CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH SOIREE AT WETHERSTONES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 131, 11 August 1870, Page 6

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH SOIREE AT WETHERSTONES.

A most successful soiree was held in the sch'oolrooin'," l W s etßerston£s, ' dn Friday last, in' connection with the Rev. Mr. Meniies' congregation there. Mr. Menzie's,'*since he canie to the Tuapeka distinct,* has' 'devoted' 'considerable :attention'to Wetherstones',' and it' came with very good grace from the people who nave attended his"hiinistiy there/ to get up a soiree in recognition of>h4s services. ' The attendance was larg^, &nd everything wenfbff well. The fea Arrangements' were complete, and there was not 'only abundanbe, but variety' of dainties t8 satisfy ttife most fastidious Appetite. ' The following ladies presided kt the tea ' tables : — Mesdames "Goldsmith, Kemp, Riddle, Abernethy, Menzies, Francis," Armstrong, and Nelson, and Misses Cox, Mooney, Cowie," Scott, Stirling; and the Misses: Peters. Tea finished,- and the tables ' removed, the Rev. Mr. Menzies took the chair, supported on his right by the ReV. 'W. Keall, Mi 1 . M'Lelland, and Mr. Tolcher, and on his left by the Rev. Dr. Copland. During the evening,' the" 'choir of the* congregation, conducted by Mr!' Francis dnd Mrs. Brunton; sang* several anthems in a very pleasing manrier. ": ' ' Mr. Menzies, 1 in Kis opening address, remarked that 'it was the first lime he had appeared in that public capacity in the colony. A year and a' month ag6 he was separating from friends and as- 1 ' sociations in the old co'unbry of fifteen; years' growth, and preparing to go* amongst people who knew him not. He had left a place in England' rich »in historical associations, and ha^'conVe bo* a place whose history had 1 yet to be enacted. A year and* a day "in legendary lore was considered' as' an omen ; a year and-'a mb'iith appeared to llim a happy afogury "of : the future. He had come therewith no intentionofintruding on the kboiirs Of others, and when h& looked? afirdad and found'there were many who were not attending the means of grace, he thought there was a place for him in the district. "• The Chairman called upon Mr. Johnston to read the report, which was as Mows :— > REPORT. £5 Before entering into the financial affaJfrsi your Committee. think it may be interesting to make a few remarks on fche drigin of our service. After the Rev. Mr. Menzies- came to the district, in •visiting- through Wetherstones he found ihauy who seldom -or « never went to a place of worship, some of whom could not <S>nveniently go .to- Lawrence. "To accommodate such, and to placfe the means of grace withi« ■ the reach of as many as possible, -he kindly -. offered to aonduct a forenoon service in Wetherstones once a fortnight, th&> School Committee having kindly given the use of the Schoolroom. Mr. Men?ies held 'his &ist sfervice on Sunday, Jaimary 53rd, at which there w«re present about t*nenty j five adults atul>* twenty children. A pnblic meeting- was then called," aft which your Committees • consisting ( «of-' seven members, were* eleetedc-i- » After your Committee took- office,- we' requested Mr. Menzies to come every Sabbath* <iay, this he kindly consented to do. Since then the congregation has sleadily improved, aaid we congratulate you on the deep interest taken in it, which is to be "mainly attributed to Mr. Menzies' untiring zeal and energy in visiting throughout the district. He came amongst us\ n.dt expecting to find us steady church goers,- but determined,! with €rod J s help^to make us such. Week -by week -he has boeii in your midst, not" even letting the bad vreather interfere with his ministerial visits. >O£ ourselves we may say although composed bf members of different denominations, we have<. worked 'harmoniously together. Of course this, has arisen from the liberality and Christian bearing of Mr. Menzies.- He has never made it a ffoint to interfere with our peculiar 'views, nor to advocate the claims of his own* sect. His great aim has been' to f preachy Chrißt crucified as the Saviour of siniier°s\ Our financial 'affairs areiti'-'&- satisfactory condition for rthe half year just ended. There has been the sum of £ift 10s subscribed towards the Stipend Fund, and £12 18s collected at ithe door, mfcking a total of>L23 Bs. Of this, one -day's collection (£2' 3s 6d5) was. givem to the Wetherstones Sunday School' to buy books, &c; the renfWfridef* was handed oVer to the Treasurer of* the Lawrence Gongregational Church. We cannot close this report without tendering our sincere thanks to Mrs Brunton for her kindness in leading the singing. If you' consider the distance she had to walk, hep punctuality in attending, -together with the zea£ aud efficiency she has shown in Conducting, encouraging/a nd improving the singing of the congregation, and this without any reward or remuneration, except the consciousness 'of ■ doing' good, you will agree with us that she is entitled to our ■warmest thanks. • v* * ' ''Mr. M'Lelland then addressed the meeting. That gentleman, after a few words of welcome arid congratulation to Mr. Menzies, delivered a practical address on " 'Education." ' He' gave Wetherstones great credit for the man : ncr in which "the inhabitants I 'had supported that tnoble cause. 'They had done everything at Wetherstonds, h and done it well. • > • ;-m ' Mr. Menzfes said that he would- next call upon : a gentleman who 'gaye P him' t a hearty welcome ' t)o Lawrence. Here furred to the Rev. Mr. Keall. • ■ ' - Mr. Keall then rose and addressed the meeting. His' presence there reminded him 'of the welcome he rebeive'd at the BJne Spur, when he first came to the district: He had' found all 'he i! for. • He had looked upon

Wetherstones with a languishing eye, and the great* breadth of work he had to overtake "outside of Wetherstones, prevented • aim* 'from deVoting the attention' to* 'that place wh'ich • he had desired. 1 * Mr. Menzie"s came, he saw at 'fence that he -'was well fitted for the place — for it must 'be admitted thatf one man may labour in one place without uny result where ; another will be yerykuccessful. ' He hoped that Mr.' MtenziiSs Would find in Lawrence as happy a field of labour as he (Mr. Keall) had foujid. The rev. gentleman then ! delivered ■& stirring 5 and thoroughly practical address,* caking for his subject "An Exemplary Congregation." It was not enough, he saidj io listen to the word of God — there ' must also be Christian communion ; &nd he h.ad no sympathy with' the church: that had not that communion:" If the tifuth o| G-od went home to" 'the heatt, they 'would soon find 'some" : 'means <of meeting together " arid 'communing 'iyith Wch other."' '« •"» » *' »

' The Rev. Dr. Copland was next calleil up6ri,''anxt'after a few preliminary [remarks, addressed the meeting' on the f subjeftt of the " Pulpit and the Press.." ;There are some people, the Dr. sai?\, ! who tell us that ; the pulpit and "the ■ church' hVve'almokt outlived themselves, and t&at;' tbe're is a 1 niightier genius before which we should obw down, viz., the press. Those things which are weakest are often'Hhe loudest 'asserted ; and as the press' was always asserting its Superiority, lie afgued' it was the [weaker! "6jT ! 'the two.- ! ' He considered that both {n the manner and matter of its utterances-the pulpit was superior to the "press. ' The press only considered th© temporal well : being of societyonly one side of man's nature, and that :the lowest. What, he would ask, was ; thb measure of the zeal of those who received the truth' with' regard to this worfcH. they were only zealous so far as it wduld ' pay — so far as they could make for'^themselves a name, and get some worldly 1 influence — so far a 9 they could fill their coffers. A totally different/ zeal was that l bf those' who had received the truth of t& gospeL All the truths of 'science ceSnaot be compared to tlie truth of God's" work in the heart — a work as great as the creation : the recreation of the' human 'soul. ''

Mr. Tolcher said he would, on behalf of the Lawrence 1 congregation, thank the people of i Wetherstones for the active co-operation they had received from Wetherstontes. They felt greatly indebted to those who had taken so much interest in the cause, and hoped that the great desideratum, viz., a church, would soon be established. •

A vote, of thanks to the ladies was proposed by the Rev. Mr. 1 KeaH, and responded to by Mr. R. Johnston on •behalf of the 'ladies.

A vote of thanks to the choir, proposed by MV. Abrani, was also passed. ■- The Cliairman concluded by stating that ne felt gratified with the results of the meeting, and took it as an omen of 'good for the future.