Ministers Desk 6th October 2013

Last Thursday night, a group of people from Emmanuel joined with representatives from three other Uniting Church congregations, the Uniting Church Hospitals and some individuals who all have connections, like us, with the Solomon Islands.  The night was simply about sharing our respective journeys and being encouraged along the way.  I want to share some of my reflections from that night. 

 

There is a growing sense of optimism amongst the United Church in the Solomon Islands.  The Moderator is a man of energy with great leadership ability.  He has been in office for two years now and is making a difference.  He is forming a staff team in the Assembly office who are competent and committed.  Through the Moderator’s efforts attention is being given to strengthening and tidying up many aspects of church life that have allowed to lapse in previous years.  There are only a very few partnerships between the United Church and Uniting Church, however, these few connections give the Moderator and his whole church a sense of encouragement.  When they reflect on the partnerships they know that they do not stand alone. 

 

Overseas partnerships remind us that the church of Jesus Christ is universal.  The movement of faith that we are part of is much bigger than just our congregation.  Through this partnership we connect with others who worship in a different language and in different ways, but still worship the same God.  Our partnership ties us to the history of the church.  Since 1902 missionaries from Australia have travelled to the Solomon Islands to present the good news of Jesus Christ.  Whilst our ministry is very different to theirs, we stand on their shoulders and continue in their line of faithful discipleship.  The universality of our partnership continues when we realise that more than just members of our congregation are involved.  Our recent fundraiser highlighted this.  Some members of our congregation invited their Brians (pre-Christian friends that they are intentionally sharing faith with) to join them in walking or riding.  Many other people asked for sponsorship from their circle of friends and in doing so telling them the story of our church’s partnership.  Our local politicians and some businesses were approached, and again the story of our church’s activity in the pacific was shared.  In reply to a thank you note I sent to Teresa Gambaro, a member of her staff replied “Teresa is very pleased to assist all community groups whenever she can and certainly in this case, the funds are going to a very worthy cause.”

 

The people gathered on Thursday night agreed that amongst the greatest joys of our partnership is the vibrancy of Solomon Island worship and the hospitality offered to their guests.  I believe that both of these stem from a deep love for God that flows over into a deep love for other people.  As I often say, every time I return from Noro my faith is stirred because of their Christian witness.

 

Thank you for your ongoing involvement in our Noro partnership.  This partnership has endured for many years and is growing stronger and involving more people from our congregation.  As we give ourselves to the people of Noro we continue to grow in our discipleship as we participate in the ministry of Christ. 

 

Grace and peace

 

David Fender