The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of New Zealand 1872 – 1894

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 1

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

INTRODUCTION In the Home Mission Report for the year 1875, printed early in 1876 appears this brief paragraph: "Scandinavian Mission." A Scandinavian Missionary, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of America, having followed to New Zealand a number of his countrymen, the Conference received him as a probationer, and he is successfully employed itinerating among the Danes and Norwegians and receives £50 a year from the Fund toward his support, his congregation providing the rest. In this way our records introduce a very interesting interlude in the pioneer stages of Methodism in this' country.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

HOW METHODISM CAME INTO THE PICTURE It is a far cry to a day in about the year 1849 when a young Norwegian sailor, Ole Peter Petersen wandered into the Methodist Seamen s Mission ship in Brooklyn, New York, known as the "Bethelship" and heard for the first time in his life an evangelistic sermon by a Methodist preacher. This ship the "Henry Leeds" was fitted up as a Mission for Scandinavian sailors and immigrants and it was placed in the care of Ulaf Gustaf Hedstrom, a Swedish born Missionary. On the decks of this ship hundreds were converted including the "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind the most famous singer of her day. I am indebted to an article by Dr. Roy L. Smith of Chicago in the "Christian Advocate" of Dec. 2nd, 1948, for an interesting account of the winning of Peterson and its result. The following extracts give a link with New Zealand which is most unexpected. "As a boy in Norway, Peterson had been trained by the schools and the state church in the catechism and the "fundamental doctrines" of Christianity. As a sailor, he had mingled with men who had been hardened by the sea. But there was something in the fervency of the preacher and the sincerity of his message that awakened a great wistfulness in the youth's heart, with the result that, when the invitation was given to "come forward and accept Christ," he went and knelt at the crude altar. "No one could have guessed it that night in the old "Bethelship" but that service in which O. P. Peterson knelt, a penitent, and sought forgiveness for his sins, was the beginning of the Methodist Church in Norway. Upon his return to his native land on his next voyage, the young man told the story of his conversion to his friends and to some old neighbours, besides his family in Frederickstad. Then, almost before he knew it, he was preaching to them. As a consequence of his zeal, a revival broke out and several score came into an entirely new spiritual experience. "But the young man knew little about his new faith. He had had only a brief contact with the Methodists at "Bethelship" in Brooklyn, and within a few months he found himself at his wit's end. He could tell his converts little, and the only place he knew where he could learn more was back in America. So back he went. "Not long after his arrival he applied for membership and was admitted into the New York East Conference. Then after a brief period of training he returned again to Norway in 1853 and took up his work where he had left off. In 1856 the first Methodist Church was organised in Sarpsborg, not far from the place where he had held his first revival as a lay preacher.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

"Out of this humble beginning Methodism in Norway has grown until it is now organised as a complete Annual Conference composed of 75 congregations, 61 charges, 66 preachers (six of whom are retired) and about 8,500 members. In spite of limited resources and the hard-ships incident to the war, our Norwegian Methodists have sent out 10 missionaries—one to India, four to Africa, three to Rhodesia, and two new recruits soon to leave for Africa." This recent historical note gives a background to the incidents to be recorded in this brief account of an early personal missionary venture of a Norwegian Methodist Minister. Before telling this however, we must touch another event.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE SCANDINAVIAN IMMIGRATION OF 1870-1890 TO NEW ZEALAND Two books give details of the entry into this country of some thousands of Scandinavian settlers under Sir Julius Vogel's Public Works Policy of 1870. One is: "The History of Hawkes Bay" by J. G. Wilson and others. The other is "The Scandinavians in Australia, New Zealand and the Western Pacific" by J. Lyng (Melbourne University). From these sources the following information has been gathered. The Hawkes Bay Settlement Act of 1872 provided that blocks of land from 40 to 200 acres would be allotted to selected immigrants at from 10/- to i2 per acre, on deferred payment. The superintendent of the Wellington Province in 1866 had already commissioned Bishop Monrad (ex-head of the Danish Government who had settled practically as a political refugee in this country after the war with Germany in 1864) to return to Denmark and select a number of Danish families as settlers. In 1871 a party of 120 under this scheme arrived at Wellington in the "Hooding" (or "Hovding") and settled in the Manawatu, and another settled at Mauriceville in the Wairarapa. In 1869 Dr. Featherston and Francis Dillon Bell had been commissioned by the N.Z. Government to visit Norway, Sweden and Denmark to negotiate for suitable immigrants. Later a Mr. Bror Eric Friberg, a Norwegian resident of several years in N.Z. was commissioned to proceed to Scandinavia and personally select immigrants. On May 20, 1872, the Hooding sailed from Christiania with 74 married couples, 280 children and the rest single men and girls, altogether 475. A fortnight later the Ballarat from London embarked 80 Danish immigrants. Both ships set sail for Napier. On the Hooding all the immigrants were Norwegians except for 11 Swedes. After a voyage of 118 days, Napier was reached by the Hooding on Sept. 15th, 1872. The Ballarat arrived the same day. Her passengers included a number of English, Scottish and Irish immigrants. These folk were all accommodated in Immigration Barracks. Four days later the men and boys left Napier on foot and reached Te Aute that night. Next night they reached Waipukurau, and the third night reached what was called Te Whiti clearing near Norsewood. A number found the conditions so intolerable that they went straight on to Dannevirke. Within a fortnight the women and girls and smaller children began their journey in drays. Their stay in Napier had been very irksome, as they had been a gazing stock for a number of thoughtless folk who had crowded round the barracks to gape at these folk speaking a strange tongue from a Far Foreign Land. To the immigrants the

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson attentions of these people -had been exceedingly distasteful. The women joined the men after their tedious dray ride, and many found nothing ready for them. Some had shelter only under branches spread across the fallen trunks of two trees. Most lived m rough slab huts'. The ground was ready for cultivation. With high hopes they had come, but bitter disillusionment followed when they found the actual conditions. The Government advanced seed and potatoes to the settlers, and with the consent of the Provincial Government, stores were purchased on credit. The Hooding returned in 1874 with a second batch of immigrants, Norwegians and Swedes, most of whom settled in Makaretu. Altogether 4,000 Scandinavians came to N.Z. between 1872 and 1882. A group of Danes settled near Ormondville, and the Makotuku Road was also settled by Danes and Germans. While trying to clear enough land for their own immediate use most of the men spent their time on contracts for making roads, sawmilling and cutting railway sleepers which were required in great quantities by the Public Works Department. It was hard, low paid work and only the rugged stolid natural characteristics of these people enabled them to battle through. They had long wet winters in the bush and occasionally periods of drought when the menace of bush fires endangered everything they had built up. The story of the immigration is dominated by an atmosphere of poverty, loneliness, disillusionment, but hard gradual upward toil. A stream of excellent citizens has flowed into our national life from the Scandinavian Settlements of that period and their names' today are found in every city and town of the Dominion.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE COMING OF PASTOR EDWARD NIELSEN A reference again in the printed Home Mission Report for 1879 in quaint phraseology reflecting the theological attitudes of the day, paints a picture that is best given in full. "We have a most interesting Mission among the Scandinavian immigrants who have formed settlements in the Wellington and the Hawkes Bay Provinces. These people are Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes who left their native homes and came to seek homes in New Zealand a few years ago. Their history is interesting. They have received Christianity from American Methodism. Some of their countrymen had immigrated to America where they heard the Gospel from Ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church and became true converts' to the faith of Christ. Returning to their own country they carried their Christianity with them and preached it among their friends. Converts were made, Methodist Doctrines spread, churches were formed, and application sent to America for ministerial aid. The work increased, till a Conference connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church was formed, which is annually visited by an American Methodist Bishop. When a party arranged to emigrate to New Zealand, a young man who had been a missionary among them, had it laid on his heart to follow his countrymen to N.Z. that they might not be without a shepherd. His Conference gave him its permission and its blessing, but told him they could not supply him with funds, and that he must look to the N.Z. Methodist Conference for financial support. Casting himself on Divine Providence, in obedience to the call of God, he came to us and we gladly received him as a Probationer for our ministry among his own countrymen. He has laboured with great success, been able to build a church and a parsonage, receiving from the Fund a grant of £50 per annum to subsidise the contributions of his own flock, and £50 to aid in the building of his house. He has required assistance, and two young men of good report have been appointed to this work so that one resides at Norsewood, and another at Mauriceville and a third at Makarita—and the work of God prospers in their hands. They report 650 hearers and 40 church members." The young man referred to was Pastor Edward Nielsen, who was born in Rakkestad, Norway in 1842. He arrived in Auckland in 1874. The Conference of 1875 received his credentials and appointed him as a Home Missionary in the Wellington District, to the Scandinavian Mission. He was received as a Probationer of the N.Z. Conference by the 1877 Conference and ordained and received into full connexion at Nelson in 1881. He made Palmerston North his base until 1878 when his name appears in the appointments at Norsewood. He laboured there until 1883 when he moved to Mauriceville Parsonage. In 1886 he returned to Norsewood and served there until his retirement in 1893 when he moved to Palmerston North. He died, after 15 months of very pre-carious health, on June 12th, 1894, only fifty-two years of age. It is the life and ministry of this devoted servant of God which covers the full span of the separate life of the Scandinavian Mission. Let us now survey briefly the course of the developments of the Mission. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 7

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE COURSE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE MISSION Dr. Wm. Morley records that: "Among the first arrivals in Norsewood in 1872 were Mr. Emanuel Fredericksen and his wife. A local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Norway, he at once commenced services and for four years held the fort singlehanded and so laid the foundation for future work. Pastor Nielsen visited the place in the early stages of his itinerating, and a church was officially organised on Good Friday, 1880." However, the Conference records show that in 1878, 9 acres of land were purchased in Norsewood and a 4-roomed house erected, costing £210, and carrying a debt of £35. In 1876 Pastor Nielsen reported 16 Preaching Places, 1 day school teacher, 1 Sunday School teacher, 30 full accredited church members, 1 Sunday School, 20 Sunday School scholars, and 600 attendants on public worship. In 1877 an additional 33 members were reported. In 1879 Mauriceville, one of the preaching places, was established as a Scandinavian Home Mission Station but no reference is made to any appointment of an agent there. In 1880 the name of Otto Christofferson appears as a Home Missionary and his appointment to Maurice-ville appears on the list. At the same time Makaritu appears as a Scandinavian Home Mi&sion Station. The Conference of 1880 resolved that during tile year the chairman of the Wellington District should visit the Scandinavian Mission and report to the following Conference the result of his investigations. The Rev. W. J. Williams acted on be-half of the chairman and at the 1881 Conference, submitted a full and interesting report which was unanimously adopted. Its importance is such, for the purpose of our paper, that it is reproduced here in full as the next chapter. It is printed in the "N.Z. Wesleyan" of March 1st, 1881.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE 1881 REPORT by REV. W. J. WILLIAMS Report of a visit paid to the Station in November, 1880. At the request of the Chairman of the Wellington District, the Rev. W. Kirk. I undertook, as a matter of convenience, to discharge the duty imposed upon him by the Conference of 1880, to visit the stations in connection with the Scandinavian Mission, and I have now great pleasure in submitting to the Conference a report of my visit. NORSEWOOD: The first station I visited was that at Norsewood, which is under the charge of the Rev. E. Nielsen. Our mission property here is conveniently situated in the midst of the most thickly-populated portion of this settlement, and it revealed itself to me at a glance as being in a condition, most creditable to all concerned. The little church, surmounted by a bell-turret, looked off invitingly from the side of a favouring hill, while just below it there nestled the small but comfortable mission house. The greater portion of the six acres of land belonging to the station has been neatly fenced, and the church and parsonage, at the cost of a considerable amount of voluntary labour, have been made convenient of access. The appearance of the property altogether was such as to convey to my mind a most favourable impression, showing, as it did the determination of our people there that the mission station should not be excelled in neatness and attractiveness by any other property in the district. On the evening of my arrival I had the pleasure of meeting the committee of the church. I explained to them the object of my visit, and elicited from them the information required concerning the position and prospects of the station. From the treasurer's statement I gather that there had been collected from all sources, on behalf of the station, the sum of £440 and that the expenditure for all purposes, was precisely the same amount; so that we have there a valuable property in the rare and enviable condition of being free of debt. While, however, the church is out of debt, it is by no means out of danger, as I had occasion to observe. It is neither lined nor properly floored, and the seats are of the rudest description. In the warm days of summer it may be possible to worship there without any great discomfort; but with the building played upon by the cold winds and rains of winter, it will hardly be possible to meet in it without incurring serious risks to health. The friends are anxious to have the church completed and made comfortable: but they have a wholesome dread of going into debt. In order to attain their object, and having practically exhausted all other sources of income, they propose to sell an acre of the mission property, the proceeds of the sale to pay for the finishing of the church. The portion they propose to sell can easily be parted with, as it is quite in excess of their wants; and, considering the laudable object they have in view, I earnestly hope that the Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 9

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

Conference will grant a favourable answer to their request. On the day after my arrival, Sunday, Nov. 7th, I preached in the church morning and after-noon, and as the day happened to be very wet and cold, I had an excellent opportunity of judging of the need that existed for getting the church finished as soon as possible. About forty persons attended the service in the morning, and sixty came in the afternoon. I was assured that there would have been a much larger number present but for the unfavourable state of the weather. I should mention however, that by an arrangement with the local committee, service is conducted in the church on Sunday afternoons, by the Rev. W. Worboys, a minister belonging to the United Methodist Free Church. I had repeated proofs of the cordial esteem in which Mr. Nielsen is held by those who have the best opportunity of judging concerning his life and work. His happy genial disposition ensures him a kindly welcome in the homes of the settlers, both English and Scandinavian, and his work in the church is that of a man who had a high sense of ministerial duty, and is supremely anxious to be instrumental in saving souls. In addition to his labours in Norsewood, Mr. Nielsen pays an occasional visit to Makaritu and Napier. In both of these places we have persons belonging to our church, but the cost and difficulty which the journeys involve render it impossible that they can be visited at all frequently. Two main difficulties confront Mr. Nielsen in the prosecution of his work at Norsewood. The first is the poverty of his parishioners: and the second the establishment of a Lutheran cause. As Lutheranism is the something "bete noir" of all our Scandinavian stations, I had better reserve my remarks concerning it until a later stage in the report. Those who know anything of Norsewood will be aware of the fact that it is not the most favourable spot that might have been chosen for the purpose of forming a settlement. The land, which by dint of the hard labour and hard living of the last five years had been cleared of heavy bush, is found to be by no means remarkable for its richness; and as in addition to this, most of the settlers have been compelled to mortgage their property, the prospect of their becoming wealthy at the present time is exceedingly remote. Until recently, they have been aided in their endeavours to live by being employed on Government works in the district. These works, however, as a result of the policy of retrenchment, have now been brought to a standstill, and the consequence to many of these poor struggling settlers in the bush has been most disastrous. At the time of my visit, a movement was being set afoot for the purpose of obtaining the means of relief for several Scandinavian families, who were said to be reduced to the verge of starvation. I think it important to lay these facts before Conference as they go plainly to show that, for some considerable time yet, the financial relation of the Scandinavian mission to this Conference must be a relation of dependance.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

Considering how stinted their means are, the people on the spot are giving fully as much as can be expected, and from all that I saw and heard during my visit I am led to think that there are no more grateful recipients' of aid from the Home Mission Fund, than the poor Scandinavian members of our Church at Norsewood. PALMERSTON: From Norsewood I went on to Palmerston, where the interests of our Scandinavian Mission are watched over by Mr. Edward Christoffersen. There our mission has a name, but at present it has no legal habitation in the shape of either church or mission house. The missionary resides, rent free, in a house belonging to Pastor Nielsen; and he conducts service, sometimes in the house he lives in, sometimes in our English church in Palmerston, and sometimes in a schoolroom at Stony Creek, a place about five miles distant. I conducted a preaching service in the evening of the day of my visit, and although the people had but a few hours' notice of the service, they came trooping in, some of them from a distance of five or six miles, until the room was filled to overflowing. When I had finished preaching, and the people had finished singing —and I really began to wonder when this part of the performance was coming to an end, as they seemed to have Sankey on the brain—I ventured to address them concerning the object of my visit. I had found in conversation that, while we have not a more earnest and well-meaning brother anywhere than Edward Christoffersen, he was much too reticent on the subject of asking for money, for a Methodist preacher. I therefore explained to the people that while Conference had hitherto given willing aid to the mission, if they really wished to have religious services maintained in their midst, they would be expected to give a substantial earnest of their desire, by contributing according to their means towards the missionary's support. In reply, they expressed themselves as being extremely grateful for Mr. Christoffersen's services, and acknowledged that he was justly entitled to their pecuniary aid. And if they are only as prompt to fulfil as they were fair to promise we shall have little reason to complain of the lack of contributions from the Palmerston branch of our Scandinavian Mission. It should be stated that at the time of my visit, Mr. Christoffersen had only been living in Palmerston about three months, and so he had scarcely had time to feel his way into the full bearings of his work. He had, however, gathered around him a few whose hearts God had touched; and if a whole-hearted devotion to his work could secure it, we would not 'be long without the enjoyment of a much larger measure of success. MAURICEVILLE: From Palmerston I found my way to Mauriceville, the last of the stations I was instructed to visit. Our station here is in charge of Mr. Otto Christoffersen, of whose fitness for his work it is scarcely possible to speak in exaggerated terms. Well skilled in handicraft, and full of zeal for his Master's

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

cause, he is most excellently adapted for building up a church—whatever definition of that very accommodating term we may choose to adopt. The mission property already in existence in Mauriceville reflects the highest credit on his energy and taste. A convenient Mission house built mainly by his own hands, occupies a prominent place in the settlement. Close by, on a favourable site, which has been given for the purpose, a small church is about to be erected, and of this, too, Mr. Christoffersen is to be the architect and builder. At present services are held in the mission house at North Mauriceville and at the schoolroom at South Mauriceville. Following the course I had adopted at Palmerston, I preached in the evening, and afterwards addressed the people concerning the condition and prospects of the station. The room was crowded almost to suffocation, and the deepest attention was paid to all that was done and said. The people here are at present engaged in paying for the land and mission house and thus they are scarcely in a position to do much in the way of contributing towards the support of their missionary. The payments, however, on account of the property will soon be complete, and then there is every reason to expect a considerable addition to the Missionary's income. Mr. Christoffersen has had much to encourage him in his work at Mauriceville, and in endeavouring to conserve the fruit of his toil he acts as a conscientious Methodist. Like his brethren, however, he has to pursue his toil in the face of some serious difficulties, and not the least of these is the presence of the ubiquitous Lutheranism. Nothing was more interesting to me throughout my visit than the insight it afforded me into the relation between our mission to the Scandinavians and the Lutheran Church, the relation being strikingly analogous to that between English Methodism and the Established Church of England. The Lutheran Church is in fact, the Established Church of the Scandinavians, and Methodism is denounced as an obnoxious form of dissent The language that is used by the Lutheran authorities concerning our Scandinavian Methodist preachers is much the same kind of language that Methodist preachers generally have been accustomed to hear from a certain class of apologists in the Church of England. Their pretensions to preach are ridiculed because they have never had a proper classical and theological training, and their action in giving the Sacrament is denounced as a sinful assumption, seeing that they have cut themselves off from the Divinely-authorised channel of sacramental grace. Our brethren, on the other hand, are by no means wanting in the power and will to retort, and the ethical and doctrinal shortcomings of the Lutheran pastors are inveighed against with a vigour that too often shades off into bitterness. They have the excuse of being extremely provoked, and there seems to be too much ground for their assertion, that while Lutheranism lays great stress on religious forms and sets' an altogether inordinate value on the sacraments, it fails to insist upon the necessity for conversion and holiness of heart and life, the matters which, as good Methodists, our brethren regard as of supreme importance. The practical effect of the introduction of Lutheranism has been to diminish the number of attendants upon our ministry. In Norsewood, especially, this has been the case. When Mr. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 12

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

Nielsen first went there, he was the only minister of any kind in the place, and consequently he had large congregations. About two years ago, a Lutheran minister took up his abode in the settlement, and the people who had been Lutherans at home naturally enough gave him their support. They liked not the ministry of Pastor Nielsen less; but they liked their own national Lutheranism more; and all the more, perhaps because it was less rigorous in its demand for a high-toned morality than Methodism. Since that time, another Lutheran minister has settled at Palmerston, and between the two, they endeavour to spread themselves over all the ground that is occupied by our own agents. If the testimony of our agents, however, is to be believed, Lutheranism, as a difficulty in the way of Methodist aggression, is not likely to be of long continuance. They are very confident, I might almost say joyful, in the conviction that the obnoxious Lutheran ministers will soon be got rid of by the very unromantic pro- cess of being starved out. I am inclined to think that, in this case the wish is too much the father to the thought, and that Lutheranism, whether for weal or woe, will continue to exist in New Zealand for a much longer period than our zealous friends are disposed to imagine. Certain it is, at any rate, that whether the Lutherans are in the field or not, we are bound, by our obligations as a church, not to relax in any efforts we may be putting forth for the spiritual welfare of the Scandinavians; for they have strong claims upon a church that regards itself as called by God to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world. I desire, in closing, to reiterate my sense of the rare devotedness of the men who are employed in our Scandinavian work. I think it ought to be known that these men have interpreted, in a more literal fashion than is common now-a-days, the requirement to forsake all in order to become a disciple of Christ. It happened in the case of these three brethren that they were the owners of some landed property. In two instances the property has been sold, and in the third case the property has been mortgaged, in order that with the proceeds they might devote themselves to missionary work, and be as little of a burden as possible, either on the church that sent them, or on the people among whom they were sent. With their own means now almost, if not quite, exhausted, they only ask for that which shall be sufficient to procure the means of subsistence; they want, above all things, to be permitted to spend and be spent in proclaiming to their own countrymen the glad tidings of great joy. I ought, perhaps, to refer to the extreme delight with which my visit was received by the people wherever I went. I did but shine in the borrowed splendour of a deputation's deputy; but I could not have been received with greater honour, or treated with more kindness and respect if I had been the very President himself. Personally, I feel grateful for the glance I have had into the homes and religious haunts of this interesting people, and I am deeply convinced that an occasional visit from someone appointed by the Conference will do much to foster the interests of our mission and to promote the work - of God among the Scandinavians. (Signed) Wm. James Williams. Nelson Conference, 1881. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 13

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION One feature of the above report is that of the Lutheran controversy. Interesting sidelights on that are found in references by writers who record the facts of the period. LYNG states (P. 173) "Many of their dearest memories were associated with that (Lutheran) church Who amongst them had forgotten the day when Mother took them by the hand and for the first time led them to the little village church, close beside which slumbered their ancestors of generations as far back in time as records were preserved of them—or the day of "confirmation” when in front of the congregation they had avowed their faith in the Lutheran creed and before God pledged themselves always to lead decent Christian lives—or in the case of those who were married, the day when kneeling at the altar they had taken the holy vow of matrimony .... Occasionally they would listen to a Norwegian Methodist lay preacher, Edward Nielsen, who had settled amongst them, yet it was not quite the religion of their childhood . . . then one day in 1878 their old church was restored to them . . ." Then he tells of the arrival from Queensland of Pastor Sass, a Lutheran minister. The work of the Lutheran church was thus established after several years of Methodist work, and it evidently awakened a spate of controversy which is echoed in Mr. Williams report. In the book, "Pilgrimage” the life of Canon A. S. Webb, the author states inter alia: "In 1878 the Lutherans had a pastor to minister to their spiritual needs. Before his coming they had had occasional sermons from a Methodist Lay Preacher named Edward Nielsen. But the Lutherans craved their own liturgy and sacraments and with the coming of Pastor Saas to live in Norsewood, these were restored to them." Here is surely a borrowing of the record from Lyng's incorrect account which from the Lutheran standpoint refused to accept the validity of Pastor Nielsen's Methodist Orders. In passing we note in the same life of Canon Webb, reference to a disastrous bush fire in 1888 (St. Patrick's Day) which must have added tremendously to the hardships and poverty of the settlers. In this fire we are told: "The Lutheran Church, public school, headmaster's dwelling, about forty other houses, barns, haystacks, fences and all sorts of material were totally destroyed." During this time of anxiety we read that "Pastor Nielsen, his son Paulus, his daughter Anne and a small boy, Willie Christoffersen who was staying with them" stayed with Canon Webb as fugitives from the fire, at the vicarage, Ormondville. Thus the evidence shows a growing network of church activities by various De-nominations' throughout the area.

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The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

BUILDINGS AND STAFFING The records tell of cautious advancement in financial projects and hardship. The 1880 Minutes of Conference report the purchase of 5 acres of land and erection of a cottage of 5 rooms for a Home Mission in Mauriceville. The cost was £150 and no debt remained. Two acres of land at Norsewood were given by Mr. Otto Christoffersen. A church building at Norsewood was sanctioned, 40 x 25 feet, to cost £250. At this time the returns show attendants on public worship 710 and 73 full members. In 1881 another helper was appointed in the person of Mr. Edward Christoffersen, not a brother of Otto. He was appointed Home Missionary at Palmerston North as recorded above in Mr. Williams' report. In 1882 Mr. Otter (Otto) Christoffersen was received as a Probationer, and he was ordained in 1886. He served in the Scandinavian Mission until 1889 when the economic position meant that Conference was unable to make adequate grants' for the work and he decided to emigrate to America to work among his countrymen in the United States. In acceding to his request for a transfer, the Conference resolved: "The Conference heartily recommends Mr. Christoffersen to the Methodist Church of America, as a minister who is able to render excellent service among his fellow countrymen." Thus was completed an interesting world encirclement. Ole Peter Peterson converted in New York, going home to Norway to tell his message. One result was the conversion of Edward Nielsen who came to New Zealand. Another result was the conversion of Otto Christoffersen who then went to America to minister to his own countrymen who were immigrants to their country. Edward Christoffersen remained a Home Missionary and served until 1889 when his name also disappears from the records. A name that appears for a short time is that of Edward Stenberg, who served as a Home Missionary at Makaritu (Makaretu) from 1886 until 1888 when his name is dropped from the list and Makaretu stands vacant. (Revising the records, there is a reference to a sideline activity conducted by Rev. J. S. Smalley who while a minister in Napier found a large number of Scandinavians in and around the town. Dr. Morley states: "Mr. Smalley pluckily learned the language and conducted an afternoon service for them in their own tongue in which they were born." An echo of this is heard when the H.M. Report of 1877 speaking of the Scandinavian Mission adds: "Rev. J. S. Smalley is attending to the spiritual wants of the Scandinavians in the Canterbury Province”). Thus the small party of workers named, maintained a difficult and rather discouraging task which yet left its mark on our church life. Their spirit was excellent in spite of their struggles. Listen to these courageous words. In 1881 Pastor Nielsen reported:

Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 15

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

'We have trials and opposition to contend with but our blessed Redeemer gives us success'." In 1884 one of the Pastors writes: "I have been troubled over my people's great hardness and unbelief, and my own weakness and short-coming in the working for Jesus. To be boxed up in a little far-away bush settlement, with a handful of people, most of whom will not receive the Gospel, is a kind of prison to my soul, which burns with desire for the glory of God and the salvation of souls." So in this spirit they worked on. Building proceeded and improvements were effected. In 1882 the Norsewood Parsonage was enlarged, the church was lined and a gallery erected at the cost of £100, and in Mauriceville the church was built 30 ft. by 18 ft., costing £150. In neither case was any debt incurred. The Reports show a few pounds spent year after year in various types of improvements, and each time the words "no debt." In 1886 the Makaretu church site was purchased and a church building costing £250, and here we read "debt £40." Thus by 1888 there were three churches well established and these each formed a preaching centre for a widely itinerating pastorate. In 1888 five acres of land which had been procured at Makaretu at some unnamed date were sold for £5. It was evidently poor land which was a liability. It was this year that the name of Mr. Stenberg is dropped from the list and Makaretu appears vacant on the Stationing List. The mission at this stage reported 102 senior members. These were days of deep financial depression, and the Conference was finding difficulty in maintaining funds. This' was reacting on the Home Mission work, and the burdens of these Pastors working among a struggling pioneer immigrant community, found the strain too much, and as recorded above the following year the two Christoffersens withdrew from the New Zealand mission leaving Pastor Nielsen to carry the work singlehanded. The Mission was holding a steady group of members and Sunday School children. Some were scattering and becoming attached to European church life in other centres. The young people were learning English and becoming at home with their fellow New Zealanders. So we draw towards the closing stages of the separate existence of the Mission.

Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 16

The Scandinavian Mission of the Methodist Church of NZ by G. I. Laurenson

THE CLOSING STAGES OF THE SEPARATE EXISTENCE OF THE SCANDINAVIAN MISSION In 1892 "the Conference resolved on account of the growing knowledge of the English language by the Scandinavian people, that a special ministerial agent speaking the Scandinavian tongue will not be needed in the colony after the present year." At the Conference of 1893, in bitter disappointment at this decision, Pastor Nielsen retired to live at Palmerston North, with his family of seven young people. His wife who had been a tremendous help to him throughout his ministry, stood bravely with him in the advancing sickness which ended fatally the following year. In 1893, Norsewood became an English Home Mission Station, and Mr. W. H. Randerson was appointed to take over the work. Mauriceville was merged in the Eketahuna Home Mission Station as the Home Missionary in that town. Rev. T. Smith had already been conducting services in English in the Scandinavian churches since 1891. The Palmerston families linked with the colonial churches and the separate work ceased. Many Methodist Churches today have inherited something strong and good from the Scandinavian immigration and the work of that band of mission workers. We can look at names like Jansen, Hansen, Mortensen, Gundersen, Peterson, Nielsen, Jepson and Ferguson, and many others. From 1887 some of the main supporters of the Bunnythorpe Church have been the Christie Jansens, and the Jorgen Jepsons. Many another church has such honoured names. Hence this brief record.closes, with the sense of pride that our church was given the vision and the leadership to assist in easing this vigorous group of friendly aliens into the full stream of our New Zealand community and church life. It is a short story of a brief interlude, but it is of such stuff that the story of a nation and of a church is told. (Note: Variations in spelling of proper names reflects the lack of uniformity in the early records.)

Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #13 (1) 1955 Page 17