MASTERTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4675, 21 March 1894, Page 3

MASTERTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

jtes, Anniversary Soiree, Tho Anniversary Soiree was held fflj- last evening inihe Masterton Presby- !§; lerian the usual lea Iff'. liberally provided by the ladies of the M congregation, a public meeting was if, h„W which filled the churoh. The W .' Bev, Robert Wood presided and after praise and prayer lit E. Feisi submitted the following report • Annual report of Kirk Session and * Committee of Management of f Masterton Presbyterian Chnrcb, for tho year ending December V 31pt, 1893 !... The Session and Committee of 'I Management have once more the ' i pleasure of submitting llieir annual report, and they have again to record their thanksgiving to tbe Great Head »of the Churoh for the measure of peace, prosperity and progress tuat we have enjoved.- God, in bis goodness, has given us the institute of the visible Church with its means of grace for the twofold object of the building up His own people in holiness and the evangelising of the world. We have been able in some measure to realize in a praotical way the twofold pur- , jose of the Church's existence in oar ( congregational life. We have waited , on the means of Grace, and we have , done some work on behalf of the care- ( less in our midst and for the heathen , in the" regions beyond," , The attendance at the Sabbath , (Kivieds in Masterton has, on the whole, been well maintained. There | "is room, how.evjk, for improvement, , and it lies very largely in the bands of those who live within walking diatanoa from the Churoh to make the i evening service much more successful < than it is. A word of kindly invitation to careless neighbours,and a word ef warm welcome to strangers have | often been used by God in filling Churches and in blessing souls. Iu ( regard to the Babbatb services in the outfields a gratifying increase { has to be reported. The service at Dreyerton iB now held every Babbatb, and a preaching station has been opened at Bideford. Through these outfield services alone about 240 people are thus brought under the sound of the gospel, In carrying on this extended programme - of preaching the Minister receives regular assistaoos from the office bearers, The Sacrament of the Lords Supper has been observed four times during the year and has been attended by about sixtycpmmunioants. During the year seveKen peißOua have been jidded to theloll of members: eight by profession of faith in Christ, and nine by certificate Irom other congregations. The roll of membership at; the end of last year was 103, it now has 115 j an increase of 12. Five] persons were disjoined through removing to other districts. It is with much gratification that' we note the increased interest in I missions during the year, A Congregational Missionary As Rociation was formed in the month of May, and it will be seen from the appended report that the lady workers in this society have been the means of rendering substantial aid to oar Home and Foreign Missionary Societies. The sum of £4212s Id was raised by this Association and the office bearers record their thanks to these ladies, and express with like Sabbath Bcliool has also shown a continued interest in missions and has contributed no less than £8 to the New Hebrides', and Mrs Wood's Bible Olass paid for tbe third year the salary (£6) of a native teacher for Mr Watt m the island of Tanna. The Monthly Visitor Tract has also been regularly distributed by twenty-four workers and above five thousand visits have been paid by messengers carrying the gospel from door to door. We wish to express our sense of gratitude to the superintendsnts and teachers of the sabbath schools conneoted with the congregation all of which still maintain their high standard of effiei«ncy and zeal in tbe carrying on of so noble a work. It is to be regretted that tbe sabbath school at Masterton his still to be conducted in the Church—a building not at 'all jvhjfc is required for tbe teaohere io successfully engage in so important an undertaking. If the congregation is to aspire at all to keep pace with the growing requirements of the town it will be necessary to undertake the erection of a suitable building in which to carry on the work. Cur very warmest thanks are due to the choir, under the able Simms, assisted by the organist for the very marked improvement in the cnnduot of the service of Praise. The financial posi* \, lion of the congregation, we are ■ pleased to say, is''in "a satisfactory condition, tbe debtor balance being £0 Pr as against £l4 last year, thus showt ing that wa have raised about £8 f over and above expenditure. ,It js r felt, however, that with an increasing i district and a Central Church, efforts | should be made to increase the f; amount contributed, so as to enable | us to gi<e assistance to extend opera* tiona in other direotions,

' Eobebt Wood, Moderator of Beision, jHp^Pw. Edwin Feist, v Session Clerk, A detailed statement of receipts and I' , expenditure, daly audited, waa next a-/ . given. Tlib report showed the total . income had been £367 i 8a Bd. The !§'■ year commenced with a debit balance S;i of £l4 and ended with a debit balance of j£6. The income had accordingly | been greater than the expenditure ft during the year, i V; Mr Feiat having read the -reporti !|iv moved that they be adopted, This If ' . was seconded by Mr D. McGre or] s;■*' and supported by Mr Holdaway. j WMr McGregor said the time bad 1:- ;: '. ; come when aotion should be taken in M v the direction of getting a sabbath mi' ! school ball erected, mj.'; The Ch«innaa eipressed satißfacmy'ii tion at three things ln 'tKe ceport', mtM- JMi prog'M» bad been made tiding' Church? membership givipg'.'to: ||sff Missions; and the preabb- , Kf rig stations by; the office bearers . I Wffix.'K -Addresses were delivered'by Be?, J, l||feLymburD, on "Family Eeligion"j J.'P?Jty 6ij- ,, Tetnperanc9''

and Rev, 0. Murray, on " A Revival of Religion." .The ohoirj undor the able>leadership ftf Mr Wm. Simms, sang aoverul gle'B, Mr Jame3 Bimma Bang the solo "Mona"with much taste, and Mr A. Silk was heartily applauded and recalled for a violin

Mr James McGregor moved the usual vote of thanka and the. meeting closed with an evening hymn.