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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1961-04-13, Page 9• • A • • 1 • • l884SynodHere Largest in Huron • The Synod of Hamilton and Lon- don of the Presbyterian Church in Canada last met in Seaforth, April 14, 15 and 16, 1884. Althought at that time Seaforth was relatively young in years, hav- ing been incorporated as a town but nine years earlier, it already was a well established, solid and • progressive community. The selection of the town as the meeting place for the Hamilton - London Synod was an honor which was readily recognized by the resi- dents of the day. In an: editorial reference in the issue preceeding the meeting—that • of April 11, 1884, The Huron Ex- positor recalled that the gather- ing was the largest of its kind ever to have been held i the county. Under the heading, "The Synod of Hamilton and London," The Expositor article said: • "The Synod of Hamilton and Londonin connection with the Presbyterian Church in Canada will meet in this town on Monday next. This will be the largest ecclesiastical body that has ever met in the county, and consequent- ly the approaching meeting of synod occasions considerable in- • terest among all classes. The gov- erning courts of the Presbyterian Church are four in number. First in order is the Session, composed of the elders and ministers of each congregation; second, the Presby- tery, composed of the minister and one elder from each congregation in a certain district; third, the Synod, composed of all members of Presbytery, and fourth, the Gen- eral Assembly, composed of one- fourth of the members of each Presbytery in the Dominion. The representatives to the General As- sembly are elected by the respec- tive Presbyteries and an equal number of ministers and elders are taken from each. It will thus be seen that in all the higher courts of the church the lay element is equally represented with the cleri- cal. The General Assembly em- braces the whole church, but there are four Synods, namely, two for Ontario, one for Quebec and one • for the Maritime Provinces. Ap- peals can be taken from one court to the other, but the decisions of the Assembly are final. The next meeting of the General Assembly will be held in Toronto on the 3rd of June. The Synod of Hamilton and London, which meets here on Monday next, embraces pretty much the whole of the Western Peninsula, with the exception of Guelph. It is composed of nine Presbyteries and has a member- ship of over 400, ,although it is ex- pected that only about 200 will be present at this meeting. "In the year 1861 the Free hurch and the United Presbyter- '' Church united. The results of rease el"n is and energy of thon have been to e Pres- byterian body in seeking to supply the gospel to those destitute of religious privileges, and to ma- terially enhance the efficiency and power of the body generally. In • 1875 another step in advance was made, when the Presbyterian Church of Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland, came into the union, and thus the ener- gies of the entire Presbyterian Church in Canada were consolidat- ed under one head. This united • body now extends from Newfound- land, in the east, to British Colum- bia, in the west, and embraces a staff of about 700 ministers in charge of congregations, besides about 200 who are engaged in home mission work during the summer season. The total amount of money raised last year was about one million and a half dollars, of which about $45,000 were devoted in aid of home missions, and $40,- 000 for foreign missions. The total membership of the church is about 120,000. It will be seen that a great and important work is be- ing done by this church, and its influence for good is gradually • extending and widening. "The meetings of the Synod are open to the public, and any one who chooses may attend them. Several of the ablest men in the church will take part in the pro- ceedings, which will, we have no doubt, be very' interesting to all • listeners. The cdmmittee on Bills and Overtures, which arranges the order of business, will meet on Monday afternoon at four o'clock and the Synod will be opened at 7:30 the same evening, with a ser- mon from the retiring moderator, Rev. A. D. McDonald. The roll will then be called, after which the new moderator will be elected and conducted to the chair. This, will likely constitute the business for the first day. Several questions will come up for discussion, which will be of public interest, and it is expected the proceedings will last over Tuesday and Wednes- • day." In the issue of the following week, that of April 18, 1884, The Expositor, in addition to review- ing in some detail the sermons de- livered at the Synod meetings, again discussed the gathering in an editorial: "The meeting of Synod held in • Seaforth this week, and which clos- ed on Wednesday night', was a somewhat brief but very busy one," The Expositor of 77 years com- mented. 'There was no time wast- ed in preliminaries or in getting into working shape, and the busi- ness seemed to be transacted in an expeditious, systematic, business- like manner, Indeed, in this re- spect the reverened gentlemen set an example well worthy of.emula- tion by other more pretentious, de- liberate bodies. "Besides the regular business coming within the purview of the court, several questions of social • and moral reform were taken up, deliberated upon, discussed and recommendations made. These dis- cussions were well sustainedf in- , teresting and conducted in a friend- ly and tolerant spirit. Sharp raps were occasionally . given,.- but, .gen- • • • erally, they were taken with rea- sonable submission. The speeches, as a rule, were well condensed, closely to the point of discussion, and many of them were earnest anal eloquent and delivered in a fluent and finished" style. In debat- ing talent, we should say the Synod will compared, man for many, very favorably with our legislative bodies, while the language used is much better, and, of course, vast- ly more correct and grammatical than one hears from the average Parliamentarian. Indeed, were our correspondent of last week,. "Fair Play," to attend a Synod meeting where he could hear and see a fair representation of the clergymen of the Presbyterian Church, we are inclined to the opinion he would materially change his mind concerning their scholar- ly attainments and general abili- ties. On the whole, we are sure that those who attended the sev- eral sederunt of the Synod, must have been very favorably impress- ed by what they saw and heard. "Among the members there seemed to be a very large pre- ponderance of aged men, and very few who might be termed young men. Gray and bald heads were the rule rather than the exception, while early all bore too strong evi- dences of close confinement and hard mental labor. The lay ele- ment, although equally represent- ed with the clerical, took entirely a secondary position in the proceed- ings, and very little part in the discussions. It is, however, a very important factor in the organiza- tion and really wields a more im- portant influence than appears on the surface. "The opening sermon by the re- tiring Moderator was a clear, well reasoned, logical and convincing discourse. It was one of the rev- erened gentleman's most able ef- forts, and although somewhat lengthy, it was made interesting and was listened to most attentive- ly by the large congregation, and received the commendation of cler- gy and laity alike. The new Mod- erator seems to be a gentleman well calculated for the position, and gave the best satisfaction to his brethren. He is the pastor of one of the largest.congregations in the city of Hamilton, and is said to be an able divine and a most estimable gentleman. His strong, Highland -Scotch accent, which he does not try in the least to con- ceal, does not leave any room in doubt as to his nationality. "The indefatigable clerk, the Rev. Mr. Cochrane, of Brantford, was as concise and sharp as ever, and seems to have lost none of his old-time vim and vigor. He is the right man in the right place, and we have no doubt but much is due to his precision and good manage- ment for the methodical and ex- peditious manner in which the bus- iness is conducted. We are sure that the people of Seaforth, and all who attended the meetings, will long cherish pleasant memories of the Synod of Hamilton and London, as well as of many of its members personally." Set Plans For Huron Meeting Of Past Noble Grands With the noble grand, Mrs. Mar- garet •Messenger, presiding, final plans were made for the annual meeting of the past noble Brands of the Rebekah Lodges of Huron District No. 23, to be held here Wednesday afternoon in the IOOF Hall. The district deputy presi- dent, Mrs. Joseph Grummett, will be in change of the meeting. Mrs. William Dalrymple was elected representative and acting district secretary to attend this district meeting in place of Mrs. Ed. Andrews, who will be unable to attend. An invitation was received from the Seaforth Branch of the Cana- dian Cancer Society to their an- nual daffodil tea on Saturday af- ternoon. A number of members signified their attention to attend Friendship Night of Oddfellowship for members of the IOOF and Re- bekah Lodges, their wives, hus- bands and friends, to be held in. the g mtorium of Clinton Colleg- iate this Saturday evening, April 15. Deputy Grand Master Ross Chis- well, of Preston, will be the guest speaker at this meeting and a precision drill will be presented by Ark Lodge No. 404, Springfield. There will also be a short variety program. The vening is consid- ered to be one of the highlights in Oddfellowship in the area for the year. Members also accepted an invi- tation to attend '.he regular meet- ing of Majestic Lodge, Wingham, on April 11, at which time Mrs. A. Jair, D.D.P., for Kincardine South; will visit the meeting of- ficially. Tickets for the Variety Night, to be held in May and sponsored by the CPT Committee of the lo- cal Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodges, were distributed to the members to sell. Library Board Mark Annual Week In anticipation of Canadian Lib- rary Week, April 16-22, Seaforth Library Board had a special speak- er at the meeting of the Board on April 10, in the person of the Coun- ty Librarian, Mrs. R. G. Eckmier. Speaking on the history of Cana- dian Literature, Mrs. Eckmier al- so led a lively discussion regard- ing the merits of a proposed tax- thanked Mrs. Eckmier and she was supported county library. presented with a remembrance of DOW 'Chairman -Mabel Turnbull her.vi8itby.Miss Glays Thompson. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SEAFORTH, (upper picture) next week will be the scene of the 87th meeting of the Synod of Hamil- ton and London. The meetings begin on Monday, Rev. D. Leslie Elder, Minister of First Presbyterian Church (left), and Rev. J. K. West, St. Thomas, Clerk of the Synod since 1945, have been responsible for completing arrangements for the event. The Synod represents 55,876 members in congregations throughout Southwestern Ontario. . Full Schedule Faces Delegates to Synod From the time delegates to the 87th meeting of the Synod of Ham- ilton and London begin to arrive in Seaforth Monday morning until adjournment late Wednesday, there will be few idle moments on the program. a Meetings get underway at 3:30 on Monday afternoon as soon as registration and billetting have been completed. All meetings are being held in First Presbyterian Church and are open to the pub- lic. Among highlights of the three- day gathering and in which the public may be particularly inter- ested, are: Monday Afternoon 3:30—Synod Institute lecture by Rev. Dr. Robt. B. Cunning- ham, Secretary, Eastern Area, United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. 4:45—Second lecture by Dr. Cun- ningham; theme of lec- tures, "Interpretation of Evangelism." Monday Evening 8:00—Public Worship conducted by the Moderator, Rev. N. D. MacDonald, M.A., B.D., Ph.D., assisted by Rev. D. Leslie Elder, Minister of First Church, Seaforth, and Rev. Neil McCombie, B.A., Ripley, Moderator of Hur- on -Maitland Presbytery. 9:00—Memorial Service, conduct- ed by the Moderator. 9:15—Welcome from Rev. D. L. Elder, and greetings from Mayor Edmund Daly, of Seaforth, and Rev. J. Clif- ford Britton, Secretary of the Seaforth and District Ministerial Association. 9:30—Moderator reviews the past year; election of new Mod- erator. Tuesday Forenoon 9:30—Synod Constituted; Sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper, conducted by the Modera- tor, with the address given by Rev. W. A. McLeod, of Welland. 10:45—Synod Institute lecture, Rev. Dr. R. B. Cunningham; Evangelism and Social Ac- tion report, Rev. Walter Kennedy, M.A., Paris, BRUCEFIELD Mr. and Mrs. George Hender- son returned home on Thursday af- ter spending the winter in Florida. Mrs. Ray Mason, of Oakville, spent Saturday with Marie Elliott and Mrs. T. A. Dutton.. A number of ladies attended the Easter thankoffering at Wesley. Willis United Church, Clinton, on Monday and enjoyed the guest speaker. Miss Gaye Elliott spent the Eas- ter holidays with her cousin, Miss Beckey Griffith, at Stratford. Miss Marion Triebner spent a few days in Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Smith, of Bluevale, and Miss Eleanor Smith and Mr. George McCulla, Kitchen- er, spent Sunday with Mrs, H. Berry. Mrs. A. Ings returned home on Sunday after spending a week with her niece at Trenton. Mr. Ken Stewart has returned home from Florida where he spent the winter. Miss Janet Watson returned to her school in Aylmer on Sunday. Tuesday Afternoon 2:30—Synod constituted. 2:45—Missions report, Rev. Chas. D. Henderson, B.A., St. Catharines. 3:30—Synodical W.M.S. report. 3:45 --Stewardship and Budget re- port, Rev. D. J. Firth, BA, London. 4:30—Radio-TV report, Rev. Wm. Lawson, Windsor. Tuesday Evening 8:00—Worship Service. 8:30—Rev. Robert Lennox, M.A., Ph.D., D.D., Moderator of the General Assembly. 9:15—Christian Education report, Rev. L. T. Barclay, B.A., London. Wednesday On Wednesday the Synod will consider reports of various com- mittees. SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1961 -- SECOND SECTION, At First Presbyterian Church Synod Meets in Seaforl First Time in 77 Years First Church Established Here 94 Years Ago • First Presbyterian Church, Sea - forth, where the Synod of Hamil- ton and London meets next week, was organized in 1867, a short his- tory issued by the Synod says. The reference follows: "The first religious denomination to be organized in the Seaforth dis- trict .was Presbyterian and a church was built in Harpurhey (now the westerly limits of the town) in 1847 with the Rev. Alex- ander MacKenzie as its first min- ister. The Presbytery of Huron gave permission for the organiza- tion of a congregation in the town of Seaforth in 1867 under the lead.,, ership of the Rev. John Ross, Brucefield. By December of that year the congregation had bought a lot on Goderich Street West,. where the present church now stands, and had the walls up and the bsement completed for the opening ceremony on December 16. The basement was soon 'found to be too small and it was decided to complete the auditorium as soon as possible. In 1879 the Har- purhey congregation united with Seaforth to be known in future as First Presbyterian Congregation, Seaforth. "The church was enlarged in 1904 when it was remodelled as it stands today. In addition to the new seating arrangement, a new pipe organ was installed. The last major renovation was in 1947. A new chancel and a new Cassavant organ were installed and the sanc- tuary completely redecorated. Since then the church has again been redecorated, new lighting in- stalled, the aisles recarpeted and the church hall remodelled." A person can have the TB germ in his body and not be sick IF his body's defences are 'strong enough to keep the germ inactive — but improper diet, too little rest, or emotional upset can weaken the body and" give the TB germ the upper hand. "Do you," the minister asked the bridegroom, "take this -woman for better or for worse, through sick- ness and health, in good times or bad, whether she be -" "Oh, please," broke in the bride, tearfully, "you're going to talk him right out of it!" THE MODERATOR OF THE SYNOD of Hamilton and London, Dr. N. D. MacDonald, of Hamilton (left), and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Dr, Robt. Lennox, of Montreal, are among leading members of the Presby- terian Church who will take part in' synod deliberations when it meets here next week. . AREA SOCIETIES JOIN KIPPEN ON THANKOFFERING OCCASION The April thankoffering meeting was held in Kippen United Church on April 4, with ladies from Bruce - field, Turner's, Egmondville and Chiselhurst auxiliaries as guests for the evening. Mrs. Robert El- gie, in charge of the worship, op- ened the meeting with an Easter theme. A hymn was sung and Mrs. Elgie closed the worship per- iod with prayer. Mrs. Harold Jones took charge of the remainder of the meeting and welcomed all present. Mrs. Allan Johnston moved that the minutes be approved without read- ing, secomied by Mrs. John An- derson. Mrs. Eldon Jarrott gave tlys Sunshine report. A quartette, Turner, Joan Sinclair, Grant and Kenneth Jones, sang "Love Divine, So Great and Won- drous." - Mrs. Edgar McBride introduced the guest speaker for. the evening, Miss Iris Castle, missionary on furlough from St. Lucia. She gave an inspiring talk and showed slides of the Island and of her work with the people, She modelled a dress and hat worn by the natives of St. Lucia. Mrs. Emerson Kyle thanked Miss Castle and present- ed her with a gift in appreciation of a very interesting evening. Mrs. John Cooper thanked all taking part in the meeting, and Mrs. Jones closed the meeting with prayer. A tasty lunch was serv- ed in the Sunday schoolroom. Mr. Fred Potter, of Clinton, and Mr. Done, of Porter's Hill, visited Mr. and Mrs. Elston Dowson on Saturday. Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Mellis included: Mr. and Mrs. Tom Bourke and Mrs. John Gibson, Sr., of Wroxeter, also Mrs. Elsie Haney, of Wingham. Miss Berva Switzer, of Clinton, spent the weekend with her friend, Joyce Hood. Mr. and. Mrs. Norman Dickert visited friends in Clifford on Sun- day. r. Norman Long and Mr. Ed- gar McBride attended the funeral of the late Herb Curran, of Luck - now, on Wednesday of last week. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Priestap, of near Mitchell, visited Sunday with Mr. Robert Thomson. Angry Motorist: "This car you sold me won't even climb a hill!" Salesman: "I didn't say it would. Remember, when you bought it I just said, 'On the level it's a fine car'." The 86th , meeting ai the Synod of Hamilton. and' London next week brings to Seaforth represent= • atives of congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada from Hamilton to Wellaid-to Wind- sor, indsor, from Sarnia to Southampton. Last in. Seaforth 77 years ago, the Synod brings together the min- ister and an elder from eacli- of the congregations. There are 177 ministers on the roll and 2,682 elders. Arrangements for the annual gathering have been going forward for some months. -In Seaforth the minister of First Presbyterian Church, Rev. D. L. Elder, and a committee has co-ordinated plans here with those originating with Synod. Congregations of Northside Unit- ed Church and of St. Thomas' An- glican Church have co-operated by making available the facilities of their churches for meetings of cer- tain committees. The Synod of Hamilton and Lon- don during the last year for which information is available raised a total of $2,888,664 for all purposes. The synod embraces nine Presby- teries, 148 self-sustaining charges, as well as 19 mission fields. There are 244 preaching stations. Members total 55,876 while there are 28,689 pupils in the Sunday Schools. There were 2,473 bap- tisms during the year. Huron Officials To Meet In Goderich The spring meeting of the Hur- on County Municipal Officers' As- sociation is being conducted this year partly by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Community Planning Branch, under the direc- tion of John Pearson. It is hoped at this meetingthat local munici- palities will have an opportunity of discussing problems in connec- tion with community planning. In addition to this portion of the program, a review of new legisla- tion which has been recently pass- ed at Toronto, will be discussed by representatives from the Depart- ment of Municipal Affairs, under the direction of Warren Pack. The meeting will commence on Tuesday evening, April 25, at 7:30 at the Court House, Goderich, and will follow through the next day, Wednesday, April 26. The lunch- eon of the Municipal Officers' As- sociation will be held at the Cana- dian Legion Hall at noon on the - Wednesday. A large attendance is expected from the surrounding municipali- ties. We join with the Congregation of FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH in extending a warm welcome to the representatives attending the Eighty- Seventh Annual Meeting of the Synod of Hamilton and London of the Presbyterian Church in Canada BEING HELD IN FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SEAFORTH Monday -Tuesday -Wednesday, April 17, 18 and 19 Stewart Bros. G. A. Whitney Ladies' and Men's Fine Clothing Furniture - Undertaking John A. Cardno General Insurance The Huron Expositor Printing and Office Supplies Box Furniture Appliances Undertaking Joseph T. Hugill General Contractor Frank Kling Ltd. Smith's Superior Food Market