They came from different countries, cultures and ministry backgrounds to preach at Samoa for Christ. But as the campaign enters its final days, visiting speakers say they are taking away something themselves.
For some it has been a lesson in grassroots evangelism. For others, a personal spiritual revival. And for one lay preacher, simply preparing and presenting the messages each night has deepened his own understanding of the Bible.
Across Samoa, 64 sites are hosting the evangelistic campaign, with local presenters joined by speakers from Australia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, New Zealand and Kenya.
Victorian pastor Ben Tavao, who is of Samoan heritage and serves with the Institute of Public Evangelism at the South Pacific Division, initially chose Samoa partly because he wanted to reconnect with his language and heritage. The experience has also become a personal spiritual renewal.
“It has been a massive blessing for us because it has kind of renewed our relationship with God as well,” Pastor Tavao said. “It has given us a bit of a revival for ourselves.”
He said a lot of ministers at this time of year are feeling tired, but participating in something “so much bigger than myself” had renewed his relationship with God.
“Our cup is full nearly every night going home,” he said. “We get to thank God and praise God that He can use people like us.”
Brisbane lay preacher Henry Suluvale has had a similar experience.
A member of Reedy Creek church, Mr Suluvale is preaching at combined meetings involving two village churches. He said preparing the presentations each day had increased his own understanding of biblical prophecy.
“I’ve just been blessed since I’ve been here in Samoa,” he said. “Probably one of the things that I’ve been really blessed with is just the preparation of the message every day and learning a lot more about prophecy and things than I have known before.”
Around 40 visitors have been attending his site each night, and Mr Suluvale said one of the highlights has been talking with them and hearing their responses to the presentations.
The experience has left him with a simple message for others: “Be involved, that’s the key . . . whether it’s preaching, whether it’s doing mission work or whether it’s visitation.”
That emphasis on involvement has been one of the biggest lessons Victorian pastor Rahel Gungadoo will take home from Samoa.
Pastor Gungadoo is preaching at a church plant with around 20 members. Yet those members funded a new church building themselves; a building deliberately constructed for a congregation much larger than the one they currently have.
“For me, that shows a little bit of their heart,” he said. “It’s only a small church plant, but they’re willing to grow. The building is almost a testament of their faith.”
And the building has been filling. More than 40 visitors have been attending each night.
“The church looks full, but it’s not full of church members,” Pastor Gungadoo said. “It’s full of people who are hungry for the Word of God alongside the church members.”
He attributes that response to what members were doing before he arrived and continue to do each day.
“A lot of the times when we do evangelism, we think about the speaker. We get the biggest names, biggest people, and we want that to be our drawcard,” he said.
“Here, the drawcard has been that each and every member has been visiting the people in this community.”
Pastor Andrew Opis, president of the Western Highlands Mission in Papua New Guinea, has also been impressed by the groundwork.
It is his first visit to Samoa, although he has previously participated in evangelistic meetings in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. He said each country approaches outreach within its own cultural context, and Samoa’s close family and community networks have been particularly evident.
“When I came to this local Mission and met with the people, I discovered that there were invitations given, there was food given out to people, they engaged with community members,” he said. “They’ve done a lot of preparation.”
Soon after he arrived, local elders took him to visit people they had invited to the meetings.
One was a construction worker. There had been no arrangement to meet him, but just as the group arrived, the man happened to emerge from work for his lunch break right at that time.
“And the guy said, ‘thank you for coming’.”
They spoke with him, prayed with him and personally invited him to attend.
“I thought that was a miracle,” Pastor Opis said. “That story in itself indicated to me that God was working among the people.”
For Pastor David Gilmour from Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, his first visit to Samoa has similarly highlighted how much happens beyond the preaching.
“The preparation that’s gone on here with the administrators of the Mission, but particularly the local churches that have taken it on board, has just been absolutely amazing,” he said.
“To see follow-up going on every day, it’s truly incredible. We’re just humble servants. The Lord could work without us, but to be a small part of it is a great privilege.”
He has also been struck by the breadth of people contributing: from singers, children and young people to a 78-year-old former pastor who continues to support the local church.
“It’s a whole team effort,” he said.
And the warmth of Samoan hospitality has made an impression too. “I thought, this is a little taste of heaven and that’s what God’s family is like.”
