Te Kopara 19
[3] Te Kopara, Number 19, Gisborne, May, 1915.
‘Iti te Kopara, kai takirikiri ana i runga i te Kahikatea.’
Although the Bellbird is small, he plucks at the Kahikatea. [cf Nga Pepeha 908]
HUI OF THE MAORI CHURCH OF THE WAIAPU DISTRICT
Held at Whangara on 15th February, 1915.
The Bishop’s Address.
My brothers, ministers and representatives of the people, I am gratified that we are meeting together at this hui. It is my wish and my prayer that our hui will produce much fruit. It will be good to discuss the contents of the motions. It will also be good to stimulate the ministers and the people in the work. That will be the fruit of our meeting together in humility and love.
Our annual hui are important to me in that they are an opportunity to get to know one another, and they also make me aware of the problems of the Church and the things to be set right. If there are problems then it is not for us just to lament over those problems and to do nothing. No, it is for us to encourage one another and to strengthen one another so that we overcome the problems, and we can also reflect on the past year when we observed the centenary of the landing of Mr Marsden in this country. Let us praise God who out of love for us sent that elder with his great heart to proclaim the Gospel and to provide some fellow workers. But the Church has not yet brought forth the fruits which would fulfill their work. Why? Perhaps there is diminished enthusiasm on the part of the workers; perhaps the Holy Spirit is not breathing upon us to fan the fire.
Think about the work of that man, Mr Marsden. He had not completed his course of learning at college when he agree to be sent to Port Jackson to minister to the prisoners who were sent there. He thought that although those prisoners were wicked and low-born, perhaps they could be drawn to Christ. That was a huge task. However, when he came across a Maori person his love went out to him. The Maori People occupied his thoughts and his prayers right up to the time when he stood up in the Bay of Islands to proclaim the news of peace:
‘I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.’ [Luke 2.10]
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This was the word of the angel in the sky; it was proclaimed by the servant of the convicts; it was shouted out and a reply came from the cliffs of Muriwhenua as if they were echoing cliffs; and the hearts of the Maori fluttered on hearing the good news.
He was not content to come only once - even though he was burdened with the problems on the other side [of the Tasman] he kept returning and on his seventh visit when he had no strength to travel he was carried on a litter to deliver his farewell message. He returned home where he died, and his thoughts were with the Maori People at the hour of his death.
In these latter days when Christian people have become soft and thoughtless, and they have turned aside to easy ways and have shunned the cross, let us look again at the unwavering love, the patience, the hopefulness, the resolution and the great-heartedness of Mr Marsden.
We wonder at God’s guiding of what was done in those days in that he arranged for Mr Marsden returning from England and for Ruatara working as a sailor to be on the same ship. Ruatara went to England to see the origins of England’s greatness; when he got there he found he was betrayed and ill-treated. At sea those two men met one another. That meeting was clearly arranged by God so that one would support the other in his work for God and the Maori People. Let us remember that God has not ceased to direct the things of the world and also our own work. Although one hundred years has passed we can still declare, ‘I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.’ And we have seen the continual growth of the Church in this land as the work of the Holy Trinity – the love of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Enough of that. My greetings in the name of Christ to the Lay Spokesmen in this Hui, most of whom are Lay Readers. I praise God that the spirit of Mr Marsden has come to rest upon you. Although you are not honoured and praised, you go about the work of the Lord week by week, taking services in villages which the Minister cannot get to to officiate. That is holy work, a work approved of by God, an onerous task. You are in the same position as the Ministers: You are a pa standing on a mountain, which cannot be hidden. The people you minister to, who listen to your voice, look at you critically. They may not be people who read the Bible, but you are the book they read continually; your words and your works are continually open for them to read. The sermon preached in church is relatively insignificant; the real sermon is how you behave each day.
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Who remembers the actual words spoken by Mr Marsden on Christmas Day 1814? That preacher is at rest, his words are lost – but his great love is the thing we still hold on to and it continues to constrain people’s hearts. The same thing applies to us today, whether we are Ministers of Lay Preachers. It is not preaching with our mouths but preaching by our action that strikes people’s ears. We cannot remain hidden.
One thing the Church lacks today is a company of ministers who are truly consecrated. Let the hands that touch holy things be cleansed; let hearts be cleansed within - gentle and submissive hearts that know their sinfulness; the lips too, let them be like those of the prophet which were touched with a burning coal from the altar so that they burn with the fire of God and are powerful in speech.
I say this to this hui as we are drawing near to Lent, the time the Church sets for careful examination of the heart, for drawing close to God, and for remembering our sins and our wrongdoings. May God cast off the chains that bind our hands and free us to work for him and let fall the scales from our eyes so that we can see God clearly along with what he wants for people.
Let us set about the work, let us seek ways to grow and bring life to the Maori side of the Church. The main thing affecting us at the moment is a lack of money. This is something that has deeply concerned me from the time I was made Bishop up until now. I would not be suffering in this way if all Church people remembered that they are members of Christ and as part of his body they have work to do. If this were to happen then our problem would be solved and there would be ample treasure wherewith to support and grow the Church.
Money is not the only thing lacking; we also lack people. There are not enough clergy for the parishes. The parish may be very large but have only one minister. Some villages in the parish do not have even one visit a month. This is a disaster; when the minister is unable to oversee the well-being of the people of the parish. Why do we not see many young men seeking to be ordained as ministers? Not because they are afraid that the work will be too difficult. Look at the army that is going to fight in Europe: if 5000 men are required for that contingent there is no problem finding them. It is not because of fear – no, there are different reasons: they see that the elders are not enthusiastic, money for the Church is being withheld, there is no enthusiasm for advancing the Church. The young people say that the elders do not believe, so what is the faith to me?
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Let us diligently seek some way out of this trouble. In some parishes the Church is not yet firmly established. There are a few faithful people working hard amongst the faithless, as in Ruatoki. There is one minister working there and God is blessing his ministry, but the Church is not strong in that place yet. I am asking the Pakeha for things to support that parish and the Pakeha agree that it is a good work.
All the parishes from Gisborne to Te Kaha and most of those in the Hawkes Bay area and in Rotorua are in a different situation. The Church is well-established there and they will be able to support their own ministers; there is also a fund there to support Ministry. It is not the case that the time is soon coming – it is with us now, when we can no longer take outside money to support our ministers. I very much want this project to be evidence of our praise of God in this Marsden Centenary Year. In 1903 the Committee in London stopped sending money. In that year the Diocese of Christchurch said that they would contribute £300 a year to the Maori Section of the Church. Now that spring has dried up, or rather it has been redirected to some other parts of the world where there is darkness. Let us praise our friends and agree that what they have done is right.
I have said that we should make this project a memorial to Mr Marsden. My friends, let us set about working to make clear our gratitude to God. You should not be seeking only to support your own minister, but the strong parishes should make every effort to support the weaker ones, setting the Pakeha side free to support the work in other parts of the world.
Maori should know that if they give of their wealth to God in proportion to the blessings they have received from God, then the young people will become aware of the seriousness of your faith and they will themselves consider entering upon the work of a minister for God.
Let us remember Mr Marsden, yes indeed, and the one far greater than Mr Marsden, Christ himself who sacrificed himself for us, and then we will discover the strength and vitality of the faith of the Maori People.
I have brought up this thing – money, as a major subject of my address to you, since it is a major problem for the Church at present. Perhaps you will say, ‘That’s an external thing, something that can be seen; it is not a spiritual matter.’ That is true; however external things reveal the spiritual things inside. The box of scent was a sign of the woman’s great love, the two farthings were a sign of the widow’s liberality, and the new grave was a sign of a heart devoted to the Lord. If it is said that love burns within one’s heart then one’s works will reveal this.
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‘Love never fails.’ However, it reveals itself by its works.
Let me say one thing about the spiritual side. You know about the preaching missions that have been held in some places – those missions have produced good fruit. I have seen a person who has given up drinking alcohol and another who has turned to follow God. These are fruits of the faithful preaching of the Cross of Christ. However I say that missions should be held in some parishes at a time when someone is found who is able to do the work. Ministers must remember that our work is not taking services and preaching but drawing people’s spirits to Christ.
A word about churches. It is good if churches are pleasing inside. And that the outside structure is good and strong. Your houses are better than those of your parents, so let your churches now be better than those of former times. When the people are settled in a village, a permanent church should be built there of brick or stone. There is a building like that at Manutuke, which I consecrated last year. The people there decided to carve the slabs like those that were burned in the fire. There are new churches at Ohinemutu, Tuatoki and Takapuna. I have observed how ancient decorations have been incorporated in present-day churches. That is good, and some other churches might do the same. But although a church may be very old it is still possible to enhance the interior. It is not good if the decoration of the Meeting House is better than that of the church. We are not going to talk now about all the works involved in that; that is for you to discuss. There is one thing that I do want, that is, a cross placed on the Holy Table. That cross should be well made, whether of wood or of brass. The cross is a sign of our holy faith, reminding us of the undying love of Christ, who gave himself for us; it is an empty cross to remind us that our Lord died for us, yes indeed, and rose again for us and lives on in heaven.
May God bless us all and may he guide our thoughts to magnify his honour and glory.
A WORD OF EXPLANATION.
To my fellow clergy; my friends, make every effort to support our paper. This paper belongs to all of us, therefore it is for all of us to support. Send news of what is happening in your parishes for publication. This is an excellent thing to
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do – reporting on what we do. We must do it, not so as to boast about ourselves, but so that we can know how each one is going about his work. Secondly, it will show us those places where the work is difficult and we can think about ways to make the work easier as well as praying for the strengthening of the work in those places and the lightening of their burdens. It will be a great help if you send in reports of the activities in your parishes and other stories too which are suitable for us to send out to all the places Te Kopara visits. There is another thing I ask you to do and that is that you make an effort to teach people the value of the newspaper. The Pakeha gets mad if he is not able to read his newspaper. Why? Because he has found the value of the newspaper and he has a special place where he keeps that newspaper. If there is strong support for our paper then it may be possible, as some wish, to produce our paper every week. At present it is not getting much support at all. ‘The Editor and the Printer are very active; but as for the people – you and my fellow ministers are very indifferent.’
Feed our bird; send him feathers and cargo. It is not that ministers are lazy beggars when it comes to sending in articles for Te Kopara but the ministers of the Diocese of Waiapu here are a bit remiss. On the other hand Ngapuhi and Wellington are bestirring themselves, but it is as if Waiapu has lost its clergy. My friends, I am not grumbling at you but I do carry the burden of being disheartened. It is a very difficult job for one person to search out articles appropriate for our bird. It would be very good if this were my only job; but there are also the many tasks in this village which are also burdensome. I beg you to make the work on our paper easier. Best wishes in all your work. May he help and strengthen you. Enough. From your servant friend in the Lord.
W P Rangihuna, Editor.
FOOD FOR TE KOPARA.
March. Rangi Te Paru, 5/-; Waiheke Tureia, 5/-.
April. H Tuterangi, 10/-.
May. Materoa A Parata, 5/-; R E Karaka, 5’-; Huirama Tukariri, 5/-; Wiremu Te Hau, 5/-.
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THE HOLY BIBLE (IV)
In past generation this thing, the book, was scarce. It had to be written down by hand. Because people had not invented the printing press if cost a great deal for someone to purchase a Bible and most people were unable to buy one. But now it is easy to buy one. Indeed Te Kopara advertises an edition of the Bible in Maori for sale for only two shillings and sixpence to someone wishing to buy one; for someone wanting a more long-lasting cover the price is more. So there is no good reason why anyone should be without a Bible. We praise God for this, that he has given people the ingenuity to produce the Bible cheaply so that it is available to all who wish to learn the things which make for all good works and lead to eternal life.
It is so simple to buy a Bible in Maori that a stranger might think that it would be widely distributed amongst the Maori members of the Church. But were he to visit a village in which there was a church, a beautiful building, and see many people gathering there for worship, he might only see one Bible there. Then he might think that the people have left their Bible at home. But were he to go into those houses and look around he would discover what was wrong in that village – they had no Bibles. There are many people in the village but, as for Bibles, if you began to count them on your hand beginning with the thumb you would not get to the little finger. Perhaps the New Testament might be found in a few more homes but it would not be widely distributed. Then that stranger would say, ‘This people despise the books which show the way of life for mankind, since they don’t have a desire to buy the Bible.’
There may be some who will say although they do not have Bibles they do listen when some chapters of the Bible are read in church. But this does not fulfill Christ’s command that we should search out the teachings of the Scripture. When most people listen they do not truly grasp the words. It is as the Apostle James says: ‘They are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.’ (James 1.23-24 NRSV) That kind of listening is not how one discovers the treasures in the Scriptures. Rather that requires careful looking, and reading two or three
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times, and enquiring, and then one will see the fruits. This cannot be achieved by someone if he does not have his own books. If you are wondering which books to read do not overlook the Old Testament for this is the Scripture that Christ told us to look into carefully and find its teachings, and Paul also said that this was a good thing to do.
Let no member of the Church neglect the Bible now; do not be lazy when it comes to learning from it; but first ask for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment for he it was who inspired the holy people of God who wrote those books. (2 Peter 1.21)
THE WAR
Italy
In the last days of May Italy at last joined in the fighting. King George received a wire from the King of Italy declaring: ‘He will stand by England until the end of the war.’ He has not set a time limit to his involvement in the fighting but all the allies are in agreement with the treaty made between Russia, France and England.
Three Austrian forts have fallen to the Italians in this short time. Austria borders on Italy with Italy on the southern side. These countries are still linked. In their fight over their border 1,600 Germans/Austrians died, 3000 were wounded, 1000 were taken prisoner. Germany/Austria committed a force of 600,000 to fight against the Italians.
Russia
Petrograd, May 31st. - We pursued the Germans from Shavi [Shavli]. We captured nine guns and 7 machine-guns. We took 3000 of the enemy prisoners, including 60 officers.
The Fighting at Ypres.
The fighting here has become more intense. It is said that the noise of the guns exceeds that of the nearby battles. The guns can be heard at Bruges and Ghent. Germany is still sending troops from Riiti and Luxembourg to help their armies.
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The Fighting at the Yser.
London, May 31st. – Last Saturday night the Allies took all the German canals on the right-hand side of the Yser River. Fifty men were taken prisoner.
Losses.
The wire from the New Zealand Commissioner tells of the following English casualties. Five officers have been killed and 19 wounded; 253 soldiers have died and 563 wounded; 463 have been poisoned; 50 are missing.
In the Dardanelles one officer has died and 2 have been wounded.
The Maori Soldiers.
You have heard that Maori soldiers are wanted. The first contingent has been permitted to to go to the war. The place they are going to is the Dardanelles.
THE QUEEN CARNIVAL OF GISBORNE.
The money raised by Gisborne by the running of the Queen Carnival is over £22,000. We will publish an account of this Carnival later. The daughter of Henry Loisel [Norma] of Uawa was made Queen. She will be crowned on 3rd June. This is our King’s Birthday.
A LETTER RECEIVED.
To W Ratapahi, Theological College, Te Rau.
Father, greetings.
There is not much news of the Troubles at this time. But there is this. I have arrived at the place I imagined in my heart. And I have seen with my own eyes the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, and the lands where the Children of Israel wandered. I was very happy.
My friend, we are very well, and there is much affection. Don’t be anxious, keep well, and work hard. And may the Father preserve us all.
From your son,
G R Rewa.
H M T Warrimoo, Suez.
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RULES OF THE PAPER.
1. Te Kopara is published monthly.
2. The subscription for the paper is five shillings (5/-) a year paid by postal note or stamps.
3. Anyone wishing to take Te Kopara should send the money with the covering letter.
4. Articles are welcome from all parts of the country, but the Editor reserves the right to decide on what to print. Write clearly.
5. Address all letters to:
Te Kopara,
Te Rau,
Gisborne.
A NOTICE
To those wanting a Prayer Book or Hymn Book. I now have plenty of books. The prices are:
Large, soft cover 2/6
Large, red cover 3/-
Large, hard cover 4/-
Large, superior cover 5/6
Small, soft cover 1/-
Small, red cover 1/6
Small, hard cover 2/6
Small, superior cover 3/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 1/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 1/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, hard cover 3/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, superior cover 4/-
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, red cover, 3/6
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, superior cover, 5/6
Hymns 6d
Words for the Prayerful Heart 3d
I will pay the postage to send the books to you
H W Williams,
Naurea, Gisborne
People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.
Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.
New Testament with explanatory headings. 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
Small New Testament with the Psalms. 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
Printed and published by H W Williams at Te Rau Printing Works, Berry Street, Gisborne, New Zealand.
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