A one-week evangelistic series at Parker Seventh-day Adventist Church on the island of Malekula, Vanuatu, was concluded with much joy and celebration on July 2 after 20 people were baptised.
According to Malekula pastor Morex Bonglel and Parker church members, the joyous occasion was also historically significant. They explained the baptisms were held at Sopel Pool, the same river mouth where baptisms used to be conducted by early missionaries Pastors Calvin Parker and Andrew Stewart.
Pastor Bonglel said he is grateful for the leading of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who gave their hearts to Jesus. “I am also thankful for the members here at Parker church for their support and suggesting that we conduct the baptisms again at Sopel pools in honour of the early missionaries that sacrificed their lives in the early 1900s, here on the island of Malekula,” he said.
He also mentioned that early missionaries to Vanuatu Pastor Parker, Pastor Stewart and teacher Jope Laweloa from Fiji faced many challenges while doing missionary work on this island back in the early 1900s. “However, if they saw the harvest of their labours today, both here and throughout the country of Vanuatu, they would be very happy,” he added.
Despite challenges faced during COVID-19 lockdowns, Pastor Bonglel remains optimistic about church growth in the area, with plans for another baptism in August.
Malekula is the second largest island in Vanuatu and one of the eight districts in the Vanuatu Mission.
Read more about Pastor Stewart, Pastor Parker and Jope Laweloa’s ministry in Vanuatu.
