Laurie Evans President

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific Division (SPD) is a vibrant, colorful community of faith. In the nations of Australia, New Zealand, and the island nations of the South Pacific, the church has continued to experience significant growth during the past quinquennium. This brief report will draw attention to some aspects of that growth and present vignettes in the life of God’s church in the South Pacific.

1. Membership. During the quinquennium 81,791 new members were added to the church by baptism throughout the South Pacific Division (SPD), bringing the division membership to 335,990 at the end of 1999. Approximately 80 percent of the membership of the division resides in the island nations of the South Pacific and 20 percent of the members live in Australia and New Zealand.

2. Global Mission. Global Mission continues to provide opportunities for exciting outreach to people groups in which the church formerly had no significant presence. As a result of Global Mission initiatives, there are new churches and companies throughout the division where previously there was no established Adventist presence. Global Mission pioneers—laypersons with minimal training but total commitment—are making huge inroads in some areas. On the island of Malaita in the Western Pacific Union Mission 1,020 persons were baptized in 1999 alone, most as a result of the work of Global Mission pioneers.

3. Evangelism. The SPD has established an Institute of Public Evangelism. The purpose of the institute is to foster public evangelism and evangelists in the South Pacific. The institute not only provides financial and material resources for public evangelism, but is heavily involved in developing God-given gifts and talents of people who show potential for public evangelism. All forms of evangelism are promoted and valued in the SPD. It is recognized, however, that public evangelism enables us to see the seed that has been sown brought to harvest.

 4. Sanitarium Centenary. In 1998 Sanitarium Health Food Company celebrated its centenary. The Sanitarium Health Food Company, wholly owned by the church, has for 100 years been a market leader in the production of healthful foods in Australia and New Zealand. The advertising logo “Aussie and Kiwi kids are Weet-bix kids” continues to be recognized as an icon throughout Australia and New Zealand.

5. Pacific Adventist University. In 1997 Pacific Adventist University was given a charter as a university by the government of Papua New Guinea. Pacific Adventist College, as it was previously known, had operated in the country for 12 years. With the granting of university status it has become one of the country’s leading tertiary institutions and has recently expanded its academic offerings to include master’s degrees. In September 1998 Pacific Adventist University came into national prominence in Papua New Guinea when nearly 100 leading educators connected with tertiary education assembled on campus for a National Planning and Policy Making Conference.

6. Children’s Ministry Expo. During the quinquennium the first division-wide Children’s Ministries Expo was held in Sydney. Participants from throughout the division and from other Christian churches enthusiastically endorsed the work of Janet Reiger, children’s ministries director for the South Pacific Division, and the opportunity to engage with colleagues in training workshops. Subsequently, similar expos were held in several union missions of the division.

7. The Search. A new video series entitled The Search was produced and launched by the South Pacific Adventist Media Centre. This innovative magazine-style full-message series, featuring South Pacific evangelist Geoff Youlden, and shot on location around the world, is being marketed and used in many of the divisions. It presents the Word of God in a contemporary, appealing, and authentic manner. Pastor Dwight Nelson recommended this series at the conclusion of his NeXt Millennium Seminar presentation.

SCANNINC THE HORIZON: Harold Peters, president of Pacific Adventist University, greets visitors in front of the colorful South Pacific Division exhibit.

8. Satellite Technology. During the quinquennium satellite technology arrived in the South Pacific Division, with NET ’98, the NeXt Millennium Seminar. An estimated 167 venues presented the seminars from videotape recorded at 136 downlink sites. Since the downlinking of NET ’98, the Adventist Media Centre in the South Pacific, in conjunction with the SPD and AGCN, has been able to offer appropriately equipped churches a whole menu of possibilities for evangelism and nurture utilizing satellite technology. The number of churches and entities making use of this technology continues to grow rapidly throughout the division. It is no coincidence that 1998 and 1999 have seen the largest number of baptisms during any two consecutive years in the history of the church in this part of the world. Indeed, 1999 was the best year ever for baptisms in this division.

9. Papua New Guinea Baptism. Approximately 1,600 were baptized in one baptism at the Keya District meeting in the Eastern Highlands Simbu Mission in Papua New Guinea. The baptism was attended by the General Conference president and the governor general of Papua New Guinea, a Seventh-day Adventist. Large baptisms of hundreds of people are a feature of the work in Papua New Guinea, where the church continues to grow at an astounding rate.

10. Publishing. The quinquennium has seen a dramatic upturn in the success of the publishing program in the SPD. The Signs Publishing Company, the senior publishing institution in the division, is facing increasing pressure to provide adequate resources to meet the needs of the literature evangelists. The installation of a new press has greatly assisted. Never in the history of the publishing work have sales of subscription and trade publications seen the successes that are currently being experienced in this division. In August 1998 the first division-wide congress for literature evangelists was conducted in Brisbane, bringing together for the first time the leading literature evangelists from across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands. The inspiration and enthusiasm engendered at the congress have contributed largely to the success that is currently being experienced.

11. Volunteers. During the quinquennium a record number of volunteers gave time and talent to the Lord in service. Pastor Eric White, coordinator of the SPD Volunteer Ministries program, has reported that 4,508 volunteers served during the quinquennium, in places such as Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Korea, United Kingdom, Africa, Mongolia, Indonesia, Kosovo, Russia, Nepal, China, Haiti, United States of America, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

12. ADRA. ADRA/South Pacific continues to make a significant contribution to development and relief programs throughout the world. ADRA/Australia is the largest denominational nongovernment aid organization in Australia. An example of the kind of work that ADRA is becoming well known for was its response to the tidal wave disaster at Aitape, Papua New Guinea. ADRA was the first nongovernment organization in the area, providing two medical teams, a water supply team, shelter, food, etc. Pastor David Syme, director of ADRA/

Australia, sits on the Australian Council for Overseas Aid in Canberra, Australia’s capital, and enjoys a close working association with government agencies and other nongovernment aid organizations in the South Pacific.

13. Australia’s Indigenous People. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries Bible College has been established in Perth, Western Australia, for the training of Australia’s indigenous Seventh-day Adventists. At the end of 1999 nine students graduated with a diploma of ministry. These students have been trained to minister in the unique cultural setting of aboriginal Australia and are already making a significant contribution. Baptisms of indigenous people in Australia, as a percentage of the total baptisms, are well ahead of the percentage of aboriginal people in the Australian population.

14. Missionary Reentry. A worldwide first in 1999 was the coordinating of a reentry program for missionary families who had given service in cross-culture situations overseas. For many years the SPD has recognized the need for a reorientation program; and with the assistance of the General Conference and the Institute of World Mission at Andrews University, the first such program was conducted under the leadership of the SPD Mission Institute director, Pastor Bruce Roberts. The consensus of those who attended the program was that this was just as essential as the Mission Institute orientation program that was provided for them when they first embarked on their missionary service.

15. Personal Ministries. The Personal Ministries Department of the SPD continued to provide innovative resources for the churches and laypeople throughout the division, to assist them in their personal and public evangelistic endeavors. The theme “Reach Out . . . With Hope” was adopted and used to inspire lay men and women as they developed strategies to reach their neighborhoods for Christ. In addition to the existing programs, two innovations proved highly effective. One, known as “Welcome Home,” saw thousands of inactive and former members return to church after being given a special invitation. Although the results of this program have not been tabulated, it is known that many have continued to attend church and experience the warmth and welcome of their brothers and sisters. A second innovation, known as “Welcome Baby,” was designed to greet and support parents with new babies in the community at large. Both of these initiatives were coordinated by Dr. David Foster. Tragically, at the end of 1999 Dr. Foster was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He passed to his rest in February 2000. The SPD has lost an innovative and effective leader. We pay tribute to him and commit him to the safety of God’s care.

16. Strategic Planning. Increasing emphasis has been placed on strategic thinking during the past five years. The strategic planning committee has met regularly in order to give attention to the vision and mission statements for the division, and to put in place a strategic plan that will give direction to the work of God in this part of the world in the coming years. The vision statement of the South Pacific Division reads as follows:

“Our vision is for a healthy and growing church throughout the division.”

The mission statement of the SPD is:

“In response to the grace and calling of God and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific exists to fulfill the great commission of Jesus Christ through sharing the everlasting gospel in the context of Revelation 14:6-12 and nurturing those who respond to its claims.

“Our mission is to provide leadership and support to the unions, conferences, missions, and institutions within our territory, enabling them to:

• support the church and its members in leading others to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour,
• nurture spiritual growth and community,
• develop and enhance corporate unity and purpose,
• enrich individual and congregational worship,
• equip ministers and congregations to reach out and serve their communities in harmony with their spiritual gifts,
• encourage individuals, families, and people groups to embrace the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle, and
• invite every people group and each individual within our region to join this community of believers and prepare for the imminent return of Jesus Christ.”

The strategic planning committee has identified four areas of strategic concern: outreach, nurture, communication, and leadership. Within each of these categories strategic outcomes have been identified, and a strategic management committee has been appointed to take responsibility for putting in place initiatives that will contribute to the planned outcomes. The division has utilized the expertise of both employed and lay members on this key committee. Each department and institution in the division has been encouraged to articulate its own vision and mission statement and to think strategically.

The church in the SPD gives thanks to God for the progress of this past quinquennium. We look forward in keen anticipation and expectation to the days ahead, excited by the knowledge that God has a plan and purpose for His people and the world.