New members of the South Pacific Division (SPD) Executive Committee (DEC) gained a deeper understanding of how the Church operates during the first meeting of the new quinquennium, held at the SPD headquarters in Wahroonga, Sydney.
Of the 82 members, 52 are new to the committee. Representing all four unions, the committee members shared times of worship, prayer and fellowship alongside the business of voting on leadership appointments. They also gained insights into how the Division’s services, departments and institutions operate in alignment with the SPD’s strategic plan.
Each day began with worship, led by SPD secretary Pastor Mike Sikuri, SPD vice president Pastor Maveni Kaufononga, SPD president Pastor Glenn Townend and General Conference undersecretary Pastor Hensley Moorooven. Their messages centred on the General Conference’s four I Will Go priorities: I Will Go with God, I Will Go Because Jesus Loves Me, I Will Go in the Power of the Holy Spirit and I Will Go on God’s Mission
These priorities also underpin the SPD’s strategic plan.
Adventist Heritage Month (in October) and next year’s SPD for Christ initiative were highlighted, while tours of Adventist Media and Sydney Adventist Hospital gave committee members first-hand insight into how these institutions serve both the Church and the wider community.
Charles Ratakele from the Trans Pacific Union Mission is among the new committee members. Reflecting on the experience, he said he found it very Spirit-filled. “I was so moved with the way in which we have aligned our whole Church in one focus and I’m going back very much refreshed and challenged now that we have our focus to do the work in Fiji,” he said.
“I’m really pleased with the way the decisions have been made here and it’s given me an incredible opportunity to see how the Church functions at this level and to see the amount of thought and discussion and care and most importantly prayer that goes into each of these decisions. It just fortifies my view of how the Spirit leads at each of the different levels of the Church.”
Anzillah Miro (Papua New Guinea Union Mission) also felt she gained signficant insight into what the SPD does. “I’ve been involved in the local church—my focus was just at that level—but coming out here and listening to every departmental head presenting and all the companies presenting it has opened my eyes to what the SPD is all about,” she said.
Similarly, Pastor Hiro Itchner (New Zealand Pacific Union Confernence) came away with a broader view of how the Church operates. “Every day I learn many things,” he said. “(It was my) first time going to the (San) hospital and also the media centre—it was a lot of information for me and I believe when I go back I will share everything that I have learned throughout this week.”
The highlight for Bree Hills (Australian Union Conference) was hearing all the Division reports. “There’s so many different things going on in so many different spaces,” she reflected.
“It’s been a really insightful experience for me to see how our Church operates from a Division point of view. I’ve never really been involved in that space before, and to meet so many people from across the Division as well has been a fantastic experience. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
