Page:History of Knox Church Dunedin.djvu/62

32 The minister in July 1861 suggested to the Deacons' Court the advisability of making arrangements for aiding the poor of the congregation as occasion might require, and it was resolved that a fund for this purpose should be provided by special church-door collections from time to time, and that it should be administered by a small committee of the office-bearers, under the treasurership of Mr A. Rennie, who took a warm interest in the scheme. By judicious management this fund, though not large, was the means of affording seasonable aid in many deserving cases. For a number of years the demands on the fund by members of the church were comparatively few and moderate—a fact which may be attributed to prosperous times, and in no small degree to the forethought and independence which practical Christianity tends to foster.

In course of time the office-bearers found it advisable to seek the aid of the ladies of the congregation in the administration of the poor-relief fund, and especially in rendering assistance in the cases of widows, orphans, and others needing counsel and a helping hand. The result was the formation, in April 1879, of the Knox Church Ladies' Association, which has ever since continued in active and useful operation, and has accomplished a large amount of good work. The first office-bearers of the Association were:—Mrs Glasgow, president; Mrs E. B. Cargill, secretary; and Mrs Kennedy, treasurer. Not only have the poor of the congregation been helped in various ways, but aid has also been extended to needful cases outside the membership of the church. Assistance is rendered in many instances by supplying useful articles of clothing purchased or made by the ladies of the Association, and in other cases money or food is given. Kindly visits are made, and valuable counsel given to the aged, infirm, and others in trouble.

From 1885 to 1888 the Ladies' Association was enabled, through the liberality of the Deacons' Court, to employ Mrs Welsh as Bible-woman and visitor. Her duties consisted mainly in advising the committee as to the proper distribution of their gifts, and in visiting the poor and the aged sick. Her visits were devoted mainly to Scripture reading, prayer, nursing, and the imparting of judicious counsel and the sympathy that tends to awaken hope and courage. Since Mrs Welsh's departure for South Africa in June 1888, the duties