Outreach to Matuku Island Fiji

Tuesday’s gathering with the pastors went extremely well. All but one of the pastors from Matuku and many of their wives and lay pastors came.

We had morning tea and then did a welcome and presentation about YWAM and Marine Reach.

Mike shared from I Timothy 5.17 “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching…” He spoke of how this meeting was not meant to try and turn people from their denominations, to praise one denomination over the other, but we had called them here to honour them for their hard work and toil in the ministry.

I remember a Fijian friend tell me that as a people Fijian’s typically look at white skinned people (Pahlungi) as being superior to them.

We, from New Zealand, have greater access to resources and the funds from which to draw to purchase those resources than do the Fijian people. We reemphasized that we are all one in Christ where there is no male nor female, black nor white, slave nor free. We come to encourage and build up our Fijian brethren, not to lord it over them or assume (Pahlungi) white skin is somehow holier. We always endeavour to respect and honour the people groups and culture of the islands. We come to resource them as we can to help their churches and communities.