The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-05-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

PROPOSED NEW CHURCH FOR THE
DISTRICT OF ST. SIMONS.

A most interesting meeting was held in the Music Hall
on Friday night, for the purpose of devising the best
means of providing more extended Church accommoda-
tion for the inhabitants of the poor and populous district
of St. Simons. This district is under the pastoral care of
the Rev. J. R. Connor, than whom a more faithful and
zealous minister does not exist ; and the present church,
in Gloucester-street, which is adapted to accommodate no
more than 700 persons, with only 200 free sittings, has for
a long time been felt insufficient to contain the numbers
who flock to his ministrations. The rev. gentleman,
under these circumstances, has engaged in the praise-
worthy undertaking of endeavouring to replace the pre-
sent fabric by a spacious new church, adequate to the ac-
commodation of 1200 persons, for which a sum of about
£3OOO will have to be voluntarily raised by the friends of
church extension. The meeting was fully attended, every
part of the room being crowded. The Rev. Dr. Tatt(r-
shall was unanimously called to the chair, near whom we
observed the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, the Rev. W. W. Ew-
bank, the Rev. F. Parry, the Rev. Wray Hunt, the Rev.
H. Carpenter, the Rev. A. P. Irvine, the Rev. T. Nolan,
the Rev. J. Cordeaux, Mr. John Rigby, Mr. Charles
Cotesworth, Mr. Langtry, Mr. Webster, Mr. M'Crea,
and many other active friends of the Established Church.
The meeting having been opened by a prayer for the
divine blessing upon the object, from the Rev. J. COR-
DEAtix,
The CHAIRMAN briefly stated the design for which the
meeting had been convened, describing it as an effort to
supply additional means of grace to a district which until
recently had not possessed those means at all in connexion
with the Church of England.
The Rev. J. R. CONNOR then read an ample statement
of the spiritual wants of the district, in the course of
which many striking extracts were introduced from the
journals of the scripture reader and tract distributors.
The population of the district was put down at 7,600.
The great bulk of the people scarcely ever enter a place
of worship ; and vast numbers are lost to every sense of
religion and decency. There are within its limits 65 pub-
lic houses, and 96 houses of ill-fame. The population in
four small streets amounts to 1,602 ; of which, 96 attend
church regularly, and 124 irregularly. In H—street
only two persons are to be found who regularly attend
church. Something has already been accomplished to-
wards brightening the prospects of this dark spot; but
more, much more, remains to be done. A building, for-
merly used as a dissenting place of worship, was purchased
in 1841 ; it was licensed by the Bishop of Chester, and a
clergyman appointed to the district. The church rapidly
filled, and the portion set apart for the poor soon became
totally inadequate. A scripture reader was added, to aid
the minister in his labours. There is a band of tract dis-
tributors, 20 in number. There is a large Sunday school,
to which 21 teachers are attached, as well as a day school
for girls, and an evening school for adults ; all which
have succeeded far beyond the expectation of their friends
and supporters. That these privileges are valued, not-
withstanding the wretchedness which abounds, is shown
by the fact, that on Easter day, 1845, there were 200
communicants, while on the corresponding day in 1841,
there were only 41. The district has been constituted a
parish, and an income provided for the minister, under
the act Vic. vii. chap. 37 (Peel's Act.) The leading, the
missionary feature of this act has been complied with—a
congregation has already been gathered : and greater
numbers of the poor offer to come to the House of God
than can be accommodated. In allusion to this subject
our respected Diocesan has said—" The act for the en-
dowment of new parishes will soon be brought into effec-
tive operation, and gradually cause an important change
in places where the superintendence has been hitherto
little more than nominal ; 50 new parishes, for so they
may be justly called, are already in the course of forma-
tion in our own diocese." In 1842 a girl's school was
opened, in which the average attendance last year was 96.
In January, 1845, an evening adult school was opened,
which has been crowned with unprecedented success.
The Sunday schools (three in number) have all doubled
in point of attendance within the last three years. There
are 28 teachers, and upwards of 200 scholars. The esti-
mate of the building of a church to hold about 1,200 per-
sons may be thus given :
Dn. Site £looo Ca. Grants from societies.elooo
Debt on present 500 Sale of old materials 500
Erection
£4550 £4550
To raise this sum it was proposed that 1,000 collectors or
subscribers of .£3 each should come forward, no subscrip-
tion to be collected until that number had been secured ;
then the building would be commenced, and, "through
the good hand of our God upon us," there would be no
lack ere it was finished. At the close of this interesting
document the Rev, gentleman added, verbally, that the
contributions already put down for this most desirable
object amounted to the sum of £B4o;—(cheers)--and
the meeting would allow him to state, also, that on
Sunday last the congregation of St. Simon's—the poorest
in the town—contributed £250 of that amount. (Re-
newed and continued cheers.) His congregation and
himself were deeply indebted to the enthusiasm and the
kindness of the friends of Christianity in Liverpool for
contributing the remainder. They left the cause in their
hands, praying that God would abundantly prosper it for
the honour and glory of his name. (Hear, hear.)
The Rev. T. NOLAN made a Scriptural appeal to the
meeting on this subject, contending that what had
already been done in St. Simon's district to promote pure
and undefiled religion was the strongest reason for doing
more. He urged upon the friends of the Church to
emulate the zeal and liberality of the poor congregation
of St. Simons themselves, who, in proportion to their
poverty, were the largest contributors to the Church
Missionary Society, the Pastoral Aid society, the Society
for the Conversion of the Jews, with other kindred in-
stitutions, and voluntarily maintained several schools for
infant children, and adults. The Rev. gentleman closed
closed an impressive address by moving the first resolu-
tion to the effect that the meeting fully recognising the
duty incumbent upon members of the Church of En-
gland to employ all suitable means for extending her in-
fluence and increasing her energy, resolved that an ab-
stract of the statement just read be printed and circu-
lated under the direction of a committee.
The Rev. W. W. EWBAYK, in seconding the resolu-
tion, expressed his admiration of the efforts making by
Mr. Connor and his congregation to help themselves to a
new church, and said it would be a shame if the rich peo-
ple in the town did not come to their assistance. Their
object was not to proselytize but to convert. Look at the
appalling number of houses of ill fame in the district.
The law could do very little to remove these painful
blots. The Bishop of Exeter was certainly trying to do
something ; the object of his measure however was not to
prevent prostitution but to stop females from being kid-
napped. What the law could not do to prevent prostitu-
tion the love of Christ could do ; for however degraded
a human being might be from this cause there was a
power in God's holy spirit to draw her by the code of
love to himself. The gospel however must be preached
to them : and he need not remind the meeting that it was
to publicans and to harlots that our Saviour addressed
his most compassionate words.—(Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN here stated that the plan for erecting
the proposed church had been submitted to the bishop
of the diocese, and that his lordship's approbation had
been most cordially given to it. (Hear, hear.) The re-
solution was then put and carried unanimously.
The Rev. F. PARRY moved the second resolution,
" that this meeting fully convinced that the gospel is the
remedy for the wants and miseries of all mankind, cannot
receive the statements of the present condition, and future
prospects of St. Simon's district, without pledging them-
selves to the most active exertions to carry out the pro-
posed plan that there may be a fold where the scattered
sheep may be taught the principles of true Christianity."
He wished Sir Robt. Peel had been present to move this
resolution,—(a laugh)—for if the right hon. bart, had been
present, and his coadjutors were convinced in their own
minds that the gospel was " the remedy for the wants and
miseries of all mankind," they would have given very
different measures to the sister country than they had,
unhappily been proposing. (Cheers.) He was afraid
that their measures would turn out as so many quack
medicines, only the more poisonous, because the pre-
scriptions of the Great Physician had been entirely neg-
lected. (Renewed Cheers.) He was delighted with the
efforts of the minister of St. Simon's to build a new
church, because he was sure that no Tractari in doctrines
would be preached in it. (Cheers.) He was highly grati-
fied that schools would be connected with the new church,
because he could answer that therein would be taught, no
"gigantic scheme ofgodlesseducation." (Great cheering.)
There would be no stone altars, no preaching in surplices.
The mir ister:had no idea of reserve in preaching the atone-
ment; nor would he turn his back to the people. (Cheers.)
On the contrary he would turn his face to the people, and
by the blessing of God, he would preach to them fully that
the gospel was " the remedy for the wants and miseries of
all mankind." (Great applause.) He (Mr. Parry) hailed
the erection of a new church, in which the principles of
the reformation would be faithfully and affectionately
taught. By such structures, additional weapons were
raised against the great enemy; and though popery might
for a time gain the ascendant, the sure word of God told
us its triumph would be very short. But after all we must
"cease from men," and look more to God. The "truth
as it is in Jesus," was his great insrurnent ; and sooner or
later, whatever opposition it might have to encounter,
that truth would prevail. (Loud cheers.)
The Rev. HUGH M`NEILE seconded the resolution,
and invited all parties in the meeting to become sub-
scribers themselves to this good work, and to induce
others to follow their example. Each would have sixty
shillings to get • he would give them four weeks to collect
them, which for every shilling would be threepence a
week; and he proposed that the meeting should adjourn
to that day month, then to "report progress." (Hear.)
This was a case of real church extension, for laud would
have to be bought in Silver-street to obtain the necessary
quantity Tor the new structure. £750 were asked for the
land, and here was an additional reason for subscriptions
being quickly sent in. The rev, gentleman, with his
usual power, then set before the meeting, the Gospel as a
message of love to all mankind. They had heard of the
poor outcast har!ots in this district, and of the abominable
houses in which they lived ; and he was afraid the in-
dignation of the public was too often raised against those
unhappy creatures. It was not against them that our
feelings should be excited, but against their seducers ; and
society was to blame for giving any countenance whatever
to the men who, in the first instance, had been the
authors of their misery. The remedy for this lay with
society itself, and he called upon society to apply it.
(Loud cheers.) The Gospel was the remedy for the poor
women themselves, and they who were in the habit of
speaking upon it, in public and private, had seen the ef-
fect upon many a hard and stubborn heart when they had
recounted the love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
(Hear, hear.) A question might arise, the rev. gentle-
man further said, about the patronage of the church. By
the act the appointment of the minister must be alter-
nately in the crown and in the bishop of the diocese.
These official trusts, he was aware, had fallen an

der some suspicion lately; but in this case the pas-
tor was already appointed. There was security there-
fore as to the first appointment, and the question of
patronage was set at rest. He was not fond, however, of
official trusts. Private trusts, in the present state of
things, were a far better security to take against the evil
appointments that might be made under the existing state
of religious feeling among public men. Under the official
trusts, appointments might be made which would be very
disastrous to the religious interests of the people ; not, he
sincerely believed, from any such intention on the part of
those who made them, but from ignorance, in supposing
that other circumstances ought to be attended to rather
than that which was the real one in view—the preaching
of the gospel to the people. (Hear.) If official men
were aware of the effects of the gospel, there would be no
risk in their having the trust; but the risk was from men,
not feeling its power themselves, being, from their situa-
tion' called upon to appoint. They might, therefore,
with the very best intentions, make very disastrous ap-
pointments. The interests of the Church might thus
fall into the hands of men who were not even mem-
bers of it. (Hear.) The Prime Minister of England,
in the present state of things, might not be a member of
the Church of England. On these accounts it was most
reasonable that private trusts should be continued to
members and congregations of the Church of England,
and that they should be constituted as a sort of security
against the evil influence that might arise from an admi-
nistration, not members of the Church of England, and
not attached to their interests. (Hear.) After some
further observations on this subject, the rev. gentleman
reverted to the necessity for money, and at his request
several clergymen present undertook to make collections
in their churches in aid of the funds. Mr. M`Neile con-
cluded an eloquent and warm-hearted speech by another
appeal, grounded upon the respect in which Mr. Connor
is held by his brethren in the ministry.
The resolution was carried.

The Rev. A. P. IRVINE then moved a vote of thanks
to the Chairman, and the proceedings terminated by the
doxology being sung. The sum of £B2 was collected on
the occasion.