receipts had been; Offertories, £B2 6s lOd ; missions, £ls 8s 9d; parsonage debt fund, £l9 16s 5d ; bishop’s lecture, £8 17s 3d; subscriptions, £24 8s sd. The expenditure for the year amounted to £155 6s 4d, leaving a debit balance of £3 13s sd,

After some discussion the report and balance-sheet were adopted. It was decided to hold the next annual Easter meeting in one of the halls in the town, to open the same with a tea, and to make the meeting of a social character. ELECTION or GPEICEBB. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: The incumbent announced that Mr H W Moore would act as his church* warden. Mr A White was elected people’s churchwarden. The following were elected vestrymen Dr R Fish, Messrs W M Moore, P' B Bartrum, W Shiers, W Hawke, G H Patrick, J Wilson Smith, I Kelland, A C Kimbell, and A E Cox. Auditor, MrH B Webster; treasurer of stipend fund, Mr WE Barker. A letter was received from the Rev. F. Knowles, Secretary to the Church Property Trustees, re the Geraldine parish loans. —Letter received. A letter was also received from Mr W E Barker, treasurer to the stipend fund, showing the amount collected to a certain date.—Mr Moore stated that since the receipt of that letter he had received and paid into the bank the sum of £6O Ids. The balance to the credit of the fund now was £lO3. THE LATE OEOANIST. Mr Moore proposed a, hearty vote of thanks to their late organist, Mr T. Sherratt, who he stated deserved to be complimented on his ingenuity in regard to improvements to the organ, whereby the bellows can be blown by another person than the organist. Mr T Scott carried out the arrangements under the supervision of Mr Sherratt, [Mr Moore here read a letter from Mr Sherratt resigning his position, and expressing bis willingness to at any time give any assistance to the church that might be in his power.] The vote was seconded and carried unanimously. VOTES OF THANKS. On the motion of the chairman votes of thanks were accorded to all the church-workers during the past year; also to Mr H W Moore for his gift of book-markers. COLLECTOEi.! The collectors i or the stipend fund were re-elected, and it was decided to request them to collect the subscriptions quarterly instead of yearly as hitherto. A special vote of thanks was passed to Mrs Preston for her services as Superintendent of the Sunday School, and the usual vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the meeting.