vacuum cleaner for the church plus a tape deck and sound sys¬ tem for the Pediatrics Ward of Prince County Hospital. When the local hall drapes needed repairs, the group again got together and purchased material, rods, etc. More memo¬ rable evenings later, the end result was a new set of stage drapes which are still being used in the hall today. Although the Couples' Club only met for several years, it served a purpose in forming strong bonds of friendship between these young couples of the church and their minister and his wife. The friendships have lasted over the years and these same young couples have remained strong workers and leaders in their church. Public Speaking Training The Prince Edward Island United Church Men 's Group spon¬ sors an annual public speaking competition for United Church boys and girls. This is an area in which the Bedeque Charge youth have excelled. The Charge holds its own speaking competition among its three churches and the winners compete at the provincial level. United Church youth have excelled in public speaking. There have been several provincial winners from the congregation. In the 1970s, there was a Maritime competition. A junior speaker from Lot 16 , Campbell, travelled to Amherst to compete at that level and took top honours in her category. Footnotes 1 The Manual of The United Church of Canada. 31st Revised Edition. United Church Publishing , House. 1998. Sections 130-170 and 250-262. 2 A Pastoral Charges Ministry and Personnel Committee. United Church Of Canada . MPE 439, Revised 1993. pgs 1-3. 3 Whent , p.22-24 4 The Manual of The United Church of Canada, Constitution and Government. Revised, 1958. p, 234. 182 United Church and Its People