CONGREGATIONAL MEETING OF THE LAWRENCE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 15, 30 May 1868, Page 2

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING OF THE LAWRENCE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

The following is a report of an extraordinary meeting of the Lawrence Ghurch of England Congregation, called to take into consideration a letter received by the Committee from their pas or, the Rev. Mr. Martin, which set forth that the-. stipend received by him was inefficient for his support, and requesting the Committee to seriously consider the matter, as unless his requests were complied with he would be compelled to accept certain pvertures which had been made to him from another district. The meeting was unusually large, and the desire on the part of the congregation to elicit all th.c facts of the case was very general. On the motion of Mr. G. F. Percy, Mr. Adams took the chair, and, in opening the meeting, gave the above statement as the object for which the meeting had been called. He read the following letter of apology from Mr. Martin for liis absence fromTihe meeting :—: — Lawrence, 27th May. 1868. Dear Brethren, —I have received your invitation to attend the general meeting to he held this evening. As I expect that you have called it for the purpose of making known to the congregation the communications which have passed between you and myself, I feel that my presence might, by some, be deemed undesirable on this occasion. I am, dear brethren, Your sincere friend and paitor, M. H. Mabtin. To the Lawrence Church of England Committee. The Secretary (Mr. W. Mears) then stated that the Committee had drawn up a report of the whole of the circumstances connected with Mr. Martin's engagement with them, which, with the object of laying all the facts of the case before them, he would read :—: — Gentlemen, — The. Rev. Mr. Martin having intimated his intention of giving up Ms charge of tliis district, your Committee thought it due both to you and to themselves to call this meeting for the purpose of laying before it a statement of the action taken by. Mr. Ma,rtin, and of the course which the Committee felt > bound to adopt in reference to that

action. Many of the congregation are no doubt aware, that previous to Mr Martin's arrival at Tuapeka, steps had been taken, and arrangements almost completed, which would have resulted in the Rev. Mr. Coffey beipg settled here in charge of the district ; before however, Dhat gentleman had left England, Mr. Martin arrived from Victoria, and havng expressed his earnest desire to settle n New Zealand, the Church Committee then in office, after having spoken with him and heard him preach, made him an offer .to remain here fpr fpur months, with the understanding that if Mr. Coffey's departure from England could be stayed without detriment to that gentleman's interests, the arrangement should be permanent. Mr. Martin accepted this offer, on a> stipend being guaranteed him at the rate of L3OO per annum, it being understood that whatever amount in excess of that sum might be raised, it also should be given him. It was at the same time agreed upon that if the arrangement proved permanent, the sum of LIOO should be handed over to Mr. Martin for the purpose of defraying the expenses incurred by him in removing himself and his family to Otago. On this understanding Mr. Martin returned to Victoria for the purpose of bringing over his family, and the Committee |ost no time in calling for tenders for the erection of a parsonage, to be proceeded with at once. It should perpaps have been stated that previous to Mr. Martin's return to Victoria for the purpose mentioned, he had evinced very great interest in the erection of a commodious parsonage, and it was in order that evqry consideration might be shown for the comfort of Mr. Martin and his family, that the Committee felt justified in accepting a tender for the parsonage of L 645. So large a sum ? at least L2OO in excess of what would have been necessary, had Mr. Martin been a single man, was not passed without some debate in Committee, and it was only in the hope that Mv.~ Martin's stay would be permanent, that the objecting members withdrew their opposition. Until the parsonage could be completed, a temporary residence was secured for Mr. Matrin's accommodation, and on it some L 8 or LlO were expended, in order to render it aa comfortable as circumstances would admit, and ready for the reception of Mr. Martin immediately on his return ; on about the 20th day of December a letter was dispatched home for the purpose of staying Mr. Coffey's departure, and it may be as well to state here, that a letter was subsequently received which enabled your Committee to enter into a permanent arrangement with Mr. Martin if it was thought desirable. That gentleman returned from Victoria with his family in January, and at once entered upon his duties which he fulfilled, as your Committee thought, to the satisfaction of the whole district. It should have been stated at an earlier part of this report, that the duties expected from Mr. Martin, and which he guaranteed to perform were, one service every Sunday at Lawrence, and one every alternate Sunday at "VYaitahuna. It will not be necessary here, to mako more than a passing allusion to the Bazaar, or to the unwearied efforts of those ladies whose labors secured for it so great a success. The Bazaar was, as you all know, undertaken with a view to lessen the debt which had been contracted| for the parsonage, and it is only right that mention should here be made of the exeitions of Mr. Martin for the same object ; having obtained permisson to occupy the pulpits of Mr. Stanford, Mr. Grainger, and Mr. Edwards each for one Sunday, Mr. Martin succeeded so well in pleading the cause of this district, that a sum of about LllO was secured for our building fund. Everything connected with the Church seemed to be going on prosperously at this time, Committees were formed at Blue Spur and Waitahuna, and it was hoped that the efforts of these Committnes, together with the Lawrence Committee, would amply provide for the guaranteed stipend. On the 7th. of April Mr. Martin attnded a meeting of the Lawrence Committee, and stated that he found his stipend was not sufficient to keep him, and that if he remained he should expect it would be increased. The Committee being anxious to retain if possible, the services of Mr. Martin, thereupon entered into another agreement with him, the substance of which was, that the Lawrence Committee guaranteed L2OO per annum, and left Mr. Martin free to make what arrangements he thought proper, with the Blue Spur and Waitahuna Committees. This new agreement having been entered into, your Committee naturally thought there would for some time at least be no more said about an increase of stipend, the more especially since Mr. Martin could^not be ignorant of the fact, that the utmost efforts of the district would be no more than sufficient to obtain the amount already promised. When it is considered that the establishment of a Church of England clergyman in the Tuapeka district is an undertaking only very recently attempted, and that the members of the Church are comparatively few and scattered, and have been accustomed, for. the most part, to attend the places of worship of other denominations ; when also it is bourne in mind that the present times are peculiarly "Hard times," and that very heavy calls have been made upon the resources of the district for almost every kind of contribution, charitable or otherwise. When these things are taken into account, it cannot but be considered equally a cause for surprise and thankfulness, that we should have been enabled to offer to our clergyman a stipend larger than that enjoyed by older and more tried clergymen of congregations in other places. It was then with feelings of very sincere regret that on the 23rd of April a letter was received from Mr. Martin making still further demands, and intimating plainly that unless they were complied with, he should be compelled to resign his position here. In order that the meeting may be in a position to judge of the action taken by the Committee, it would perhaps be as well to read the letter — Lawrence, 23rrd April, 1868. Dear Brethren,- At & former Committee meeting I stated that as the term of my original agreement to hold office here was drawing to a close, I had carefully weighed the matter as regards any extension, considering, well what my expenses were likely to be, and the •ejMtequttit. ttwtmt" of tfipfencl I tdhJchjid nflflrtre.

In order to simplify arrangements so that committees might not clash on account of local feelings of jealousy which we know are more or less to be found in places contiguous to one another, I suggested that the Committees should work separately, and be respectively answerable for the amount required irom gucfc place This suggestion had ori^_ ? 4? ™ y , mind " consequence of the letter trom Waitahuna to the effect that that Comnuttee preferred this mode; and as there seemed to be some delay as to a clear understanduig respecting the amount to be raised rrom .Blue Spur, I was confirmed in the advisamiity of this method if adopted with an understanding satisfactory to all parties. At a meeting held at Waitahuna it was g«neraUy expressed that the sum of £100 a year would be raised, although there seemed to be a little doubt in the minds of one or two. From a letter I have received from the Blue Spur, I am infoimed that the people there cannotguarantee more than £50 for a fortnightly service. To such a proposition as the latter I liave nothing to say, excepting that it would be impossible for me to accede to ifc- ■ "-• ■ I have then only one proposal left,. and that is one which from sheer necessity I make' to you. lam compelled to be explicit, for time is passing, debtg are accumulating, and anxieties are consequently increasing. ' You may understand this to be the case when I tell you that I have spent about £250 in my removal and requisite expenses since leaving Melbourne. A small sum which I had left I felt bound to invest beforpitabowas expended, which I did, and I should grieve if I had occasion 1 to touch it even if I could do so, but trust it may be preserved in case of accident' to myself. I have now borSS™ ™ ae Y of a friend, and am in debt to i i j see *^ en tilß P os i fc ion jn which lam placed. Will you weigh it in your minds, facing the difficulty as it standi, and kindly give me an answer as to how thp matter is to be. At one Committee meeting it was proposed that steps should at once be taken towards paying me the £100 passsge money, in consequence of the heavy . expenses" I had. incurred. The portion deposited in the bank was applied for and refused until word came from the Bishop, but I should have been thankful' if efforts had been used to raise the balance and paid it to me, so that a portion of my outlay might have been refunded, If this had been done, I should have felt not only gratified, but satisfied that my success in exertions for the beneit of the Church had been appreciated. I cannot but "feel that the parsonage building has to a great measure been drawing upon the purses and engaging the energies of many ! but at the same timt I should like to have felt that while this was dont, any immediate requirements had been a little more considered, I must add here, however, that I am not insensible to the general goodwill evinced towards my family and myself, and more especially the kind hospitality of Mr. Herbert. If you will guarantee my stipend to be £400 a year apart from $he sum received from the General Fund (which generally amounts to £45), and quarterly services at the Teviot, and also will give me before the end of May the £100 passage money, it will enable me to say that I will remain, otherwise I shall be compelled to remove elsewhere. For this stipend I will take services as usual, every Sunday here, fortnightly at Waitahuna, and the same at Blue Spur (if you can arrange with them, if not twice every other Sunday at Lawrence, should it be thought desirable). Again may I beg you will weigh the matter well. I shall not feel in the least hurt if you candidly tell me this cannot be done, for I do not fear with respect to receiving sufficient remuneration elsewhere, having had overtures from other places. I conclude this letter by appealing to you to ask yourselves whether you think I am worthy of what I ask. If you think not, pray do not demur one moment in the matter. And whatever determination you arrive at, you have my, sincere good wishes for the prosperity of yourselves and the Church, spiritually and temporally. I have written this with supplication to. the Divine Disposer of events for His blessing, and that he may guide you in your decision, is. the prayer of your faithful pastor, M. H. Martin. To the Committee of the Church of England, Lawrence. On receipt of this letter a meeting was at once called to take it into consideration, and it was the unanimous feeling of the Committee, after a canvas of the Lawrence and Weatherstonea districts had been made, that they would not be justified in making any further concessions to Mr. Martin's demands. A letter embodying this sentiment was forwarded to Mr. Martin, and in it his several demands answered in the negative. At the same time the Committee felt that the cause of the Church in this district would be, likely to suffer, if Mr. Martin left without some steps being taken towards securing the services of a suitable successor at as early a date as possible ; it was therefore a request contained in the answer to Mr. Martin's letter, that he would be good enough to state positively, and at an early date whether he still intended leaving, so as to give your Committee an opportunity of writing by the outgoing mail to Mr. W. C. Young," agentleman whose deep interest in the Church, and intimate acquaintance with the requirements of a clergyman for this district, pointed him out as one most likely to aid us in our difficulty. It seems that Mr. Martin was absent from Lawrence when the resolution of the Committee was forwarded, and in his absence Mrs. Martin replied for him, that the Committee might take what steps they chose to provide for another clergyman. As, however, the Committee did not think it right that a decision of' so grave importance should be acted upon, unless conveyed to them expressly by Mr. Martin, they determined to wait for his reply, which was duly forwarded on his return, and which was as follows :—: — Lawrence, 18th May, 1868. Dear Brethren,— As you have asked me for an immediate reply to your communication, so that you may send a letter by the next English post, I write to say that I am sorry my absence from home prevented the despatch of your letter by the last mail, and that having read the resolutions passed at last Tuesday's Committee meeting, I feel unable to remain nnder the conditions named. — I am, dear Brethren, your sincere friend and pastor, M. H. Martin. To the Lawrence Church of England Committee. At a subsequent meeting of Committee held on the 19th of May, it was rtsolved that as in all probability the payment of Mr. Martin's stipend for the time he still remained here, would have to be paid mainly by the Lawrence district, a letter should be written to him stating that we should not be able to. guarantee a continuance of his, stipend for a longer period than to the end of May. This gentlemen is the state of matters as they stand at present, aud your Committee thought it to be due to you that the circumstances should be thus plainly put before you, in order that your action at this meeting may demonstrate whether or not you approve of the course they have adopted. W. Meabs, Secretary Lawrence Church of England Committee. Mr. Bennett asked the Secretary if he had a 'copy of the letter containing tire isolation! ref«rr«d, t* in thf »b»v» re-

port, which had been forwarded to jfr Martin, as he had heard the letter was couched in very unchristian language, which should not have been used toward* a pastor. The Secretary explained that the lettSr simply embodied the resolutions paste J *t a Committe* meeting, and had ro remarks appended thereto. He" y^j t] q resolutions, and on Mr. Bennett z&'sit* if they were an exact copy of what W& sent, he received an answer in the affirmative, which seemed satisfactory to all present. Mr. Tolcher asked the Secretary if Mr. Martin had been paid the LIOO promised him to defray his expenses from Victoria. The Chairman said, he would answer that question, as he was on the Committee at the time. The LIOO referred to wa* to be paid upon cbhdition'of Mr. Martin'^ remaining. - ■ On Mr. Tplcher asking when the LIOO would be paid, The Secretary stated that they could not have paid it until they heard whether the Rev. Mr. Coffey had b«en detained in England. With reference to Mr. Martin's stipend the Secretary stated' that it might have been raised higher than what had already been promised. The sum of J8375 per annum could be raised without any effort. • He had received a letter from Waitalmna ; they would not bind themselves by a guarantee, but they were pretty certain they could raise £80. The Blue Spar guaranteed £50' for a fort; nightly services, and the Lawrence Committee could raise £200. The Rural Deanery Board gave £45 a-year. The only sum nqt guaranteed wajj ££0 from Waitahuna. The Lawrence Committea did not care about becoming responsible for £400. Had they done so, the othej Committees would have had no responsibility in the matter. The £300 it was impossible for them to pay. They were quite agreeable that Mr. Martin should pay a quarterly visit to the Teviot, aa long as it did not interfere with other places.. Mr. Martin's demand was made, so that they could not concede to it. Mr. Bennet thought tke explanation of Mr. Mears was very satisfactory. The only point now tinder consideration was to see if they could not raise the amount. Mr. Mears might tell the meeting that the Committee was most unanimous on that point. They had carefully investigated the matter; and he would state j that their intention was not to concede to, Mr. Martin's demands. They would not under any consideration guarantee £400. Mr. Bennet stated that what he sais was only to elicit information. Mr. Tolcher asked if Mr. Martin had been made aware of what had been done. Did he know that these sums could ba raised ? Mr. Mears : Mr. Martin was partly tha channel through which the information was obtained. Mr. Keen : Mr. Martin was aware that Waitahuna would contribute £80, Blue Spur, £50, Rural Deanery Board, £45, and Lawrence, £200. He was also awara that they had built him a parsonage^ which had cost £700, and which waai nearly all paid. Mr. Tolcher moved, " That this meeting receive Mr. Martin's resignation." Mr. Herbert said, the parsonage had been enlarged and made according to Mr, Martin's own wish. Mr. Martin's first demand was acceded to ; his se«qnd w.n altogether, .unreasonable, and hi" " Ir^ was impossible. *< Mr. Mears said many objected to the building of the parsonage. They said that if they had a church they would ba independent ; and although the School Committee had been extremely kind, still the church should have been built first. But, Mr. Mears continued, the parsonage was built simply on account of Mr. Martin's large family. Mr. Borton then made a few remarks^ which our reporter did not hear dis» tinctly. Mr. Borton believed that with occasional collections, &c, Mr. Martin's stipend might amount to LSOO, which was as much as any in the colony. Mr. Smith said, from a conversation he had with Mr. Martin, that arrangement was very different from what he told him (Mr. Smith) yesterday. The treatment Mr. Martin had received was anything but right. Mr. Martin had told him that his expenses were very large ; that he was indebted at that time, and did not even like to show himself in the street. The Chairman said it remained for the. congregation either to accept or reject the report. He had done all he could by speaking in favor of Mr. Martin ; but in, the face of his letter to the Committee, he could not urge his opinions. Mr. Keen moved, " That the report of the Committe, as received, be adopted."Had Mr. Martin remained he would have, done good ; but in the face of the oircumstances, he thought he could not longer, exercise the same power among them! During the time Mr. Martin had been in, Lawrencp he had worked hard ; and although they might adopt the report, they would not ignore his services to the disfaict. He believed the fruit of Mr. Martin's work would be shown in the future. He did not believe, tfijey would get a better man. Mr. Tolcher, in seconding the motion, said he felt as much regard as any one for Mr. Martin. He believed him a mai\ who would do much good in the district^ by raising a good and influential church ; but some evil spirit had come amongst them. He believed Mr. Martin had taken an unwise course, a course "which, would tell against him wherever he went. To make auch demands, as he had was. fas. from right. •- * Mr. Nicholson would ask the Chair-, man if the Committee were aware of Mr. Martin's having received a call from any other congregation,, as perhaps that wag^ the evil spirit. ' ■ " Mr. Mears : The Committee were not aware of it officially. The Chairman again read Mr. Martin's letter, which clearly showed that overtures'had been made to him from some, other place. The motion, "That the report be, adopted," was carried new. con. Mr. Bennet said, after the adoption of the report, he thought that those who had heard Mr. Martin would agree with him that his sermons had been an intel- . lectual treat ; and he (Mr. Bennet) thought it only right that he should have a portion of the expenses paid to4ujn-j, I£. Mfm-w»ttld«»fc,.ijrhm : wi4%.

Be got from ? They would have to raise » large amount, independent of the item of expenses. Had Mr. Martin no other place to go to, or had he given them Sufficient notice, that they might have aecured another in his stead, or had the 'Committeev dispensed with his services instead oi his leaving of kis own accord, •the^wouMhave.been placed in another jpfra&on. They could only have a lay ftoder-fbr some months ; and they could not expect the number of subscriptions to come in. Mr. Smith understood the Committee guaranteed Mr. Martin LIOO for expenses, and he thought it only right tjiat it. should be paid. Let them treat "him |as a gentleman ; if they did otherwise it would be a disgrace, to the district. „ Mr. Mears : Mx. Smith-should have objected to the report.. The Committee were prepared to stand or fall by it. Mr. Percy said, if the congregation jfcook upon themselves to get up a testimonial for Mr. Martin, he had no doubt the Committee would gladly lend every assistance. Mr. Herbert: Mr. Martin was only promised the LIOO if he remained. - The Chairman said Mr. Martin came at his own risk. He himself said he •would have to move if the clergyman written for came to New Zealand. Mr." Smith 'said Mr. Keen, told -him that the guarantee was LIOO. - Mr. Keen said, what he told Mr. Smith before he -would again tell him. Mr. Martin came at the, rate of L3OO for four months. If the Committee could *top the other clergyman from coming it would be prepared to give Mr. Martin the LIOO referred. to. But as soon as they had managed to stop the_ other .clergyman from coming Mr. Martin goes *way. The Chairman said it remained now with the congregation -to take some steps as to providing another clergyman. Mr. Keen thought that should be left to the Committee, unaided by the congregation. Mr. Herbert would like to ask the congregation if they wished the Committee to take steps fox providing another jdergyman. Mr, Abel said, leave the matter entirely in tUe hands of the Committee ; it ought to be capable of managing that matter. Mr. Smitji vould like to ask # the L2O included in a collection, and which was presented to Mr. Martin himself, had leen paid over to him. Mr. Herbert replied that it had. A vote of thanks to the chair .concluded ihe business .of the meeting.