Decaying?

Is the Native Church Decaying?

From Our Own Correspondent

T~ ... Mangaia, Cl, Apr. 16.

O this writer’s observation, the re placement of European pastors by native “orometua” in recent years is an error on the part of the LMS. Some good and pleasant men have held pas torates, very successfully, but a new type of irresponsible junior now gets many of the mission posts, and is liable to appoint, as deacons, etc., men whose chief quali fication is a loud voice and an aggressive manner, verging on the bully.

The present peculiar condition of the native church was emphasised just before the arrival of 1945’s first schooner. A hymn-festival had been arranged by Raui Orometua for April 12. Then came an other hurricane, and the festival was postponed till “after the ship.” To everyone’s surprise, the “evangelia” of Ivirua Village came in on the first date, regardless of “Rev.” Raui’s postponement, to hold the festival at all costs. As pre parations had been entirely abandoned at the pig-and-chicken end of the function, a hasty gathering-up of emergency rations had to be put into operation. This ignor ing of the head pastor’s obiter dictum is entirely without precedent; so also was the dancing and drum-beating at the festival.

Another sign of the times is the newly formed Boys’ Brigade, which is in great danger of being over-patriotic, with ridi cule the result.

Our local orometua (its OC) has decreed that when a B-B church parade enters church, the congregation must arise to “attention.” Such respect might have been accorded in Germany to the fervent (and dirk-equipped) “Hitler Youth”; but at Mangaia, objection has been taken, and we think rightly, to the unneces sarily-arrogant bearing of the 88.