Solomon Islands District
NEWSLETTER November 2019 Volume 2, Issue 11
16 Days of Activism abuse. A teaching resource has also been developed to reframe men’s biblical perspective about equality and their role in the home and society. Next year, The Salvation Army will partner with World Vision to deliver their program through village congregations called “Channels of Hope” to change cultural attitudes the lead to gender based violence. All around the world November 25th marks the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender based violence. The Solomon Islands launched this vitally important campaign in Honiara during the royal visit by Prince Charles. Solomon Islands has horrific statistics with the highest level of violence against women and girls in the Pacific. 64% of women are victims of physical and/or sexual violence and 37% of girls under the age of 15 are reported as victims of sexual abuse. This epidemic of violence against women and girls has evoked a coordinated response by churches, NGO’s, the RSIPF and government agencies to change the mindset in the Solomon Islands about violence. The Salvation Army Solomon Islands has joined this year’s ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign to not only raise awareness but to engage local Salvationists with this issue.
This is a challenging space that requires the active participation of civil societies, not just the government. Also, in a country where 97% of the population are Christians, the Church must be a major player in this space to ensure a greater alignment between belief and behavior to reflect the character of Christ in ALL relationships. The Salvation Army is presently empowering young girls and women through programs like Junior Miss, Home League and Literacy Classes in an attempt to reduce their vulnerability to
The 16 Days of Activism was celebrated in Honiara with a street parade and a launch program at the Police Youth Club that brought together key players to launch the “Women Survivors Experience Study” and “Stretim Attitudes about Violence Against Women & Girls Report”. These research reports will provide valuable data for those working in the sector and help enforce the theme for this year, “Family Protection Act hemi protectim iumi everiwan” to end this cycle of violence.
Inside this issue: Working Bee at District Quarters
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Mission & Ministry Trips Cancelled
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Farewell to Australian 2 High Commissioner
First Wedding in Solomon Islands
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Vilij Kaleko Impact in Village Churches
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Farewell to 3 Police Commissioner A Personal Note
Special points of interest: Volunteerism Change of plans Community Farewells Marriage Union Resourcing Churches Serving Communities
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Working Bee at District Quarters see the ownership and initiative of Corps members to assist with the upkeep of the property.
At the beginning of the month a group of SAES volunteers who have been cooking at the District Quarters during October organised a working Bee together with the Home League to tidy up the garden and prune the fruit trees in readiness for the wet season. These eager volunteers from Honiara Corps arrived early on a Saturday morning armed with their bush knives and coconut leaf stick brooms.
This communal effort reflects the growing volunteer culture that is emerging within the Honiara Corps as members actively engage in a variety of service initiatives. Volunteerism is a foreign idea in this subsistence culture, so something as seemingly insignificant as a working bee reflects a pleasing change of mindset in a city usually plagued by rubbish.
The District Quarters is the only property The Salvation Army owns in Honiara, which makes it a hive of activity for a variety of weekday Corps and District activities. Therefore, it is encouraging to
The District Officers appreciated the initiative and effort of the clean-up team!
Mission & Ministry Trips Cancelled! Solomon Islands is indeed the land of the unexpected! When it comes to travelling between the islands, this is particularly so, with sea conditions, ship time tables and overcrowding making it very difficult to confidently plan mission and ministry trips to other Provinces. That was the case this month with the planned return trip to Fouele in South Malaita not eventuating due to the Gulatatae Ship being cancelled at the last minute. The ministry team arrived at the port loaded up with supplies, to find no ship! In fact, the port was full of other unsuspecting passengers and cargo.
Attempts to find an alternative passage to South Malaita proved unsuccessful, as the only other ship traveling to the area was commandeered for a funeral to transport the deceased and family members. With a tight calendar and the end of year looming, the window of opportunity has now unfortunately closed for this year. This was not only a disappointment for our team who were heading to Fouele Village to commence a Learning Space to conduct Literacy Classes for women, but also a very real disappointment for those who were eagerly anticipating our visit.
The second trip planned this month to Isabel Province to follow-up an invitation for a new mission in Buala to commence also didn’t eventuate. This time due to village representatives based in Honiara failing to show up twice to meetings scheduled to discuss the trip. Not a promising start to a new mission! These are the types of challenges that are a constant part of doing mission and ministry in the Solomon Islands. The TC once said ‘Eternal Patience’ will be needed to lead in this context. He was not wrong! The new year will present fresh opportunities to try again.
Farewell to Australian High Commissioner As 2019 draws to a close, a number of senior positions in Honiara are changing over with current missions and contracts coming to an end. The Australian High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, His Excellency Roderick Brazier, commenced his role in December 2016. During his three years in this role, Rod has worked tirelessly representing the Australian government alongside the Solomon Islands government, NGO’s, Churches, local businesses and other community organisations to support the growth and development of this nation, which he has done with distinction.
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Majors Robert and Vanessa met Rod two years ago through a courtesy visit to the Australian High Commission in Honiara. Since that meeting, Rod has shown strong support for the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army and has taken a keen interest in its development. His staff have provided a number of valuable networking opportunities that have been of great service to The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands. The Salvation Army Solomon Islands extend their appreciation to Rod and pray every blessing upon him and his family in his transition to a new role.
Solomon Islands District
First Wedding in Solomon Islands The Salvation Army reached another milestone this month by conducting the first Salvation Army wedding ceremony in the Solomon Islands. Majors Robert and Vanessa became officially registered as ‘Ministers to Officiate Marriages in Solomon Islands’ earlier this year. With this registration in place they were asked by Honiara Corps soldiers Peter and Joyce Maeatua to conduct the wedding of their son Shemuel Rocky Maeatua. Rocky and Olivia were married at the Rock Haven Inn where the Honiara Corps meets for worship, with their reception held at the SINU Pavilion of the Panatina
Campus of the university. The added significance of this special occasion is that Rocky’s father was the person who first invited The Salvation Army to come to the Solomon Islands. Those who witnessed the ceremony were very impressed by the marriage vows used by The Salvation Army, as they take seriously the biblical significance of marriage. This formality is relatively new in a culture that still adopts a traditional practice of ‘Bride Price’ accompanied by the exchange of food, goods and money to cement the relationship between two families and/or tribes.
Vilij Kaleko Impact in Village Churches The introduction of Vilij Kaleko into two of our village churches has had an immediate impact at Gateway Corps in North Malaita with the return of a sales report this month. Four bags of quality secondhand clothing donated by expats in Honiara were sold among Salvation Army members and neighbours in their local villages. Gateway Corps is a rugged six hour drive from Auki by public truck, which is the nearest location where clothing can be purchased. Giving access to clothing in remote villages is a real blessing and a valuable community service in this context. The sales report
received showed healthy sales achieved by the Corps, creating a viable source of income to support local mission and ministry. It was also pleasing to hear that the clothing not sold was given away to needy families in the area. A tithe of the income generated was returned to the District to sow back into this micro enterprise initiative, enabling more clothing to be sourced and transported to the village churches. The Salvation Army is very grateful to the expats who have supported Vilij Kaleko so far. The District is currently seeking additional donated clothing from Honiara to send to
the other two village churches in East Areare and South Malaita to provide this same service in these remote locations. This initiative is a small part of the District’s strategy to structure financial sustainability into all mission activities.
Donated clothing can be given to Majors Robert and Vanessa at the Lime Lounge Café in Honiara every Monday morning between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm.
Farewell to Police Commissioner The second farewell this month to another senior leader was conducted for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Commissioner Matthew Varley. Matt commenced his role in January 2017 during the transition from the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to a reformed local police force. During his tenure, Matt has worked hard alongside AFP and NZ police advisors to rebuild the capacity of the RSIPF, train and develop local leadership and reestablish a strong and effective police force in the Solomon Islands. Matt’s leadership has been appropriately
Volume 2, Issue 11
honoured by all levels of society and was highly praised by the Prime Minister at his farewell parade. Majors Robert and Vanessa have enjoyed working closely with the RSIPF under Matt’s exceptional leadership and have appreciated his support during this time. He has opened doorways of mission and ministry for The Salvation Army to support the well-being of RSIPF Officers and endorsed the partnership between the RSIPF Brass Band and The Salvation Army Brass Band Learners. The Salvation Army Solomon Islands would like express their gratitude and best wishes to Matt and his family.
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Support Needs: Mission Travel Budget You can support the follow-up of 12 mission requests for The Salvation Army to commence in other villages by contributing to travel costs between the Provinces. Building Funds for Gateway Corps and Ramah Fellowship: You can support by donating funds to support the reconstruction of these village church buildings.
The Salvation Army Solomon Islands District Officers - Majors Robert & Vanessa Evans PO Box 323 Honiara, Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 30344 Fax: (677) 30344
Additional School Fees Loan Funds: You can support by donating funds to distribute to parents applying for a loan to pay School Fees for next year. Please contact Major Robert Evans at robert.evans@png.salvationarmy.org for more information if you are able to help with any of these needs.
Mobile: (677) 749 4524 Email: solomon.islands@png.salvationarmy.org Website: www.png.salvationarmy.org
Prayer Points: Larger venue for Honiara Corps for Sunday worship Acquisition of land for Honiara Corps Christmas Carolling in Honiara Commencement of Literacy Classes in Fouele Village Safe travel for Solomon Islanders travelling to their home Provinces over the Christmas break
A Personal Note... First of all, thank God for His faithfulness for His grace, His mercy and love. This year 2019, God has done so many blessings in our lives, despite of the challenges we have gone through. God is always faithful, praise the Lord. Secondly, thank God for The Salvation Army church that, by His grace and faithfulness to this nation of Solomon Islands, The Salvation Army church has made a great impact in the lives of many people in our society and community in our islands. As we are heading towards the end of this year 2019, there has been a lot of many challenges we face. To me, it’s a joy. One thing I always keep in mind is the faithfulness of God to His children. As a father of six children, it’s not always easy to say some beautiful words to my children, but I thank God for making things always possible through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Today, I would like to thank God for the two Majors, Robert and Vanessa Evans, for the service of the Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) and for being part of their exciting team. Thank God I have learned many new things as I journey along with others. To me personally, I did enjoy this service because I know that I’m doing this for the Lord. For me, men and women of God leaving their country, their children, to do God’s ministry is not as easy as others might think. Today, marks another milestone for The Salvation Army church in this nation of Solomon Islands, as there are new exciting things coming up. The Salvation Army church has done so many wonderful things in this new exciting service (SAES). The Salvation Army Emergency Services is now in the stage of caring for lives, such as catering for government department, etc. In conclusion, thank God that I’m born again and served. I’m proud to be in The
Salvation Army church. Thank God for placing me in the right place and for whom I am today. Lastly, I would like to thank Majors Robert and Vanessa Evans for their life example, their dedication and for many sacrifices for looking after the church and for setting up this new ministry (SAES) for what it is now today. As a coworker, I am very happy for being part of this exciting team, and so I would like to salute the Majors Robert and Vanessa Evans for their dedication and sacrifice.
Joseph Atkin