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NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE. Laying the Foundation Block.

The ceremony of laying the foundation block of the Now Wcsloyan CUuvch took place on Tuesday evening at 5 o'clock, on the bite adjoining the parsonage, Queenstreet West. The weather being beautifully fine, them was an unexpectedly large gathering of people from all parts of the dUtiict, and representing various denominations, A. platform was erected on the ground far the accomodation of the choir, visiting cleigyinen and speakers, and hitting £icqonio(iatioii was' aW provided for the assembly, The foundation block, which was suspended a few feet from the gi omul, is a small kauri block, about 3ft. x lft. x lft. On the platform were Mr J. 0. Firth, the Rev. W. Morley (Chrifetchurch,) Dukes (Hamilton,) W. Evans and H. JR. Dewsbury (Cambridge.) The proceedings were opened by the choir, under the leadership of Mr W. H. Neal, singing Hymn 993, " This stone to Thee in faith we lay." The Key Mr Dewsbury, then read the 132 nd psalm, after which the Rev Mr l)ukes engaged in prayer. The -Rev Mj:- Dtnysjljur-y, in hitji'-oduom" tjh^e subject for which they had assembled, said that though the occasion was one upon which he might be excused for Baying a good deal, he could not, however, think of occupying their time at that late hour of the evening., They had all, he felt, sure, heard with much pleasiue that Mr J. O. Firth had kindly consented to perform the) initial act, of AJieJwilding piothWohuvcbVthe placing of the foundation blpo.lt in poai* tipn. He would now ask Mr Firth to.dis' charge that, pleasing duty. , Mr Firth, before proceeding to place the foundation block in position, addressed the gathering. .He said he regarded the work of laying the foundation of a Christian Church as one 'of very deep interest, 'and he considered h,e h.aj| ,- hapn Y e F? Ws? honoured m p,ejng. »*jft e ß to $&ke suclf an importflut part-in so great and good a ceremony. Some people said, .What about the,. I foundation stone, there is no 'significance to ' sbe attached : tothaf) l it is'buErieif out of sight and there is nothingc.to be seen of' it, Jje {jh.Qughtrfc fqr him to' £eun*ng t»^,|h<3 qtabjlity.' qf. all ins^rtu^ tionSjr',a^jye.|l^^uU^m|p,;3vbethp^¥eligiop or secular,' depenaed in no sn^all qegreaupon Vpff 'fira^^^^J^OP?? 1

laid^tiie^^limi they used,! and the manner nftwhicft they laid them 1 ; bacans3 Lt was uporijifcKjs foundations they laidi in the r Jp^fng dM|i -that the future fetruPturo and|isuoc33gt^ their lives depended. Thei'efore.hs hogßajthat the performing of thfe interestingj^remony of laying the;* fou^atio&bf Jei'Bihple of the Lord woiild ber>iinpressed,up'oS>their minds as a goocj and holy worl*f &sfthat whenever thsy pjrayed in the temple, ths foundation of which they, had there assembled to lay, they would feel it incumbent upon them, as it was upoii thei?' parents likewise, to take good care that the foundations of their future lives were pror, perly and securely laid. He was not ! quite sure that the community in which! they lived — the community of New Zealand as a - whole — was taking quite the right Way in? laying the foundations of the lives of the future people of, this colony. It was to him a strange thingf that in this ChristianllandJ," in theschools where their children were tjuight aud received their education, and prepared for the battle of life they were to-- be -deprived of the use of the Bible. He for one did nptj, c insider that education was>- of the right kind where the Bible was driven from the schools, where the Bible, so to spsak, was the only book which was excluded. He* feared very much if they kept God out of their schools, they were in very great danger of keeping Him out of their workshops'/ away from their fields and their homes, "out" of their hearts and minds — banished in fact from their very lives. Therefore,, l^s hoped the time was rapidly coining refund when tho people of Christian New Zealand would reconsider the question, whether they were going to bring up their children in the schools of the country without tl.e name of God being mentioned, or without His holy word being taught, or whether the teachings of the Bible •should foim poition of the day's woik m their schools, and children thus receive a leligious as well as a secular education, fie looked upon the laying of the foundation block of the new .church, \ which they were about to build,' as a work of great, interest and importance to the thriving' community of ' the *town of Oambiidge. He looked back into the past, and, thought of Cambridge' a number! of years/ ago in its fctrugglnig infancy. A meie frontier village, ovorgro}vn<\vith fern and ti-tree, with' the sun minding country a desolate and a bleak _ _ wilderness ; when the pioneers of civilisation weie smuggling in _ their efforts to introduce Chiistianity into tho heart of a savage counti y. Year after year , the good work of civilisation piogresbed, notwithstanding the difficulty which be^et its path, or at leist the path of those who mtioduced and upheld it. And it was with feelingh of pleasure he now beheld the stage of piospoiity at which Cambridge had in such a comparatively brief space of time aruved. Viom a stiuggling frontier town it had now develop ;d into a thiivmg business centre, enchcled by oneof tho most forward agricultural districts in the island, and from the progress which they had experienced in the past, they might justly augur as in the future of their town. Notwithstanding the e\traoi dinary mode ia which they were endeavouring to bring up their children without the knowledge of God's holy word, he rejoiced to think that at any rate tho Christian community of New Zealand wore not backwai d in erecting churches and*temples to the honour and glonficatiou of God. No matter what happened in our day .schools, it was pleasing to know there were places made holy, wheiein the divine word was expounded, where God wa-> honoured and glorified, and wheiemen, women, and children would ba taught to love their Lord, and after Him theii fellou'inen. It was a pleasing thing to look to the fai distant time belonging to tho infancy of our l.vce, and see there ono gland figure, then gioat piogenitor, Abraham, the 311 st and the good, M r ho, whe:e\ei he pitched his tent, raised theie an altar to his God. He was pleased to see in this extremely small section of the Auglo-Savm community that wherever they wont, no matter into what region, or among] what clasb of people, 01 undei \vh it circumstances, to plough, sow and imp in the ostiiblishm\ji\t of Christianity and civilisation, they never forgot to bung their altars with them, and erect them in tlie wilderness. He was exceedingly proud to .see that the people assembled before him wore not backward in this gre.it woik. While they wore busily engaged in the work of settlement they wore not unmindful of one of tho first duties they owed to themselves and to their God — the erection of a temple as a symbol of their religious love and religion^ tiuth. He had now gioat ploasino in laying the foundation of the new Cambridge Wesleyan Church Mr J l 'ivth then descended from the platform, and in putting tho block into position said : It was a pleasing thing for him to think that that gioat apostle, John Wesley, had .so great a lollowing m this new and tinning land. Ho hoped the time was not far distant when the vai ions leligious bodies representing- the name of Wesley in this country would unite in one compact phalanx to do the woik which God required them to do. Tho speaker concluded by declaring thu foundation block duly laid, and piayingth.it God'b giace would long continue to dwell about the congregation, the foundation of whose edifice they had now laid. ' " ' ' The offertory was then taken up, and tne largo sum of £117 collected. The Rev Mr Morley addressed a^ few words to the assembly. He was ■n cry much pleased to be piesent with them on thi» very interesting occasion. He dud had a yeiy extensive acquaintance with Methodism in tnis district. Hq \v«v-> perfectly acquainted with all the ministers of thu Qimroh here, and it had been nis privilege on many occasions to assist" in" their scrviceb. He binceiely cougiatulated them on this new departure, on the factthat the increased growth of the congregation necessitated a now and more extensive building, and on securing such .vn eligible site for the same. He thought that a comparatively small community like Cambridge deserved to be congratulated for undei taking such an extensive work. That town, which had not long since been a struggling frontier settlement, Would, it Avas evident, very, shortly be the piospsrous business centre of a laige and novu'jshniy chhtyicfc, He did not lnis |ako tho signs of the tunes when he Staid that with the present prospects of the place _ they might, at no very distant period, expect a very large inciease of population in this djutrioS, In preparing for tins, iufhi^ of population, by emcting new ahurehes, they were doing a veiy pioper woik. It was unnecessary for him that day to dwell at any Joutgh on the peculiarities <»f the doctrine of the Wesleyjvn Church. They wore all aware that they (the Wosleyans) were seeking to pro--mote the glory of their common Father. (The speaker then leferred briefly to the essentials of Christian faith, and the doctrines of the Wesleyan Chiuch). They weie all broth cis of the same gieat race, and believed in the same great principles of f < Christian faith. He hoped that the erection of this church would not be p,n Mooasion of detriment to %\\% oth&»' churches of Camhrid.{ge, He wan glad to be able to afcate that what Mr Tilth had expressed a wish to see before long, the union of the , various branches of the ' Wesleyan OEfurch in New Zealand, exceedingly likely. A committee representing the four branches of the church had met at Christchurch, and had agreed on a basis of union. The erection or a new church was regarded as beiug the inauguration of a new eia of Christian work. It was not to the mere erection of a church that significance was to be attached, but it was the preaching of the gos,p,4 in. the chin gh \vheu erectecj {,h.at, "m,ade the cereU|(|UV- w-lu'oh they had just now performed so important. There would be connected with the church a Sabbath-school, an organisation for helping foreign missions and home missions ; there would also be brought before them from time to time schemes fo\' th§ relief, of the poor, as MOB, § H Q^her elevating woika of Oliristjan charity, He h.ad sr-ea,t pleasure m congratulating the W'Qsleya.ns of this district on having Mr Dewsbury as theiv minister. He trusted that he would be long spared to them, and' that the grand work which had been inaugurated in their midst— the erection of a new church — would be carried out successfully and and that, ,wheu .erected, ;i(Jq4's blessing would rest upon tft 8m «M freir fu.t\H-e efforts \n Christian work, even moire* abundantly "thaujba the past. , , ~ v - . 1 •"'The Rev.' Mr tDewftoury said before bringing the proceedings to a clpse, he' had to express, on behalf; of 'the** congregation, { then- sincere thanks ,td &lf Firfch ppd Mr Morley for their-pr^anee. and assistance. v,Tfe $PFs°t& h^yi^g-baen^ngj the,< Rev.''; J^r ,en^gad iu.pr^yer, r j|n4 the prp-< ceecjinga tentu.nated^. " !

A " rnees{i}g of- the Waikato . Rowing' flft t i35(tMWH)f OYcmqffnest, „. .. { ' ' In .anoihe^ j^j[»^n,,tjjie J Re^'. v H. ,p. Daylos pnb.HcI v tna.nks^tnose' who so promptly came.tp his aid, arid Jajre Asa many, p£ hi* books 'an^fatß*r,effdc^^^^V'r I"ch^litroye1 "ch^litroyed s

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18830913.2.14

Bibliographic details
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Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1746, 13 September 1883, Page 2

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1,963

NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE. Laying the Foundation Block. Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1746, 13 September 1883, Page 2

NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE. Laying the Foundation Block. Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1746, 13 September 1883, Page 2

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