ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3177, 30 April 1909, Page 5

ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH.

ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS.

The annual meeting of the parishioners of St. Mathew's Church was held in St. Matthew's Schoolroom, last evening. Rev. H. Watson occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance of parishioners. On the motion of Mr C. A. Tabuteau, the Churchwardens' report and balance sheet were adopted. The report read as follows: —"We have the honour to submit to you our report of the proceedings of the Vestry for the year ended on the 31st of March last, and also a statement of the receipts and expenditure for the same period. At the last annual meeting of parishioners it was , unanimously resolved to agree to an increase of £SO in the amount of the annual assessment for the Vicar's stipend, and also to the liability for the balance of the Curate's stipend. Your Vestry has given effect to these resolutions. During the year a contract was entered into with Mr A. Hobday, organ builder, for the re-building and enlarging of the church organ, for the sum of £220. Towards fl the cost of this work the choir has raised £7l 7s 6d, and £7O has been collected by Mr J. L. Murray. The sum of £BO has still to be provided in order to complete the payment for the work. The organ has been vastly improved by this expenditure, and is now one of the finest instruments of its size m the Dominion. The ordinary offertories for the year have increased by £4 14s, and the special offertories by £35 9s Bd. Pew rents show an apparent decreass of £SB for the year. Last year's amount —£236 16s Bd—included a large sum for arrears. The amount received this year—£l7B ss—together with the amount outstanding—£lß, practically represents the maximum ordinary income from the sittings available for letting in the church. The total income from general offertories, pew rents and subscriptions for the year was £495 13s Bd. During the current year a larger income will be necessary to enable the Vestry to meet the increases in general current expenditure. The Churchwardens and Vestry recommend that in all the outlying districts, in which services are conducted by the clergy of St. Matthew's, a church committee be formed with the object of guaranteeing, or helping to raise, a sum towards the Curate's stipend. The churchwardens and vestry also strongly urge upon parishioners the need for increased contributions to the ordinary offertories. The vestry needs, and must have a larger income on which to finance the affairs ot the church, if the present undertaking" are to be maintained. This can come only from increased offertories and subscriptions for higher charges for sittings in the church. Your churchwardens and vestry therefore earnestly ask you to increase, as much as you can, your contributions towards the support of your church and its services. The new Vicar, the Rev. Herbert Watson, M.A., took charge of the parish on the Ist of June last. Under his able guidance all the institutions of the church have been well maintained. The services are attended by large congregations and are markedly devotional in character. The Rev. W. Raine, who was recently appointed as Curate to the . I Vicar of the parish, has already ■ [ established himself in the good' esteem of vestry and parishioners, i , and is proving of great help to the Vicar in the services and work of the church and parish. It is with a good deal of regret that your churchwardens and vestry have to report that very little progress has been made in connection with the movement for the erection ot a new church for the parish. The proposal to hold a garden fete to raise funcs had to be postponed, and it is to be regretted that the canvas for donations to the building fund has not resulted in the raising of the £2,000 required in order to enable the additional £5,000 to be borrowed. The amount promised, so far, towards the building fund is about £«00. Your churchwardens and vestry desire to express their gratitude to the choir, the Sunday School teachers, the lay readers and all church worker? for their earnest help in the service of God in connection with the work in our church in Masterton."

The Vicar, in nominating Mr E. H. Waddington as his Warden, made special reference to the retirement of Mr W. H, Jackson, who had occupied the pcsition for a number of years. Although the speaker had hardly"been a year in Masterton, he had learned something of the work that Mr Jackson had done during his many years as Vicar's Warden. He had also done great service to the Parish as Lay Reader, and he wished to move in the name of the parish a very real and sincere vote of thanks to Mr Jackson for the work he had done. Mr W. H. L. Galwey, in seconding the motion, referred to the keen interest Mr Jackson had always taken in the welfare of the zhurch. In returning thanks, Mr Jackson said that after holding office for so many years he thought that an infusion of new blood would be to the welfare of the Church. How-

ever, he would always continue to take the same interest in parish affairs as he had always done. Mr J. W. Blackman was then eleced Parishioners' Warden, and the following were elected Vestrymen:—Messrs J. L. Murray, S. Inder, W. P. James, C. A. Tabuteau, J. D. Cruickshank, W. H. L. Galwey, W. T. Mansfield, W. B. Chennells, J. B. Henry andT. Permain; Auditors, Messrs Chas. Perry and E. G. Eton. The Vicar, in reviewing the work of the year, said that it was a year almost to a day since he first stood in that room, and he wished to tyke the opportunity of thanking the parishioners, and particularly the j outgoing vestry, for their kindness j and help. Jn many ways the year had > been one of progress. This might not/appear so trom a glance at the balance-sheet, which showed the parish to be in debt, but that fact was accounted for by £l4O being spent towards the improvement of the organ. He was glad to say that Mr J. L. Murray had already collected some £BO to meet the deficiency. In other ways the expenditure had been increased, and in support of this the speaker instanced the growth of work in the parish. This increase must continue, and the income must increase in proportion. A healthy sign might be noted in the increase of money raised for mission work outside the parish. The balance sheet showed an increase in the special offertories of some £35, the Maori Mission benefiting by the sum of £44, which included the proceeds of the children's sale of work, and missionary boxes. There were now two clergy in the parish, and the speaker paid a tribute to the splendid work of Rev. W. Raine, whom he had known and worked with for several years. Services during the . year had been increased, occasional services being held at Brancepeth, and regular services had been restarted at Miki Miki and Kaituna and Sunday Schools had been opened at Te Ore Ore and Lansdowne. Monthly services had also been held at the Hospital, which were greatly appreciated by the staff and patients. The chief work before the parishioners was the strengthening of the new church fund. There were, of course, difficulties to face in this matter, but the speaker felt confident that the incoming vestry would use every effort to raise £2,000 required before actual building could be begun, and he asked the parishioners to give them every assistance.

Mr W. H. Jackson said he hoped the new vestry would take the matter of the new church seriously in hand. The site was ready, and all that was now needed was real and practical interest on the part of the parishioners. Regarding the financial position he hoped that the incoming vestry would quickly find some way of increasing thd church"s yearly i icome. Mr J. W. Blackman returned thanks to the parishioners for electing him their Warden, and felt confident that they would see great progress made during the year. Mr S. Ihder proposed a vote of thanks to the outgoing vestry, and Mr E. G. Eton proposed, and Mr Blackman seconded, a vote of thanks to the Choir, the Lay Readers, Sunday School teachers, and all church workers for their valuable services during the year. The motion was carried.