WESLEYAN ANNIVERSARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2568, 9 April 1887, Page 2

WESLEYAN ANNIVERSARY.

The annual gathering of'the ; Maß'terton ; . t Wesleyan ChurcV'took'place'enTriday I and was as usual celebrated with.sylea v and public meeting; " There was hot a such a numerous'attendance-as on former - occasions,; but the ..sehpplropm 1 was well filled and the good'things d provided received evetfy.attention from f the visitors. The after-meeting in the [ church was also poorly attended compared with previous anniversaries, the building being little more'than half ." full. Proceedings were commenced B with tho wollknown hymn " All people who on earth do dwell," after which tho Kov Fulton engaged in prayer..' The • Kev J. N. Buttle then read tho following report of the year's' work: - . A short statement will bring before our a fiionds the work- of the past year, as well c as our present position. • The past has been a year of steady work, the various departments of labor showing .results oi a j more or less encouraging character.' We are grateful to God for mercies vouch- . safed, for help given, and the opportunity of further sorvico yet to bo fulfilled. '. Congregations.-The number of our ' congregation'has been well sustained, although frequently' the weather appears I, to affect tho attendance more than it' ■ ought. The privilege of holding sittings J largely obtains, Most of thoso available for letting are so dealt with. 'No family • - pews are unlet, and the.'- question of in- • creasing the accommodation for tho conu gregation is one which. will-require early i 'attention at the bauds"'of "tho Trustees, :; Public . SERVibE&.'-Theße. "have ..been »' continued: regularly, tho pulpit being • supplied, for.fche most part, by our own • Minister, whb..is'now completing the. 1 second year of' his teim amongst us, • Occasionally exchanges have been made ) with Rev. J. Ward-(Greytown) and Rev,. 3 D. fulton■ (Presbyterian), the earnest ministrations of both'being highly appre- ! ciated by. the members of our congrega-' t tion. Week-nioht SERVicEs.-The Wed--1 nosday eveniugservice has been coritinue'd 3 with profit'to those-who embrace this a opportunity of warship during the week, j An improvement in" the attendance might; , be secured by a little effort and arranget. ineut of other.dii.ties. by our- friends. It j is hot well that .'.all p.ur religious 1 duties 3 should.be confined, to the Lord's .Day; I services are 3 conducted at Opaki and Wangaehu on two »•• BuhdayVifternddns m. each month .respectively. At Jiketahunai '".ir good friend Mr/,;Wm'.-'.Bayliss continues to "hold. • the forfc;vaM:he;and his co-workers .are I greatly .encouraged by the increased' 'uil terest in ofturcli, niattors '.manifested 1 by ' those residents in that' locality. The, ) population-is growing rapidly and the' • town mußfc eventually assume considerable, i proportions. A most eligible'chtirchaito i has been offered on 'favorable terms and i sfcepsare.now being taken to erect a building suitable-for school purposes and ' . the requirements of tho present congro- ' . gafcion. The. Minister has given .occasionablo sabbath servioes, and Mr Bayliss , conducts a service when no other supply:is available Bible Oim— The Friday eveninc; biblo class and Literary Society .' which was in operation at our lastgathor- , hip, ceased to nleet durin? last wintor, : owing to several of the most active memt : bors leaving the district and other en- , gagements making domands upon the time of those who usually support such institutions, The desire has been exi pressed that work should be again re- , sumed, and most likely the; class will i soon be reformed. Membership,—There ' is not much alteration to report under- ; this heading, The numbers returned at our last meeting were as follows:—Full members 77, on trial 2, catechumens 19,

other communicants 31. Total 129. Bro John Ransom, ono of our members has died during the past year. Finance.—A few items will best show * our financial position,, Most of' our friends know that in connection with our local finances, we have two funds, the circuit and the trust; funds. The former has to bear' the' expense. of supporting the ministry, paymoiit of connectional charges, and other general expenditure. , The Trust fund has to .deal with expenditure on property account.... For the circuit fund, the '.income.;has' been .about £244, and the' expenditure leaves a deficiency of LB4. Efforts are: how being made to secure gifts of ip'rodtfoe,'. articles of every description, ; ladies .plain and fancy ■ work, which may: be -disposed of; . tho proceeds to;bo applied % tholiqw da'tioii of the deficiency. A large committee of ladies and; Church officiah'have bees appointed Jto" carry .through the mpvemont.'but this does-not-'reliove any member of the congregation from feeling a personal responsibility and doing their utmost to ensure a.coniplete success. On trust account the. income his been' L 93, derived principally, from'seat rents, rent ot Bohoolroom, and proceeds of last anni-

versary. Tlw expenditure has been L 81; This includes amongst other items, L 22 ■los repayments,.to our corinectional Church Loan .and Building-Fund, on 'account of the parsonage -loan.■ ■.;-Du'rite the last two years Lb'O has been paid off. Another instalment is now dne,. and will be paid'from the proceeds of thii airniversaiy. The amount of Gur liabilities on ■property account is as -follows:—MortLl5O at 74 percent; balance duo !to loan fund £290, (which will bo further reduced almost immediately by. .the -sum of £22 lOs). Total £440. Add to this thje deficiency on circuit account £Bl, and we have L 524, a sum. sufficiently large to quicken and stimulate : our • liborality, . though not to cause anxiety when we'eonsider the valuable securities we, hold. Choir,—The.Choir hasydone excellent . service during the year/ Mrs Gapper, who for many years occupied the position of organist, has resigned, and her;-place is now supplied by Missitose Perry? Mr Temple, the energetic conductor, devotes considerable time to the graining of his company. The instrument, recently acquired, is giving great satisfaction, and when tlw payment of the purchase money', incompleted, it will - 'be handed -over to the- Trustees by those; who haye the 1 atter in hand, To Mr Temple (con*

ductor), : Miss Perry (organist;, and all .mombers of the choir, our thanks are due; and are most lipartily given. Sabbath Schools.—Our two schools continue'to give encouragement to those engaged in tho work. Tffo average attendance at the Maatertou scliool is about 106, and at Kurupuni 68. Mr Wcstin continues to act •'as Superintendent at_Maaterton, assisted by Mr Galloway (secretary), and 21-.tejdebe'rs. AtKvl'r'uparii,-'Mr Darnells U.'superintendent, with 11 assistants. The-school is carried otrin-.the'-piiblio: hall, at.«a;i,DcreaSed : rent over- -precedihf -years.--itrpgttld-be a-great an allotment'could be seo'ursd;' and' fr. ■ building erected", ■dovoted.entireJy..to itha :.pm>po3e,B ■■'& • the---school-. ■"••ThVre.cent; ' ftHnQiyafssty" fes fh'eTniQs'nttcwßSul ever* held; and the result—£l2l6a.-fgave much needed assistance to the funds..-, The . PaiußEi-fffe.. enter upon another year's, work;■ sensible oi.many defects, in our past history;-In the' steady, growth of pupujatiotj ino.urtS'll and districts," we recogjiise. a.f to. effort and selfsacrihee.,.; Working-as w.e ;: have opportunity, giving as God has prospered us, may we so manifest the unity of spirit enjoined by the Great Head of the Church, and our church shall be'a power for good in tlic community. •' itofei-riiig to the 'report the Rev ■Buttle said thero was.a splended opportunity before the eh'urcb of doing good for .God .and 'humanity, and jio urged his congregation '.to be up and doing. Bjieakiijg of the -necessity for increased he said ho believed it "was forced uponthoiii uud'Waii'a special call-from God, and when He called they shbtdd do.; vvhatover'was right, and do itau' a spirit of self sacrifice; Ee was pleased a great revival in church mattor "in the, old country and believe it would mean a reaction among the'church-workers'in the colony, The' Rev. Fulton congratulated the church on its favorable report and in speaking of tho .necessity of 'increased accomodation said that' if the whole of the people pf-Masterton had' a desire to attend a place of worship there was not half enough room for them. He alluded to the pleasure • and profit I to, be gained by the intercourse of the preachers of different sections of the church, and believed that there was never a better feeling of, brotherhood among the various .denominations than there is at tho present'time, although there might appear to those outside tho pale of. the Church .to be a spirit-of 'rivalry among 'them.. Ho drew attention to the wide-spread' feelings of indifference to Christiauity that was pervading the people of the colony, which was a great barrier for the Christian worker to fight agaiupt, but he questioned whether these feelings were as deep rooted as was generally supposed, and he believed thatinevery heart there was a finer feeling of things that were noble and pure. Mr R, S, Hawkins, who was received with applause, said it was a matter of great congratulation to find the Churches working so harmoniously..-; together; instead of indulging in the hand-to-hand fighting as they did in ages past, and he. though'tjthe rivalry of to-day was to who could do the most good for thoir fellow men. With reference tojtbo indifferenoe or antagonism to the Church, be said the tone of public opinion • was - ! . not I what it ought to-boi and the House of/.' Representatives, which was a reflection of the majority of the voters' of the .Colony,'was not of a.- very high Btandv ard with- regard ' to; 'morality and prihoiple, and he ; rlid 'not.' think that' the Houao could he. looked to, for a bright.,.and-■ prominent example -of .Christianity in its general tone-, and although those principles ;conld'not be' found .there.'still it represented the feelings of the ni-jority. of--the people.' If the people themselves bad a higher feeling of their Christian duty,' they would exorcise their - right in seuding men of Christian faith to rcprebent them in their representative assembly where there were already some- bright examples to be found. He alluded: to the.improvpd tone of politics in the United States, which was due in a great measure to the advance in' Christianity there, and concluded by advocated his hearers to be living workers, as Christianity to be anything must be a living motive power. Mr R. P. Perry moved a vote of thanks, to the choir, ladies, and the speakers, and the pleasant gathering terminated with the doxology and thebenediction,