 
## Following the Dream

Memories and Insights

from 100 years of Russell Methodism

Dave Mullan and David Pratt

ISBN 978-1-877357-14-5

ColCom Press

28/101 Red Beach Road,

Hibiscus Coast, Aotearoa-New Zealand 0932

colcom.press@clear.net.nz

http://www.colcompress.com

http://dave-mullan.blogspot.co.nz

Copyright 2015

Dave Mullan and David Pratt

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all who contributed to the Closing Celebrations or sent in personal reminiscences. All this material will be filed in the Parish Office and the Methodist Archives in Auckland. Resource material and photographs may be available on request to the Publisher or the Parish, P O Box 353, Paihia 0247.

Our special thanks to Helen Laurenson and Donald Phillipps, Wesley Historical Society; Jo Smith and Cynthia McKenzie, Methodist Archives; Graham Langton, Archives NZ; and Shelley Arlidge, Russell Museum for their help with research documents and information for the Land Story and this book.

The authors acknowledge a generous grant by Bay of Islands Uniting Parish from the proceeds of the property sale to subsidies the print version of this publication.

In case it needs to be stated, the views expressed in this book are those of the authors alone.

### Contents
Foreword

1—Family Church. Establishment of the congregation and building the church. The central role of the Williams family and the "family" nature of small congregations. Insights.

2—Ecumenical Church. The ecumenical nature of the congregation throughout its life and witness. Insights.

3—Silent Church. The decades of very sparse records and no personal memories. Insights.

4—Sunday School Church. The decades of vital Sunday School and Youth work, well recorded and full of warm memories. Insights

5—D.I.Y. Church. Building the parsonage, managing the York St hall and other examples of vigorous programmes of development. Insights

6—Minister Church. Accounts of the only four presbyters to live in the Russell parsonage and reflections on the residential ministry. Insights

7—Proper Church. The congregation's aspirations to be a "proper" church with the features and programmes of a much larger membership. Insights

8—Hospice Church. The final decades of declining initiative and increasing dependence and a rationale for maintenance of declining congregations. Insights

9—Future Directions. Suggestions for strategy for small congregations. Dreams

Appendix: Summary of chronological events

About the Authors

### Foreword

In 2012 the little congregation of Russell Methodist Church had been dwindling for a couple of decades, mainly due to removals and deaths. Leaders of the Bay of Islands Parish had recognised for some years that closure was inevitable. But they had waited for the members themselves to raise the issue. And there grew up an unwritten consensus that the church might stay open until the centenary in April 2013.

As it happened, the death of the oldest member, Doris Edwards and the departure of two others for an extended overseas vacation, meant that Sunday services ended in August 2012, just a few months before the centenary.

The celebration and closure took place within 24 hours of one hundred years since the opening. Research for material for a suitable closing service and reminiscences from those attending all drew attention to the special qualities of the congregation and its place in the lives of its members. The authors saw potential for a book to draw together the loose threads of the conversations that day.

But they also wanted to reflect on the significant features of the story of this interesting venture. Russell was an example of the kind of church that held up the Methodist flag in every corner of the country decades ago. In the 1950s, some small churches were closed by being merged into enlarged circuits, primarily to make better use of ministry. In the 1960s, after the enthusiastic votes on the principle of a united church in New Zealand, many smaller congregations opted to merge their identity in favour of ecumenical ventures. Neither option was ever open to Russell. It was committed to a denominational identity.

We thought that it might be interesting to identify any broad principles which might inform and assist the wider church and other similar small congregations. Capturing a little of the essence of the anecdotes of the closing celebrations and setting them in the greater story of the hundred years was the challenge of this book.

Our intention has been to avoid a simple chronological account—though a brief summary of this kind is offered as an appendix. Instead we have recognised that the congregation has exhibited styles of life that seem to have predominated at certain times. These "characteristics" have suggested to us our main chapter divisions. They are somewhat related to the passing decades of the century.

Overlaid on these changing styles we have seen some basic dynamics that are peculiar to this church community. As we have admired the initiative and determination of this little group, we have sensed also the isolation that was both a strength and a weakness. By exploring these themes we hope to draw some broad conclusions that may be of interest to those who study history, theology and mission.

In particular, we offer these reflections to those who contributed reminiscences and reflections at the time of the closure. It was their contributions rather than our possibly esoteric theological considerations that started us on this journey.

So this work is respectfully and gratefully dedicated to them and the memory of their forbears.

David Pratt (1967-69)

Dave Mullan (1991–94)

### 1 — Family Church

Russell is infamous as the "hell-hole of the Pacific". Its waterfront was lined with shanties offering every kind of relaxation for visiting whalers and sealers. Liquor, drugs and women were all vigorously marketed. But it was not a target for the vigorous evangelism of those early Methodists who opened their missions by preaching on barrelheads in places like Thames and Hokitika. There was no enthusiastic Puritan invasion of this remote settlement. But we can identify some clues about how a vigorous little Wesleyan congregation came to be established there in later decades.

Anglican territory

In the first place, under agreement reached by the pioneering missionaries, Bay of Islands was identified as an "Anglican" mission area, managed by the mission which commenced in Rangihoua in 1814 and which moved to Paihia in 1823. In the Bay, ministry to European people was through the medium of the Anglican Maori Mission. Wesleyan missionaries would have regularly visited the Paihia Mission and were often invited to give leadership in worship by Anglican Henry Williams—that is until Bishop Selwyn came on the scene and put a stop to his people fraternising with their ecclesiastical rivals. The development of separate Methodist congregational life among Pakeha (non-Maori, settlers) would be initiated later, but by the new residents themselves rather than the denomination.

Settler Reluctance

Secondly, Russell was not a conventional European settlement. The first arrivals were connected with the marine industries of the day and were merchants and vendors rather than settler farmers. If the Treaty of Waitangi might have been seen by some as encouraging the orderly development of settled communities, this did not take place in Russell.

The first regular troops to be stationed in New Zealand arrived in the Bay of Islands on January 30th, 1840. They were followed shortly afterwards by elements of various regiments. When Russell became the scene of one of the first major confrontations between Maori and Pakeha, most of the little community's infrastructure was destroyed in the bombardment and conflagration. The result was that the Bay of Islands was flooded with soldiers.

Almost immediately what remained of the township was distanced from conflict. Few European residents remained in Russell. Many of them decamped to Auckland, not a few giving up their plots of land and their businesses. Even when the first Maori Land Courts attempted to identify legitimate owners, some failed to appear to press their cause. At least one of these defaulters would become an important element of the eventual story of Russell Methodist Church.

Primitive Population

So from its beginnings, Russell was no place for ordinary farmer and merchant settlers. It had been primarily a Maori kainga (village) with a gradually increasing population of irregular and disorganised Europeans. There were hardly any families. Rather, the township, such as it was, continued to be populated by disgruntled sailors who had deserted their ships and a handful of entrepreneurs who saw benefits in offering hospitality—largely of the liquid nature—to visiting ships' crews. There were also a few who planned to trade in land; they stitched up whatever deals they could with the local hapu or sub-tribe. Some of the very first such alienations of Maori land have survived from this period, generally becoming subject to the Maori Land Court established in the late 1850s. The names of Duke, Pollack, Clayton, and Stephenson, have some relevance for the small Russell property that later came into the hands of the Methodist Church of New Zealand.

Methodist Beginnings

In his book Marsden and the Missions—Prelude to Waitangi, Eric Ramsden (AH & AW Reed, Dunedin 1936) provides us with a fascinating record of early Wesleyan contact with Russell.

In February 1840, Rev Joseph Orton, Superintendent of the Hobart Wesleyan Circuit set out for Tonga. He was to review the Wesleyan Mission's work in northern New Zealand while on his way to Tonga. He travelled with John Bumby, the newly appointed head of the Mission in NZ. They sailed from Sydney on 30th January on the ship Superb and were at sea when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on Feb 6th. The Superb arrived at the Hokianga Harbour on 17th February 1840 but as a storm raged they could not cross the Hokianga bar and continue to Mangungu. Instead they sailed around the north and down to Russell.

It was Orton's second visit to the area but this time he hardly recognised Russell, the new seat of government. The town had attracted settlers of a speculative turn of mind "by glowing prospects grounded upon fictitious representations." Many of its inhabitants were in extreme distress. Hobson, the newly appointed governor, granted Orton's request to hold a service in Russell, and "condescendingly superintended the needful preparations in person." The attendance was distinctly disappointing.

At Russell Orton met a shoemaker named McLeod, who mended his dilapidated boots for nothing. The pleasure it gave him to do the job, he said was simple payment. McLeod and his Maori wife had once assisted a Wesleyan missionary to obtain a hearing in the village—though the shoemaker's educational prejudices were against field preaching. After that the Wesleyan missionaries from Hokianga always stayed with "McLeod and his old woman," as he referred to his spouse. "We parted with many kind wishes toward each other," commented Orton.

It seems clear that, although there was general acceptance that Maori work by the three missionary churches would be conducted within some territorial limits, the missionaries were free to make visits in other areas where there were pakeha settlers.

The Williams Connection

The Williams family is inseparably linked with Russell Methodist Church from the earliest years of permanent settlement. There has been some confusion over the name, but this family is not related to the Anglican descendants of Archdeacon Henry Williams who had pastoral oversight of Russell from Paihia.

The first John Bernard Williams of our story arrived in Russell in 1847. He was among the relatively few pakeha who elected to settle in the sacked township after the 1845 conflict. He apparently became well established, and was held in high esteem among the community and was first treasurer of the cricket club. He was a merchant and hotelier and was elected to the County Council, serving at least one term as its chairman. He was foremost among those who presented an appeal to the Provincial Superintendent for some kind of "immigration" policy to develop Russell after it was left to languish after the disaster of 1845.

Separation

A devout Christian, JB Williams (the same Christian names were given to a son and a great-nephew) seems to have been active in Christ Church. At some point a profound but now completely unknown difference of opinion resulted in the exit of his four sons from the Anglican Church. This was probably after his death from a "long and painful illness" at the age of only 49 in 1867. But he himself may have been involved in the disagreement and the exodus from Christ Church.

The details are not clear but by the end of the century, our Williams brothers are known to have been fostering regular gatherings under the Wesleyan umbrella. It could be that John Bernard had been an active Wesleyan in Australia or the United Kingdom and linked up with Christ Church because there was no other option. But it is possible that in the separation he and or his sons cast around for some other ecclesiastical organisation to lend some authority to their initiative in establishing another worshipping community.

Whatever their background, the Williams venture would have drawn other families with nonconformist tendencies. At some point the Wesleyan Home Missionary from Kaikohe pioneered the Russell fellowship and led worship from time to time. This formal association of a recognised denomination would no doubt encourage any other members of the local community to participate in a church of their own rather than join with the Anglicans.

It is well established that worship was regularly held in family homes and the Cricketers Arms Hotel. This was situated on the waterfront and owned by the Williams family. Members of the family supported this little corner of the Wesleyan Church for several decades, JB Williams' four sons becoming involved in varying degrees. William James is said to have been a "Lay Reader" which is not a Wesleyan term. It would suggest that he may have had some worship leadership experience among Anglicans. But presumably he also left there to help form the new Wesleyan fellowship. Indeed, his daughter married into the Stephenson family who owned the land from which the Methodist Church portion was later subdivided. The name of Stephenson would also be associated with the Russell Methodist venture for most of a century.

The Dream

It is quite clear from the records of the times that in 1911 Horace Williams of Russell sought advice from the Chairman of the Auckland Wesleyan District regarding the building of a Methodist Church at Russell. The Chairman of the District, Rev George Bond, replied on 15 Dec that the procedure was to appoint a Trust. He provided the appropriate form—

> You will note from the enclosed form that the trustees have to be nominated by the superintendent, in this case myself. I will be glad therefore if you will be good enough to suggest say five or seven names including your own which I will nominate and ask you to arrange for Mr Hilder to witness their signatures.

The Land will be conveyed to the newly appointed trustees upon trust, according to the provisions of the Wesleyan Methodist Model Deed 1887... which please ask your solicitor to see.

This letter is reproduced in some detail as it sets out clearly the requirements for establishing a local church property In Wesleyan Methodism. Mr Hilder was serving the Russell congregation at the time though based in Kaikohe. As a relatively untrained Home Missionary, he may not have been completely familiar with the requirements. But the District Chairman's letter is quite clear. The Russell people proceeded, as instructed, to bring the nominations and in due course a Trust was formed.

Land Acquired

In connection with the sale of the property in 2013 a comprehensive "Land Story" was prepared. This is available as a separate document, but the following paragraph is a summary.

The land for the church had been held by the Stephenson family for some decades, it having been unclaimed by James Clendon who had departed Russell for Auckland before the land claims were brought to Court. Before Clendon it appears to have been owned by Joel Pollack who obtained quite large parts of Russell and was later denied some of them at the Land Court hearings. At that time the land that Clendon failed to claim was granted to another long-time resident. Stephenson was a public official and his family and the J.B. Williams family had links through more than one marriage. In 1910 the church section was conveyanced from Marie Earle Stephenson to Simeon Henry Williams, one of the two sons of John Bernard Williams. Within a year it passed into the hands of the newly registered Trustees. There is no record of who actually provided the funds for the purchase in either 1910 or 1911. But family tradition is probably correct: one or more members of the Williams family provided the section that was registered under the Wesleyan Model Deed.

Plans

The Methodist Church of NZ office eventually issued a receipt for the title for the land described Certificate of Title Vol 203 Fol 293 Russell on 24 Sept 1914. Long before then the newly appointed Trustees called for plans. Architect Alec Wiseman lived in Auckland but it appears he visited Russell regularly, perhaps for holidays. He was an occasional organist for services.

As far as the church building plans were concerned, Wiseman's was clearly more than a merely professional relationship. No fees were charged. The work went ahead and the plans were submitted to the Methodist Offices for approval. On 7 Nov 1912 the reply was received:

> I am by this mail returning the plans and specifications for Russell Church. These have been approved by the committee and no alterations are suggested....

Tragedy

In the midst of these arrangements, and before the work commenced, Horace Sydney Williams suddenly died. He had been the major instigator of the project and had probably done most of the work. The building committee resolved—

>... that the church be built to the glory of God and in memory of Brother Horace Williams, deceased, who was the instigator or the project and who collected a good portion of the money required, and that a tablet be erected in memory of his services to the church.

Architect Wiseman wrote immediately, conveying his condolences in August.

> I wish to answer your letter telling me of the death of our dear friend and brother Horace Williams. Much he will be missed in Russell and the North. It is very opportune that this little building is to be erected to his memory, a reminder to us all of him whose heart was wrapped up in the scheme.

The phrases "in memory of" and "to his memory" are probably the origin of the family claim that the church is the "Williams Memorial Church". However, the minutes of the meeting do not support this. Horace's death was a huge blow to the Trustees. There may have even been a question about whether the church project might proceed at all. But there is no wording that supports the use of the title "Williams Memorial Church". It never appears in any documents. There is certainly no basis to suppose that the project was in some way a private family affair.

Challenges

A minor but interesting difficulty created by Horace's untimely death involved negotiations with Lane's Timber Coy of Totara North. TM Lane was obviously keen to do the business. He had promised give the church a good discount. But the deal worked out with Horace was not known to Committee Secretary Anderson who had to follow up the matter.

When the ticklish question of a discount deal for timber supplies had to be raised by the Trustees, Lane wrote on 5 Sept 1912—

> Dear Mr Anderson,

> Your note re the Methodist church building at Russell to hand, but I am sorry to say that I cannot find any record of this matter, though I remember Mr Williams spoke to me about it. However, I am willing to meet you as far as possible and will allow you 15% off any timber you may require except first class and medium kauri on which we will allow 10%. Probably the N.T. Co will carry it free of freight.

> Yours faithfully T.M. Lane.

> PS, If I promised Mr Williams anything other than this of course I will be so good as my word. T.M.L.

He would have, too. The Lane family connections with Methodism were substantial and a daughter, Dorothy, married Rev Robert Thornley.

During the next two months donations trickled in. Some came from the other side of the world. Several writers also offered condolences on Horace's death. Thomas Hayes of Kaeo, dropped in a phrase that would still be causing concern a century later—

> I wish you every success in the work you have on hand to raise funds to build a church to the memory of Mr Williams and enclosed please find my mite towards same."

> Thomas S. Hayes, Kaeo

On 14 Nov Alex Wiseman advised that tenders had been advertised. Only two were received, one from J S Deeming of Opua for £307.16.0 and the other for £460. Alex Wiseman wrote with concern—

> I only wish that there had been more (tenders), but if Mr Deeming is a satisfactory man then you will get a good and very cheap building...

Deeming's business was apparently judged by the Trustees to be a "satisfactory man" so he was granted the contract. He also quoted for the painting, inside and out: £18.0.0 The construction proceeded apace and the building was apparently finished on time. Family tradition has it that the Williams brothers were much involved with the work. Preparations did not overlook some of the finer points, such as the provision of a suitable plaque to honour those who had done so much to complete the project.

The minutes of Trust meetings are very thin; it is probable that most of the decisions were taken on the trot as the work proceeded. It must be a tribute to all involved that it seems to have been done with no significant dissension or difference of opinion. True, in November J. Longstaff wrote to the Secretary tendering his resigning. No reason was given but it seems charitable to assume that he left this busy little community for other parts rather than resign in high dudgeon over some perceived slight.

Opening

So the work proceeded and on Saturday 19 April 1913 the church was opened. Before the service a large number of friends gathered outside. Architect Wiseman handed the key to Horace S. Williams who opened the door. The service was conducted by Rev George Bond, District Chairman. Not the least impressive part of the service was the unveiling of a handsome brass tablet in memory of John B. Williams, William Williams, and Horace Williams, the three brothers whose work in the community and the church will long be remembered. The service was followed by a well patronised tea and then a public meeting.

The Methodist Home Mission and Church Extension Department provides us with a full account in its Annual Report to Conference—

> The Bay of Islands is the most interesting section of New Zealand, and the prettiest township in the bay is Russell. Here it was that colonisation centred at its beginning in this country, and for a time it was the seat of Government. The population has, however, always been few, and through the long process of the years has not shown any disposition to increase.

> The Methodists have never been numerous, and from the beginning they laboured under the disadvantage of worshipping in a small hall which was a part of a dwelling house. They always, however, anticipated a church. For a long time it was the Williams brothers, and notably Mr Horace Williams, who kept the flag flying. Still they planned and strove for their ideal but only one of them has been spared to see the fruition of their labours and sacrifice.

> The church which they have built is unique in design, beautiful in structure, and well calculated to attract the attention of visitors. As a people they believe that the Russell of the future will be a great holiday resort and they have designed their church to meet the coming need.

Methodist Union

Probably nobody at Russell was very aware of it, but during the preceding years there had been extensive negotiations to bring into one denomination the three main divisions of Victorian Methodism in this country. This was achieved in 1912 and the new denomination was officially launched in February 1913. Thus the dreams and decisions taken as a result of the foresight and evangelical vision of the Methodists of Russell meant that theirs was the first church to be opened by the recently united Methodist Church of NZ.

Family Church

The conception, planning and opening of the church was largely driven by the local people. We are not told if they also took responsibility for worship services or for the pastoral activities which then formed so much of the life of a local congregation. It is noticeable that from the beginning the Wesleyans tried to provide Russell with an "agent", i.e. someone from outside, with suitable qualifications, gifts and authority, to guide and teach the members.

There is a Preaching Plan for 1913 which shows the large number of churches and preaching places under the care of Methodism over the wide area of the greater Bay of Islands. But most of those scheduled to conducted worship were the denomination's employed "agents". Most of them, as the one usually planned for Russell, were Home Missionaries. These people (invariably men) were the strength of rural Methodism. Some of them, with guided study, had been accepted as candidates for the ordained ministry and proceeded towards that status. Others would retain their HM status for all their working lives.

However, it is clear that these appointed people—who were moved on to new appointments at a very frequent rate—worked in partnership with active, devoted lay people. The locals expected to make their contribution in any way that they could. If they always deferred to "the minister" in matters of faith and order, they did not shirk their responsibilities in things they could understand. So those first trustees put their hands to the wheel to steer the project to build the substantial structure that still stands in York St in 2014. They were—

Thomas R Williams, brother of Horace

John Bernard Williams, brother

Simeon Henry Williams, nephew

W Mundy,

J Longstaff,

William Cowper Anderson.

The other brother of the four, William, also died just before this time, but was not specifically memorialised in the way that Horace was. We assume he was somewhat less directly involved in the project although his family certainly continued in the life of the congregation.

The Years Since

This theme of "Family Church" continued to shape the life of Russell. This is a technical expression to describe the recognisable and describable nature of a congregation. So we can speak of the "character" of a church as Small Church or Programme Church. Family Church relates not to a specific nuclear family or group of specific relations such as the Williamses but to the style of church-ship that marks its life. A Family Church makes decisions as a family does—it rarely relies on formal meetings but adjusts itself as life proceeds. Everyone knows everyone else and there are no secrets. Like a family, there may be hierarchies and chains of command, but people know how they fit in and are secure in their places. And, when major effort is called for, they all pull together for the good of the unit.

These kinds of characteristics mark the Russell congregation over the next few decades. The only record we have is of minutes and notes of formal meetings. And, apart from the first year or two, there are not many minuted records before World War II. Even these modest records tell us of decisions that would seem to be a little unusual in a more formally organised church of the time.

In April 1945 it was decided that Sunday morning services be suspended during the winter months. Given Russell's climate, this can hardly have been because of the weather conditions. And presumably evening services were being held and would, of course, continue.

In 1946 there was a unanimous vote of thanks to Win Baker for the gift of a carpet runner and door mat for the church. But had there been any prior decision to investigate the provision of a carpet runner? And did a committee anguish for several meetings over the style and pattern? It seems that she just bought it and gifted it.

In September the same year the Lodge was given permission to use the church for their meetings. This would have caused some city church trustees to have heart attacks in those days but a family church can take that stuff in its stride. The Lodge members are just part of the extended family.

In 1948 the purchase of a communion table was "left in the hands of Mrs Baker and Mrs Wright". Well, at least that was to be a collaboration and presumably they acted upon it; there is no other reference. That's the Family Church; it just gets things done and trusts the doers to get it right.

The Woodcock Fire

January 24, 1952 saw the destruction of David Woodcock's grocery shop premises in a devastating fire. His was a centre shop in a whole block that was destroyed in the fire. A member of the Baptist church, he had settled in Russell in 1934 and established the Four Square grocery business. He was for 60 years a most generous member of the church. He married Lilian who came to Russell as a school teacher and stayed.

Immediately after the fire, the trustees made a quick decision that he be permitted to carry on business from the Methodist church hall. This required shifting the piano into the church and the storage of hall furniture in Mrs Wright's shed. The question of extra insurance cover was raised and David paid the extra costs.

With this assistance he was able to open again for business on January 29. A formal agreement for this lease of the hall for one year was drawn up and signed by David and the Trustees on 11 Feb 1952. On February 6 1953 the Trust wrote to him enclosing a donation of £10 in appreciation for services rendered to the church by way of worship leadership. He wrote thanking the Trust—

> I feel that I have only done... what anyone else would have done. What little I have done is merely my contribution as a privileged member of the Russell Methodist Church.

In March, there were complaints from health authorities about the flood nuisance at the rear of the property. It seems nothing was done. David Woodcock was still operating his business from the church hall and was himself becoming concerned at the condition of the building. He wrote to the Trustees—

> The building is sinking.... The water from recent rain will not flow into the tank.... I have had to level the posts that protrude from the floor which formally (sic) supported billiard tables.... The weather boards are bare and some are dozy.... I would suggest that the Trust examine the premises and get an appreciation of the situation. I have been very appreciative of the privileges extended to me as a tenant.

We do not know what action the trustees took as a result of David's report. A Family Church doesn't debate the details a whole lot and sometime there is no record. The only significant work we know about for the next thirty years is the re-piling of church and hall in 1975. But the building would demand attention sooner or later. And meantime, if the congregation were not immediately concerned for its ancillary building, it was by no means unappreciative of the contributions of its people. We need to consider some of them now.

The Williams Family

At the time of the closure of the church in 2013, Lynne King wrote to describe the feeling of the family connection. In 1937 her grandparents Jack (John Bernard) and Mabel were married in the church, like many others of the Williams clan. Lynne said that although she didn't grow up in the church she loved the feeling of attending with her mother when they were in Russell on holiday, no matter how infrequent their visits.

The church's close link to the Williams family gradually faded as the succeeding generations left Russell—often for the sake of secondary schooling for their children. But this wider family retained a sense of relationship to the property. In 1973 they asked for permission to place a brass memorial plaque to the memory of Violet May Rice. This was granted and at Easter that year the wider Williams family gathered for worship in the church. In the correspondence concerning this gift, it is claimed that the Williams brothers gave "the land on which the church is built".

Horace Sydney Williams was son of Tommy, one of the four brothers. He was a long-serving Trustee and married Daisy Clow, of another family in the congregation. Their daughter Rona Wark was a school teacher and with Neil, made a significant contribution to the newly established congregation at Paihia. Their son Trevor was headmaster at Waihaha School, Waikare. As a teenager he was awarded the British Empire Medal for rescuing two children from a burning house in Wellington Street.

In 1996 a Williams Family Reunion committee planned to include a worship service during the weekend. The parish was sympathetic and invited the family to join with the regular Sunday morning service. This featured the family's former links with the congregation. The crowded church and the great singing made for what was reported to Parish Council as a great occasion.

David and Lilian Woodcock

David Pratt comments on a key Russell family quite unrelated to the Williamses. At that time, 1967, David Woodcock was Circuit Steward.

> He had a Baptist background so I had to be careful to make sure that my sermons had good Biblical foundations. If they did not I would hear about it. Lilian sometimes played the organ. And it was with Lilian that we often went fishing on Mondays. We would sit in her boat for hours waiting for a bite and talking theology. Lilian was a great reader. Our Monday discussions helped my sermons considerably.

Worship leaders forty years later didn't get the chance to go fishing with Lilian but any of them could testify to her sharp mind. She probably never heard the term Progressive Christian but she read John Shelby Spong and absolutely devoured Lloyd Geering. She and husband David are thought to have never talked much about the gulf between their theological positions. But they were inseparable in the life of their family and the congregation until David's sad decline into Alzhiemer's disease.

Kath Little first visited Russell as a school pupil in 1957 and remembers cows browsing in the main street. She was struck by David Woodcock's strong preaching voice and his favourite hymn—Holy, Holy Holy. Later she lived across at Opua and enjoyed being a worship leader at Russell herself. She comments particularly on the "warm and welcoming hospitality from the folk there." Lilian, however, was incensed that Kath would always deliver her prepared children's address even though invariably there were no children.

David Pratt observes that the Woodcocks had settled in the congregation in the 1930s. They made a huge contribution to the church for over half a century:

> David was Lay preacher, Circuit Steward, Trustee, and for sixty years the representative of the congregation on Parish Meeting. Lilian was school teacher, Sunday School teacher, benefactor, Bible in Schools organiser, and organist. Both David and Lilian were involved in the community as leaders in St John's Ambulance and David in the Camera Club.

Their funerals were significant occasions: Dorothy Martin and Chris Wood led a memorable conversational event for David in June 1992. Lilian was honoured in a great Sunday service for family and congregation nearly twenty years later.

Many families were not as united in their church loyalties as the Woodcocks. But, as in churches of all sizes, one side of many a marriage developed a deep and fulfilling relationship within the Russell church family.

Win Baker

Win was one whose service to the church was a personal affair. She was honoured with special appreciation for her loyal ministry as communion steward for over fifty years. She also contributed to church flowers, church cleaning and leadership of the Methodist Women's Missionary Union, Ladies' Guild and the united Methodist Women's Fellowship.

Interestingly, Win was of part Maori descent in a church and community which was largely pakeha. Her husband, whom some ministers never even met, was the local owner of the wharf store. It is thought that some items of pounamu (greenstone) which he deposited in the Russell museum had come to him in payment of business debts by local Maori.

> The Bakers lived in a cottage just opposite the church on York St. That was convenient for Peter Stead who had come up from Trinity Theological College for the 1949 Christmas holidays and was baching in the vestry. There were quite large crowds of visitors that year. One evening communion service, with a crowded church and people standing outside beneath the windows, there were too many people for the number of small communion glasses the church possessed.

> So part way through distributing the wine, I took the used glasses back to the vestry (my living quarters) and washed them, while Mrs Baker... slipped home, over the road to get some more wine. We then resumed the service.

A few weeks later, Peter told us, the congregation was back to seven—three on one side in the back row and four on the other—also in the back row. In the last decade of the church, the congregation was not usually any larger, but at least they sat at the front, on some occasions even around the communion table.

The King Family

There were three King sisters, who never married. Their mother was for a time a property Trustee. In her later years, Birdie brought her mother to worship in a wheel chair. Nancy had a relevant sense of the local setting and always brought a fish and fishing rod to harvest festival services. Marie helped with youth work and Sunday School and became curator of the Russell Museum. She wrote the booklet for the church's jubilee in 1963 and later became a published contributor to Northland history. Her two sisters died in the Erebus disaster and the embroidered wall hangings to their memory hung in the church to its end and are now loaned to the Russell Museum.

Stewart Partridge was Trustee and secretary of the Property Trust for forty years. It is thought that the parsonage section was purchased from him when his property was subdivided.

Mervyn Arlidge and his wife were associated with the church for nearly seventy years. Mervyn and his brother had been responsible for much of the early development of the Russell-based game fishing industry and could tell many a fishing tale.

An interesting cluster of names associated with the congregation in the late 1940s and early 1950s came from Peter Woodcock. He remembered—

> —the Arlidges, Mervyn and Francis and their many children, some of the Bakers, the Wrights, the Rotherhams, Edwards, Forbes, Jays, Mercer, Sutcliffes, the Kings with their family branches—especially Marie and the Carrs and of course the Williamses—especially "Auntie Daisy".' In my early teens a close friend was Terry Jeffries who would join me in scrounging the bush off Pomare Road to get asparagus fern used to decorate the church for special occasions.

Appreciation

David and Joycelyn look back on the people of their years in Russell with a deep sense of appreciation. David said—

> They made us feel at home when we were far from our family and friends. They included us in their lives and many of them became our friends. Those who were critical, and those who were complimentary of my first efforts in the ministry, taught me some valuable lessons that I have not forgotten.... Not everything happens on Sunday. The ongoing pastoral work and the sharing of friendship and support throughout the week is of inestimable value.

Roger Gibson arrived as first minister to live in the newly built parsonage in Little Queen St, just a block from the church. He and Anne were overwhelmed with the warmth of the hospitality of the members. Other ministers could easily reflect those sentiments from their experience of small congregations in those days, of course, but Russell was always pervaded with a special sense of separation and distinctiveness.

In 1984 the large illuminated wooden cross was installed in the sanctuary by the family of Horace and Daisy Williams and dedicated to the memory of the Williams family. Both Brian Olsen and David Pratt, past ministers, were able to be present at the dedication service. The service and the lunch were also attended by a large group of Williams family relatives.

Recent Decades

In the last three or so decades there were many other people who made a great contribution to the congregation. Increasingly, however, they were people who were retired or semi-retired and not necessarily full-time. People like June Wilkinson, Dorothy Martin and Doris Edwards built holiday homes in Russell in the 1970s and 1980s. When they were in residence, they gave their full support to Sunday services. All three of them brought a wider understanding of more established churches in other places.

When, in turn, they retired north and became permanent members of the congregation they played very creative roles in the life of the parish and the parish council. Dorothy was an outstanding stewardship convener after the very successful mission led by John Langley in 1992 and she was a great loss when she retired again to Whangarei.

Christiana Wood was another Russell member who contributed her skills to the wider parish. She was a meticulous and sensitive stewardship recorder for several years and her descent into Alzhiemer's Disease was particularly poignant. In the final years, as the others aged around them, Ed and Shirley James picked up the role of local conveners for the Russell congregation and made every endeavour to involve themselves on "parish" occasions. It was fitting that Ed was the one who locked the door for the last time during the closing ceremonial.

Even in these days of brisk and reliable ferry services and emergency helicopter evacuations, it is not without seriousness that Russell people still refer to themselves as "overseas" when speaking to friends on the "mainland". Isolation generates cohesiveness in a community and distance from others encourages companionable tolerance in relationships. So it has always been with Russell.

Ageing Family

As with any nuclear family, the congregation matured during the 1990s. Most of the congregation could be described in a kindly way as elderly. They generally relied on ministry and worship leadership from the rest of the Co-operating Parish which was becoming based on Paihia. This particular aspect of the congregation is explored fully in a later chapter. It may include some significant learnings for the contemporary mainstream church.

Insights

Russell's century exemplifies some significant characteristics of the "Family Church" as defined by authorities in church strategy. Various features of such churches are demonstrated in the Russell story.

Family Churches are generally fairly small, perhaps not over 40 participants but sometimes up to 60 or more. In the smaller group everyone knows everyone and there are no strangers in the midst.

The Russell congregation and indeed the church building itself came about as a result of local motivation and initiative. This characteristic of the small Family Church continued to reveal itself from time to time during the century.

Russell, especially in the early years, seems to have given preference to relationships as a technique of decision-making and problem-solving rather than formal procedures such as meetings. In the later decades, meetings were still not given a major place except when required or urged by the distant Circuit or the Connexion.

Interpersonal relationships are generally good in Family Churches. And if they are not there is often tolerance to put up with differences. But even in a church as small and cohesive as Russell, some differences have been held strongly enough for people to leave and for others to gracefully allow them to leave. Parish Council heard from Russell representatives in October 1996—

> It was a sad blow to our congregation when four of our members decided to take some "time out" earlier this year. The result is that within a few months our little congregation of 11 has dwindled to 5.

It was not "time out". The leavers were not able to give the congregation the same latitude of opinion on some theological issues that the members had offered them. Although some remained sympathetic to the cause—and one would do considerable work on the property—they did not return to worship.

Formal structuring of the administrative life of the congregation seems to have been thorough when there was a resident minister. But, with the exception of David Woodcock's own personal files, other periods betray an endearing sense of apathy as to the importance of records. This is not untypical of a Family Church.

Russell has shown a rugged independence throughout its entire life. It was local people who began the first services and while the new Methodist Church of NZ became the body which held title for the property, the role of the trustees under the Model Deed was exercised with vigour and responsibility. Indeed, almost all the members seem to have cherished a sense of involvement and responsibility in their church. With passion and enthusiasm they saw to what needed to be done to keep the services going and to meet the practical needs. And generations that followed still speak with passion of lively experiences.

However, less attractive features of the Family Church are shown in ongoing misunderstanding about the nature of the Model Deed and how local trusteeship was to be exercised under it.

Small churches are also hampered by the lack of access to trained and competent ministry. The devoted services of modestly trained Home Missionaries in the establishment years would not have been a problem if community and church growth had quickly enabled the appointment of a more regular ministry. This did not happen.

The void in ministerial service was filled by a style of patriarchal/matriarchal leadership that was essentially parochial in outlook and style. The very strength of the Family Church tended to nurture a rather "congregationist" understanding of the church.

After Russell failed to fire as an independent unit it was drawn back into a broader geographical association. But its response seems to have become more isolationist rather than less. It was inevitable. The national church's strategy of stipendiary ministry could never match the needs and features of so isolated and so small a community.

The relationships of small churches such as Russell often extend beyond the people who attend. Thus members of the Williams family have claimed relationships with the building as distinct from the active congregation. This anomaly will be shown to have caused some difficulties and perhaps even contributed to the eventual demise of the congregation.

But it is time to move on to another major dimension of Russell's life as a congregation. It is to do with inter-church relationships and cooperation.

### 2 – Ecumenical Church

In the second decade of the 20th Century the modern ecumenical movement was born. Indeed Russell Church was erected within weeks of the final union of the three Methodist branches in this country. It was the first church opened by the new denomination. So, in a sense, Russell was born into the ecumenical age.

Fifty years later another great ecumenical movement was emerging in the country. The Methodist Church membership and their Conference voted strongly for uniting with four other denominations. Local and district ecumenical structures were being initiated and Northland was among the leaders.

Russell was not a particularly dedicated driver of these movements towards organic unity. It was simply un-sectarian, and had been from the beginning. It originally served as a worship home for everyone who was neither Anglican nor Catholic. As a Methodist Home Mission Station or a Circuit it was an entity in its own right and it was quite normal for the membership to be a mix of former denominational loyalties. For a time, the Kerikeri Presbyterian minister led one service a month at Russell.

So it was probably not with much enthusiasm that Russell was drawn into a 1954 "East Coast Commission" which eventually created the vast Bay of Islands Methodist Circuit in 1957. Russell people probably didn't understand some of the implications of this great partnership but the first resident minister, Roger Gibson, wrote about the value of being part of a larger unit and especially the colleagueship available to him—

> My Superintendent in this expansive circuit was Wattie Silvester at Kaikohe, who, together with Henry Kitchingman at Kaeo provided wonderful support and encouragement in these initial years of my ministry.

If some of the locals had some hope that the new strategy might produce more attention from a minister, most of them probably felt a sense of dilution of the distinctive "Russell" quality of their identity. More emphasis on the Methodist link was not necessarily welcomed.

The ecumenical flavour of the congregation would have increased this kind of concern. What had been a strength of this congregation in the days when denominational influence was fairly small, would become a problem as that influence became stronger. Eventually disaffected members from other traditions would seek to establish their own causes in the town—much as the Wesleyan Williams brothers had done in the 1880s.

Functioning Ecumenically

In 1961, the Russell ecumenical commitment was furthered by hosting the Anglican congregation of Christ Church while they had no priest. There is no record of how the displaced congregation felt about this arrangement but we may guess that all was not necessarily well for some of them. However, the host church was obviously delighted to have the Sunday numbers swelled in this way. The Methodists wrote—

>... to say how much we enjoyed this period of worship with your congregation. We would like to know the approval of your Vestry, and the approval of your Vicar of the occasional gathering of combined services in the future.

This seems to have met with a reasonably positive response as, not long afterwards, monthly combined services were set up in Russell. They were at the normal church time but there was usually another denominational service in each church the same day. It was easy for people to join or to stay away from the combined service. The regular Methodist morning congregation was of the order of 20 or so; evenings would have probably been somewhat less. But on the days of the combined service at Christ Church there would be noticeably more Methodists who opted for their own evening service having not attended the combined morning one. The ecumenical commitment did not necessarily run deep in the Russell soul.

When the half-century was honoured with an excellent booklet by Marie King, she commented in fulsome prose—

> The friendly practice of all denominations worshipping together still prevails in Russell, with the present congregation comprising many Methodists and Baptists, Congregationalists and Presbyterians as well, meeting in perfect amity. Long may it be so. May nothing ever invade and spoil this happy and uplifting fellowship.

The fellowship nevertheless was a part of the vast Bay of Islands Circuit. Later the boundaries were changed to relinquish Kaeo-Kerikeri in the north but the Circuit still extended from Russell to Kaikohe and on towards the west coast. The eastern churches of Kawakawa and Moerewa both held weekly evening services. From 1954, Paihia's little church hall on Williams Rd was used once a week. Russell boasted two services a Sunday, morning and evening. Its strengths were in its eclectic people and their local commitment rather than its role in Methodism.

But at least the revised circuit became established without adjusting the appointments of ministers. Russell retained its ministerial agent and such status as that bestowed. But they soon found that "their" minister was spread even more thinly over the extensive parish and the growing pastorate.

Phyllis Olsen spoke of the extent of Brian's ministry in 1964—

> Mostly I remember the short time he spent in Russell. He would leave Monday night or early Tuesday morning to go to Kawakawa, Kaikohe, Waikare, and all places between and be home Saturday for Sunday, then off on our little boat to Paihia. He took our boat as the ferry didn't return after a certain time on Sunday and he had a youth group there.

Somewhere there is a story that is probably apocryphal, that Brian's motor failed while he was returning in their boat on a foggy night. He couldn't start it and, having no oars, he was lucky to be able catch hold of a channel marker and hang onto it until daylight. Phyllis had another very clear memory—

> —of getting a phone call to say he'd flooded the car, fortunately a VW, carrying children through the flooded river at Waikare.... We would have to go to Kaikohe to have it dried out and see what damage had been done.... He rang to give me barely enough time to get clothes and food ready for two babies.

Brian wasn't, she observed, the most patient of men when family needs cut across the expectations of ministry.

Pulpit Exchanges

In the Bay of Islands Methodist Circuit there were cross-boundary arrangements that enabled some ecumenical exchange of worship leaders. In the 1960s, Methodists and Presbyterians entered into a formal arrangement whereby the Presbyterian minister from Kerikeri led worship at Paihia from time to time. Russell was, of course, already hosting Presbyterian supporters as "Reciprocal Members" (technically, that is—they may well have not bothered to make the nice distinction implied in that status). But they, too, had occasional visits from the Presbyterian minister. The very high turnover of the population of about 600 in Russell tended to work against the establishment of a strictly denominational presence. Newcomers threw their weight behind the congregation of their choice and, as would become more common after the 1980s, they were not too worried about the denominational label.

An interesting minute in 1956 informs us that the Kaikohe Baptist minister met with the Russell Leaders and suggested that the Baptists conduct a monthly service on each fourth Sunday morning at Russell. It was decided that Rev Wattie Sylvester should negotiate and confirm the arrangements. It seems that leaving the matter in the hands of the trained and ordained superintendent of the Methodist circuit may have been the kiss of death. At any rate, there is no mention of such a pulpit exchange again. The superintendent was, along with the trustees, responsible for who could or could not preach in a Methodist church. But was there perhaps some resentment that once more the mainland was slow to identify with the ecumenical dynamic of the Russell situation?

This lessening of the strength of denominational ties, together with the 1968 Act of Commitment by which five denominations agreed to seek a basis of Union, had further repercussions in the north. Informal arrangements encouraged members to participate in churches in their local communities rather than travel to a denominational service elsewhere. So, when the Presbyterians negotiated with the "Negotiating Churches" to open a new cause in Moerewa there was an understanding that they would have primary responsibility for that area. A corollary was that Presbyterians in Kawakawa would be encouraged to throw in their lot with the Methodists. In the spirit of the day, most members went along with these arrangements. A later development would see all three Kawakawa congregations working together in the Anglican church, an uneasy relationship that was not to survive the first optimistic decade of the Cooperation Parish that would shortly be constituted in 1973.

Throughout these informal developments of combined local work, and the sometimes testing times that they produced, Russell just continued doing what it did in 1913. It brought together all those villagers who did not wish to identify with the Anglican or Roman Catholic causes. Ecumenism at that practical level was their bread and butter as it had been for half a century. At the same time, Russell was also drawn into some formal combined activities, especially when the clergy themselves were of a mind. David Pratt took up appointment in Russell in 1967 when there had been another Methodist re-arrangement—

>...it fell to me to be the minister at Russell. Rev Murray Mills (later Bishop of Waiapu), the Anglican priest and I shared in many ecumenical services. Our first son Sean was baptised by Murray in the historic Anglican church at Russell at an ecumenical service.

Ecumenical Parish

By 1957 the Methodist Church had been in Church Union discussion with three other denominations and they held a series of votes on the principle. Soon after this very affirming vote, there were conversations in the Bay of Islands Circuit about some kind of ecumenical dream. On the 27 April 1961 the Quarterly Meeting minutes record the first initiatives towards Church Union in Northland.

> It is moved that an area of Union Parishes be formed in Northland on an experimental basis; making 8 or 9 Union Parishes.

In 1963 the Parish Council minutes record another discussion regarding the formation of a Union Parish. But all was not yet plain sailing. A letter was received from the Kaikohe Presbytery declining from entering into any discussions regarding Church Union at a local level. They preferred to wait for national Church Union to take place. But the strong feeling amongst Methodists was that Church Union nationally was coming and that the Northland area would do well to plan ahead and be prepared.

Presbyterians in Kerikeri and Moerewa had only fairly recently moved into the region to plant churches as part of the national "New Life" movement. They were sympathetic about cooperation but unsure of the implications for their relatively new congregations.

Waitangi Consultation

In 1969 there was a significant gathering. Northland Churches were closely involved in several ecumenical ventures because the territory demanded it. There also considerable expectation that the "Plan For Union" of 1967 would soon become a reality.

With this in mind the district leaders of the denominations called a representative consultation to consider how the Plan for Union could be implemented in Northland. The intention was seriously to "consider the effectiveness of ministry in the North." Their task was to recommend an ecumenical plan of action to bring local churches closer together throughout the region.

But there would be major stumbling blocks. The Anglican denomination was a late starter in the Union negotiations and it had particular theological and ecclesiastical issues to consider. David Pratt remembers—

> At the Waitangi consultation, Bishop Eric Gowing was explaining how Anglicans could not receive communion at non-Anglican hands and Anglicans could not give the eucharist to non-Anglican people. George Barke stood and said to the Bishop, "You served me communion last night at Kawakawa" to which the response was, "I did it in error".

Dave Mullan comments that in Panmure, in that year, the future Bishops Gilberd and Moore both gave communion to Methodists and Presbyterians at a routine local service. Bishop Gowing's unbending ruling at Waitangi was that any Methodist would have to be licensed to serve Anglicans in a Cooperating Parish. And he would not license people who had not been episcopally ordained. The Waitangi consultation set out to demonstrate that the denominations were committed to joint work. But the Anglicans, by virtue of their constitution, were committed only on their terms.

Throughout all its discussions and plans, the Waitangi Consultation failed to impact greatly on Russell. Its findings meant no change for them until the South Bay of Islands Cooperating Parish actually came into being in 1974.

The catalyst for this development was another more focussed meeting which gathered in response to disappointment at the lack of progress towards the formation of Co-operating Ventures in Northland. Of particular concern was the Bay of Islands area where the Methodist Parish was in a "precarious financial position". Difficulties for the Methodists were felt to be: the drop in preaching places; a loss of income and financial support, and a loss of worship leadership. Clearly, there was concern that the region should be treated as a whole. But Kaikohe still declined to be involved in the strategy so only two parishes were put in place: Kaeo-Kerikeri and South Bay of Islands. The latter now covered from Russell to Pakaraka and, with the inclusion of some Anglicans and all Presbyterians and Methodists, seemed to be a viable and practicable arrangement.

In 1973 the Northern Advocate newspaper was able to report the setting up of the new Parish Council—

> The meeting of Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian parishioners, chaired by Archdeacon H.G. Bowers of Whangarei, was called to form a council in preparation for a combined churches minister, who will take control of the area early next year. The uniting parishioners decided to call themselves The South Bay of Islands Parish. The three senior laymen elected were Mr Wahi Carrington, Mr Alan Dening, and Mr George Barke.

The paper went on to say that David Woodcock of Russell was elected to the parish council. Perhaps this specific reference alluded to the reality that Russell was not much involved in administrative life in the Methodist Circuit.

This new parish was a huge and complicated alliance and the details took some time to sort out. Although a few Union Parishes had been around since 1948, ventures involving Anglicans required special provisions for the ministry of Holy Communion. When it was eventually finished, the Bay of Islands agreement gave official sanction to the wide range of cooperative ministry work that was already taking place across most of the region. By now the properties were all properly assessed and the valuations recorded. Details of ministry were particularly complex because the entire Anglican Maori work of the region was included. But the document was duly signed. In 1973-74 it was one of the first Cooperative Ventures to involve Anglicans. Sadly, within a few years it would be the first in the country to be dissolved.

However, when the South BOI Cooperating Parish was launched, Russell Methodist Church found itself once more left to fulfil an ecumenical role all by itself. Christ Church Anglicans had declined to be involved. Understandably, they, along with Paihia Anglicans, considered themselves to have distinctive, heritage-related Anglican responsibilities that would seem to be muted in a cooperative venture.

Worse, Russell Methodists, would lose the privilege of hosting one of the parish ministers. Within a couple of years their parsonage would become redundant. Clearly, this would provide much-needed funds for maintenance and for co-operating parish income. But for the small outpost of ecumenism in the Bay of Islands losing their resident minister was discouraging.

More Ecumenical Challenges

The new parish not only was unable to have much impact in Russell, it also faced great challenges itself. After the original clergy had moved on there were difficulties finding the right people for this extraordinarily complex ecumenical mix.

At various times the denominational churches seemed unable to make suitable appointments. This was complicated by the requirement that there must always be an ordained Anglican to ensure that the Communion was properly observed. During vacancies, retired clergy, lay preachers, and lay readers kept the services of the parish viable. A parish annual report reads that the situation was not satisfactory—

>....the parish must have a full-time ministry and nothing less. Part time ministry can never hope to provide the pastoral care that is urgently needed in this parish. We are doing our very best but only scratching the surface.

Significantly, however, it noted that Russell nevertheless seems to be working well—

> Russell has made great progress in its pastoral work thanks to the drive of the Rev Ron Yardly and a small dedicated group of workers.

Ron was a retired minister from Australia and seems to have been based at Russell for some time. His departure to return to Australia was much lamented.

Another annual report noted—

>...adult and children's baptisms have been held, and consultations are being held between Anglicans and Methodists regarding joint worship services.

The latter development was probably more a response to the desperate shortage of worship leaders than a sign of passionate ecumenism. Christ Church's decision to remain outside the 1974 South Bay of Islands union no doubt created as many problems for them as it did for the larger parish.

Tikanga Maori

The issues for all parties were highlighted by Anglican initiatives towards establishing a bicultural and multicultural expression of its life. It would be no longer acceptable for Maori Pastorates to be merged with pakeha institutions, as they were in South Bay of Islands. Joint Maori/Pakeha congregations and shared ministry of the style offered by Mark Mete who was fluent in Te Reo would become unacceptable. But the potential loss of the Maori Pastorate element triggered—

>...uncertainty in the parish regarding the future support of Anglican Maori members as the Anglican Church goes through the processes of establishing Tikanga Maori.

Some of the parish officers would have been aware that Methodist Maori work had several years earlier opted for a distinctive style of church life rather than a kind of assimilation into pakeha congregations. They should hardly have been surprised that the awakening awareness of biculturalism throughout the country might lead Anglicans to do the same. But the outcome was that Maori members and churches of South Bay of Islands Cooperating Parish were reconstituted as the Waimate Taumarere Maori Pastorate.

Anglicans had formerly ministered to Maori and Pakeha together, mainly through the provision of shared clergy who could minister effectively with Maori, using Te Reo. The full cost of these parish clergy would soon devolve onto the remaining elements of the Cooperating Parish.

In 1982 Bishop Ted Buckle met with parish leaders in a public meeting at Moerewa Church on 29 August. The intention was to decide the future of Pakeha Anglicans in the Co-operating Parish. But clearly there were other issues at stake. The combined congregation at Kawakawa met in the Anglican Church and the Methodist property had been sold. But the combined congregation was by no means happy. The upshot was that the Bishop initiated the withdrawal of the Kawakawa Anglican congregation from the Cooperation. In 1982, South Bay of Islands became the very first Cooperating Venture in the country to be dissolved.

The resulting financial viability of the Presbyterian-Methodist component was threatened. There were understandable difficulties in finding a minister. It was not until 1983 that Rev Bruce Patterson was appointed. His was an incredibly daunting task, not always made easier by the attitudes of some members.

Conservative Element

While many parishioners were informed about denominational matters and aware of contemporary theological insights, there were some quite conservative members of both denominations. The lack of regular oversight by trained clergy and spasmodic participation in meetings and worship often resulted in many people not updating their theological understanding. Some of them had been strengthened in their views by the recent Billy Graham Crusades. Many felt that Methodist students and probationers straight from a liberal Trinity College training course were not able to relate effectively to their experience. Given that Northland seemed more prepared to spawn small conservative congregations than consolidate the work of mainline denominations, the ecumenical movement did not commend itself to some people. Perhaps they felt that it was imposed from outside by denominational church leaders.

In the uncertainty of re-establishing a complex cooperative parish, and the huge financial pressures of meeting the budget, many members drifted off to other, smaller, groupings. This and a natural movement of population from Northland to the cities in the 1980s resulted in a static membership. A continual small flow of new members was only enough to balance the losses.

Members leave

In 1983, as the parish was establishing a full-time ministry after a year's vacancy, the ecumenical flavour of Russell Church was dramatically changed forever. The annual report from Russell says—

> The disappointing news is that five of our new members have decided to leave and join up with the newly established Baptist Church. This leaves us with a basis of only thirteen members.

We note that these resignations were of "new" members; but we do not know if they arrived in Russell by transfer or were unchurched locals who had been drawn into church life. Perhaps they were really unhappy with the uniting congregation; or they were simply persuaded to make a commitment to a tradition in which they were more at home. Either way, their loss had a significant impact at the time and the presence of the newly established Baptist Church would continue to impact on the ecumenical flavour of Russell Methodism.

We may note that the establishment of Russell Baptist Church was part of a strategy by which that denomination set out to raise one hundred new congregations in a decade. They probably did not achieve their full target. But where their new churches were planted, existing congregations, especially Methodist, were inevitably affected. Russell was not the only Methodist cause to suffer substantial collateral damage when a new Baptist cause opened in the neighbourhood.

A generation after the Baptists moved into Russell, the closure of the Methodist cause would reflect a little of the depth of that loss. That the church building would then be bought by the Baptists is as ironic in retrospect as it was satisfying at the time. Given that the strategy for attempting a Methodist cause in Paihia in 1938 must have had some effect on the Anglican work there, the Baptists can hardly be accused of a "sheep-stealing" strategy in 1983. But the reality is that they benefited by more than a quarter of Russell Methodist membership.

The loss of such a significant proportion of the Russell Methodist Membership might have been a disaster. Indeed, some thought it was. But the depth of commitment to each other and to the local community ran deeper than that. The membership persevered and they continued to participate in inter-church events right through to the end of their century.

Insights

Russell Church offers some interesting examples of the ecumenical movement in action.

The congregation was firmly placed under the Wesleyan/Methodist umbrella of legal respectability from its inception. It was never a loose confederation of interested people. But their membership reflected the cosmopolitan nature of the town. Denominational loyalties were never strong as the congregation set about the business of being all things to all people who chose to join. This fundamental and practical approach to ecumenism was expressed at various times in different ways.

For most of its life, the congregation relied on the wider church for resources for mission and ministry. It was not, like many community churches in later years, independent and totally self-governing. It exercised its place in a wider organisation. Indeed, it was never slow to use this relationship to press for more assistance.

However, its relative independence was seriously reduced by being absorbed into the new BOI Methodist Circuit in 1957 and again when the Cooperating Parishes were formed in 1973 and 1982. These events reflect an ecumenical approach of resignation and acceptance rather than passionate enthusiasm.

Russell was ready and willing to share worship services with the congregation of Christ Church. For a small congregation, this involved some sacrifice, not always demonstrated by all members. Since the arrival of other congregations in town and firmer linkages to the mainland, the congregation has shared in other occasional opportunities of local ecumenical events.

Although born into the age of ecumenism and exemplifying this in the plurality of its membership, Russell Church never surrendered itself totally to the ecumenical vision of the wider denominations. Its sense of working together for a common cause was much more successfully expressed in its relationships with its local community.

### 3 — Silent Church

There is no such term in any list of the kinds of character a congregation may exhibit. We have created it to acknowledge the silence in the records for a large part of the life of Russell Church. This is especially true of the first decades of the congregation. The Jubilee booklet obviously had access to some material which is now lost to us but provides a general overview of life.

We said earlier that the character of a congregation is analogous to the character of a person. And there are some individuals who go about their life quietly and without drawing attention to themselves. One of them may live just as full a life as any other who is making a great deal more noise. Such a congregation is Russell during most of the middle years of its life.

Part of the silence is simply due to the lack of records for a large period. Only some financial records have survived. The only detailed information from the very early decades relates to matters of finance.

Accounts

During 1912, contributions and donations were sought and received from friends and relatives in Russell and further afield. From Woodhill Hall in Staffordshire came a cheery note of goodwill accompanied by a cheque. This was in pounds sterling, not much of a novelty in those days although currency was already being issued by the half-dozen major banks in the country.

The same year the Methodist Church Connexional Office was asked to contribute to the project: alas, funds were short and the Trust was advised to apply again in twelve months. It is not clear if another application was successful; perhaps private loans filled the gap.

For successive years after the opening of the church there are a number of financial statements. They generally show healthy credit balances and a continuing income from donations and subscriptions. What the financials do not so clearly show is the picture of what church life was like. But we can make some clear inferences by noting the movements of funds in and out.

There is, for instance, a complete set of accounts for the year ending 30 Sep 1913, the year of the church's opening. In that period two loans of £50 and a gift of £25 are paid into the account. Collections on Opening Day in April are £1/3/6—a modest enough amount for this celebratory occasion. Even the Sunday School contributed 14/6. Each month there are deposits called "subscriptions", presumably the fore-runners of the stewardship disciplines of the 1960s.

On the payments side of those first accounts are the amounts made over to the contractor and, notably, the insurance premium for the year: £1/4/11. Even generously corrected for inflation, many a New Zealand church would be delighted with a premium of that size as they face post-earthquake insurance premiums in 2014.

As in almost every Methodist church for many decades, a special collection was held at the annual anniversary day celebration—hopefully, some of these did better than the opening day. The community had a regatta every year and the women of the church held a stall in 1914 producing £13/17/0. The accounts suggest that this stall became an annual project for the ladies and a steady contributor to the church's debt and ongoing expenses.

Individual donations, apart from the Sunday collections, appear in the accounts. A Mr Stone made a regular donation of £5 every year. Thus, year by year, without a fuss, the various loans for the building of the Russell church—some of them private and interest-free—were reduced and the regular affairs of the congregation paid for.

Horace S Williams, a nephew of the Horace who instigated the building project, was partner of the general merchants store of Williams and Anderson. He invoiced the Trust carefully for a number of items: there were kerosene for the lights, lamp glasses and other items. His partner in business during this time was also the church Trust secretary.

From the Jubilee booklet we learn of one interesting event that was held in the Russell Town Hall in July 1913. This was a lecture and illustrated talk with "Limelight Views," given by Home Missionary RP Keall with a "magic lantern" slide projector. We are told his topics were "1000 miles up the Congo" or "India and its people". These were commonly available for local churches to borrow from the national offices. Seventy-five millimetre square glass slides of this kind are still in the Methodist Archives a century later.

The 1920s also provide us with a little information on what is otherwise unreported in the life of the "silent" congregation:

1927—There's a £15 bill for roof repairs; was this when the original bell tower was damaged in a gale? The same year a special effort raised £20 for a fence around the church. There is also an invoice for £5 for lighting. Wicks and kerosene were an ongoing expense, of course

1928—Horace Williams claimed 15/1 for provision of the notice board. A replacement in 1954 was £5. One for Paihia in 2012 cost $1300. Back in the 1920s it was £15 to install electric lighting. This substantial amount would be offset from savings in kerosene lamp supplies. The opportunity was taken to improve lighting in the sanctuary.

The 1930s are another decade in which the financial records are about all that can speak to us about the silent church. But they hold two or three gems.

1930 The new fence requires £10/15/- worth of repairs. That's half the cost of erecting it three years earlier—what happened to it, we wonder? The same year, screens are provided for the choir; did they have a modesty problem?

1936 The York St hall is insured as a Hotel Bar and Billiard Saloon and the church paid for the premium. This must have been one of the first times a Methodist property was involved with a liquor licence of any kind!

1937 A bequest of some £200 is received from the Mary E Trounson estate. Mary also left £200 to Dargaville church where she had grown up. Mary was the unmarried daughter of a well-known Northland Methodist couple of Dargaville and later Auckland. James and his second wife initiated the James and Martha Trounson Trust which still assists Methodist lay people in financial need. The far-sighted James had gifted land for Trounson Kauri Park before Waipoua Kauri Forest reserve was conceived.

Russell initially dipped into Mary's bequest in 1935 for 48 copies of the new Methodist Hymn Book which had just become available. After the war the rest of the fund was extinguished in the purchase of the York St hall. It was of inestimable help to the church and we can only presume that Mary had more than a casual acquaintance with Russell. She does not seem to have been a permanent member of the church at any time.

Paihia

In 1994 Rev WF (Bill) Francis confided to Dave Mullan that he was the first Methodist to conduct a service in Paihia. In about 1938 he was at Russell, presumably doing a student supply during his theological training at Trinity College. The details are now vague but he seems to have taken the first initiative to cross to Paihia. He visited a few people who were known to be nominally interested in things Methodist and he conducted some services. But, like much else in the "silent" period of Russell's story, there is no record of what happened or what other visits followed. It would probably be another decade before Paihia was seriously canvassed, again by a vacation supply student, Peter Stead.

From the 1940s we are less dependent on the financial statements for surveying the Russell congregation's life. Apart from acquiring the York St hall, there is another big step forward in local facilities in 1948. But this time the initiative does not come from the local Trust but from the Circuit Quarterly Meeting. They recommended to the Trust that an electric boiler, a sink and bench, and lavatory convenience be installed in the social hall. Evidently, the meeting on the mainland felt the matter was so urgent that they added—

> In the event of delays the Circuit Stewards were authorised to purchase the boiler on behalf of the trustees.

This sounds a bit heavy-handed. Did they not trust the trustees to do it promptly? Or was there a strong difference of opinion as to the need? In the event, the facilities were improved and the "long-drop" toilets became a topic of conversation for every visitor to Russell church. It was something of a historical loss when they disappeared with the hall itself over one weekend half a century later.

Attitudes to money

We do not have a clear picture of how financial matters were managed in Russell. Much of the time the congregation was linked with the wider Bay of Islands church so we may assume its affairs were generally carried on in line with Methodist practice. But we can identify hints of a congregationist attitude to church funds that is not particularly Methodist.

However, people were generally quite careful with the church's money: in 1965 an invoice for mower repairs includes no fewer than 18 lines to describe exactly what was done.

Sunday School Donations

In 1933, a time when finances for churches and their members would have been somewhat under stress to meet their internal costs, the Sunday School records show that donations were made to "Children's Summer Camps" and "Taranaki Girls' College". The former is not identifiable but the latter was probably for the Methodist Kurahuna Girls' College as a result of a routine appeal made throughout the denomination. From the remote Russell peninsula the recordist may simply not have understood the significance of the correct name.

There's another donation to the "Mobile Sunday School" which, like "Children's Summer Camps", does not appear to be a local or circuit organisation. Of course, in 1933, as indeed, today, any appeal for something for children was likely to get a sympathetic response.

Russell Funds

A really interesting entry is a payment of £50 into the Methodist Circuit Fund. Other Methodist churches of the time would probably have understood it to be their "dues" for the privilege of belonging. But from a healthy distance across the water the Russell Treasurer describes it as a "donation", implicitly demonstrating a perception of some separateness between Russell and the rest of the circuit.

Of course, traditional Methodism maintained careful financial separation between the temporal affairs of the local Board of Trustees and its properties and the "spiritual" life of the congregation. Separate meetings governed each body; but only the Trustees were locally autonomous. Other local funds and groups were not uncommon, even through until the 1960s. But the presence of a Sunday School Fund with the capacity to make donations beyond its own needs in the 1930s reflects a strong sense of local responsibility in the eyes of the members. The entrepreneurial spirit of the founders of the congregation and its building would enhance this local initiative; the remoteness of the Russell community from the rest of the circuit would make it easy.

Given that the offerings on Sunday were probably directed to the circuit account, we venture to suggest that the Russell Sunday School account was used as the congregation's way of responding to need as they saw it. It was a way of having their own hands on some of the money. So the circuit seems to be regarded by the Sunday School fund as just another outside organisation, worthy of their occasional generosity.

Another local enterprise on which the locals had a firm hold was the organ fund. We do not know which organ but the organ of the 1990s was found to be a quite good condition when surveyed by Roy Tankersley so it is not likely to be the subject of anxious concern in the early 1930s. In 1937 it was decided to set up an Organ Fund. Later David Woodcock was charged with keeping the accounts and seeing that the organ was maintained. We are told that the fund was maintained by personal donations and from "funds raised at socials and concerts".

In 1980 the Russell Methodist Property Committee still maintained a firm separation from the Co-operating Parish accounts. It made a "donation" of $500 to the parish. The reality of this seemingly unparochial approach was that the Trust had rental income from its redundant parsonage. It was probably in a better financial position than the entire parish at the time.

Certainly the parish council meeting recorded, in some concern at its finances—

> We look to our own parishioners for increased income through regular committed giving.

It was a sound view. The practice of organised Christian Stewardship in the 1950s and 1960s was supposed to have done away with the kind of local funding initiative so characteristic of Russell. The flow of monthly "special appeals" for national and district Methodist bodies was supposed to have ceased. Members were to make one, substantial commitment for all their giving to church work. The national church would set up a "Connexional Budget: to eliminate the need for special efforts every month. The programme was jocularly described as "putting all your begs in one asket". In 1957 E.W.Hames half-seriously criticised it as "taking all the fun out of giving".

For a small, remote congregation, Russell people evidently got some fun out of their giving. They raised funds with social events. They presented musical and choral concerts. They hosted visits of church dignatories. And they provided these entertainments not just for their own constituency but for the whole town. The records are silent on most of the events. But the financial statements of the early decades suggest a vitality and independence that characterised the church for most of the first half-century.

Challenges

Ironically, the realisation of the dream of a resident minister began a period of great anxiety about finances. By the mid-1960s the Bay of Islands Methodist circuit was still extensive, including eight or ten centres. The most obvious sign of financial over-commitment was that at the same time as endeavouring to support a second appointment at Russell, the circuit was putting considerable effort into the development of the Te Rongopai Centre at Kaikohe, jointly with the Maori Methodist people. There is no doubt that these parallel developments created additional pressures of leadership and finance.

Therefore, it was quite an achievement that in the Parish Quarterly Meeting Minutes, 20 Oct 1964 , record a credit balance of ¤63 , the first credit balance for many years. And four years later the minutes joyfully announced that the Bay of Islands had achieved its targeted support for the services and mission of the Methodist Connexion.

Independence

Fifty years after Russell made its "donation" to the Circuit account the Russell congregation no longer enjoyed their source of private income through the Sunday School or the Trust or the organ or choir funds. But they still thought it was quite all right to help themselves to "tea and bikkie" money out of the Sunday offering before banking the rest into the parish account.

And the Parish Council Minutes of November 1990 note that the faithful recorder of the Russell offerings took the cash home for the family housekeeping and mailed the parish treasurer a personal cheque for the amount (There were no banking facilities in Russell at that time). Presumably this note gave some sanction to a somewhat idiosyncratic procedure. In a year or two the parish auditor would include this among some thirteen trenchant criticisms of how the parish handled its financial affairs.

Insights

There are some things for us all to learn about keeping of official records. Not much could be found for this period except some fairly detailed financial information. But this was not part of any official archive. It was squirreled away by David Woodcock in his home. When he became incapable of looking after it in the 1990s, Lilian asked the minister of the time what should be done with it. It was quickly uplifted, sorted, indexed and lodged with the official Methodist archives.

It should be noted that as Russell was part of the Cooperating Parish at that time this was not strictly the correct place for such lodgement. But it was judged that the long relationship of Russell with the Methodist Church justified this action. The deposit also prompted the proper sorting of the respective records of the various components of the greater Bay of Islands which had become scrambled in the Auckland Methodist Archives.

Other stories of Russell's "silent" years will be told in other parts of this record. Its people engaged with the needs of their age with diligence and devotion. It was as though they had covenanted with the community in a mutual bond not unlike that of a marriage.

The fact that the records for several decades are quite sparse does not detract from the impression of a lively little fellowship who had found their place in the world. By the grace of God, they would fulfil their destiny in it.

### 4 — Sunday School Church

It seems that the Russell Methodists had a template in their minds of the shape that local Methodist church life should take. That vision included; church buildings, parsonage, Trust and Leaders' Meetings, lively women's groups, an appointed full-time minister, and a Sunday School and youth group. It is to this last category that we now turn.

Sunday Schools were a central feature of the life of every mainline church in the first half of the twentieth century. Suburban churches with quite small membership sometimes had Sunday School enrolments of five or six times the adult membership. The work was carried out with passion and commitment in the belief that a large Sunday School would contribute to a healthy congregation. The big feature of the year was the Sunday School Anniversary for which the children might have to practice for several weeks. It marked the end of the year and promotion through the classes would be celebrated.

Features

Records show that right from the beginning of the Methodist dream there were children's programmes in Russell. As far as possible, these emulated the great programmes of the suburban churches and their larger clientele. In 1938 the Leaders' Meeting report states, presumably with some satisfaction;

> Seven children sat the Sunday School Union examinations, obtaining one prize, five first class passes, and one pass.

Even in those days there were some people who had misgivings about having examinations for Sunday School Children. But at least the leaders were taking the children's programme seriously.

Children's classes of various kinds were also organised in outlying communities. There was a Bible in Schools programme operating in Opua School in 1938. By 1939 this had developed into a Sunday School held in a private home, and services were started at Opua that same year.

In 1947-48 New Zealand suffered a polio epidemic. This greatly affected children; indeed, the disease was referred to as infantile paralysis. All schools were closed for extended summer holidays. Children were not permitted to gather, and were not allowed to attend public functions. Thus the Sunday School was closed and the youth group went into recess. But after the epidemic the Sunday School and youth groups were revived.

By 1952 the work was financial enough to contribute £1 to the hymn book fund, and in 1953 it is reported that the Sunday School had 26 scholars and seven teachers. By 1956 these numbers had grown to 37 scholars, but only five teachers, with an average attendance of 31.

During the 1960s this lively Sunday School programme continued. Supplies were still being purchased from the Auckland Sunday School Union whose examinations were also used. Some of the congregation made regular or monthly donations to the Sunday School funds, often anonymously. Distribution of the children's missionary newspaper Lotu and the Sunday School Herald were made to teachers and pupils. There were donations made to various organisations and the Methodist Circuit fund.

At the end of year book prizes were given for church attendance. Members of the congregation were asked to contribute to this cost.

Junior Members

The concept of Junior Membership was introduced nationally in the late 1930s when it was becoming apparent that there was beginning to be significant slippage between the numbers in the burgeoning Sunday School movement and adult membership. There were great hopes that this status would smooth the path from Sunday School and Bible Class into adult membership. Congregations were encouraged to have formal reception services for such young people and an order of service was published. Not many people remember it.

Your authors would have completely overlooked this feature of mid-20th Century Methodism if they had not discovered in the records a specific reference. It seems that even isolated Russell had a roll of Junior Members. A 1937 report lists Sunday Schools in Russell and Opua and a Bible Class commenced at Opua. The report goes on—

> Church Membership:

> Senior—22, Junior—13, Infant —5

This last statistic, of course, would be the "Cradle Roll" and listed the number of babies who had been baptised and not yet enrolled in the Sunday School. In those days the denomination made a determined effort to keep track of its people "from the cradle to the grave".

A decade later, we have a picture of Sunday Services from Peter Woodcock. As a Sunday School scholar at the time he remembers the impact of the wide range of people who led worship at Russell—

> Most of us would stay on after Sunday School for the main service in which we had an amazing variety of either resident or itinerant preachers. The provision of a manse allowed for more of the former but in summer we could expect many different offerings and though the memories are dim, some made a personal impact. We would find a good excuse for a smothered giggle when one visiting though fairly regular preacher brought in his war-time experiences in Vella Lavella. The exotic name tripped off his tongue quite frequently much to our delight.

He was talking, of course, of Rev E.C.Leadley, whose son Frank was back in the Bay of Islands Parish for the last three or more decades of the Russell Church.

Choir

As in most Methodist churches, singing was central to expression of worship and even small congregations seemed to be able to fill the space with joyful sound. In 1935 the contribution made by the (senior) choir justified the purchase of eleven music copies of Alexander Hymnal No 3 for their use. A few years later there was a Junior Choir. Peter Woodcock told us of great days in the 1940s with the junior choir of eight to ten children.

> Under Aunt Daisy's patient tutelage they warbled part songs from Jubilate and led the hymn singing. All to the accompaniment of the wheezy old foot-pedal organ. It was all good fun with Friday night practices providing a sound grounding in reading the music and holding parts.

There were picnics and socials. After World War II social events were held each month. In 1952 the Sunday School social contributed to the hymnbook fund. Each year there was Christmas carol singing.

Ecumenical Sunday School

In 1967 a decision was made which it was hoped would ameliorate the Sunday School leadership situation and provide a more stable Christian education programme for children. Following a successful series of combined services it was agreed to combine the Anglican and Methodist Sunday Schools in Russell. This was seen as a way of meeting the continuing shortage of teachers and of providing better programmes particularly for older children and teenagers. In February 1968 the idea came to fruition. The combined Sunday School met at 10am in the Anglican Hall. The teachers were, Mrs Barclay, (Superintendent and Senior class teacher,) Mrs Sutcliffe, (Junior class,) Mrs Pratt (Primary class.) But finding teachers for Sunday School continued to be difficult.

The problems continued as before: when children grew older and required good education, families moved to Whangarei and Auckland. Often mothers were obligated to teach in the Sunday School but lacked the confidence required to teach well. Another problem was the long holiday period in December January. Children would go with their fathers on the boats. These problems became so serious that this ecumenical arrangement folded after only one year. The Combined Churches Sunday School, formed in February 1968 had declined by the end of the year and did not restart in 1969.

Bible Class and Youth Groups.

Occasionally the parish was able to find leadership for the formation of a youth group or Bible Class. It is reported that at Opua in 1936 a Bible class was formed. It met in the Opua School and had 11 members. On another occasion a Bible study group for young people was formed at Opua Landing, in the hope that this would lead to a regular Sunday service.

In 1946, because of the number of children and young people in Russell it was decided to start a youth club and proposed rules for a Methodist Young People's Club were submitted to and approved by the Quarterly Meeting.

> It is considered that it is necessary to have a religious atmosphere, and that a prayer be said, and a hymn be sung at some time during the evening. The club should meet on a Sunday or a Tuesday evening. As decided by the youth.

At the next Quarterly Meeting on 8 Oct, it is reported that the young people decided to meet on a Friday evening. Also reported is the concern that complaints had been received regarding the noise of the club. After discussion it was agreed—

> That the Young People's Club be asked to have better discipline at its meetings.

The problem of youth club noise levels arose again in 1956 and on this occasion the response was that the "youth leaders should have a talk with the young people". Best of luck, we thought...

In April 1962 the Parish Council minutes reported that a Bible Class had been formed once again at Russell. Sadly, just as often, the minutes heard a report that the Bible Class had gone into recess for lack of pupils or leaders. This was often a result of families moving away from Russell to centres with good secondary schools.

Some sections of the records available show that there were leaders who took the formation of a youth group very seriously. In 1937 Marie King became the first leader in Northland to complete the Bible Class Leaders' Course examinations with honours. The Leaders' Meeting wrote congratulating her.

Rona Wark offered a contribution for the closing service in 2013; it illustrates the significance of inter-generational activities for children and young people in the family setting—

One of my favourite memories is of a camp at Opito Bay, over the hill from Long Beach. My parents Daisy and Horace loaded a trunk of food into their dinghy and motored around to Opito while all the youth club members tramped over the hills and set up the tents. The highlight was Horace Williams (Pop, as he was known) diving into the breakers. It was the first and last time he was seen swimming!

Community Youth

In 1968 David Pratt realised that there was a need in Russell to provide an interest for growing lads. The possibility of forming a Boys' Brigade was considered until it was learned that there had been previously a Sea Scout Group. They had owned a cutter that had been built by a local boat builder Bob McMillan, but later when the group went into recess, sold to the Paihia Sea Scout Group, but never paid for—

> We began to look at the possibility of repossession. Graham Wright, the other scout leader, and I could not find anyone who was currently responsible for Paihia Sea Scouts. So we went to Paihia, raided the Sea Scout den, and had the cutter towed back to Russell by Fullers Launch Services. We never heard any more about the ownership, and we went on to enjoy many camping weekends with boys who joined the Russell Sea Scouts.

When the Cook Bi-Centenary was celebrated in the Bay of Islands it was the Russell Sea Scout group with their cutter, who rowed the landing party ashore at the re-enactment.

District Events

There was an Easter youth camp held at long beach, and as a result the Northland District seriously looked at a site at Long Beach for a permanent camp site. But it was not to be as the district already owned a site at Glink's Gully on the West Coast. On another occasion the Whangarei Christian Youth Movement Methodist or CYMM came to the Bay for an overnight launch trip, and invited Russell and Paihia youth groups to share the occasion with them.

Challenges

There were many difficulties as the congregation tried to provide programmes for children and young people. There was no lack of enthusiasm and conviction among the leaders of the congregation. But there were particular difficulties relating to Russell's special situation and we have identified some of them.

Leadership

Finding trained leadership and teachers for the Sunday School and youth groups was a continuing problem. The difficulties were exacerbated by the fact that Russell had a surprisingly mobile population. Young people came to Russell for work in the fishing, tourism and boat building industries. But in the course of time these young people became young families, and young families sooner or later require good education. This was to be found in the more established centres of Whangarei or Auckland. So young families, Sunday School pupils and teachers, regularly moved away from Russell, back to the main centres further south. This resulted in Sunday School teachers and youth leaders being hard to find on a committed long term basis. Leadership and numbers of children attending were in continual fluctuation.

In a typical year there were 28 pupils, four teachers and the average weekly attendance was 16 pupils. And often mothers agreed to stand in and help but lacked the confidence required to teach well. And invariably the minister's wife became involved in Sunday School leadership. In 1959 Mrs Gibson was working in the Sunday School and arranging functions for Sunday School mothers at the parsonage. In 1968 Joycelyn Pratt was a teacher in the Ecumenical Sunday School.

Isolation

But perhaps the major cause of a difficult climate in which to organise the Christian education of the parish was the isolation of the Russell community from the main highway of New Zealand life. Small communities isolated from one another lacked sufficiently strong lay leadership. Too few leaders with too many responsibilities both in the church and in their daily lives, resulted in huge demands on those who did volunteer their leadership. And scattered rural people who did offer to lead were often reluctant to travel distances to give time to training opportunities and meetings outside their local area. Some might be willing to help out on Sunday morning with the children. But attending courses and events to improve their knowledge and skills was sometimes just too much to expect of them.

Theology

A further problem was shaped around theological perspectives. Often those offering children's and youth leadership were of conservative views. In the 1960s the Billy Graham Crusades changed the shape of mission thinking throughout New Zealand. This change was very apparent in Northland. There were 62 converts from the Billy Graham Missions referred to the Bay of Islands Circuit. This, and the insular nature of life in Northland, both geographically and theologically, and the self-conscious orientation of local church communities, contributed to and encouraged a conservative style of belief and leadership.

Some converts who initially were nurtured within Methodist congregations, soon drifted to the more conservative traditions offered by Baptist, Salvation Army and the independent churches which abound in the North. But many stayed with the Methodist congregation, became leaders, and introduced and reinforced a more conservative theological view based upon their conversion experience. The more liberal training of Methodist ministers did not always help ameliorate this conservative drift. Many clergy were challenged by this, finding it difficult to respond positively to conservative theology and leadership.

Curriculum

David Pratt recalls the 1967 training programme that accompanied the introduction of the Christian Life Curriculum. The new Christian education material was specifically designed for NZ and Australian churches education programmes. It included children's, youth and adult resources which targeted specific age groups and emphasised liberal and culturally sensitive views. This was a significant advancement in the provision of Christian education programmes.

> We planned a training day and some thirty people attended. We introduced the range of material available and had a look at specific lessons and the theological and biblical principles underpinning these new resources. And we asked for responses from those present. They were illuminating:

> -You'd need to be a theologian to understand it...

> -You would need to be a trained teacher to take full advantage of the resources...

> -Too much of this material is based on educational and cultural values, and not upon biblical foundations...

> -Where are the memory verses for children to learn?

> -What about singing choruses? Are these now out?

David began to realise that those who were needed to lead were often more conservative than he 7had thought.

Summer Holidays

Another problem for the good organisation of the Sunday School on a week by week basis in Russell was that it was almost impossible to have regular classes during the December January summer holiday season. Children were needed to help with fishing and tourist activities during the long holiday period. They were needed as helpers to work with their fathers on the boats. Sunday School often finished in early December and in one year drifted on into April before all the children returned to their Sunday classes. These activities did not always coincide with the public school or with Sunday School activities. Hence the comment in the of 2 April 1940 Leaders Meeting minutes,

> Sunday School is yet to recover from the holidays. Children are gradually returning. Average (is) attendance.

While the Sunday School was actively shaping up programmes for children, the women's groups were producing opportunities for parents to support their children. The following comment was found in the Ladies Guild minute book: "Sale of work for Sunday School funds raised 19 shillings and 6 pence."

Holiday Children's Programmes:

There were also the children's programmes organised for May and August school holidays. In many families both parents worked in tourist industries during holiday seasons. So the church organised holiday programmes for children several days each week. Beginning in May 1968 a children's programme was held at Russell; singing, games, a fishing contest, a launch trip. Millar's Store and Fullers Launch Services sponsored this programme most generously and any parents lent a hand.

Bible in Schools

Brian Olsen developed Bible in Schools as a major outreach programme of the church. Teachers were always needed to staff these classes. Lilian Woodcock, who was a trained teacher, and Mary Edmonds taught classes and were the organisers. They always seemed to be short of volunteer teachers. These "out of school" programmes were organised at Russell, Paihia, Opua, Waikare, and Whangaruru. Each of these was on a fortnightly basis.

Often, at the same time, or following these school lessons, services were conducted in outlying small communities. There had been Bible In Schools classes, and a Sunday School at Opua in 1938, and in 1939 services were started at Opua at the discretion of the minister. These services continued in private homes on an irregular basis until the 1970s. Waikare community also held services in conjunction with the Bible in Schools programme encouraged by Trevor Williams, son of Daisy and Horace Williams, who was principal of the Waikare/Waihaha School. Later Joycelyn Pratt was to work as a teacher's assistant at Waihaha School.

Insights

Good Christian education programmes depend upon competent well trained leadership. They should not be embarked upon with well-meaning but untrained people. The numbers of children and young people should not pressure a church into starting Christian education programmes without competent leaders and teachers.

The curriculum used in children's and youth programmes should reflect and speak to the life of the community that the children are living in. Christian education is not only about Bible based knowledge. It should help children to appreciate the God values in life.

Who sets the rules and makes the decisions for young people? If we want youth to mature to adulthood, so that they are capable of making good adult decisions, we should assist them as teens to make rules and set priorities which will help them mature into good adult decision makers.

It is easy with the help of hindsight to suggest that the Russell leaders should not have established programmes for which they could only offer untrained or partially trained leadership. How do we meet mission goals when we have available limited leadership competency? Would it not be better to do well those things which we are competent and able to do? This seems a harsh criticism when so many other places were also introducing ill-considered programmes. But perhaps the particular situation of the Russell leaders might have led them to look more carefully at their mission goals. Given the mission view which the leadership of the Russell church held right from its inception, it was probably not possible for them to adapt their mission programme to meet the gospel needs and aspirations of a modern post-war New Zealand community.

They were not alone in this limitation, of course. Great hopes were heaped on the Sunday School movement of those years in every part of the country. There was a widely held view that active work among children and young people would achieve at least two results: one was an improved level of ethical and moral awareness in the general community. And the second was certainly that graduates of the children's and youth work would gravitate automatically into active adult membership.

These worthy mission objectives were not often achieved on any large scale after 1960. Even the comprehensive plan of pastoral care through the concept of membership "from the cradle to the grave" failed to arrest the weakening hold the church had over its members.

In the 1960s the concept of Family Worship was introduced nationally in an attempt to integrate Sunday School age children into normal worship. It was thought to be better than leaving their participation to the "children's talk" and a short prayer before ushering them out of the service. This important tool for integrating education and worship experience had a mixed reception throughout the denomination. It does not seem to have been considered for Russell.

Indeed, a casual survey of contemporary congregations suggests that the denomination still nurtures a lot of its eggs in the "Sunday School" basket. Looking at the Russell record, we have to ask if this is really a creative strategy. Indeed, we have to wonder if the 2014 appointment of a National Coordinator for Tau Iwi Children of the Methodist Church will result in a completely fresh approach. Or will it tend to further recycling of principles inherited from the tired Sunday School movement of decades past?

Married to the Age?

Charles H Spurgeon, writing at about the time that the Russell church was being built, observed that "the church that is married to the age will be widowed in a generation". Perhaps this is one reason why Russell's dedicated work with children, seemingly so relevant for its day, did not build up an ongoing congregation.

This point of view is still commonly articulated these days like this: "If you don't have a good Sunday School, you won't have a church in the future." The last couple of generations have shown that the most dedicated work with children does not inevitably produce an adult, mature church in decades to come.

### 5 — D. I. Y. Church

The spirit of self-help that drove the opening of the church in 1913 set an example for the century. In the 1920s and 1930s the Home Missioner travelled over from Kaikohe for services only once a month. Local people, usually Horace Williams, were responsible for taking all the other services. In the decades that followed, David Woodcock would ensure that a worship leader was always present. Throughout the early life of the congregation this sense of local initiative prevailed.

In the decades that followed, no project exemplified the "Do it Yourself" spirit of the parish more than the building of the parsonage. Russell people understood that until they owned a minister's residence they could not expect to have a presbyter living among them. This became their dream.

The Trust Secretary during the 1940-50s, Stewart Partridge, corresponded with the Home Mission Department of the Methodist Church regarding ways to achieve the parsonage dream. In Nov 1947 Bernard Chrystall, Acting Superintendent of Home Missions, outlined the help that the Church could offer. It was not a huge amount. And Russell had only £400 in hand. So they conceived the idea of selling their newly acquired hall to finance the parsonage project. But George Laurenson, Superintendent of Home Missions responded quickly and firmly—

> On my return from overseas I have been looking into files and correspondence dealing with future policy in Russell. I note your suggestion to sell the Sunday School Hall that was purchased a year or two ago, to use the proceeds in buying a parsonage.... The church needs its own youth centre and I felt from the very first when I recommended the purchasing of the Sunday School Hall, that it was the first step towards having a unit for either a single or married man (minister.)

Laurenson could at this time have discouraged the parsonage dream altogether. But he did not—

> Let me know what you are thinking of in connection with a parsonage policy, because I am keenly interested.

With this dubious encouragement, the dream continued to develop in the minds of the trustees. Sketch plans were drawn up for a parsonage and alternative plans were proposed by a builder, Mr Oldham, also a member of the Methodist Church Trust in Whangarei. However it was not until 20 Dec 1948 that the Methodist Church Building and loan Fund approved the purchase of land for a parsonage site and sent a cheque for £50 towards costs. Various initiatives were taken to bring about the actual building but no progress was made.

In 1949 the trustees made an offer to purchase the home owned by the late Mrs L.M. Williams. But this did not come to fruition. A 1949 application to the Pitt St Trust Auckland, which traditionally had made grants to Auckland and Northland District developments, was declined. There were not enough funds available for distribution that year.

But by February 1950 progress had been made and the church newspaper "Methodist Times" was able to report that loan funding and an annual grant of £40 were approved by the Home Mission Dept for the building of a parsonage in Little Queen St Russell. The trustees reported to the Home Mission Department on 12 April—

>....the parsonage scheme (is) under way and the building is expected to start this month....

This proved to be a somewhat optimistic report as in May 1950 the Trustees were pursuing the opportunity to purchase another piece of land adjacent to the church in York St as a site for the parsonage. The HM Dept advice was to make a direct approach to the vendor, Hon Elliot Davis. There is no indication of what happened about this diversion.

There was apparently a frustrating delay in getting the Town Board's final approval for the necessary subdivision for a road reserve alongside the church property. But eventually registered surveyor A.H. Pickmore of Whangarei was able to write to the Trustees—

> You will be astonished to hear that the above plan has now been approved without amendment or alteration.

Once the matter of the road reserve was clarified, the Trustees applied to the Russell Town Board for permission to build. On 17 March the Town Clerk replied—

> I have to advise you that at a recent meeting of the Board your application for a building permit as per plans and specifications was approved subject to the building by laws and the payment of the usual fee of 2/- per £100 of building costs.

No records of the building costs have been located but the construction of the parsonage proceeded. It was a substantial enough building for what Russell people had in mind. However, its inadequacies as a Methodist parsonage would soon be revealed. In 1953 a garage was added. E.N. Noodie's labour contract shouldn't have broken the bank. For 83 hours' work, he charged £39/3/0.

A description of the parsonage for insurance purposes in 1969 states—

> —bungalow at Little Queen St Russell, weather-board dwelling on a slightly elevated section facing west, commanding a good view of the inner harbour. Built in 1951 of indigenous timbers, and in good condition. Containing two bedrooms, lounge 20 x 12, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and wash house. Floor area approx 820 square feet.

This was a massive achievement for the small congregation. There is no record of a formal opening or celebration but the event must have caused many hearts to swell with a little justifiable pride. For a small congregation it was a great achievement.

During the 50s and 60s, before the parsonage was required for the use of the stationed minister, it was sometimes rented out, and often used as holiday accommodation for ministers and their families. They were expected to lead Sunday worship during the duration of their stay instead of paying rent. We could probably assemble a long list of ministers who on this basis enjoyed a holiday in Russell.

Sadly for Russell, there is a much shorter list of ministers who were appointed to live in Russell. There were only four College-trained ministers, and all of them had far more pastoral responsibilities on the mainland than in Russell itself. Indeed, the inconvenience suffered by the rest of the circuit with the minister in Russell was probably more than the frustration felt by Russell people when he wasn't. The latter certainly felt that their situation was not widely respected and their needs not given adequate consideration. When the last resident minister left suddenly they were especially outraged that the house should be "sold immediately". It is to the credit of all concerned that the circuit did not act on this somewhat insensitive decision. The house was rented out and provided welcome relief for the trustees who renewed soak water drains and did some general maintenance. But in barely a decade Russell would have to accept that their pride and joy would never again serve the purpose for which they had dreamed and worked for so long.

Dissolution of the Trust

A formal document dated 24 October 1984 carefully brings up to date the list of Russell Trustees under the Methodist Model Deed. In a move that was tantamount to a clean sweep, several names were removed. At least five of the six were descendants of the Williams brothers, either directly or by marriage. This wholesale removal of Williams relatives who had not actually died may have prompted some of the concern that is still occasionally expressed in the family. The removals were:

Daisy Williams

Mervyn Arlidge

Win Baker

Ellen King

Harold Stephenson

Kathleen Mayo

At least four of the five continuing or new Trustees seem to have been actively connected with the congregation at the time. They were—

Ted (Ron?) Coleman

Lilian Woodcock

David Woodcock

Marie King

Christiana Wood

The casual reader may wonder why this sudden burst of conscientious administration? Did the Cooperating Parish officials at the time not have more than enough on their plate with the struggle to establish the new parish after the demise of the 1974 constitution? The answer is of great importance for Russell and the Williams descendants. This action clearly contributed to the misunderstandings that were renewed at this time concerning the "ownership" of the church.

All parishes were required to bring their Trustee lists up to date as the Methodist Conference was about to transfer all Model Deed Titles into the name of the Administration Division. The Methodist Model Deed, an Act of Parliament of 1887, was felt to be far too cumbersome for managing title one hundred years later. It was especially a problem if the schedules of Trustees were not right up to date—as was clearly the case with Russell's. The Model Deed was to be set aside and the Board of Administration was constituted to hold and manage title on behalf of all Methodist properties.

To make this very large number of transfers of the entire property holdings of the denomination would require the signatures of a majority of authorised and properly registered trustees for every property. All parishes were required to bring their lists up to date so that the properties could be legally transferred to the Board with minimal inconvenience. With the exception of some organisations which were incorporated societies or otherwise legally authorised to hold property, all parishes eventually fell into line. But only some acquiesced with much willingness. Others did not really understand the issues but simply did as they were told. And in several places strong resentment had to be handled with careful pastoral explanations.

Presumably this was done for Russell, but it seems clear that many members of the dispersed Williams family did not understand what was taking place back at "their" church. Some definitely regarded the decision to dispense with the complication of having local trustee signatories for every property as a decision to "steal" (their word) this particular property "from the family". This unfortunate and totally inaccurate opinion survived in one or two quarters to the time of the closing of the church.

Disposal of the parsonage

In 1985 the re-constituted Co-operating Parish was now in place and facing huge financial issues. It could not ignore the capital value of the redundant Russell parsonage. It wrote to David Woodcock on 23 July advising him that the Parish Council recommended selling the Russell church house and seeking the reaction of the Russell congregation. David replied, presumably after discussing the matter with the Russell congregation, agreeing reluctantly to the proposal.

But the D.I.Y. congregation, keen to keep their hands on finance to the last, stipulated that part of the sale price should be invested to provide income for their ongoing property expenses. The Annual Parish Meeting accepted this compromise but recorded a slightly petulant resolution in a way that implies that Russell "agreed" with the general parish policy on ministry—

> The Russell people have agreed that the parsonage should be sold and that it is the intention of the parish to house its minister in Paihia (our italics)....

Russell no doubt resigned themselves to the inevitable, but that is not quite the same as "agreeing" with it. However, with some alacrity, they organised themselves to take care of the funds that would be created by the sale. They reported to Parish Council in October that the Russell Property Trust had become a "Local Property Committee" consisting of Lilian and David Woodcock, Ron Coleman, Dorothy McKenzie, and Bill McKenzie. We should perhaps note that, of this new committee, only the two Woodcocks were on the revised list of Registered Trustees of just a year earlier. No doubt one or two had died, but were the others carefully celebrated and thanked?

It was also reported at that time that Russell was—

> —awaiting the parsonage property valuation report; the valuer has examined the property.... The Connexional office had written suggesting that a valuation of $70,000 would be realistic.

In December 1985 a letter was received from a Russell Real Estate agent offering $50,000 for the property. The parish council replied that the offer was far too low. In any case, they were still waiting to see the Government Valuation. Evidently a favourable offer was made soon afterwards because in March 1986 the Parish Council records in its minutes—

> Russell parsonage sale; We accept the proposal (of) the Russell Property Committee, that an option of one month be given to Mr and Mrs Blower, for (the purchase of the parsonage,) for $60,000, subject to the approval of the Methodist Administration Division regarding rates of interest.

On 28 May 1986 a letter was sent to the Connexional Office advising that the Russell sale of the parsonage had been finalised. This brought to a close the story of the Russell parsonage dream.

Well, almost. On 23 July the Office must have been suspecting that the parish might want to get its hands on the whole of the proceeds for the planned Paihia parsonage. The Division lectured the parish about the apportioning of the funds from the sale of the parsonage, writing—

>...we have...given our word to the Russell congregation, and we must keep faith with them. We acknowledge that the principles involved were financially in their best interest.

Unabashed, but acknowledging the Methodist Church's concern, the parish minister laconically reported to the July council meeting—

> —the Russell parsonage has been sold and the money invested. $20,000...to provide maintenance income for church property in Russell; the remainder of $40,000 is invested through the Methodist Administration Division, towards the purchase of a new church house for future ministers.

Evidently there were continuing questions regarding the sale. The parish solicitor was asked to write to the Administration Division, regarding interest repayments, and also requesting a copy of the documents for the sale of the parsonage. At the next parish council meeting, three months later, questions were still being asked. It was tetchily resolved—

> That we write to the Administration of the Methodist Church requesting that 80% of the investment interest be paid into our account immediately, and we voice our strong objection to the handling of this.

The treasurer also lamented, "We still have not received a copy of the sale of the Russell parsonage papers." But eventually the sale was finalised, and £20,000 plus a little interest found its way into the account of the new property committee in Russell. Once more they were in a position to be able to manage local maintenance and necessary replacements.

Even this was only another temporary situation. When all the parish funds were merged in the early 1990s the Russell Property Fund would no longer be held locally. But it was preserved as a Russell Property Reserve in the parish account. It could be drawn on when necessary for major Russell work. Indeed, the last of the capital would be soon swallowed up in the expensive repairs and additions that were made to the church.

The remaining £40,000 or so from the parsonage sale in 1986 was drawn on within a year or two for the mission of the Co-operating Parish. It paid the deposit on the church house at 20 Tui Grove, Paihia. A footnote to the Russell parsonage story is that when in 1996, the Paihia house was itself sold, the $140,000 surplus was very profitably invested with the Methodist Trust Association. In two years the total was nearly $200,000 and was used to erect the two flats behind the church at 35 Kings Rd. These excellent little homes, each not much smaller than the Russell parsonage itself, exercise the same ministry of visitor hospitality that the Russell cottage did when it was first opened.

York Street Hall

Since the 1930s or even earlier the congregation had been using the old billiard saloon for church events. In York St, the building had become the rooms for the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club. The exact relationship between the three organisations is not clear, but it is clear that the church paid the insurance premiums on at least one occasion. In July 1944 the trust decided to make an offer of £320 to purchase the rooms as a youth hall. This offer was made on the somewhat unwarranted assumption that the Methodist Church Extension Fund Board would advance the full purchase price. A month later it was agreed that £100 from the Mary Trounson bequest could be used for this purpose as it would "show some permanent benefit to the church".

The purchase eventually went ahead but within two years of its purchase there was a proposal to relocate it behind the church. It was thought—a little naively, perhaps—that the sale of the section would cover the cost of removal. This project was not quite so susceptible to the D.I.Y. capacity of the congregation and it would not be carried through for some time. Even that was not before the idea of leasing the hall was tried out by an abortive tender process in 1955.

Eventually a contract was let for the relocation of the hall and kitchen. The cost was over £800 and the sale of the section to the Bay of Islands County Council realised only £300 so there was a considerable financial gap. Sister Rita Snowden, Vice President of the Conference rededicated the building on Wednesday evening 14 August 1957.

Inadequate Structure

The reinstatement provisions of the contract were evidently not very well specified, for almost immediately, David Woodcock wrote formally to the trustees about the poor condition of the structure. The "holes in the floor" still required attention. It's not clear what was done though in 1975 the church and hall were both re-piled. However, in 1994, it was patently obvious that the walls of the hall were leaning outwards, having never been properly cross-braced internally. The parish asked Graham Keightley, the Methodist property supervisor for the North Island to inspect the property. He was not encouraging—

> The hall is in poor shape and not worth repairing.... The roof is slumping and the walls are leaning out.... Kitchen and toilets will cost $7500.

> The hall block would require considerable strengthening and bracing between the walls to be made safe.

The slender future of the congregation was of course a factor in deciding what to do next. Russell people were asked for their views and it was apparent that everybody had an opinion.

> "Could we use it for a few years while monitoring its condition?"

> "Is it a live issue to sell the property and base the congregation somewhere else?"

> "Shouldn't we try some truly lateral thinking before plunging into a $20,000 project?"

Parish Council gave approval to the seven points of the congregation's assessment of the Keightley report. There was agreement to the removal of the hall, kitchen and the much-celebrated "long drop" toilets.

But, as so often with decisions made by committees, the resolution actually offered no ways and means for its implementation. Left to the council members over the sea, the matter might have been completely forgotten.

But in the spirit of D.I.Y. the Russell congregation didn't form another committee to discuss how the council's resolution would be carried. They discussed it after church one Sunday morning in 1995. And they acted. A truck and tractor and a few volunteers were rounded up from the community and a little later the substantial buildings disappeared in a day. The appointed minister was overseas at the time and knew nothing about the demolition. But he saw to it that the Board of Administration was advised to remove the building from the property schedules.

Sewerage Connection

In 2001, under government pressure to eliminate the pollution from septic tanks, the District council raised a huge "targeted" local rate for a sewerage system for Russell. The debt servicing amounted to several thousand dollars a year for each property. These crippling costs exacerbated the decline in property values on the peninsula. Technically, these rates were described as "charges" so the church was not exempt. Dave Mullan pointed out that, apart from installation and other costs (some $5000), it would cost the parish $75 a week forever to have a toilet and connection that they didn't really need.

> But it was not an option to refuse the connection and once we had it, Parish Council reluctantly agreed to install an internal toilet. I made an effort to use it each time I went over there for a service.

Another interesting anomaly about the council sewerage strategy was that once the treatment plant was in place there was nowhere for the discharge to go. Further district debt was incurred obtaining land (from the Edwards family) and drilling holes to absorb it. At this point the council relented and spread the Russell sewerage special rates over the whole district budget, giving relief to a whole community of angry and ungrateful ratepayers.

D.I.Y. Ministry

The spirit of D.I.Y. is better illustrated in the way in which Russell was conscious that they had responsibility for more than just buildings and property. There was serious involvement in active ministry.

Leadership of worship was always a central issue. The rest of the parish could not provide this on a weekly basis. Peter Woodcock recalled that his father was no theological giant but that everyone was aware that he had a passion to ensure that worship did not fail to take place. Peter said that, some time in the early 1950s, his father—

> —capsised his M-class yacht off Tapeka point rather late in the day. Being a non-swimmer(!), he clung to the upturned hull hoping for rescue. As it came near dusk he had the nous to deflect the rays of the setting sun off his centre-board as a Fullers boat was passing some distance away and he was rescued. During this near-death experience he "made a deal" with God that if he survived he would not let the church be without a preacher as long as he was well enough to fill the gap.... The promise was faithfully kept.

In 1976, David calculated that he had taken 479 services in Russell Church.

Earlier, in 1953, the Quarterly Meeting sought permission for a lay person at Russell to be given permission to celebrate the sacraments. This was customarily granted by Conference if no minister was "stationed". However, technically, the stationing was to the circuit, not to a local church, so this was an innovative, if not rather cheeky request. Half a century later it seems not so remarkable, but there is no record that the privilege was granted.

Lay Ministry

Another remarkable suggestion in the spirit of D.I.Y. came forward in 1981. The Cooperating Parish Annual Report—

> —suggested that members of the lay ministry team be ordained. .... There are some in the parish who are ready to support lay and team shared ministry but many, including the parish chairman, still want a traditional stipended pastoral ministry appointment.

We are curious about where this discussion about "lay ministry team" came from. Even Auckland Diocese, which had jurisdiction over the parish, did not put "Local Shared Ministry" ministry in place until about 1992. The discussion quoted above may have proposed a team of people including full-time stipendiary clergy, "Auxiliary priests" (Anglican terminology) or "Self-Supporting Presbyters" (Methodist) and some chosen lay people. That is not a lay ministry team.

Over previous decades, with the shortage of trained clergy, the Northland District resorted to the appointment of a large number of under-qualified, underpaid lay "supplies". That also was not a "lay team ministry" strategy but simply a cheaper incarnation of "the minister". Local Shared Ministry did not affect Russell until November 1992 when the first Presbyterian or Methodist LSM Team in this country was put in place by the Bay of Islands Parish.

Happily, the commissioning took place in Russell Church and was included in the promotional video "Report from the Bay" the following year.

Floral Art

Arranging the flowers for church used to be a basic chore for every congregation no matter how small. When Peter Stead went on vacation supply to Russell in 1949 he saw arum lilies growing along the roadside—

> —They reminded me of my first morning at worship in the Trinity College Chapel, many months before. Coming from Invercargill—where arum lilies were a rarity, expensive to buy, and precious—I was much impressed with the splendid bowl of them below the pulpit, and, on our way out after the Service commented so to one of the women in the congregation. "Oh, they're only lilies" was her unexpected, dismissive comment.

Clearly the Russell women shared her disparaging estimate of them, for Peter told us they coloured each of them with chalk before arranging them for Sunday worship.

> I had pink and purple, red and blue, green and yellow arums before me as I led each service. I'd have appreciated them more in their original pure white; but, appreciating the women's desire to offer something special, I never voiced my thoughts.

For some years in the 1980s the Taumarere Floral Art Group prepared fresh flowers for the church every week. There were some stunning creations, with or without chalk. By 1991, at least three or four of the members were regular attenders at Russell. One cynic observed that they came to check on each other's work but one or two were women of serious faith. There were also one or two whose strong views would later come into conflict with other more conservative worshippers. The floral artists also did special presentations for spring festivals and other ecumenical events in Russell and Taumarere and further afield.

There were many people who made their contribution on occasion. In July 1992 the parish council was informed that three of the Russell ladies would conduct the service on Lay Preachers' Sunday. Generally, though, in the last couple of decades, there was not much local leadership of worship.

A whimsical entry in a minute book of 1938 goes somewhat against the principle of D.I.Y. Meetings in those days were shaped around questions. The one that came at the end of the meeting was: "What more can we do to prosper the work of God?" The answer minuted was, "We will leave it in the hands of the minister".

Sometimes they did. But often enough, when something needed to be done, they did it themselves.

We salute them.

Insights

Our first, and perhaps most obvious question is, What does it take to persist with a project when numbers of supporters are so small?

Russell congregation never numbered more than twenty-seven members so funds were always in short supply. And the wider church was not always enthusiastic about major developments at Russell.

The rule of thumb is that perhaps upwards of a hundred members are necessary for the provision of a presbyter. Even with the inclusion of Paihia and Kawakawa/Moerewa members the member support only tallied at the most 75 in the 1960s. Is it appropriate that the faith vision of the parish decision-makers should have been allowed to override hard economic realities? Finance and economics are also gifts of God.

The parsonage was a two-bedroomed cottage. It had no study. It was built at a time when the Methodist Church was beginning to realise that it should provide for its presbyters a standard parsonage of study and three bedrooms for a family and a fourth bedroom for guests.

Russell's home was also built when the minister depended on the goodwill of members for support by giving in kind, as they were able. When one of the authors went to his first circuit in a rural area as late as in 1960 he was told by a former Home Missionary that he would never have to buy meat again. No such practice was forthcoming. But it had been the normal style of "support for the minister" in the 1930s and 1940s. By the time Russell was building its parsonage, the church was moving firmly towards respectable stipends for ministers. A seriously sub-"standard" house, even if there were the work for a minister, would become a liability as much as an asset.

Did the Russell people fail to understand the important cultural and social developments that were taking place in the wider church and community? Russell, originally the centre of enterprise in the North did not develop as the transport centre of the Bay of Islands after the steamer service to Auckland declined. Russell was simply not accessible. Its population never increased at the rate of the adjacent towns of Kawakawa, Moerewa and, later, Paihia.

Why then did the Methodist Church submit to the pressure to develop parish facilities in Russell to the extent that it did? It has been only by good management of the Bay of Islands Parish leadership and council that in more recent years, capital from Russell has been creatively recycled to other parts of the parish.

What level of income could have made the Russell cause financially viable at any time? It seems that it never was. Even in 1987, the year's offerings from Russell totalled $4855, a not inconsiderable contribution to the struggling parish, but not remotely enough to justify a substantial injection of paid ministry into Russell. Throughout its history, the personal donations of work, skill, time and effort, had been as important as the financial contribution of the Sunday offerings. For the last two or three decades there was no longer that personal commitment of time and talents which drove the church in the early decades.

Two Lessons

One hard lesson that must be learned is that both the good people of Russell and the conscientious church leaders who tried to assist them were captured by visions that were never really capable of full attainment. It was not their fault that they were people of their age and that the tides of development in the Bay and tastes in congregational spirituality began to flow in other directions. It should never be held against them that they made less than reasonable effort in all that they did.

The other lesson is that in spite of the inadequacy of the membership numbers and the challenges of inventing ministry and mission strategy "on the fly", this little congregation carved for itself a significant place in the lives and memories of all who came into contact with it. Even in the most declining of its days, there is no doubt that its members valued what it did for them.

### 6 — Minister Church

For just on fifty years Russell dreamed of a resident minister. It was the confident expectation of everyone, from Horace Williams Snr, successive members of the Williams family, and the Russell Methodist members, leaders and Trustees: sooner or later they would have their own pastor. All were grateful for the ministry of Home Missionaries and ordained ministers based as far away as Kaikohe. But a minister resident in Russell was their primary dream and their firm objective

The first of those who served Russell from afar was probably the Home Missionary TJ Wills. He was stationed in the North from 1879. Lacking the status—and training—of an ordained minister he was, like many others of his kind, appointed to do all the work of a minister. He was authorised to conduct the sacraments and was a registered marriage celebrant. He would have been supervised by what later became the Home Mission Department of the national church. Russell appears to have been called a circuit but it was probably a "Home Mission Station" at that time. Home Missionaries and other visiting leaders usually stayed in The Gables. This was the original Cricketers' Arms, in which the first Wesleyan services were held. It is not to be confused with today's restaurant of the same name.

These ministries were greatly appreciated. But a minister in Russell was the dream of the local people. Once the church was built, it seemed to them a logical progression to gain a resident minister in full standing.

It was not until 1960 that the Methodist Conference saw its way to appoint a Presbyter to Russell. With the appointment of Rev Roger Gibson the Russell Church finally achieved its long term objective of a full-time appointment living and working in Russell.

During those years many of the requirements necessary to support a full-time appointment were being established. In particular, the parsonage was completed and ready for use.

There was much satisfaction when the Conference of 1960 finally saw its way to making the Russell dream become a reality. A Probationary Minister was stationed to reside at Russell. After the first three years another could not be found and Lay Supply served for two years before there was a continuity of College trained men. The resident appointments were to continue for more than a decade and were as follows:-

Probationer Roger Gibson, 1959-1961.

Pastor Tom Simpkin, 1962-63.

Probationer Brian Olsen, 1964-66 (deceased.)

Probationer David Pratt, 1967-69

Ordained minister John Manihera, 1970 (deceased.)

We will now look at each in turn.

### Rev Roger Gibson — 1959-1961

At last came the day of fulfilment of a dream. Conference 1958 appointed Rev Roger Gibson to be stationed at Russell. He was a first year probationer minister out of Trinity Theological College where Methodist ministers had been trained since 1929. Trinity was in the theological tradition of "best biblical scholarship" as articulated by the Connexion since before Methodist Union in 1913.

Roger and his wife Ann arrived and took up residence in the parsonage in Jan 1959. Roger's induction took place at Russell on 4 February. The membership's persistent hope to have their own minister had become reality. But there was much to do. Roger writes—

> Early in February 1959, just married on Jan 17th, Ann and I arrived in Russell, for what some contemporaries called our "three year honeymoon".... we were the first permanent occupants of the little parsonage and apparently I was the first (permanent) resident minister in Russell, of any denomination, in the 20th century.

At that time the Methodist Church furnished and equipped all parsonages. Consequently a full inventory had to be immediately drawn up of what was required in the Russell parsonage. Furniture, crockery and cutlery, everything down to two dozen pegs and a peg basket were acquired, many items by donation. That part of the Bay of Islands Circuit was alive with enthusiasm for their future life and work.

AWE Silvester was superintendent in Kaikohe and another probationer, Henry Kitchingman, was at Kaeo. Roger's part of the vast circuit included the five townships of Russell, Paihia, Opua, Kawakawa and Moerewa. Obviously, four of the five were across the water. To provide some accommodation on that side, a garage was built on the church property at Paihia. Neil and Rona Wark (nee Williams) provided access to a bed-settee for overnight stays, when the minister had evening responsibilities on the mainland. Otherwise, many church duties had to be fitted in around the ferry timetables or arranged privately. Roger speaks of one trip made after he had performed a ceremonial service for Fullers.

> After blessing the tourist boat Kewpie Two, Ann and I were lowered into a dinghy and rowed by two B.C. boys, to Opua to drive to a Circuit Preachers' meeting in Kerikeri

As were many pakeha ministers in those days, Roger was involved with ministry among Maori people. He attended evening home meetings with the Maori Mission's deaconess Sister Atawhai George and members of her Waiomio community. On Christmas day 1961 Roger officiated at the wedding of one of the daughters of Walter Kawiti in the family home. He has particular memories of—

>...being woken one night to look out at a house on fire, just below us, and the ensuing drama of a baby (missing for a short time and) being discovered alive and well in a shed, where her mother had put her before collapsing when trying to recover items from the house. She had tried, in her native Welsh tongue, to tell me about the child; what a relief when two boys heard the baby crying!

For the Russell people, the excitement of its first ministerial appointment led to many other significant developments. There is no doubt, from the brief records that remain, that the dream of a full-time ministry in Russell brought with it a breath of new life. Clearly, the arrival of a resident minister gave a significant impetus to many of the projects and events described in earlier sections. Other notable activities included:

Ann Gibson began working in the Sunday School and arranging functions for Sunday School mothers.

Ann also initiated a housewives group.

In the minister's first year a Christmas night service was held at 7.30pm Christmas Eve.

An increase in membership to an all time high of twenty-seven.

A wooden cross was placed upon the communion table.

New drapes and curtains were hung on the front of the pulpit and the organ.

The envelope giving system was introduced commencing in June. Initially there were 16 pledged givers.

Christmas gifts were collected for the children's orphanage.

The women held a working bee to repair hymn books.

White linen caps were made to be fitted to the pew ends on Holy Communion Sundays.

There appears to have been an interest in Spiritual Healing. Wesley Chambers was invited to lead a healing mission but was unable to take up the invitation.

A small but active fellowship group began meeting at the parsonage. The NZ Methodist Women's Fellowship was formed about this time combining Guilds and Missionary groups throughout the country

Kawakawa

However, across the water, the rest of the circuit was feeling the disadvantage of having the resident minister at remote Russell. Kawakawa Leaders' Meeting in July 1962 discussed adding rooms to the back of their church "for the Russell minister". They were quite satisfied that Russell could be served by a part-time retired minister. With other property pressures in the circuit at the time—for instance, the large debt on the Kaikohe parsonage—it was not likely that this querulous proposal would get much traction in Quarterly Meeting. But it indicates how fulfilling Russell's dream created difficulties elsewhere. And it is another reminder of how strategy was focussed primarily on ordained clergy.

### Pastor Tom Simpkin — 1962-63

As a Home Mission "Supply", Tom filled the two-year vacancy when the Stationing Committee was unable to find a minister or exiting Trinity College student for Russell. He is remembered for consistent pastoral care, probably being primarily responsible for just Russell and Paihia rather than involvement in the wider areas of the Circuit.

Jubilee

During Tom's ministry it was realised that the 50th anniversary of the Russell Church would occur. It was agreed that the circuit Chairman and the Circuit Stewards discuss a suitable anniversary celebration.

A Jubilee service followed by lunch was held at Russell on Sunday 12 May 1963. A special launch was organised to transport members from Paihia to Russell at 10.30am, returning in the evening. A jubilee booklet was produced by Marie King, church member and curator of the Russell Museum. The booklet was printed by the Northern Advocate newspaper and a copy was lodged in the General Assembly Library Wellington. The Circuit Quarterly Meeting later passed a motion of thanks to the Russell Church for a most successful Jubilee weekend.

### Rev Brian Olsen — 1964-1966

Conference 1963 appointed Rev Brian Olsen to Russell. On Waitangi Day, 6 February 1964, Brian and Phyllis arrived in Russell. His induction was held at Russell on Saturday 8 Feb 1964. The strength of Brian's ministry was that he spent most of his time doing pastoral visits. Because he was a fluent Te Reo speaker much of his work was with Maori families living in the remote and scattered area of the Russell peninsula. He worked closely with Deaconess Sister Atawhai George, who lived at Waihaha, and had established the Te Atawhai Maori Mission Centre at Kawakawa.

Brian was a competent guitarist and his Bible in Schools programmes at Russell and to outlying schools as well as Sunday services benefited from his musical ability. Phyllis remembers—

>...Brian squatting on the floor playing his guitar and singing to the few children we had.... Teaching them Oma Rapiti (Maori version of "Run, rabbit, run") at Easter and talking about eggs and whether they were a big ender or little ender.... Also making the congregation laugh with some of the stories he told...

Phyllis said Brian had a knack of opening his service with some controversial statement just to make everyone sit up and take notice.

> By the end of his sermon he had qualified that statement so that we no longer wished to argue with him.

In 1999, Raewyn Bayliss recalled that she enjoyed study groups under the leadership of Rev Brian Olsen who was "never, ever stuffy!"

Brian worked very hard to build up a strong following in Waikare specially with young Maori. He believed these were the people who needed his time. Phyllis stated that he considered that the people who attended the pakeha churches were well able to look after each other and themselves. This concept often met with some resistance from his Superintendent Minister.

Certainly Brian was not the only minister doing pastoral visiting far and wide and occasionally conducting worship or a wedding in a community hall, on a marae, or at a private home. But he spent most of his time working in Moerewa and Kawakawa where Maori families dependent on work at the Dairy Cooperative and Freezing Works resided. Obviously his remote location at Russell did not facilitate his engagement with this challenging area. Circuit Quarterly Meeting wrestled with the problem and on 22 July 1964 resolved—

>...to station the second minister in the circuit at Kawakawa. It was also decided that the Russell Trust be asked to consider the sale of the Russell parsonage and apply (some of) the funds gained to the maintenance of the Russell Church, the balance to the purchase of a parsonage at Kawakawa/Moerewa.

Naturally, this decision went down with the Russell people like a holed launch. They felt their efforts to provide a parsonage were not being respected. However, when Brian moved on, the parsonage sale did not go ahead. The house was rented, providing some welcome income for the Russell Trust. But when the next appointment was due it was made pretty clear that Russell expected the new appointee to reside on their side of the water.

Evening Services

In the mid 1960s questions began to be raised again regarding the need for an evening service of worship. It was felt that people were growing older and it was more difficult for them to attend in the evenings particularly in the winter.

These questions continued to be raised but it was not till the late 1980s that evening services ceased, a move which echoed what was happening throughout NZ.

### Rev David Pratt — 1967-1969

Conference 1966 appointed Rev David Pratt to Russell, also straight out of Trinity College. His induction service took place at Russell 10 Feb 1967.

Married in Brisbane Australia a month earlier, David and Joycelyn were met at Auckland Airport by David Woodcock. David later recalled—

> Joycelyn and I arrived in Russell at ten past midnight on 6 Feb 1967, Waitangi Day, having endured the Kawakawa to Russell back road at the high speed that David Woodcock drove.... We had nothing except one suitcase each, no car, no household articles, just the clothes we travelled with. Our belongings did not arrive for another two weeks. It had been a long day's travelling, I had been sick on the Russell-Kawakawa road, and what we really wanted was some sleep. Over the next three years we were to travel that road many times.

The parsonage grass had not been mowed and was up round their knees. They tumbled into bed and awoke in the morning to a bright sunny day. Opening the back door David stumbled over a pile of groceries from well-wishers yet to be met. They had arrived.

There was a parade through the town that morning and a trip to Waitangi to celebrate Northland's Anniversary Day. This would later become Waitangi Day, a national holiday.

The parsonage was in Little Queen St, It is still there but looks considerably different, having had dormer windows added. As a two-bedroom cottage, it was far from the "standard parsonage" that the Connexion expected for its ministers but it was all the Pratts needed.

> It was not long before we had the lawn under control, had terraced the hill behind, established a vegetable garden, and built a hen run. Friends from Trinity College travelled north to help build the hen house out of the packing case that eventually arrived from Australia with all our belongings inside.

The parsonage overlooked the town; it was a great place to see what the neighbours were doing. Most soon became friends.

> Out the back of a tourist flat across the road were two outdoor toilets. We could not figure out why our neighbours needed two. One morning smoke was pouring out of one. It turned out to be a smoke house for fish.

> Next to the flats lived Ken and Dora Bargh. Ken was the town clerk. They came to church services but always arrived late. David came to realise that they waited to hear the organ playing before they crossed the road to attend worship. Next door to the Barghs lived Horace and Daisy Williams, old-time Russell residents. Daisy was the church organist so David got to know her well.

A bit further along the street lived David and Lilian Woodcock. David was circuit steward. He had a Baptist background so the new probationer had to be careful to make sure that his sermons had good biblical foundations. If they did not he would hear about it. Lilian sometimes played the organ but she had another important role, if less public, role: David went fishing with Lilian on Mondays.

> We would sit in her boat for hours waiting for a bite and talking theology. Lilian was a great reader (of) theology, particularly Lloyd Geering. Our Monday discussions helped my thinking and sermons considerably.

At the closing service for the church, Dorothy Martin said that Lilian was—

> —an avid reader of Geering and other "progressive" Christians. Her unorthodox interests were always respected by our Russell people. If there were any mention of the "resurrection of the body" at her funeral, I am sure it was just a slip of the tongue. She would have been indignant.

Living in Russell and having a widely flung parish meant long hours driving. At first David only had a motorbike. They both travelled to Kaikohe for his probationer supervision with the parish superintendent Gordon Cornwall, who was newly returned from the Solomon Islands Church. While in town, they bought groceries and six live hens. Their purchases were strapped on the motorbike behind the two riders in a banana box.

> On our return journey we were running too late to catch the last Paihia to Russell ferry of the day. It had just left Paihia wharf as we arrived. On enquiring we found that an evening charter boat had been arranged to take Masonic Lodge members to an evening meeting in Russell. So we waited, had our evening meal with Rona and Neil Wark in Paihia, and travelled on later to Russell with the lodge members. It was quite late that evening, after we had borrowed the local grocery shop trolley without asking (that was one of the privilege of being a Russell resident) to get our hens up to their new hen house. Next morning our precious cargo was happily clucking in their new home, and if I remember rightly we had one egg for breakfast.

Gordon Cornwall ministered to the Western side of the parish while David was minister to Russell, Paihia Kawakawa and Moerewa. In the Bay of Islands much of the work was carried out as shared ministry with the Anglicans and Presbyterians. Later, following the inter-church "Waitangi Meeting'' called in September 1968 to consider all ecumenical work in Northland, co-operating parishes were formed. It so happened that each town had a resident minister. So it fell to David to be the minister at Russell. Rev Murray Mills the Anglican priest, (later to become Bishop of Waiapu.) shared with David in many ecumenical services.

Weddings and Funerals

The first wedding at which David was the celebrant was a village affair. Duncan the Russell butcher, and Helen, the Kawakawa hairdresser had fallen madly in love and wished to get married. It was the talk of the town. The reception was held at the Duke of Marlborough and was a very well catered affair.

Horace Williams' funeral was the first that David took. He had been out watching TV with friends as Pratts didn't have a TV set.

> The phone was ringing as we came up our garden path and it was all on. When I arrived at the Williams residence I was met by Frank Miller the local grocer, who informed me that the grocer and the minister had the task of laying the body out because the undertaker could not come till the car ferry service resumed at seven in the morning. I sat through that night with Daisy and a few of her family and hoped that it was of some comfort to them all.

David recalls the first time he called on Hori and Sister Atawhai George at Waihaha.

> I came home with several pounds of peaches, a sugar bag full of potatoes and a puppy. We called him Tame and he grew into a very obedient and friendly dog. Trevor Williams, the son of Daisy and Horace, was the head teacher at Waihaha School, a two teacher Maori school, twenty miles from anywhere, on the Kawakawa-Russell road.

Joycelyn was employed for a short time as teacher's assistant at the school and enjoyed every minute. The downside was travelling twenty miles of rough shingle roads each day. Joycelyn went into labour with their first child at the same time as the parish embarked on a stewardship programme. The birth was difficult and she had to be taken to Whangarei Base Hospital. So David was unable to be present. Joycelyn's Aunt Lulu came to NZ to help Joycelyn with their first child. While she was with them they were woken early one morning by a tremendous "BOOM". The morning news reported that the Waitangi Treaty Ground flag pole had been blown up by Maori rights protesters.

David and Jocelyn have always been thankful for the people of Russell. They were made to feel at home when they were far from their family and friends. Even those who were critical—

>...taught me some valuable lessons that I have not forgotten. There is a right and a wrong way to run a parish. Sermons should have Biblical foundations, but they should also be about the daily life that we are called to live. Not everything happens on Sunday. The ongoing pastoral work and the sharing of friendship and support throughout the week is of inestimable value.

According to the Quarterly Meeting minutes 8 April 1968—

> Mr Mike Bails has given a row boat to the Russell Church for the use of the minister to commute to Paihia.

David's recollection is that Woodcocks sold the boat to the parish. Mike Bails, who had sailed out from England, provided the motor. The outfit was paid off by David transferring the car mileage allowance to the boat payments.

> Joycelyn and I went to Waitangi Day celebration in it; on the return the motor kicked out in the Waitangi channel in the dark... I tried to get attention from the many passing boats and Geoff Cook of the Bay Belle eventually took us on board and towed the boat home.

The minister's car was kept in the Paihia church garage and the boat was kept at Russell. Having a boat meant no more long trips round the Russell-Kawakawa road at night. It saved the parish a great deal in travel and petrol costs. But it also meant late-night crossings of the Bay, Paihia to Russell. On one such crossing David recalls:

> It was a beautiful evening and the water was phosphorescing, every fish movement and every ripple glowed green. Joycelyn was with me that evening. Half way across the bay a large green glow was seen floating past the boat. I shone my torch on it and blinded by the light it flew straight at the boat. We found ourselves wrestling with a large Gannet and were nearly tipped into the water.

On another occasion, David was rowing District Chairman Gordon Brough back to Paihia. They had talked through the time of the last scheduled ferry and then also missed an unscheduled trip they had counted on. David picked up a boat that was lying on the beach and had oars under it and rowed across to Paihia and back.

Farewell

Mervyn Dine tells of attending a summer holiday service at Paihia during this period. The little church was packed with visitors but there was only one local person. And no one showed up to take the service. Finally, Mervyn stepped into the breach and conducted an impromptu service to fill the gap.

> The one local person didn't seem to know why nobody came to lead the service. But we found out afterwards that everyone was over at Russell for the farewell service of David Pratt. Nobody in Paihia had remembered to put a notice on the Paihia church door.

Such minor errors are the stuff of the life of the small church everywhere.

### Rev John Manihera — 1970.

With full knowledge of the ecumenical expectations of the Bay of Islands, Conference in 1969 appointed Rev John Manihera to Russell. Having served his term of probation in the Upper Hutt Circuit, he became the only ordained Methodist Minister ever stationed by the Conference at Russell.

The induction service was held at Kawakawa on 5 Feb 1970. District Superintendent Gordon Brough, led the service and the preacher was Rev David Hines. We note that the induction charge stated specifically that ministry was to be to the parish (not just to Russell), and it was hoped to develop industrial chaplaincy to the Moerewa Freezing Company, and the Moerewa Cooperative Dairy Company.

There are no records that indicate that industrial chaplaincy was ever established. This responsibility was to prove difficult to implement given that the procedure for putting such chaplaincy in place was not the prerogative of one denomination. And, of course, there was the accustomed difficulty that John resided on the Russell side of the water. It promised to be anything but an easy task.

In the event, the parish ministry and plans for industrial chaplaincy were cut short. John was selected to serve as chaplain in the New Zealand Army and was posted to Waiouru Military Camp. Notwithstanding his very short ministry in Russell, the Connexion was willing to release him as the first Methodist Maori to serve in the Chaplain's Department in recent decades. Sadly, John's health deteriorated and he died not long afterwards.

His withdrawal from Russell occurred too late in the year for the circuit to be able to make a case to the somewhat rigid stationing process for an immediate replacement.

The financial viability of the circuit and the difficulty of finding suitable appointments to the Russell Church meant that the status of the Russell Church and congregation was often changed by the Methodist Conference. It moved from village church or "preaching place" in the early days to being a circuit, later becoming a Home Mission Station, and then more recently becoming one of the churches in the Bay of Islands Co-operating Parish.

After the resident clergy

Conference of 1970, having no time to put in place a replacement for John, left the Russell appointment as "One wanted". Home Mission Dept Superintendent Rev Bernard Chrystal, wrote to the Russell Leaders Meeting and Trustees. The issue was not just the problem of having one of the two ministers based at Russell. There was simply a lack of resources for the wider church to provide grant monies for both.

> We hated having to leave the circuit with only one minister but we just cannot afford to maintain two ministries. I only wish it was possible for a retired minister to live at Russell and in return for free rent offer free services to Russell and Paihia.

For Russell people this somewhat unrealistic hope meant their dream was once more frustrated. They might well have been more upset if they had known that their minister's home would never be used again for its intended purpose. For the circuit it meant there would be even more pressure on the remaining minister. But they were more aware of the realities.

Shortly afterwards the Quarterly Meeting formally resolved to base ministry on Kawakawa/Moerewa rather than Russell. The Russell parsonage was formally declared surplus and an application was made to Christchurch to sell it. The Circuit Superintendent had to convey this unpalatable news to Russell people. His letter labours the obvious and totally fails to soften the blow—

> The parsonage is a long way from Methodist standard requirements. The siting of a Methodist Minister at Russell has little value for Methodist work. The retention of the Russell parsonage is a stumbling block to establishing viable ministry at Moerewa.

We can imagine how this was received "overseas" at Russell. Any outrage at this somewhat tactless declaration was probably mollified to some extent by not actually disposing of the house immediately. It would be some years before that happened. But the circuit's main focus of mission had made a significant shift. Kawakawa and Moerewa would be the priorities for the future. Things would never be the same for Russell. Their dream had been fulfilled, but only for about a decade. Now it was over.

Ironically, Kawakawa Church was shortly to suffer a similar fate due to the ecumenical commitment to combined services at the Anglican Church and the disposal of the Methodist property. The withdrawal of the Anglicans from the first Cooperating Parish only a few years later would leave Kawakawa Methodists in an even worse position than Russell. They lost their church base in the county town.

Insights

The Russell dream of a local, stipendiary minister, to the extent that it was fulfilled in a decade of four residential appointments, offers us the opportunity to highlight some issues that may be relevant for small church strategy. This inevitably means that we have to critique some aspects of the mission goals and achievements that Russell Methodists set and held for themselves.

Convenient Connexion

It is probably true that because of their isolation the Russell Methodists did not always do things according to the correct Methodist polity. Decisions were often made on the spot, after worship service, and formal meetings were not always held. It is also true that Russell leaders did not keep in touch with the wider denomination by regular attendance at parish Quarterly Meetings and District Synod meetings. Nor did they always act with a clear knowledge of the requirements of the Methodist Law Book.

A National Issue

Too often the circuit stumbled from one financial decision to the next always seeming to be caught in the "lack of finance" trap. Viewed from the benefit of hindsight, they seem to have been over-extending their resources in areas relating to the appointment of ordained ministry and mission. There was not much understanding that all over the country, the national church was striving to meet mission extension goals. There seems to have been a lack of appreciation that the post-war years were a time of growth for the life of every New Zealander. This was not just a phenomenon influencing church mission development. But the latter inevitably carried the risks of over-commitment.

If the circuit officials were a little optimistic about what could be achieved, Russell people certainly did not always understand that other places were under similar strains and stresses. Their demands and requests were often out of step with the realities of church life of the times. Too often they seem to have been willing to spend the wider church's mission funds without adequate understanding of how loans would be repaid. Sometimes Russell church decisions favoured accepting the wider church's funds, but not the theological and mission objectives implied in the availability of those funds.

Of course, they were not alone. Local churches all over the country were entering into mission commitments without understanding that others were struggling with their own costly mission objectives. They, and Russell, needed to learn that being the church where you are does not mean you can spend the wider church's funds with little accountability. Mission must have a balance of vision, accountability and understanding. This means for church outreach and mission, a willingness to be responsible with assets, and a willingness to allow personal growth and theological development to happen alongside parish growth.

Thinking Theologically

Northland has always entertained a fairly conservative theology. The small country towns of the North seemed to encourage and tolerate conservative beliefs. This style of thinking has flourished in the isolation of Northland communities. It is demonstrated in the lack of good attendances at parish meetings and encouragement of very subjective, intimate and pietistic understanding of spirituality. It can be seen in the attitude of self-sufficiency attitude which so often held small rural communities together. This way of being Christian was given substantial support by the Billy Graham Crusades of the late 1950s. They fell upon fertile soil in the Far North.

In isolated rural communities like Russell, theological differences were often deliberately avoided or simply overlooked. Relatively untrained Home Missionaries and other pastors accepted, or even encouraged, the spiritual lifestyle they encountered. Most made little concerted effort to actually stretch people's minds. The influence of College-trained ministers who brought a different expression of faith and church might have been thought conducive to establishing more thoughtful theology and better planned mission goals. But more frequently, their teaching tended to polarise their people.

Untravelled

Sociologically this conservative theological climate was matched by a limited vision beyond the local village. Very few church leaders had much experience of other communities. Even in David Pratt's time, many of the Russell townsfolk had relatively little concept of life in an urban setting in another part of the country. It was not uncommon to know men who had travelled round the globe to World Wars, but who had come home never to travel again. David recalls—

>.... one elderly couple, who in their old age decided to move from England to live with their daughter in Russell. They flew direct to Auckland and the very next day bussed to Russell, never to venture away again. The sadness was that their daughter remarried and moved to Auckland leaving them stranded.

Demands on ministers

A reading of the minute books for these years reveals how hard Rev Gordon Cornwall worked as Parish Superintendent. He not only had his preaching and pastoral responsibilities to do, but he supervised David Pratt at Russell, and Bruce Mackie in Kaeo and Mangonui, oversaw the complex building programmes and debt repayment at Kaikohe. And he managed to balance all this in the context of pressure in and beyond the Bay of Islands to form co-operating parishes.

There were some very positive happenings in the circuit that needed to be managed well. There was growth in children's and youth programmes. Ecumenical relationships particularly with the Anglican Parish of Kawakawa were developing. And there was intentional planning for expansion with the Presbyterians at Moerewa and even the possibility for industrial chaplaincy at the Moerewa Works. Then there was also the management of church and public use of the large Te Rongopai Centre at Kaikohe. Worship services were continuing to expand into rural areas of the parish, particular through a vigorous programme of church home worship and study groups. Along with all these varied activities there were programmes for development and training of children's workers and Lay Preachers. It was a busy, demanding time for all involved in ministry and leadership.

On one occasion Gordon shared with David that he never took Monday off, "I did not take time off when I worked in the Solomon Islands, why should I do so in Kaikohe?"

Negative Aspects

In spite of the prodigious work of the ministers in the 1960s and 70s, there were many negatives in the life and work of the circuit.

Some members were enthusiastic about united work at the local level. But Anglicans at Paihia and Russell were not open to this. Their centres had been the historical base of Anglican settlement and mission, and they wanted to continue to wave the Anglican flag.

There were also some very traditional Methodists throughout the parish. We can see that many must have felt neglected by Methodist students and probationers straight from a liberal Trinity College training. From the 1970s, when establishing breakaway churches became a cottage industry in the North, many supporters of Methodist churches moved out. Russell had its share of such leavers as its eclectic congregation became a little narrower in vision.

More important than these theological influences, economics had a considerable impact. The agricultural sector was transformed as small dairy companies were absorbed into the giant milk factory at Kauri. Each closure hollowed out the population of a small town. Even the impact of containerisation on the international port of Opua affected the communities across the water. These losses and the natural movement of people from Northland to the cities, decimated the rural membership of small communities and churches.

Leadership vacuum

The lack of leaders mentioned in our review of Sunday Schools and Youth work also applied to the general work of the congregation. Often there were simply not enough people able and willing to take up the challenges of the routine chores that keep a small congregation ticking over. And when a minister or lay supply was available to fill the gaps it was all too easy to "leave it to the minister" as the Minutes of a meeting will testify a little later.

Finance

And lastly there was the problem of not enough finance. Perhaps people were becoming reluctant to give to a church whose leadership did not support their theological and social views. Shortfalls hit hard at a time when the leadership were making major mission commitments. It was not Russell's fault that the support of two ordained presbyters was not possible when even one was a huge financial load. The whole parish was living beyond its means. It could not survive without substantial Home Mission Grants. Furthermore, both the Winstone Fund and John Court were called upon to ensure that ministers in Northland were paid on time each month.

By the 1970s, it was a matter of simple economics that the costly resource of paid ministry would have to be very carefully strategised over the whole circuit. Any ministry policy that assumed a corner like Russell, no matter how isolated, could take some special priority, was doomed.

### Insights

What learnings have we to offer the wider church from the Russell experience of ministry?

The concept of a resident minister for Russell may have been appropriate for the Home Mission days before World War II. But as it become untenable, the church failed to adapt and clung to a concept of church that was simply not realistic. A small church needs to work from its strengths and not pretend to be a kind of church that it is not. That will usually involve surrendering some dreams and adjusting to different realities.

There is a minimum size of membership to sustain stipendiary ministry and that minimum has increased steadily with inflation. There is also another minimum size which has to do with the maintenance of a congregation. Russell's long life showed that this is a much smaller figure. We draw the conclusion that too many congregations of the size of Russell were closed unnecessarily because they were measured against the wrong criterion.

The Self-supporting Presbyter ministry that was authorised by Conference in 1976 might well have been a solution for Russell. It would have honoured their desire for an ordained person for themselves. The cost would have been affordable. Whether or not there were a suitable candidate at the time would have been another question. And whether that ministry could have been sustained through the challenges of the 1990s without the person concerned being loaded down with all the expectations of a stipendiary person is another again.

Local Shared Ministry would have been another strategy that might have worked in 1970 if it and the resources of willing members had been available. It is now a viable and relevant strategy for development of small, vital congregations and could be promoted much more vigorously than is apparent at present.

Role of the Church

Russell, though still deprived of its dream of a resident minister, continued to do for its town and for its people what many of them needed. It related effectively to its special community. Its modest ministries were appreciated by those who received them and gave some sense of satisfaction to those who performed them. If some of the excitement had gone out of the relationship between the church and the local community, that was not noticeable. Certainly, the lack of a resident minister was not an excuse to give up.

It was like moving into a different age. But the congregation would still serve with faithfulness and commitment.

### 7 — Proper Church

The title of this section of our story is not a category that any respectable church sociologist would use to describe a congregation. We use it for a small church that tries hard to fulfil the common expectations of a neighbourhood church. The term has an air of respectability about it. It speaks of a fellowship that has moved beyond just being together, but has some sense of propriety about what it is and what it does. It is a characteristic that comes with maturity, moving beyond the pioneer gathering of a small group of people using makeshift premises. It is about a congregation that has become a "church" that stands for something and creates an impression in its community. In a sense, it is a very old-fashioned concept. But it also is appropriate to describe a congregation that has achieved a firm sense of itself and its mission. So we now explore some features that demonstrate Russell's passion to be a "proper" church.

Firm Links

The Russell leaders in 1913 set out to establish a normal community church with clear links to a denomination. They approached the appropriate Methodist officers and were assisted to put in place a formal Methodist Board of Trustees. The congregation governed its life within the structures and practices of Methodism and over the years some of their decisions reflect this commitment to be a real church and to be part of a wider denomination.

They worked actively to assemble appropriate resources for their mission to children and youth and the community. They supported a wide range of ecumenical activities beyond their borders. They found voice to protest if the affairs of the youth club were not beyond reproach. And they gave voice to their concern about the demon drink in the town or the Army camps.

Many times their leaders aspired to a degree of church-ship not necessarily attainable by so remote and vulnerable a fellowship. It was not due to the leaders' shortcomings that the bulk of the membership may have preferred to see themselves as "independent Christians" rather than Methodists.

The Building

Without doubt, this kind of understanding of the church is implicit in the erection of the building itself in 1913. This was a huge effort for a small congregation of people with no strong links to denominational religion.

No doubt the project was largely driven by impressions that people brought with them to the new country. In the old country they would have been familiar with the village chapel and its important role in the local community. Meeting and worshipping in other settings was perfectly normal for Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist people; but always there was the sense of having "arrived" when a permanent chapel was built. The family of JB Williams were brought up in the context of a faith that was shared in their home and the family boarding house. Their devotion no doubt made its own impact on the life of the struggling frontier town in the last decades of the 19th century. But to have their own place of worship was the vision that they cherished. And, as we have seen, with vigour and determination, they brought it about.

We wonder what was the influence of the Wesleyan Church in the decade in which the vision began to clarify. What kind of church-ship was instilled in this family that they sought the assistance of the distant Home Missionary in Kaikohe and then the District Chairman in Auckland? Why did they not go ahead and establish a local family or community church—as some of the family have claimed they actually did? Why did they surrender some autonomy in order to avail themselves of the legal and financial protection of the Methodist Model Deed of 1882? The record is not adequate enough to give us the reasons; but what they did is quite clear. So the building proceeded, designed in the precise style that would be recognised as a Wesleyan chapel anywhere else in the country.

Well, not quite. The provision of a belfry is a fascinating departure from the norm. Did the architect impose this very unWesleyan feature on the trustees? Or did some of them nurture vague impressions of a village in another distant country where a church bell summoned people to worship in the Church of England? Whatever the motives for its installation, the belfry was destined never to hang a bell and it would be seriously damaged in a storm. Apparently convictions were not strong enough to retain this example of what a "proper" church should be like, for it was dismantled and never replaced.

Worship

There are few records which might give us any idea of what the content of the no doubt informal liturgy was like. With the Wesleyan tradition behind the trustees, we might possibly have expected to find printed copies of Wesley's service of Morning Prayer. Or a record of a champagne celebration of the kind enjoyed by Durham St Christchurch Wesleyans at the end of the century. But, given the great dependence on leadership by lay people throughout the establishment of the little congregation, we may safely guess that the style of the congregation would have been closer to the less clergy-oriented traditions of Primitive Methodists or Bible Christians of pioneer times.

By the time Russell church was built, all these branches of Methodists were merged into one denomination. But the distinctive flavour of each branch of Methodism was separately preserved in many congregations and in their buildings. Russell was one church that, although actually opened by the united church, nevertheless reflected throughout its life a style that owed a great debt to its own people for leadership and inspiration.

All the same, in 1913 Russell people would not have thought of continuing to use chairs instead of commissioning pews to be sent from Auckland. And it would not have arranged these pews in any other way than severe rows facing the front. The pulpit would not have been anywhere else but high, front and centre. The simple sanctuary furniture and its arrangement said it all: "We have a vision of what a proper chapel should look like and this is it."

Status

In 1944 the Methodist Conference upgraded Russell from a Home Mission Station to be part of a proper Methodist circuit. We might have thought that this elevated status would be appreciated by the Russell people. But it was a promotion that seemed as much a threat as a reward. The Russell Leaders meeting responded to the proposal on 6 Oct 1943 with what seems like less than whole-hearted enthusiasm. They even took the opportunity to incorporate a rider that expressed some anxiety about the perceived costs of the arrangement—

> We are willing to amalgamate with Kaikohe and Kawakawa to constitute the Bay of Islands Circuit **and we request that a suitable Home Mission grant be made.**

The emphasis is ours, of course. But at the same meeting, Russell people still had more to say about funds they would like from outside—

> It was decided to make application for a Methodist Investment Board loan of £200 towards the purchase of the Billiard Room, York St, for use as a youth hall.

One gets the impression that local priorities were still as firmly fixed in their minds as ever. Being part of a larger unit might convey a certain increase in ecclesiastical standing but it would not necessarily create resources for Russell.

However in order to be part of the wider church, and having access to the financial support of the wider church through the Home Mission Department (and later, its successor, the Development Division) Russell Methodists kept active their relationship with the Methodist Connexion. When it would assist them they knew how to operate the Methodist system and its resourcing. The development of the hall and parsonage at Russell and the appointment of full-time ministry to reside at Russell would not have been economically possible without the huge support of the Methodist Connexion.

Circuit Administration

Any aspirations Russell had to be a proper church in the administrative sense of the term, did not come from most of the people. Their arrangements seem to have been fairly utilitarian and somewhat idiosyncratic. They were not inhibited by any expectations of the circuit or the denomination. They managed pastoral care with the unwritten lore of a close community. They accepted those who came to church as "members". And they just got on with the job without worrying overmuch about paperwork.

This principle seems to have applied throughout the circuit. So, when David Pratt and Gordon Cornwall arrived in 1969 they found that there were no records, not even any kind of membership roll for the entire parish. The one record available was a pencilled list of those who were behind in their stewardship giving commitment! Gordon wrote to the Connexional office explaining the situation and requesting instructions. They soon received in the post a copy of the current Law Book and firm instructions to follow what it said. Also received were the newly adopted Register of Members, a Circuit Schedule Book and two Marriage Registers. This all required some thorough reading and hours of consultation with parish leaders.

With the help of the Circuit Stewards and a few leaders from each congregation a list of Methodist Members was soon compiled, together with a pastoral list including every Methodist home in the parish. Visiting them became a first priority. The locals were obviously not familiar with all this stuff but they might have found a little perverse satisfaction in being taken so seriously.

Developments

There were many other developments of a maturing church in the 1950s and 1960s. The Wells organisation had conducted many circuit stewardship missions. From 1961 the national church formed a stewardship and finance department to promote and support this work. A national budget was established to eliminate the regular special appeals that had so characterised the church of the 1940s. The practice of systematic and sacrificial giving was growing. It would become apparent in later years that some Russell members accepted the challenge to take personal Christian stewardship to a significant level. But even this generosity would never be enough to provide for all that they dreamed about.

Women's Work

A fundamental strategy of any congregation that is beyond 40 or 50 members is to provide other groups and activities in which members can have a more personal involvement. A small church does not need such activities to sustain personal interaction and fellowship. But one group that almost inevitably surfaced in the tiny Russell church was for the women. Early in 1940 it was the ladies of the church who took the initiative to update and renovate the church interior. The January Quarterly Meeting resolved—

> —that the trustees be empowered to pay a reasonable amount decided by the Ladies' Guild for furnishing of the church from the special legacy in the Post Office Savings Bank, including the installation of electric light.

Women's activities had always been a strong feature of Methodist work in Russell. Indeed, for some periods up to their merging to form the NZ Methodist Women's Fellowship there were both a Ladies' Guild and a Women's Missionary Auxiliary in Russell. The aims of these groups were to help the women have a sense of identity and to keep in touch with the wider Methodist Church, particularly women's activities. The special concern of the Auxiliary was missionary activity both at home and overseas. The Guild was involved with the needs of the church and parsonage and local affairs. Both groups promoted personal devotion and spiritual growth and their meetings always started with the singing of a hymn and with a prayer. Often there was a guest speaker.

On 12 Nov 1944 a parcel was packed and sent to Dr Soper's Mission in central London for war-time relief. Kawakawa and Whangarei Hospitals were regularly visited, and flowers and cards sent to church members unwell or in hospital. Clothing was collected to assist the work of Sister Atawhai George in rural Northland Maori communities. Donations were also made to the Bible Society.

And of course, when it came to equipping the parsonage and the church and hall, it was the women's groups who came to the fore and took action. The development of church, hall, and parsonage, and the stationing of a full-time minister in Russell would never have been possible without the consistent support of the church's women.

House Church

In 1969 there were bi-monthly house services all over the western part of the circuit. Some of the ministers found these particularly stimulating; it was not unusual to have a room of twenty people. David Pratt's heart was in small churches and he talks of a study group that met fortnightly at Pat Jansen's home in Kawakawa.

> They got into deep waters around the question that I thought was quite central: "What's the one really important (thing) about the Christian faith?" They couldn't get it: it was just—"We love one another".

Many a "proper" church of those days found value in small gatherings of this kind in a day when television did not claim so much attention. But the principle worked just as well for small, scattered communities. Such groups offered for a larger church what the small church could already do for itself—a place where individuals could name and be named personally by everyone involved. Russell, as a small church, already had that kind of quality about it.

Hall and Community

The Russell congregation worked hard to develop a relationship with their community. The church hall was a major part of this outreach. In 1963 a request was gladly received from Russell Play Centre to use the Sunday School Hall at the back of the church for a play group.

The back section was cleared of kikuyu grass which had choked the fences, the fence was repaired, a sand pit was installed, and the hall was put to good use each morning. An agreement was signed and renewed for two or three years. Other local groups that used the hall included the Table Tennis Club, and Russell Camera Club. This eventually held fortnightly screenings in the hall and continued for many years.

The Methodist Church District occasionally used the hall for a layman's conference or a ministerial retreat. There were even visiting groups of young people from as far away as Auckland. The Birkenhead Boys' Brigade came north for a weekend camp one Queen's Birthday weekend. On one occasion a class from Whangarei Boys High School spent a week in Russell under the supervision of their teacher Mr G.P.Shearman. The hall piano was loaned to the Russell Sports Club for their dance. There was also strong support by the congregation for the St John's Ambulance Association. They used the hall for resuscitation classes, and first aid training for the community.

With the provision of much better town facilities, major use of the hall had dwindled by the 1980s. It would not be long before the fragile building would be redundant as well as a risk to health and safety. But it had served the church and community well at a time when it was needed.

Evening Service

The fact that for so many of the mid-century years Russell had an evening service is another indication of its determination to be a "proper" congregation. In the 1940s and 1950s, two services a Sunday, if not more, was a mark of the mature church.

But, along with many smaller churches around the country, Russell found it hard going in the 1950s—incidentally, well before the advent of television. Already the congregation was showing signs of its median age—

> People were growing older and it was more difficult for them to attend in the evenings and in the winter. On the other hand, some of the men who were unable to attend morning worship came to worship in the evening after their fishing boats were home and safely moored. It was also felt that tourists should be offered the opportunity to attend an evening service.

The matter continued to be raised and it is of interest to note that it was not till the late 1980s that evening services ceased.

Special Services

Annual Harvest Festival Services are always important occasions in a rural community. It reflects the community's livelihood and offers a chance for meaningful thanksgiving. In Russell harvest festivals were a little different and they reflected the fact that Russell was a fishing community. Mrs Win Baker always baked a wheat sheaf loaf for the occasion. Others brought their produce and preserves, often from their own gardens. Miss Birdie King became known for always bringing her fishing rod and often a large snapper fresh from the sea.

Peter Woodcock recalled events such as Christmas—

> —with its obligatory pageant (tea-towels and all); but especially harvest festival for which a great display of produce graced the altar. Of special interest to us kids was the auction of the goodies after the event and we would be prepared to go up to two shillings for a decent rock-melon which was such a rare treat.

Personal Ceremonies

Obvious features of any mature church that has a sense of its place in the community are events such as weddings and funerals. This also used to be true also of baptisms, especially when the sacramental nature of that liturgy was overlaid with secular expectations of local residents who were not members of the church.

Peter Stead was one of the many Trinity College students who put in a vacation at Russell. Peter bached in the vestry and several times had other students join him for a few days. He was asked to take a wedding but, as a student, he could not do this. However, if he conducted the ceremony a retired and frail Home Missionary would make the declaration and sign the certificate.

Eoin Davidson, who was staying with Peter, was playing the organ. He couldn't manage more than the first few phrases of the Mendelssohn Wedding March but the aisle was short and if he began just at the right moment that should be enough to get the bridal couple out of the church. They just needed to devise a way of letting Eoin know when the papers had been signed in the vestry and the bridal couple was ready to parade back through the church—

> So, a length of string leading from the vestry (in fact, from just above my bed) through the keyhole of the locked door to a screwed-up piece of paper, on the organ, would, when tugged, alert Eoin and get him going.

> The couple emerged from the vestry, just as Eoin, alerted by my tugging on the string rustling the paper on the organ, swung into the Mendelssohn. But instead of the newly-weds joyously progressing down the aisle and out the door, their friends in the congregation swarmed around them, half-way down. They stopped, indefinitely. Poor Eoin. He'd run through his first Da, dum de da dum, da dum, dee diddle, dum de didee da dum. He repeated it. And again. And again. And again. And yet again.

Happily, Peter tells us, everyone was so taken up with conversation in the aisle that nobody noticed. Eion just switched to something easier to play.

Community Minister

In recent decades, many congregations have fretted a little when their presbyters seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time in the community rather than around the parishioners.

When David Pratt, the third resident minister arrived in Russell, he listened carefully to the parish leaders and members. Slowly he gained the impression that often enthusiastic leaders started to develop a programme in the church but as their families grew and needed schooling and they moved away from Russell, the activity would falter for lack of good leadership.

He resolved not to spend a lot of his time setting up new programmes within the congregation. Rather, he chose to work with people and groups already active in the community. Thus, Bible in Schools, Scouting, ecumenical co-operation and encouraging short-term holiday programmes for the town's children became priorities. The leaders of the church wanted to encourage church youth work, but David insisted that whatever was started had to be sustainable. There were more leaders available for community work than for the congregation.

Visitor Ministry

Russell in the mid 1960s was a favourite port of call for cruise ships. These anchored in the bay and transported tourists to Russell by tender.

> You can imagine the excited activity of a town with only 600 residents hosting sometimes 3000 visitors for a day. Everybody had a task, the same task each time a ship called.

The Methodist ladies raised funds by providing morning and afternoon teas. The minister was seconded to wear a Maori flax piupiu, stand on the wharf and welcome passengers as they arrived in ships' tenders. He admits to feeling somewhat self-conscious about this role. And he has recently reflected on whether this work arose out of a sense of mission or just a desire to raise some more funds.

Church Extension

Another mark of a mature congregation is a commitment to extend the influence of the church. Russell people may not have had this clearly in their sights, but they were conscious of some kind of responsibility for communities fringing the same waters of the inner Bay. Waikare, Opua and Paihia were all opened up and developed from the base of Russell.

Of course, it was Home Missionaries and Trinity College students and ministers who made most of the effort. They had the time and were often based at Russell. Bill Francis made the first tentative efforts to assemble a congregation in Paihia before the war. The Russell minutes reported enthusiastically:

> In view of the progress made at Paihia we set aside one Sunday evening a month for Paihia during the summer months. It is suggested that the young people might run the service at Russell when the evening service is at Paihia.

This outreach to Paihia in 1938 appears to be the germination of Methodist work over the water. But after 1939 there is no further reference to Paihia for another ten or so years. Opua, however, continues to feature:

In 1939 services were started at Opua at the discretion of the minister a year after the Sunday School began there. Services were held in private homes. Ministers in their pastoral work visited far and wide and occasionally conducted worship or a wedding in a community hall, on a marae, or in a private home.

In 1949, Paihia was back on the agenda. Peter Stead visited Mrs Williams (no relation of the Williams of Russell), widow of the late Vicar at the stone Williams Memorial Church, in Paihia. She lived behind the church and looked after it. She was warm to his suggestion that he take a service on the afternoons of the non-Anglican Sundays, "And I'll play the organ, if you wish. But, of course, you'll have to speak to the Vicar, Mr Mutter." Peter did so—

> —and he referred me to the Bishop of Auckland, the Right Reverend John Simkin. I wrote to the Bishop and in reply got a one sentence refusal, signed †Auckland. That was enough to spur me on. I got permission from the local school to have an afternoon service in a schoolroom, twice a month (on non-Anglican Sundays), beginning on Christmas Sunday, a couple of weeks away.

Peter visited the camping grounds and the one boarding house and put up notices about a service on Christmas Day. After the morning service at Russell—

> —I had a quick lunch, changed into casual clothes and met up at the beach with two girls (Williams and Adamson) who were going to help with rowing across, and singing at the service—I'm not sure which was the more vital!—and the three of us took turns in rowing the couple of miles across to Paihia. I had two suitcases—with my one suit, Bible, hymn books and a small wooden cross.

At the Wark home he changed into the suit, and with Rona and Neil Wark and the girls, walked to the school a couple of hundred yards away. There were couples and families converging from both directions toward the school.

> To my amazement, and thanksgiving, the school-room was full, with people sitting in and on desks, and some standing along the back wall—forty-five in all. I preached on Samuel Marsden's text for his first New Zealand service a few miles up the coast, at Christmas 1814: "Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy."

Peter says that Paihia services continued through the summer with reasonable attendances. But three services a Sunday required more sermon preparation time and Peter records that one sermon was a very unworthy effort. All he wanted to do afterwards was forget it. After his farewell to return to Trinity College—

> —one woman was hanging back.... It was the wife of a local church leader with whom I had been firm and fallen out. She'd had a series of difficulties with him herself—an ill man, awkward to live with—and had sought my help on several occasions.

> She was the last to leave, gripped my hand, and thanked me for my personal understanding and support over the previous few months. "And" she said, with tears in her eyes, "there is one sermon I shall never forget; it meant such a lot to me".

Yes, it was the sermon of which Peter was so ashamed. He says—

> It just shows that somehow God, through one's most pitiful efforts, can speak to someone in need, if one is sincere about it— and not getting in God's way.

Student Supply

Loyal Gibson did a vacation supply, probably in 1950. For about ten weeks' work he was paid £26/14/0. At this time there was a fortnightly service in the Opua hall. One Sunday he took the morning service at Russell and boarded the ferry for the trip to Paihia en route for Opua—

>... the boat was fully laden. Standing room only, so I was near to the railing on port side. About half way across the bay the man at the helm, handed over steering to his deputy and proceeded to collect fares... the wind came up and a considerable swell developed. Whether by chance, or lack of skill at the helm, the bow of the launch headed at a bad angle into an oncoming wave. A lot of sea water splashed over me and I was drenched, dark suit, white shirt and tie—the lot!

> Safely on shore at Paihia I mounted my motorcycle promptly to get to Opua. No time or place to change, so it was on with leggings and old army greatcoat and away on the very dusty road. Arrived safely at the Opua Hall, where a small congregation, seated on wooden forms, waited in one corner. I was immediately aware of a strong fragrance in the air. Much beer had apparently been spilled during an event the previous evening. With dampness clinging to my body, and slightly embarrassed by my somewhat floppy shirt collar, I did my best to lead worship.

> Then enthusiastically I climbed the hill to the schoolhouse where the Gillings family lived, threw off my clothes and dived into the swimming baths.

A more pleasant crossing was made late one evening—

> The sea was beautifully calm, a full moon lighted our path, and there was just enough breeze to propel David Woodcock's yacht. He was kindly seeing me home, as it was too late for any launch service.

Community Conscience

Beside their concerns about the youth club, the congregation didn't hesitate to air their views on issues of social justice. In 1942, when detachments of the military were around the islands, they said—

> Members and adherents of the Russell Methodist Church strongly protest against wet canteens being put in Territorial Camps, and urges that no liquor be permitted in military camps.

It was wartime, of course, and Army Padre Goffin was supplying the Russell pulpit while on leave. Perhaps he encouraged the locals in this well-meaning if idealistic protest.

Nature of the Church

In all of the foregoing ways, Russell tried to be a "proper" church. Its people attempted all the programmes that they saw in other, larger churches. They aspired to a full suite of buildings for a membership of only a couple of dozen; they wanted a residential minister; they set up programmes of all kinds for people in church and community. Their ambitions were boundless.

Now we need to consider the extent to which these ambitions were relevant to the situation.

Insights

As we have examined the available records we have found it difficult to establish the essential characteristics of the congregation. We see idiosyncratic fits and starts. There are amazing sacrifices and there is some casual attention to need. We see signs of some powerful insights and moments of thoughtlessness and selfishness.

What can we say about Russell's attempt to be a "proper" church? What does this story have to say to a national church that is already struggling with many of its traditional congregations? We have some suggestions.

Nothing is forever—

—not even a residence congregation born in passion and faith and patiently nurtured for a century. Opportunities are lost and do not come again. Times and tastes change, but never as quickly as in the last three or four decades. Establishment of new congregations may be a much more short-term affair than envisaged in previous generations.

No Regrets

Nobody needs to feel guilty at the loss of a small congregation when all has been done that could be done. There will always be room for regret and perhaps some searching of souls. But no sense of failure should be allowed to hang over a closure; the closing itself must provide some opportunity for the exorcism of any ghosts of guilt. Russell members put in a huge and sacrificial work for the faith and for each other. They accomplished a wide range of programme events with only modest leadership and few resources. They were never wanting in passion and energy. But it was not enough to ensure a free ride into another generation. It never is, for any church, and we should all remember that. There will always come a time to move on.

Understanding

When new small congregations are being established or maintained, their leaders need to be helped to have a clear understanding of themselves and their limitations. They need support to develop clear vision, determined loyalty to their cause and the flexibility to recognise that they may have to tread some different paths from regular churches that are better endowed with situation and resources. The attempt to try to be small versions of larger congregations may well fail. Russell's aspiration to have all the facilities of a "programme" church was, in the end, ultimately self-defeating.

If residence congregations are going to be a significant feature of life in any future shape of the denomination there must be complete re-thinking of the essential nature and strategy for such fellowships. Merely copying what has been done before in other places will probably not be as successful as it was in Russell. More flexibility is needed in the place and style of worship and fellowship gatherings. Owning buildings at all, even if they are quite widely used by the community, may not necessarily be a Gospel imperative. They can even be a trap for a small congregation.

Characteristics

Small congregations should be encouraged to seek and develop particular characteristics that identify them. We do not seek a detailed theological or credal statement that can say whether a member is in or out but there needs to be a coherent understanding of beliefs and principles that are held in common. Too often we hear of congregations who boast that they are fully accepting of all views when there has been no opportunity to air any possible differences. In reality there is just a commonality of each other's ignorance. Healthy congregations will always provide opportunities for members to learn and grow together. This does not mean sting up another programme; it is of the stuff of their gathering time.

Programme

Considering the wide range of programme functions that Russell had in its toolbox at various times, we wonder if a small congregation might not do better to concentrate on just one or two programme elements. Obviously, some form of regular worship and fellowship would be central. But if there is the opportunity to engage in just one other programme well that might be better than trying to tackle a range of them. Such a programme should be relevant to the abilities and interests of the congregation and the needs of the local community. Some excellent small congregations have focussed their outreach in this way; many have built up their fellowship around a single aspect of mission or outreach.

In spite of its strong sense of independence, Russell maintained links of some kind with the normal Methodist structure. Small churches in the Methodist tradition need that sense of belonging. This was expressed at its best when Russell was assisted to form the Model Deed Trust, to resource funding for a new venture, to explore options for ministry. It was at its worst when an oppressive word came "down" from the Administration Division or the District Chairman or the Parish Council. Care needs to be given to nurture the relationships of small congregations as part of the wider whole. A 1990 Development Division concept for an inexpensive and very intentional ministry to small churches should never have been allowed to wither on the vine.

Parent denominations of small pioneer congregations can do better than they did in the past. And they must. Any future development of new congregations will require more creative support and guidance than was available for Russell.

Community Role

In this chapter more than most, we have seen that Russell's efforts to relate to its community have become more and more tainted with inappropriate expectations. Russell people responded faithfully to a vision of their relationship to their community as they saw it.

But by the 1980s the vision was expressed in programmes and properties that were no longer speaking to the new age. Lacking creative support from the denomination and without the resources of leadership and imagination, their reason for being became obscured.

To draw again on Spurgeon's observation, they were married to a previous age: a time of plentiful and inexpensive ministers, of booming Sunday Schools, choirs, harvest festivals and inspirational gatherings. But that age was gone. Married to it, they might well have become widowed as the ages changed around them.

It was the fate of many a mainline church of the times.

### 8 — Hospice Church

As was briefly explained earlier, church sociologists have developed a series of descriptive names to distinguish different kinds of churches by their character. Most of these have centred around the size of the church. In this book we have taken a wider view and have looked at the Russell story through a series of descriptions of the congregation. We come now to the last of these. It is another that has not been offered by formal scholars as far as we know but we feel it is a helpful way to characterise a congregation in decline. We call it the "Hospice" Church.

Membership

The concept of the Hospice Church conjures up visions of a congregation that is declining. It sometimes has memories of better days and big membership and great services or Sunday Schools and programmes and events. Russell's heritage after the turning of the second millennium was not quite like this; it had always been a modest, smallish church, averaging twenty or so members. It had never been able to pay for the full-time ministry to which it sometimes aspired. Its work with children ebbed and flowed. The sale of its parsonage was a considerable disappointment.

But the congregation had significant memories all the same. In the days when worship attendance was beginning to move down into single figures, there was always a lively sense of pastoral care for the people of each other. Visiting preachers would report to each other on the affirmation that they always received at Russell. But Russell was still generally happy for the mainlanders to do a lot of the work. It was accepted that there was not really the potential for someone to train to assist with worship leadership in the tradition of Methodist and Presbyterian churches. David Woodcock and his precious calling to maintain Sunday services, was gone.

Insularity

We have noted that Russell's geographical insularity has tended to make the congregation somewhat independent and innovative. But has also made the people dependent on the ministry of others from the mainland. This has also affected the wider circuit or parish to which Russell was attached through almost all its life. Only during the opening years and the Home Mission era has Russell had any sense of independence around its own community. Relating to a District Superintendent or the Home Mission Department in Auckland was distant but it was enough. Russell just got on with what needed to be done. Having a resident minister, even if shared with the wider Bay of Islands Circuit or the Cooperating Parish which succeeded it, enhanced its sense of identity but also emphasised its remoteness and dependence.

We have quoted Phyllis Olsen on the demands of her husband's itinerant ministry while she looked after her little family in Russell. Even in the modern era, the sheer distances still imposed a challenge for those who were scheduled to lead worship. In the 1990s, Isobel Rigden, in the context of a small book of memories of Kawakawa Methodist Church, wrote—

> After detailed preparation for some days before, Michael Deverell would set off from Matawaia at about 9am on Sunday, after milking the cows. Well used to the metal road to Moerewa, (of which a previous Presbyterian minister once said "There is one commandment for this road—Thou shalt know thy potholes!"), he proceeded to the Opua car ferry. After parking the car he boarded the ferry as a passenger and was faithfully met at Okiato by Christiana Wood for the trip to 11 o'clock service at Russell.

We need to note that this two-hour trip to conduct Sunday worship for ten or so people was not taken by a visiting preacher from another parish—for the whole journey, Michael never left the Bay of Islands parish. He made this trip many times while an active lay preacher. Chris Wood's "ministry of transport" meant that each of the authors also had the occasional experience of being the only foot-passenger on an otherwise completely empty vehicular ferry.

Level of Involvement

In the 1970s and 1980s Russell maintained its numbers through welcoming new members who moved to retirement homes in the north during the prosperous years. Doris Edwards, Dorothy Martin and June Wilkinson were among a number of families who had enjoyed holiday homes in Russell for years. Such holidaymakers were very active in their home churches but already had holiday Sunday links with the Russell congregation when they moved there permanently. In retirement, they all brought living experience of other churches. They also had a more intuitive sense of wider church wisdom than sometimes prevailed among the longer term locals.

Over the years, each of these was able to participate to some extent in the formal activities of the whole parish. Some could travel to meetings if the ferry schedule permitted. A few others participated to the extent of receiving copies of the minutes of meetings and attending the occasional daytime parish annual meeting or special function. Minutes of council meetings rarely show more than two Russell members out of ten to fifteen attending.

Dorothy Martin served on the Council for several years and made a huge contribution as convener of the parish's stewardship education programme from 1991. She was a major loss when she moved back to Whangarei. Several Russell members made significant commitments in the 1992 stewardship education programme; indeed, they maintained a level of generosity to the point that in the mid-2000s Russell annual giving from four members was still more than a third of that of the entire parish. Suggestions that perhaps the modest size of the elderly congregation of only eight or so, or the rising cost of the formerly complimentary ferry tickets or the pressure on worship leaders did not justify providing Sunday worship at Russell were somewhat untenable in the face of that generosity. But of course, unlike the grace of God, that level of giving would not endure forever as the givers quietly departed this life one by one.

Less responsibility

The isolation of Russell is perhaps more significantly illustrated by another great silence in the Russell records of the BOI Parish in its turbulent years of the late 1980s. Indeed in one period of just a couple of years the parish council minutes show references to only one or two Russell matters.

One was what appears to be a peremptory instruction to Russell to make a loan from their property reserve to the parish to enable the purchase of a house in Paihia. Later the parish council (not the Russell congregation!) resolved that the loan be made into a gift. It must have rankled a little with some Russellites that not only was their parsonage used for only four short ministerial terms, but the proceeds of its eventual sale were now being summarily requisitioned for what ultimately they saw as "Paihia" property. Of course, Russell had as little knowledge of Connexional ownership and parish strategy as had the parish council seems to have had of tact.

Furthermore, the archives make it clear that Russell had control over funds from the earliest days of its existence. No doubt by the time the church was incorporated into the 1974 South Bay of Islands Cooperating Parish including Kawakawa Anglicans, some understanding of central funding was beginning to sink in. But the fact that Russell still had a parsonage—whether used for a minister or not—provided the locals with ongoing local finance through the Board of Trustees which administered the property. Income from renting the parsonage passed through Russell hands.

So, in 1987, it seemed perfectly natural for the BOI Parish Council to expect Russell to take up some responsibility for things other than merely property. The council wrote to Lilian Woodcock instructing her to provide a $20 petrol voucher to the worship leaders who came to take Russell services. As long as Russell had access to funds, the deeply indebted parish fund apparently did not feel it needed to provide the cash for this work. Incidentally, this generous decision to spend someone else's money lapsed quite soon afterwards.

A similar allowance was also put in place in the 1990s; this time, at least the parish account footed the bill. Councillors could hardly do otherwise; they had just ordered the closure of the Russell parsonage account—and about eight other separate bank accounts and funds in the parish—and the merging of all monies into one single account. The separate funds were clearly identified in a consolidated balance sheet. It was good financial strategy and the overdraft at the bank was greatly reduced. But we wonder what Russell members felt about it?

Annual Meeting Minutes around this time also show scant reference to Russell. Even the 1987 meeting that was actually held at Russell apparently omitted any significant reference to Russell affairs. It is as if the congregation has become invisible. However, it is notable that three Sunday School Teachers from Russell had attended a district training seminar. Presumably that work was going along quietly without the need to draw attention to itself by way of formal reports.

Parish Challenges

This lack of reference to Russell affairs needs to be set against the unprecedented difficulties which the parish as a whole faced in 1987 and 1988. The last full-time minister departed during this time and a succession of visiting clergy came for short terms, no less than five of them in four years. In between these short visits the parish still coped with as many as three Sunday morning services at the same time. There was also a regrettable inter-denominational wrangle about the value of the Kawakawa Church House which was to be transferred to the Diocese of Auckland on the collapse of the South Bay of Islands Cooperating Parish. There was a need for a parsonage for the residual part of the parish and the new, fragile parish was entitled to a share of the value of Church House. But money was paid over only after the Diocese reluctantly acceded to arbitration which ordered a more substantial share than they had offered.

In 1987 the little 1960s church in Paihia was becoming quite inadequate for a proper church programme. But the value of the property had soared, making it a target for developers. A new site was found and the entire cost was advanced by the Methodist Trust Association. This was at 16% interest, a not ungenerous rate for the time. Under what their forbears would have called a "mysterious providence" the purchase was completed only days before the New York Stock Exchange collapsed and the New Zealand property market evaporated. The eventual loss on the Paihia property deal would be over a quarter of a million dollars and would be carried by the Ministers' Superannuation Fund.

At this time the parish was also asked to accept responsibility for services at Taumarere's St Andrews community church. This had become orphaned after the withdrawal of the Anglican Maori ministry component which was one of the triggers of the collapse of the original cooperating parish.

There was a series of ecumenical consultations about future ministry involving the whole of the mid-north. Bay of Islands Cooperating Parish actually failed to be represented at one, and can hardly be blamed for that. The parish minutes of these years read of one crisis after another, resolutely faced, though not, it is clear, without some rancour. One such meeting is alleged to have beavered through until 1am, surely a sign that something had gone wrong with the decision-making process or personal relationships or both.

That the parish survived all these demanding situations is a tribute to the immense effort put in by the small group who comprised the active leadership. That the affairs of Russell congregation did not get much attention in the minutes, is no surprise. But such was its lot. Russell was on the periphery through the last phase of its life and could not receive much creative attention while the parish was going through such trauma.

Duty of Care

Nevertheless, Russell was cared for and ministered to by the more able parts of the parish. It enjoyed a regular Sunday service at the same time as the two other morning services—a demanding schedule for the willing band of lay preachers and the occasional clergy. Russell people received a share of such ministry as was available. And they paid careful attention to each other's pastoral needs as their numbers were gently reduced by deaths and removals.

But, in the traditions in which they had lived, the congregation now did not have the energy or the vision to make significant change. In the early 1990s they successively accepted outside funding to supplement the last of their property money. This was need for extensive work on the church roof, painting, removal of the fragile old hall, a necessary sewage connection and new kitchen and toilet.

While this money was being spent, a Russell congregational meeting laboured through the issues around its future. It produced a seven-point report that the church be designated a "church community centre". The building would be made suitable for use by community groups during the week. This proposal was formally agreed by both congregation and parish council. But when it became clear that this would involve the removal of most of the pews in favour of comfortable chairs, Russell enthusiasm was immediately muted. Doris Edwards, a most respected member of the congregation was totally opposed and her opinion carried a lot of weight. But she had some powerful support from outside the congregation. The Williams family, long since lost to active involvement in the congregation, issued a huge protest about the proposed removal of the pews.

As a result some of them made personal representations to the Administration Division in 1993 concerning their belief that the family owned the "Williams Memorial" church. At that time they were fairly firmly disabused of this understanding by the General Secretary. But the view has persisted. In 2012, when it became known that the church was to be closed, claims were rumoured that the proceeds of the sale should go the Williams family. The Board of Administration was not approached this time but in the course of routine research with the Historic Places Trust one of the authors discovered that a Williams family member had been in touch with them before him. Of course, it was not within their mandate to act and nothing more was heard.

Lost Opportunity

Back in 1996, this passive interference of some members of the Williams family and the reluctance of the congregation to make significant changes combined to halt significant re-designing to the interior of the church. In November the parish council agreed that the status quo would remain. The kind of change proposed in the discussion document circulated at the time might possibly have changed the congregation's relationship to its community. Probably, only such a radical change in self-concept and sense of mission would have had a chance of stimulating renewal. But confidence and energy were both lacking. The moment was lost. The parish would not press Russell to make changes.

But nor would it leave them to die. It was not easy to arrange a service schedule to include Russell. Only two decades ago, this required no less than three worship leaders most Sunday mornings. As other congregations in the parish were closed because of community decline and falling numbers at worship, a regular weekly service was still maintained at Russell. There was decline in numbers there too, but the commitment and loyalty of the people made that service a priority for the parish.

Appreciation

In the final decades Russell members were always appreciative of the worship ministry offered them. They sometimes thanked the Ministry Team instead of the Worship Team but their reports never failed to express appreciation:

> How grateful we are for the continual support of the dedicated preaching team, who travel to Russell each Sunday to bring us the Word of God.... Though small in numbers we are strong in faith.... True fellowship is experienced at our after-worship fellowship meeting and morning tea.

Their formal report to the annual meeting of 2006 is a little more explicit:

> The (very small) congregation continues mission outreach responsibility of the parish. There are three to four regular attendees who are very grateful for continuing ministry from the worship team, visiting worship leaders and organist. We value the opportunity to offer worship services to holiday makers and visitors. (We) appreciate the economics of continuing services are not favourable, but continue to keep an open mind about the future.

The report ends on this doleful note: "At present no strategies seem to suggest themselves."

Responsibility

To maintain some level of ministry to Russell, the parish had certain expectations. These were met with credit. The visiting worship leaders were never asked to carry the offering away and bank it; that was accepted as a local responsibility. Even when the bank agency closed and the money had to be mailed to Wellington, someone in Russell did it. The communion celebrant of the day was never expected to bring the elements. Even when the ageing congregation was down to four, one of them prepared what was needed. The members also saw to keeping the church tidy and clean and, in the spirit of the church's history of D.I.Y., did simple maintenance and repairs. On many occasions, small chores were completed without the parish leaders even being consulted.

Indeed, the parish was never asked about the homely "wayside pulpit" posters that were displayed from time to time on the front of the church. In the spirit of David Woodcock's whimsical WE ARE SOUL AGENTS sign which was on the church fence for years before being stolen, Ed James initiated this new ministry. His contributions were, for the most part, interesting and thought-provoking.

But one quite reasonably attracted the attention of a visitor who wrote to the Administration Division and the church newspaper complaining of its fundamentalist theology. The parish council shrugged off a "Please explain" letter and Ed's posters continued to appear. This was Russell.

Loyalty

There was a remarkable loyalty among the congregation in the last years. As Doris Edwards was becoming increasing fragile she was less inclined to leave home most of the time. On one occasion she phoned Shirley James at the last moment to say she had got up and started out to the car but had not felt right and had gone back inside. She would not be coming. Dave and Bev Mullan were to lead worship that morning and they recalled that there were only Ed and Shirley James at church—

> When Shirley reported that Doris had given up her attempt to attend we waited for ten minutes in case there should be any visitors. Then we all adjourned to Long Beach and presented ourselves unannounced at Doris' beachfront home. We sat around her circular table and shared a touching service. The next time she received communion was in hospital just before she died.

Property

In the latter years, the condition of the church building was causing more and more concern. The annual report for 2003 raised the issue again—

>....Ed James recently made mention of the condition of our much loved wooden church.... Perhaps we should pray that the borer bugs should start holding hands.

Mission goals?

In reviewing the annual reports over the final decades, David Pratt commented:

> The Russell report always seems to be about worship attendance, toilet connections, funds raised from a sale of cakes. There seems to be no consideration of mission goals; what is it that Christ is calling us to be and do in the Russell community? How does a small congregation in a tourist town fit into the world church? Why is the larger mission picture never mentioned?

Dave Mullan affirms that those questions were not at the heart of Russell as a congregation in the late stages. Individual members may well have given some thought to them but there was no corporate sense of mission of that kind. Mission, for this half-dozen people was more understood in terms of just being together in church on Sunday and keeping the building and grounds tidy. More than that, they considered, was beyond them. It was realistic. Hospice Church may be about just that kind of limited activity and involvement.

The January 2005 meeting of parish council gave its full "policy discussion" time to consideration of the situation at Russell. There was a lot of sympathy for the members there, and a determination that the council would not initiate a proposal to close. The metaphor of the hospice serves quite well to describe the situation towards the end. The rest of the "family'" were discussing the patient's situation and aware that there was a level of responsibility on both sides. But they would not step in and "switch off the life support". The congregation would be cared for. Its friends would come and visit. But everyone knew the patient was about to slip away. It was just a question of when.

Closure

Sooner or later, the outcome of the hospice situation is death and a funeral. The parish did the latter well for the Russell building. A gathering of around 100 people shared in a celebration of the church's life on a Sunday morning nearest to the centenary. Then, in very specific formalities, the congregation proceeded outside. Ed James locked the door and handed over the key to Rosalie Gwilliam, Co-President of Churches Together in Northland. It was a deliberate reversal of the opening. The church was declared available for disposal.

Disposal

The projected sale of the building excited considerable interest in the town. There was much concern expressed that the building might be lost altogether. But no community group could be found to take financial and administrative responsibility for it. Parish Council resolved to invite tenderers to state what they intended to do with the property. The implication was that this information would be taken into account when considering tenders. But it was recognised that, short of a complex covenant, there would be little control over a new owner once a tender was accepted.

No less than thirteen sets of tender documents were requested. Meanwhile, the Baptist Church asked to rent the church on a week-to-week basis and, after some discussion this was accepted. It became evident that the Baptists were attempting to put together enough money to make a realistic tender. They cast their net fairly widely and before long probably everyone in Russell knew that they were hoping to make an offer.

On the due date for tenders, it became apparent that the "mysterious providence" was again at work: there was only one tender. No other interested party made an offer. The Russell Baptist Church tender was just within the range of valuations notified by the Methodist Church's Board of Administration. It was duly accepted and the handover was quickly and harmoniously arranged.

The felicitous outcome is that the property is now enabled to continue what it had been doing for a hundred years—providing a home for a somewhat ecumenical congregation with a passion for an expression of the Gospel in the context of an idiosyncratic local community.

At the time we were offered this thought—

> To me it is particularly poignant that the de-commissioning of this much loved part of Russell should take place a hundred years... after its inception. Only God can tell the impact it has made on peoples' lives and faith but I would feel confident He would say (to this venerable old building), "Well done, good and faithful servant".

Insights

There are some insights available to us from considering Russell's final decades as a Hospice Church. These may be of relevance in a time when traditional pakeha/palagi congregations are challenged both by falling attendances and buildings that do not meet the "Earthquake Code".

They are "OK"

Hospice Congregations need to know that though they may not be the brightest stars in the firmament, they have a place, they belong. They should not be discouraged, even when they raise tentative and apologetic doubts about themselves. Certainly they should not be persuaded that their cause as a fellowship is vitiated by the state of their buildings.

Such congregations should not be measured against mission criteria or objectives of churches that are clearly active and involved and enjoy unthreatened facilities. They should be helped to be as independent as possible, usually by being linked with a more vigorous congregation which could provide a ministry of worship for them.

In the 1960s and 1970s passion for Union, Methodism found ways of undermining the confidence of dozens, perhaps a hundred or more of its small congregations. Many of these might have been relatively modest in their aspirations to serious mission but they existed. For some decades, more candidates for the ministry came from small rural churches than the larger centres. Some of these little fellowships should never have found themselves nudged into uneasy mergers with Methodist or other Negotiating Churches. Too many members that were shuffled from church to church in those times failed to engage in the proposed mergers and simply disappeared. Even congregations which seemed to have little to contribute should never have been allowed to think more modestly of themselves than they ought to have thought. The concept of Hospice Church might have slowed down some of the negative strategies that shaped the church for another generation.

They make an effort

Russell congregation exemplified another significant principle: Hospice Churches need to make some kind of effort. They may be in the last stage of life, and they may need care and attention. But they are not totally helpless and need to take some responsibility for the necessary chores for Sunday services.

Congregations like Russell should be able to take basic care of their property, they should prepare the building for worship and carry out other chores such as banking the offering. They should have formal pastoral links within their own fellowship and to the wider parish which is responsible for them. Fulfilling these simple conditions could perhaps be a part of any covenant for the maintenance of a congregation that might otherwise be regarded as redundant.

Generosity

As has been noted, an interesting feature of Russell's declining years was the relative generosity of its members. As is often the case with very small churches of older members who are more or less financially secure, the giving per member was twice the amount offered by other members of the parish. Without doubt, this financial support was one thing that motivated the parish council to continue to keep the flag flying at Russell. This may be a consistent feature of Hospice Churches and a test of their genuine need for leadership assistance.

They are loyal

Russell reflected a certain kind of ambivalence that can be seen among patients in a hospice setting. Most such patients are grateful to be cared for. But some are resistant to the loss of responsibility for themselves and their own functions and especially the inevitability of their personal outcome.

In Russell this meant that, on the one hand, there was always appreciation of the wider parish and denomination. There was a willingness to "fit in" even to the point of inconvenience. They shifted their service to 11am so the worship leader from Paihia could be there, usually arriving late. Some of them made an effort to attend the occasional parish council or annual meeting.

But from the earliest days there was also a fierce loyalty to Russell itself, to its own needs, distinctiveness, traditions and theological understanding. To put it a little crudely, for some part of its earlier life, Russell seemed to be holding out its hand for everything that could be provided by the wider church. Russell people knew that if they asked for something, it would quite probably be provided for them. And they knew what to ask for, and how to ask for it, sometimes with importunity. But most of what came to this distinctive community was accepted and integrated into their life on their own terms.

In the Hospice Church phase the grasping hand may be less insistent and the pleas less strident. But even at the end, such congregation should not be treated just as a passive docile recipient of such crumbs as might fall from the neighbouring parish's table. Participation has its price and loyalty is not always enough.

Mission

There are three aspects of mission in the context of the Hospice Church. First, the members must have some sense of being on mission in their community. Mission is not fulfilled just in the worship gathering, it needs to be expressed in some form of outreach, by money, by hands-on service, and by the fellowship of communal prayer and pastoral care.

Secondly, Hospice Church is a congregation that, rather than being vigorously engaged in mission, is itself an object of mission. Russell existed, in those last years, not so much to serve, as to be served. This may sound anomalous when set against the ideals of Jesus of the synoptics ("the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."). But it is not an inappropriate way to think about a declining, elderly congregation of just half a dozen. If such a group is willing to stay together and minister to each other as best they can, it is not unreasonable that another more substantial congregation might accept the challenge to offer a limited amount of ministry as part of their mission. By definition, members of the Hospice Church are the recipients of mission more than the exponents of it.

Thirdly, a Hospice Church provides an opportunity for some other church or parish to engage in specific ministry to a satellite congregation. There may be some travelling costs for the parish—in Russell's case these become not inconsiderable as complimentary tickets on the vehicle ferry were progressively withdrawn. It may seem that there is no response from the people. However, the worth of a service of worship in the Hospice Church is not necessarily to be measured by the number of members who will offer to become involved in another church's administration.

Covenant

Such a congregation, and its partner parish, could perhaps draw up a covenant around a precise list of simple functions which are relevant and achievable for the members of the small church. It could also include an agreement about the average number of regular worshippers that intend to participate. If these conditions were faithfully performed by the local people, the partner church might commit itself to continue to offer worship ministry.

Such a covenant could become the touchstone by which the continuation of the congregation might be evaluated. It would give both sides the opportunity to be open and accepting about change. It could provide criteria which could help the congregation to decide to celebrate a worthy closing before the last member was taken from the roll.

In Russell's case, there was an unwritten commitment to keep the Sunday alive until the centenary. A careful covenant, prepared ten years earlier, might have helped the people and the parish to handle the last couple of years differently yet still with integrity.

Death and the Funeral

Thinking of the church building, as distinct from the members using it, there is another significant metaphor from the Hospice Church that we can learn from Russell's case. If a kind of resurrection is not always possible for a church building from which the congregation has withdrawn, there will still be a kind of death. As one role of the hospice is to prepare for the inevitable end of life, so the Hospice Church should be helped to face realities.

And when death occurs, a proper funeral should be arranged. This should be not just a simple formality, but a worshipful occasion which celebrates all that was good about the life of the building. And, like a funeral, it should deal with the realities of living and dying. It should celebrate the life that has ended. And it should set a climate in which genuine grief may be acknowledged and expressed.

Married to its Age?

Readers will recall Spurgeon's dictum: "The church that is married to the age, will be widowed in a generation". To the extent that the little Russell congregation successfully engaged in its "present age" it perhaps determined also its eventual demise. Well wedded to its day and its environment, with what seemed to be relevant ministry and programmes, it became a victim of new times, new circumstances. Its style was not able to meet new challenges.

Its story is not untypical for many a congregation.

### 9 — Future Directions

As we have reflected on the one hundred year life of Russell Methodist Church we have been asking ourselves if there are some lessons to be learned for today's papalagi/pakeha Methodist church planners. Several chapters conclude with specific insights. As we have thought about these, we sense three common threads running through them.

Self-Centred?

We wonder if one of the predominant characteristics of people who chose to live in Russell—not just those associated with the church—were more than usually interested in themselves.

Of course, we are all like this to some extent. But somehow the question, when asked of Methodists in Russell, seems to matter. We don't mean that they were always and consistently selfish. They did think of missions both Maori and Overseas and gave money, goods and personal support and prayer. They sent parcels to Donald Soper's London mission in war time. They were shaken alive to the realities of the world by the Erebus tragedy. There are plenty of times when they looked outside their immediate selves, beyond their vision of an inward-looking comfort offering, eternal life-giving church.

For many people in the Russell community this choice of a place to live was as far as you could get from the demands of living in the larger communities of Auckland and Whangarei. It was a kind of isolation by choice, a sort of retreat. And this characteristic is sometimes reflected in what we have studied of the congregation. There was often trouble finding people to attend meetings of the parish. They talked about "going over the other side" when referring to the rest of the parish. Often the minister was the only connection with outside—and some of them and their spouses found it lonely at times. They joked wryly about "going overseas".

The isolation of the Russell community had largely meant that it had not the same range of opinion and experience as might be experienced in a large town or city. This narrower world view easily dropped out of touch with life in other places. In the days before electronic news media, such communities—and there were many in the North—were not always as "up to date" as their metropolitan counterparts. They usually expressed fairly conservative views on politics and government, for instance. And religion.

Conservative?

Many times as we have studied the archives we have noted what seems to have been a natural tendency towards conservative theology in the Northern church. Until the widespread provision of College-trained clergy from the 1950s, small congregations were very dependent on the idiosyncratic views of their own lay leaders. These were seldom well-trained or deeply reflective. But there were plenty of them. Even as late as the mid-1980s, a gathering of Northland clergy and "lay supplies" in Auckland drew some 17 individuals. All exercised some degree of paid ministry in congregations. Only five or six were trained and ordained. Most tended to reflect merely the non-denominational and conservative enthusiasms of the most vigorously faithful of their small-church parishioners.

Here was a rich soil for the independent streak that has flourished in congregational life in Northland Methodism. Here are the seeds of a kind of Christianity that says "I love Jesus but I have no time for denominations". Indeed, for some individuals, some of the 1970s passion for church union in the North may have had something to do with a desire to have as little as possible to do with the denominations. As the Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa-New Zealand has come to displace the authority of the denominations, some people have treated it with the same disdain.

Minority?

On top of this somewhat conservative experience, the very small numbers of Methodist members in the North meant that a lot was expected of them. With the best view in the world, they easily became preoccupied with their own church life. The fact that they saddled themselves with some ambitious dreams made the demands more oppressive and their ultimate dreams that much less achievable.

It is sometimes said that it would have been easier for the church if Wesley's heart had not been quite so strangely warmed. E.W. Hames used to say that ever since the founder's conversion, the Methodists spent far too much time "taking their spiritual temperature". For a denomination that has a lot of other significant strings to its evangelical bow, Methodism has always sought to promote a broader understanding than a purely and intensely self-centred view of salvation. We used to be reminded that we are not just saved from something but saved to something.

We have to ask ourselves, to what extent was this broader understanding a part of the life of the Russell congregation? Were people caught up in an intensely personal commitment to Jesus that over-rode commitment to a denomination? Or did their passion for a complex property portfolio blind them to the realities of life on the peninsula in the context of a wider church?

Specific Learnings

Perhaps the most obvious learning would be that new congregations of the style of Russell a hundred—or even fifty—years ago are not necessarily likely to be models for the world of the future. People may be looking elsewhere to nurture their sense of spirituality. The conventional kind of church that we have grown up with may no longer be sought as a resource for spiritual insight and growth. For some years many Christians have looked to much more charismatic, conservative and relatively passive gatherings that offer them only one style of personal spirituality. Others are seeking ethnic congregations based on languages other than English, but which often have a Victorian English missionary history and theological emphasis. A few are looking for a much more progressive character in the theology in which they would like to express their grasp of the faith; they desire a theology that has relevant application to the secular scientific world in which we now live. Many people are content to exercise their spirituality in settings which bear absolutely no resemblance to a typical residential congregation of recent decades.

Nevertheless, it is clear that existing small congregations of traditional members are persisting to a remarkable degree. The numbers may not be large. Increasing age and oppressive property costs seem to be against them, but their commitment is often very high. As early as 2005, Russell reporting to parish council that their "regular" attenders were only four. But it would be several years before they acknowledged the possibility that the congregation might close.

So Russell may yet be a model for certain kinds of congregations in the church of the future. Methodism needs to relate more effectively to such congregations rather than merely tolerating them. Their place in a broad spectrum of strategies for the mainline church of the future needs to be staked out before it is too late.

Achievement.... But?

One thing that is clear from the Russell experience is that the people knew what they wanted and to a large extent they achieved it. They had very specific goals, based on the knowledge of the churches of their day. They used the denominational structures of Wesleyan Methodism to reproduce something that corresponded with their vision. But the shared pressures to "build a hall for a youth group", and "build a parsonage and you will get a resident minister", and even "throw in your lot with this bigger circuit/parish etc", were all based around a concept that has been shown to have been impossible to maintain in the long term. In a sense, Russell, like many small churches, programmed itself and was programmed by the parent denomination, to fall short of its vision.

So we ask ourselves, how can a national strategy avoid repeating that kind of failing? What are the qualities and emphases of the kind of dream that might build a congregation in these days? How might such a dream be fulfilled so as to lead to a more creative future?

Expectations

In the first place, people in a start-up congregation should not be saddled with expectations in terms of other churches they have experienced. In a hundred years, Russell membership never exceeded twenty-seven. That was not what the pioneers expected when they built a church to seat 120. But it was the eventual reality.

Nor should they even be encouraged to think too far ahead. The denomination needs to reflect on the potential of terminal fellowships which might serve a really significant purpose for their time but do not expect to be around for ever.

Building Strategy?

There is a need for a realistic denominational strategy for planting, developing and maintaining of small church buildings that might or might not have a permanent existence. Such a strategy would probably not include plans for traditional church buildings in every place. Most small churches could hire all the facilities they needed. They don't need to be held in thrall to properties that no longer served their original purpose or are beyond their resources to maintain.

Paid Ministry?

Dependence on paid ministry in the small church has been clearly demonstrated in Russell, as well as dozens of other small fellowships, as completely unrealistic in today's age. Spreading stipendiary clergy ever more thinly is also a failed strategy. Merely training lay people is not enough. What is missing is a coherent, manageable and definitive strategy of ministry deployment, a strategy that includes practical, achievable and measurable goals.

Strengths of being small

Obviously, the greatest numbers growth in the worldwide Christian Church at the present time is in the area of super-churches of fairly conservative views and large, audience-like memberships. There does not seem to be significant growth taking place in mainline congregations with traditional buildings and programmes. On all sides, conventional churches of this kind are beginning to look at themselves and wonder about their futures.

Keith Suter, in an unpublished thesis, suggests that one possible scenario for the future of the United Church of Australia (he offers four) is the option of numbers of small congregations. These would not be caught up in the substantial conciliar structure of district and national governance and representation. Their primary focus would be on the local church in its community. Arising as a response to the somewhat bleak strategies offered by John Bodycomb in 1988, Suter's is a scenario that harmonises with Dave Mullan's strategy of "Ecclesion—the Small Church with a Vision" (ColCom Press 1991)—also inspired by Bodycomb's discouraging predictions. Small churches, even as small as Russell Methodist, may be a realistic strategy for mainline Methodism.

Existing small churches should be encouraged to identify the particular strengths of being small and play to these strengths. They must not attempt to emulate the style of buildings, or programmes or audience numbers of the larger churches of the future. The somewhat idiosyncratic style of the Russell Church offers a very relevant model for maintaining congregations and developing new ones. But, also in the Russell style, they may need to look to eventual demise.

Community congregations

There should be a deliberate ecumenical strategy to develop small churches in every residential community in the country. Resources should be put into materials, consultancy, supervision and creative inspiration for such community fellowships. Ecumenical opportunities should be grasped, not merely to expand and enlarge these congregations but to sustain different communities of interest in the face of the constrictions of property and theology and commitment.

Character

A small congregation needs to be helped to foster a distinctive character around its members, ethnic makeup, some degree of agreed theological position, patterns of worship, or other features. Small congregations of the future will need to be more rigorous than larger congregations about identifying and promoting their unique character. Increasingly they will look less and less like conventional churches, but they must be encouraged and supported and not left to flounder alone.

Links

Methodism has prided itself on being "connexional". That is to say, all congregations are linked together and linked to the district and national church. Small congregations should be allowed to be "connexional" in the sense of horizontal links with sister congregations, rather than merely vertical links with some "head office" which exercises oversight and authority. Too often, being connexional has been viewed negatively rather than positively.

Mission Relevance

Part of a small congregation's reason for being must be a shared sense of relevance the Gospel has for their local community. All aspects of local mission need to be re-examined and articulated afresh from time to time. Mission should be at the heart of the church's programme of preaching, teaching, worship and its other activities.

Outreach

The small community church of the future should have, if it is to be true to the calling of Jesus Christ to be the church, some specific and distinctive programme of creative community outreach or service. This should draw in the active involvement of most if not all of the members.

The Dream

The Russell endeavour began as a dream for the future in the minds of the Williams brothers and became the dream of the Russell Methodist community.

There was no problem with having a dream. Perhaps two things were lacking. There may not have been adequate assistance to shape the dream around the reality of the day. And when it became apparent that reality itself was changing, the dream failed to continue to be relevant.

The dream for any future congregation must include some practical awareness of its community awareness and some knowledge of the gifts of its people. It must include specific application of good business programmes and skills. And it must be able to access the best available training and assessment resources.

And at its heart, this dream will find ways of winning the hearts of people to the way of Jesus, to new life in his church, and to his service in the community. Informed by biblical and theological insight, this dream will lead people to be committed, as Russell members were committed, to the way of Jesus and to each other in the church. Such dreamers will transform society and their communities.

In many respects, Russell people exemplified this dream in their hopes and in their living. Ultimately, perhaps, as we observed the end of Chapter 8, their dream became so "married to the age" that it fell short of an adequate vision for the future. In widowhood, it quietly passed away. Now, a new age is calling for a new vision.

However, something we could learn from the Russell saga is that Spurgeon might possibly have been not quite right. When he declared "the church that is married to the age will be widowed in a generation" it was a different world. Around the turn of the 20th century the church—and the world—were looking ahead with enthusiasm. There seemed to be every reason to believe that the future was there for the taking. Victorian optimism, mixed with Victorian religion, would lead the civilisation confidently into the future.

So Spurgeon's call was for the church to free itself of habits and strategies that tied it to its present age so that it could lead the advance into the new world. Evangelical faith and ecumenism would win the world for Christ, if not in one generation (as proposed by renowned Methodist evangelist Bishop John R Mott a decade or two later) perhaps a couple or so.

Alas, the unbelievable loss of the Titanic would sink the utopian dreams of the unlimited power of industry. And almost immediately the world would sink into war on a scale never before dreamed of. Nothing was the same after that and the great depression and another World War were almost inevitable outcomes.

In these days of heart-wrenching conflict in so many corners of the globe, when the very climate itself is taking lives and livelihoods, when the advances of science again and again fail to deliver any change in the minds and morals of most of the population, and when traditional religion is rapidly disappearing, perhaps we can learn from Russell.

They kept their heads down and got on with the job of being church as they understood it applied to their community. The grander plan, the wider vision was at the back of their minds but the day-to-day relevance was their primary focus. In a kind of defiance of Spurgeon, we think they would have sung lustily with Charles Wesley—

> To serve the present age

> My calling to fulfil;

> O may it all my powers engage

> To do my Master's will.

Perhaps the small church of the future will be less given to lamenting the threats of the future and more disposed to concentrate on its immediate mission, its resources, its members, and the needs of its local community. Its calling may simply be to be faithful.

Perhaps, like Russell, it will find that circumstances turn against it. Perhaps it, too, will have a limited span of life and service. But the value of its life should be judged, not by half-wise heads after the event, but in the hearts and minds of those who had their sleeves rolled up and their hands to the task day by day.

The testimony of Russell Methodist people is that their church helped shape their lives. Even those who did not contribute greatly to its mission remember the building with affection and pride. It was a symbol of the fellowship that was shared in and around it. Now, in another age and in the care of another denomination, that precious building can continue to be remembered not just as a building but as a dream fulfilled in lives well lived.

May it always be so.

### Appendix — A Chronology

1847—JB Williams arrives in Russell—1913

Church opened 19 April

1931 —York St Hotel & Billiard Parlour insured by church

1931 —York St Hall insured as Hotel Bar and Billiard Saloon: Insurance Premium was paid by church?

1934 —David and Lilian Woodcock first in Russell

1935 —Mary E Trounson bequest £200 MHB Introduced

1935 —Minister's stipend was £140

1936 —Swordfish Club buy the York St hall

1936 —Hall occupied by Bay of Islands Swordfish and Mako Shark Club. Insurance Policy

1937 —Organ fund established

1937 —M E Trounson leaves £200 to Russell

1938 —Occasional services commenced at Paihia—WR Francis

1938 —Proposal to merge Russell didn't go ahead

1939 —Services commenced at Opua

1940 —Wartime relief parcels for UK

1940 —Ladies renovate church interior

1940 —Electric lighting installed in church

1944 —Swordfish Club Rooms (York St hall) bought by church using remainder of Trounson bequest

1946 —Youth Club commenced

1947 —Russell asks to sell hall to build parsonage. Proposal is discouraged with promises of much loan assistance from HM Dept, 10 Nov.

1948 —Envelope system introduced

1948 —Site for parsonage was purchased

1948 —HM Dept writes emphatically about retaining hall

1948 —20.12: Christchurch agrees to purchase of parsonage section and connexional Sites Fund offers half cost of £100.

1949 —Pastoral visits made in Paihia—PA Stead

1950 —Loyal Gibson does summer student supply: £26-14s

1950 —Proposal to subdivide York St and sell part of section. £400 in hand to start parsonage but £1100 needed to complete.

1951 —Parsonage probably finished

1951 —Subdivision of property was approved.

1951 —27 Sep Trustees reconsidered request for Sports Club to use piano for their dance.

1951 —Borer treatment considered and reported.

1951 —EC Leadley and Bycroft families ask about using parsonage for holidays. An Advt placed?

1952 —Hall let to David Woodcock after shop fire. Insurance cover adjusted.

1952 —11 Mar: Health Dept complains of flood nuisance; demands postholes be dug to drain surface water.

1952 —Mar: Several special Fuller trips @ 16/6 ea. Frilly blinds bought for parsonage. More borrowings.

1952 —Geo Hunt visit — replaced by Albert Blakemore

1953 —Summary of loans situation.

1953 —Acknowledgement of gift to David Woodcock.

1953 —New Law Book obtained—note Hilary on Everest

1953 —August —Garage built £39/3/-

1954 —(Methodist) Commission to break up BOI Circuit

1954 —Notice board built and lettered: £5

1954 —3 Mar: David Woodcock reported deteriorating condition of York St hall

1955 —York St hall considered for letting but eventually

1957 —"Whangaroa-Bay of Islands Circuit inaugurated: Kaeo-Kerikeri Kawakawa Russell "

1957 —Hall moved to the rear of the church; dedication 14th August Sr Rita Snowden Vice-president

1957 —York St section sold to Council. £300.

1957 —moved to rear of church. £800

1957 —Boracure job done: £3/5/-

1957 —Amalgamation with Kaikohe-Bay of Islands raised.

1959 —New cross for HC table, drapes, etc.

1960 —Combined Sunday School for two years

1960 —Membership 27—all-time high

1961 —Roger Gibson appointed

1961 —Whangaroa-BOI Circuit sends gift of £8 as well as yearly contribution for parsonage fund

1962 —Parsonage debt 670 pounds

1963 —Camera Club begins screenings

1963 —Anniversary booklet printed: £12/9- for 300!

1963—Play Centre are using hall. Ask to fence rear area.

1964—Brian Olsen appointed

1964—Camera Club is using hall twice monthly

1965—18 lines in an invoice to detail repairs to mower

1965—Some drainage work done at parsonage

1967—Horace Williams died

1967—David Pratt appointed

1967—First church boat—bought from Woodcocks

1967—Waitangi Consultation on Union Strategy

1967—Kaeo-Kerikeri split off Bay of Islands

1967—Kikuyu sprayed at rear of church for £7

1968—Russell Sea Scouts revived

1969—Stove element re-wired for $1 in Feb but new element required in Dec $5.60

1970—John Manihera appointed

1971—Russell parsonage becomes redundant to the parish

1975—Church and hall re-piled

1976—BOI Cooperating Parish inaugurated

1981—Picket fence completed: "Sole Agents"

1982—Mervyn Arlidge died

1983—New infra-red wall heaters installed

1984—Illuminated cross installed

1985—Decision to sell parsonage

1985—Trust became a Property Committee

1985—Williams Family Reunion— Labour Weekend

1986—Parsonage sold and proceeds allocated

1987—Church valued at £104—000

1992—Nine members on pledged giving

1992—David Woodcock died

1995—Russell Christmas Carols on "Waimarie"

1995—"Hal, kitchen and long drops removed"

1996—New kitchen and toilet in vestry—

1996—Concept for interior renovation of church rejected

1999—Pulpit rebuilt by Alf Little

2002—Church joined to new sewerage system

2012—Last weekly services in June

2013—Church closed 19th April and sold to Baptist Church

He tauparapara mutunga tenei mo tenei pukapuka

Ka pa ki tua,

Ka pa ki waho

Ka pa ki te whare

He wananga nuku

He wananga rangi

We have had insight into the distant past

We have had conversation with those outside

We have had conversation with the people of the house.

This has led us to the earth around

This has led us to the heavens

### About the authors

David Pratt and Dave Mullan are retired Methodist Presbyters of the Methodist Church of New Zealand. Each of them, at different times, had pastoral and administrative responsibility for the Russell Methodist congregation. Both were present at the closing service of the church in 2013 and are interested in small church strategies. In 2014 ColCom Press published this book in paperback.

### Dave Mullan

Retired Presbyter of Methodist Church of New Zealand. Passionate pioneer in Local Shared Ministry, consultant in small churches, publisher of niche market books, producer of prosumer video, deviser of murder mystery dinners and former private pilot.

Dave trained for the Methodist Ministry at Trinity Theological College and eventually completed MA, Dip Ed as well. He and Bev married just before his first appointment in Ngatea where their two children arrived. They went on to Panmure and Taumarunui. Longer terms followed at Dunedin Central Mission and the Theological College. During this time he was also involved as co-founder and second national President of Family Budgeting Services and adviser to the (government) Minister of Social Welfare in Home Budgeting.

Dave's final four "working" years were part-time, developing the first Presbyterian or Methodist Local Shared Ministry unit in this country and promoting the concept overseas. Retirement has brought a whole lot more opportunities and challenges including publication of over 100 books of which he wrote about ten and a blog in which he tries to write fairly seriously on a range of topics.

An ongoing adventure with prostate cancer brought Bev and Dave to the Hibiscus Coast Residential Village near Auckland in 2014 but in early 2015 his prospects seem much improved.

Contact Dave

colcom.press@clear.net.nz

davemullan35@gmail.com

http://dave-mullan.blogspot.com

http://www.colcompress.com

### Dave's other general books

Attwood of Hepburn Creek. The life of Thomas William Attwood, who settled in the Mahurangi 1907, initiated the NZ Fruitgrowers' Federation and represented NZ fruitgrowing interests in South America and UK 1923-1925 and then went on to found the NZ Alpine and Rock Garden Society. Lady Anne Allum of Auckland was his daughter. A5. 134p. ISBN 1-877357-01-4

In and Out of Sync. Dave's life story up to 2013. Extracted from a more substantial text, this book presents Dave's personal family background and professional life and ministry. Reviewers have said it offers a significant and insightful view of the Methodist Church of New Zealand in a turbulent and challenging time. A5 220p. ISBN 1-877357-10-3

John Roulston, Grazier of Calkill & Runnymede. Dave Mullan with Val Mullan of Brisbane. Our attempt to trace the life of the mysterious and very distant relation from the Upper Brisbane Valley. He left a fortune to family members in four countries when he died in 1929. Most of them had never met him. A5. 122p. ISBN 1-877357-00-6

The Almost Attwoods. Ed Dave Mullan. Personal stories of the 143 descendants in the first three generations from James and Emma Attwood of Lewisham. A5. 220p. ISBN 978-1-877357-4-9

The Saga of Wasp. Revised and enlarged collection of Dave's short stories, 2014. Some include significant historical material from his early working life with the New Zealand Forest Service. But all were written mainly for fun. Also available as epub, 2015 180p ISBN 978-877357-12-X

These books are available from ColCom Press stock or printing on demand. colcom.press@clear.net.nz http://www.colcompress.com

### Dave's books on church and ministry

Diakonia and the Moa. Although published in 1983 this book offers a distinctive understanding of the role of the "permanent" Deacon in the modern church. A5 170p ISBN 0-9597775-0-4

Ecclesion — The Small Church with a Vision. Reflections on the contemporary church and suggestions for revival of the small church in vigorous new styles of Sunday church life, mission and ministry. This book introduces the thinking behind the Lay Ministry Team concept developed for Methodists and Presbyterians in the Bay of Islands Co-operating Parish in 1992. It is being completely revised and updated for e-publication in 2015. A5 140p 978-908815-08-5

Fresh New Ways — Emerging Models for Mission and Ministry in the Local Congregation. Ed. Dave Mullan. Papers and reflections from a significant Australian conference, this book details (a) new structures for the church or parish and (b) innovative styles of ministry. A5 130p ISBN 0-908815-76-X

Koru and Covenant: J J Lewis, Len Willing and Dave Mullan offer biblical reflections in Aotearoa and note some links between the Christianity of the 19th Century Maori and the religion of the Hebrew Scriptures. Warmly commended by authoritative reviewers and some years after publication still very relevant. A5 120p. 120p ISBN 0-908815-60-3

Mital-93—The Church's Ministry in Tourism and Leisure. Ed: Dave Mullan Presentations at an Australian Conference are supported by dozens of flax roots ideas that have helped "A fascinating study... an enabling resource" (Pat Gilberd). 82p. 220p ISBN 0-908815-22-8

The Cavalry won't be Coming. Dave Mullan. Introduction to the concept of Local Shared Ministry in which a team of volunteers spearhead the mission of the small church which is discovering that all the resources for ministry are held within its own membership. Being revised for e-publication in 2015. A5 134p. ISBN 0-908815-99-1

These books are all available from Trinity Methodist Theological College, 202 St John's Rd, Meadowbank, Auckland. trinitycollege@stjohns.auckland.ac.nz

Other ColCom Books

During the last 25 years Dave has published well over one hundred titles for other writers under the imprint of ColCom Press. Most were done in very short runs for niche markets and were delivered to the authors. Some may be still retrievable in some form in 2015.

### David Pratt

David is also a retired presbyter of the Methodist Church of New Zealand. His first appointment was to Bay of Islands Parish and was based in Russell. It was from that experience of ministering to four small scattered rural congregations that he learned the importance of small church ministry.

He graduated from Trinity Methodist Theological College Auckland in 1965, married Joycelyn and together they have a family of three children, which over the years has grown to include their spouses and five active grandchildren. He has ministered in six New Zealand Parishes. He was a Hospital Chaplain in Wanganui for seven years, and City Missioner, Wanganui for four years. In that capacity he became involved in Christian Social Service work. In 1980 he served in a supply appointment in Redcliffe Uniting Parish, Queensland, Australia. In 1997 he accepted an appointment to the South Bristol Methodist Circuit, Bristol, United Kingdom. In 1999 he returned to NZ and became the District Superintendent of the Auckland Methodist Synod.

David's first publishing venture was the contribution of a chapter to Alan Walker's small book Making Disciples 1981. A World Evangelism Publication.

During his ministry he realised the importance of relevant expressions of worship, and become interested in the use of art and music and poetry. Some of his poems and songs have been published in anthologies and hymn collections.

When he retired in 2006 he quite unexpectedly found that he required coronary bypass surgery, following which he suffered a minor stroke. After recovery he continued ministry to older people becoming a Chaplain for Wesley Aged Care, Auckland. As a result of his health experience and his work with older people, he realised the importance of early planning for retirement. This realisation led him to write and publish:

A year later he did the major research and shared with Dave Mullan in writing this book which was published last year with financial support from the Bay of Islands Uniting Parish. It is now offered as an e-book.

### David's published works

The Message of Christmas, Triumph House

A Field Of Dreams, Triumph House

Victory Place, Courtney House 1999. ISBN 0-473-06346-8 A book of poetry and theological reflections

60,70,80,90—Planning Ahead for Satisfying Senior Years, Philip Garside Publishing Ltd. www.pgpl.co.nz ISBN 978-1-927260-16-6.

