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The Spike or Victoria College Review 1938

Student Christian Movement

page 77

Student Christian Movement

The Victoria College Student Christian Movement once again reviews a year marked by considerable and successful activity. Interests have been widespread, and we have been glad to welcome many freshers and others into our fellowship.

At the Annual Conference of the N.Z.S.C.M. held at Auckland, there was a good representation of V.U.C. students, and members received from this conference an impetus for the year s work.

To mark the opening of the session, a service was held in St. Paul s Cathedral, when an address was given by the Bishop of Wellington. This was an innovation for V.U.C., and so successful that we feel it could well become an annual event.

Activity in the branch has centred around preparation for the Mission which was held at the College in June, and to this end study circles have followed along special lines. A circle led by the Rev. H. W. Newell, on "Problems of Christian Living for the Student," was very well attended. Since the Mission it has divided, Mr. Newell continuing to lead one group studying the Gospel of St. John, and Mr. A. B Cochran leading a group taking the Epistle to the Ephesians. A study circle has been started in the lunch hour for full-time students studying St. Mark s Gospel.

It was felt at the beginning of the year that devotional periods might be held more frequently than once each week, and these are now; held on Mondays and Thursdays. They have been regularly attended and, we feel, give a helpful spiritual background to our work.

Two open forums on "The Christian Faith and the Student," were led by the General Secretary of the movement, the Rev. J. A. Linton, M.A., and these proved popular with students, and stimulating to thought. We have continued to meet periodically in students' homes on Saturday evenings. At these gatherings friends of the movement address us and lead discussions on social and spiritual questions. We should like to be able to invite more students to these evenings but accommodation is somewhat limited.

The most outstanding event undertaken as a preparation for the Mission was the Vacation Camp, the first for many years, held at Frederick Wallis House in the May Vacation. A large number of S.C.Mers stayed in camp and there were many visitors besides, the most notable being the Archbishop of Brisbane, who spoke on the question of religion in the Australian universities. The camp was highly successful and all who attended are keen to make it an annual event.

With the beginning of the second term came the Mission itself. The Rev. H. J. Ryburn, M.A., B.D., from Dunedin—a past Rhodes Scholar who has studied at Oxford and in America—gave a series of addresses for a week. The week began on the King s Birthday with an all day Retreat at Khandallah, attended by about 80 members. On the following evenings Mr. Ryburn spoke each night in the Gym., his subjects being "The Church and the World," "God or Man," "Sin and Repentance," "Reconciliation with God," "God in Action." A large number of students were present at each meeting, and supper, which followed the addresses, was prolonged by interesting discussion. The week culminated in an evening service at St. Andrew's Church led by Mr. Ryburn. The service was excellently attended, the church being completely filled.

For a fortnight after this week Mr. Ryburn was kept busy meeting the students individually and co-operating in many of the corporate S.C.M. activities. We, of Victoria, have a great deal to thank Mr. Ryburn for, and the V.U.C.S.C.M. would also like to thank the Student Association Executive for their ready co-operation with us in this undertaking.

An outstanding visitor from overseas was Dr. Walter Horton, Professor of Domatic Theology at Oberlin College, Ohio, who gave an address, entitled "The American Student looks at Religion.

Social activity has also included a picnic to welcome freshers at the beginning of the year. We are looking forward to more picnics and tramps in the finer weather, but these have had to be replaced during the winter by several Saturday retreats.

page 79

Again this year we were glad to be of assistance to the Student Association in taking over the organisation of the second-hand bookstall, bringing out the Student Handbook and running the Information Bureau. These institutions seem to be generally appreciated, especially by freshers. Many more students undertook to subscribe to the "Student," the S.C.M. magazine, at the beginning of the year, and its contents appear to be enjoyed.

As this year has been busy, it has also been useful to ail who have partaken of the warm fellowship that the S.C.M. has to offer, and we would welcome all who have any interest to come and share this fellowship with us in the future.