The Sabbath dawned with scenes of joy across the Solomon Islands yesterday (July 18) as baptisms were celebrated during the culmination of the Solomon Islands for Christ evangelistic campaign.
Many of the campaign’s 323 evangelistic sites held baptismal services on Sabbath, marking the public commitment of hundreds of new believers to Jesus.
The baptisms followed two weeks of nightly evangelistic meetings, Bible studies, health outreach, kids’ clubs, prayer walks and community visitations conducted across the country.
For many of the Honiara sites, a combined district baptism was held at the Solomon Islands Mission campground. Group by group, candidates entered the waters of the Betikama River, where 19 pastors conducted the baptisms over a two-hour period.
Addressing the candidates before the baptisms, Pastor Newton Langai, discipleship and evangelism director for the Solomon Islands Mission, said it was a very important ceremony.
“Over the past two weeks the Holy Spirit has moved and people have responded,” he said. “Thank you for making this very important decision, for making a public statement for Jesus Christ through baptism.”
South Pacific Division secretary Pastor Mike Sikuri read the baptismal vows before Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) president Pastor Charlie Jimmy prayed for the candidates.
“Today is an exciting day,” Pastor Sikuri said. “We’ve been praying and been looking forward to this day for some time.”
Greater Sydney Conference (GSC) president Pastor Alban Matohiti was among the pastors conducting the baptisms.
“It was amazing to see that many people,” he said. “It was well organised and the morning looked beautiful. It was the perfect start of the Sabbath day.”
For GSC women’s ministries director Meleofa Fifita‑Tovo, a presenter at the Mt Horeb site, it was a morning filled with emotion.
“It was an honour and a privilege to watch our seven candidates take the stand to follow Jesus through the waters of baptism,” she said.
According to Ms Fifita-Tovo, several of the candidates had made decisions to return to the Adventist Church. “It was quite emotional; through the evangelism series they decided they would give their lives back to Jesus,” she said. “I was so proud of each one of them.”
Following the baptismal ceremony, thousands gathered at the nearby Maranatha Hall for a special Sabbath worship and praise service. The open-air venue was filled to capacity, with many worshippers sitting on the grass and standing around the hall to witness the service.
The program featured uplifting music, vibrant worship and a message from General Conference associate ministerial secretary Pastor Anthony Kent. His theme: “Being grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission”.
“Today is a day of thanksgiving and celebration as we gather to worship our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to rejoice in what He has accomplished and will accomplish through this nationwide evangelistic initiative,” said Solomon Islands Mission president Pastor David Filo.
“Before this worship service we have witnessed one of the greatest miracles of God’s grace as precious men, women and young people publicly surrendered their lives to Christ through baptism. We praise God for each one of them and warmly welcome them into the family of God.”
Special guests included Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who received a guard of honour by local Pathfinders upon their arrival. The service was also livestreamed.
Before the service commenced, the congregation paused to acknowledge the passing of Linda Damaro, who had been supporting the Solomon Islands for Christ evangelistic campaign alongside her husband, Pastor Kadasa Damaro. Condolences were extended to Pastor Damaro and his family.
Also prior to the service, both prime ministers shared brief messages with the congregation.
Mr Wale welcomed the opportunity to worship with those gathered. “It’s wonderful to worship with you this morning,” he said, encouraging the Church to “Baptise more”.
Reflecting on the role of faith in the nation, he added, “It is the work of the church to continue to preach the gospel, to live the gospel, to reach out with the gospel, because only the gospel of Jesus Christ saves, and as a nation it’s really a derivative, a by-product, that the nation is built up.”
Around 150 of the international preachers serving during Solomon Islands for Christ came from Papua New Guinea.
Prime Minister Marape congratulated the newly baptised and spoke of the longstanding relationship between the Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
“I congratulate those who were baptised into the faith; I flew 1000 miles from Port Moresby just to be with you to celebrate on your first day baptised,” he said.
He acknowledged the Solomon Islanders missionaries who brought the gospel to Papua New Guinea and encouraged the Church to remain committed to its mission.
“I want to encourage my own mission here in the South Pacific Division. We are the Eastern most part of planet Earth. As it was the wise men from the East who pronounced the first coming of Jesus, is it a coincidence that revival is taking place in PNG, the Solomons islands and the Pacific?
“To every Seventh-day Adventist who holds the faith and who have been heralding the second coming since 1844, don’t lose your first love and first mission.”
Reflecting on the day this morning (July 19), Pastor Sikuri described it as “truly a high Sabbath”, saying the baptismal figures were still being collated but that what he had witnessed in the Solomon Islands had filled him with gratitude and hope.
“One of the greatest blessings has been the increased involvement of our members,” he said. “Support from international volunteers is also growing. I am witnessing our people being mobilised for mission.
“South Pacific for Christ has begun with great momentum,” he added. “TPUM accepted the challenge and is leading the way. May we continue to mobilise our people for mission, trusting God to do even greater things in the days ahead.”
