CHURCH FINANCE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3011, 31 October 1891, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHURCH FINANCE.

A NEW METHOD OF UAISIXU TFTE WrjTO. Iγ all thathiis been written and spoken against the system of holding bazaars or fancy fairs for Church poposes were ■ put into n book, it would bo one of gigantie size, ovon though printed in the smallest typo. Wherever bazaars and fancy fairs are hold for assisting Church revenue or paying off Church indebtedness, there is it more or less unoasy feeling amongst a large proportion of the promoters that what they are doing is not exactly in accord with the spirit of the- religion about which they are sincorely anxious. Yet they do it because they see no other way of getting together money which is most likely badly wanted. The end ii< allowed to justify the means, though the latter may include processes which shave pretty closely, if they do not actually pass, the line between honesty and swindling To toll the«e good souls to get out of the difficulty by putting their hands into their pocket* and payimr directly *nd without •inv further trouble the sums which ar" required, would be very cold comfort. T'ley o-iu't -iffird or think they onu'r. fffirri. the luxury of paying their church d«>)t«, and the bazaar enablos them t si-nure the a-sstanon of the hewthene »nl the reprobate* whose money 1* an sri.od m> thiit of the church warden, elder.", and othiir profrts-edly aodly person*. Sfun* Biiv that the h>izt<ir i< loiins? its hold up in the public in connection with the C I'irchns. but we c-4n sen no certain indication of the fact, though undoubtedly the in-tituti-m would bo ifiven upon the j discovery of a fully satisfactory substN tut*. Wβ do tint know how far the Omrchos in are plunged into debt, but, the gulf is both deeo and wide. Debt i" tho normal condition of most of tho congregations, and Home of them, if they chance, almost byn modorn miracle, to get free, immodiatelycast abont for some plan which will finable them to aifuin outrun the It iq not oar intention to moralise on this state of affair* or to denounce it. But having a distinctly friondly feeling to the Churches, as organisations which are doinsr a work whoso values from even a worldly point of view it in impossible tn ovorosciinato, wo would gladly help them to a sounder stato of fmnnnoe, and imbue them with a desire to keep out of debt when once they h«d attained- that favourable position. We note by a recent Scotch paper that the subject of Church debt, or, more correctly sponkinir the way to get rid of it, came on for discussion at the quarterly meeting of the Unreformed Presbyterian Presbytery of Ola-'gow (North). The session-clerk, a Mr Reednvin, said that a day or two previously a traveller for a soap firm had called at hie shop and made an advertising proposal which he (tho session -clerk) had to lay before tho Preabvterv. The traveller, on behalf of his firm, offered the sum of £100 a year for at least five years, to be allowed to put all round the front of the gallery of tho rhurch a beautifully executed card bearing the words • ' Soap." Mr Reedman does not appear to have been at all horrified by the proposal. On the contrary, he was attracted ty its novelty and by the substantial advantages such a contract would secure to the congregation. In allusion to the article to ba advertised and the sacred character of the building in which i* was propose! that the an nonneement should appear, ho reminded tho congregation that " Cleanliness was next to godliness," and ho added that he thought they would be the better of tho money. Another member of the Presbytery i<aid that he could not see how any person could object to such a healthy prosposal. " Such a sum per annum," he said, '* would help tho debt considerably " and ho thought it was just as honest a way of cleaniug their feet a* bazaars and such like. There was one thing that had jn»t struck him. Say, for instance, if some of the advertising folk, such as Pear's soap, or Beecham'e pills, came to know they wera inclined to let the front of tho sr»liery for advertising purposes for a consideration, was it not possible thac th«y might otf»r a larger sum than £100 P It whs quito worth considering, and not advisable to rush off and settle at once with this particular new soap man. There the canny Scot's te-npnranvmt cams Htnmsflv to tlv> front. _ If sonp would pay .so much miu'ht n>t pills pay morn. The thinir w.in to make the gallery aivrtisiut; viold a* much money as possible. Not a di-seuti'Tit vo'ce was raised whon the sr ■iiitlpTvw sit down; in fact, he was Btmng'v su:w>rtt)d by the mo lerator, th» Rev Mr H who besjan by sayin;r thtt tiirt adtf-Trwttent vie<v«d from the pulpit n-oiiM xvtt in nny way offend or annov him :—" It would always remind hi'n thit he wmld be more cer-.ain of his s'llnry during thu next fire years than he had been in the past, aud he Considered that w.is a gr'af mutter, both for tho i-ougreg:iti ii and himself — particularly himself. Ministers tno should be relieved fivn thnir prosjnt duries of ireneral Sund'y advertiser fo' th« riMsrhho.hood, ari'l his soundnvj bo in) m'srht b« utilised in that wny H , mirely throw out the suinrestion. C'U'ch adverMsinsr was in» df.ed in its infancy, ind no one could foretell its pi.asibilines." The next speaker wns n, Mr Mao'ccizie, a wine and spirit merchant. Ho certainly saM that tho proposal almost took his brwith away, but it wiiH because of tho rovfilntiou that they could got out of their financial dirtiicultien so easily aud so honestly. He enlarged on the pulpit idea, which had been suggested by -he Rev. Mr Home's allusion to tho "eounding board. Mr

Miickonzie suid :— Mr Uoruo had stated •but he would ulwriys sco tho ndverline* rnent from Iho pulpit, but ho would iiko to remind them that thn pulpit itself -nld chough it, was—had five large panels, and ofio.h panel could bo let, sny, one for pri/o medal oatmeal another for blacking, one for Simpson's famous cure of Findun haddocks, and another for Davidson's umbrellas, nnd may bo Some onterp-isin? drapor might take tho fifth. Lot nt £16 a year per panel, tho pastor, Mr Horno, will fee) wbon preaching thit ho Htooil on a rock worth £50 a year. (Hear, heir.) It was a capital idea, and the Roxaion should recommed tho whole matter unanimously to tho congregation. In tho meantime, Mr Reedman might be asked to say to tho soap man that his offer was having their most anxious consideration." The next speaker backed up those who had gone before him, was glad that Mr Mackenzie bad drawn the line at umbrellas and oatmoal and bad not proposed to stick whisky bills on the pulpit. One or two others spoke, and tho following resolution was carriod animouely :— " tho Session having met, and being properly constituted, the session-clerk stated that an offer by a well known soap firm hid been made to the congregation for the sum of £100 for the period of five years for the privilege of putting an ornamental advertisement round tho front of tho gallery, bearing the words ; Soap—' the Session unanimonsly entertain the offer, and recommend it for the congregation at its first meeting ." Wo havo not heard what the congregation said to the proposal, but their foremost men, including tho minister, having given them so strong a lend, there is eome ground for xupposing that the soap advertisement is by this time on the chnrch gallery. If so, tne finances have received substantial help from a source which is quite ss unobjectionable as the Lottery or the lucky-bng and at all events other impecunious Churohe shave been shown n naw way to oay old debts, —Timaru Herald.