CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9189, 11 September 1908, Page 6

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

DEDICATION CEREMONY. K tr AN IMPRESSIVE FUNCTION. ni n< The dedication of the new Congre- c ', gational Church, at the corner of Chapel and Kenall Streets, Master- . f ton, took place yesterday, the ceremony being carried out by the Rev. D. Hird, President of the Congregationalist Union of New Zealand. f There was a representative gathering n of visiting and local clergy, included c among the former being the Revs. W. E. A. Keay (Alicetown), W. Evans (Courtenay Place, Wellington), A. McDonald Aspland, and among the latter the Revs. A. Hodge s (Congregational), A. T. Thompson r (Knox Church), and J. N. Buttle c (Methodist). There was a good at- I tendance of the public. < THE SERVICE. £ The ceremony was not a long one— , it lasted about an hour—but it was t devotional r.nd very impressive. The Rev. Hird opened the service I with a short and appropriate prayer, < after which the "Old Hundredth" < was sung with great heartiness. The j Revs. Keay and Aspland followed ] with appropriate passages from scrip- < ture. These were separated by the < singing of the well-known hymn by J. Greenleaf Whittier (one of ■ America's sweetest song writers), i commencing "All things are thine." : Another very pretty hymi., in keep- ; ing with the solemn ocu.wn, w~. next sung,"big.ii up i- ..nusewitn Glory, Lord." The local mator. the Rev. A. Hodge then invoked a divine blessing on the building, the congregation, and Christian work, and Christiun workers. Then came another hymn, by a very well-known writer of sacred poetry, W. C. Bryant, the opening lines running:— "0 Thou 'whose own vast temple stands Built over earth and sea, Accept the walls that human hearts Have raised to worship Thee." The Rev. W. Evans, one of the most eloquent and gifted preachers in the/Church, then gave an address on the lines of a sermon, which breathed a spirit of benediction in every word. The preacher said that the building stood for worship, and showed man's need for God and God's need of man. He,exhorted his hearers to approach the altar of the most high in a true spirit of truth and friendship one with another, as communion with God could not be obtained un--1 less they were at peace with their brethren. He prayed that the Church would be filled with men and women who strove to be real, kind, and sympathetic to each other, and .earnestly de«iring to further the Kingdom of God. THE ACT OF DEDICATION. The Act of Dedication was the title ot the recitation of a brief but impressive ritual as follows: — Pastor.—To the glory of God, our Father, by whose favour we have built this house; To the honour of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Lord and Saviour; To the praise of the Holy Spirit, Wource of Life and Light. Congregation.—We dedicate this house. For worship in prayer and song; For the ministry of the Word; For the celebration of the holy sacraments.— We dedicate this house. For comfort to those who mourn; For strength to those who are tempted; For help in right living.—We dedicate this house. For the sanctification of the family; For the guidance of chilhdood; For the salvation uf men.—We dedicate this house. For the fostering off patriotism; \ Cor the training of conscience; For aggression against evil.—We dedicate this house. For the help of the needy; For the promotion of brotherhood; For bringing in the Kingdom of God.—We dedicate this house. , Aa a tribute of gratitude and love, a freewill offering of thanksgiving and praise, from those who have tastsd the cup of Thy salvation, and experienced the riches of Thy grace. —We, the people of this Church and Congregation, now consecrating ourselves anew, dedicate this entire building in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Gnost. Amen. The Rev. Hird then pronounced a solemn benediction, and the service concluded. Tea was then dispensed by the ladies of the Church,, the congregation being able to inspect the building during the course of the informal proceeding. Mr J. Hayes, of Wellington, presided at the organ. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. The interior of the Church is very Sittractive, so far as religious ediices go. It was built to plans drawn by Mr J. Hayes, of Wellington, and is very compact. The vestibule is a commodious one, and from it two doors open into each aisle. The main building apart from the platform, which is designed to accommbdate the minister and choir, will seat approximately 180 people. The platform is arranged to meet the requirements of the minister and organist and a choir of fully twenty, the seats being placed antiphonally. Special attention was directed by Mr Hayes, who is a first-class organist, to ,tha accoustic properties of the Church, and excellent results have been achieved by him in this respect. Ttie walls are divided into four bays, with a Gothic window in each bay, j/lazed with tinted Muranese glass. The sashes are hung so as to provide for ventilation, and a simple con- ' trivance for minimising draught is aitached to the window frames—a diatict advance in this important connection. The ceiling is of a cove pattern, arranged in rectangular i anels, the main ceiling boards bei.ig painttd flat white, and the margins picked out in suitable tints. The seats are a special feature, and are of a design by the architect himself. They have reversible backs, and are of a particularly strong and neat character, to meet the heavy wear incidental tj their use in Sunday schoolwork. j 1 lie seat* 'are very comfortable to sit in, the book rests being provided under the stat itself, these being also arranged to meet the re versible backs. The building is lighted by tun incandescent gas burners. Theie is a room at the rear of the main oiiil.iing, which by luldiug doors cuii be divided into J

choir and ministry vestry rooms. The Rev. C. A. Davidson, of Kawhia, himself made and presented the pulpit to the Church. It is made principally of kauri, and is neatly carved, and generally a wellfinished and attractive article of church furniture. The organ is a Clough and Warren instrument, in walnut case, with pipe top, and was presented to the | Church by Mr J. Bulpitt. It has a pood broad tone, and is fairly powerful, and amply meets the requirements of a building the size o£ the Church. THE EVENING PROCEEDINGS. There was a good attendance again at the Church in the evening, when a public meeting was held, presided over by Mr J. Granville-Hunt (Chairman of the District Committee of the Congregational Union). A number of very interesting speeches were made by the Revs. Aspland, Keay and Hodge and Messrs J. Hunter, and F. T. Redman. Mr A. Hendry read a letcer of appreciation of the Rev. Hodge from his late congregation at St. Clair (Dunedin). Congratulations were extended to the Rev. Hodge on his appointment to Masterton Church and good wishes expressed for the success of his work. It was announced that a sum of only £250 was required to open the Church entirely free of debt. As a result of the announcement a sum of about £SO was promised in the room to liquidate the debt. Durn g the evening Mr N. McEwen sang "The Holy City," and Mrs Feasey and Miss Hodge "He Wipes the Tear," as a duet. CHURCH OFFICIALS APPOINTED. *" A meoting of members of the Wellington Committee was afterwards 1 held, and appointed Mr John Hunter Treasurer of the Church, and Mr A. Hendry Secretary.