The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-Pacific (TPUM) recently held its Festival of Laity, designed to train local church members in the area of discipleship.
Held February 6-10 at Fiji’s Fulton College, keynote speakers included Dr C Wesley Knight, assistant professor of preaching and ministry at Oakwood University, and storyteller and creative ministries pastor Dick Duerksen. The event was also livestreamed on the TPUM YouTube channel, making it accessible to those unable to attend.
“In our Union, this is the year of our laity, so this event was held to launch this program,” said TPUM president Pastor Maveni Kaufononga. “We brought our best lay people from the field and designed special training with them on the different areas from the farming cycle discipleship model that we’re using. This is equipping them in preparation for our harvesting program in July. We are expecting them to go back and help other elders, using what they have learned from this program.”
The program included workshops on topics such as health and small groups, a health screening for all participants, and designated morning and evening worship sessions, featuring special items from across the Pacific. More than 120 people attended, representing every territory in the Trans-Pacific.
“I was really happy with the response that we had from our participants,” said Pastor Kaufononga. “They were very committed to our vision and I am confident of their support for God’s work.”
