6 January 2009

12 new Global Mission projects have been added to the 34 continuing projects in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific that caters to new people groups and establishes an Adventist presence in un-entered areas.

The Centre for Church Planting and Global Mission Committee have authorised the transfer of Division (regional) and General Conference (world headquarters) funds that will help these projects to proceed.

The 46 projects in 2009 represent a total investment of $1.36 million of which the Adventist Church in the South Pacific is contributing $295,928, and the Adventist world church is contributing $399,617.

“At a time when other businesses are cutting back because of the global economic crisis, it is heartening to see that the church is able to invest in the core mission of entering new areas and planting new churches,” says Global Mission Coordinator and Director of Adventist Mission, Pastor Ray Coombe.

Whilst 40 projects had previously been approved at the October meeting of the Global Mission committee, an additional five projects from the Adventist Church in the New Zealand Pacific region, and a late urgent request from South Australia were recommended to the Adventist world church for funding in 2009. Some more project requests are expected to come from Papua New Guinea in the year.

“There are some very exciting and challenging ones among the new projects,” says Pastor Coombe. “They include a long-term strategy for commencing work among Muslim communities of southwest Sydney, a plan for reaching Indians in Auckland, another friendship fishing project at Onotoa Island in Kiribati, a church plant for Nukuni village on the most south-easterly island of the Fiji group, called Ono-i-Lau, a new church plant in Matangi village on East Bellona in the Solomon Islands, another multi-ethnic church group at Queens Park in Perth, called the All Nations Church and the opportunity to commence work and plant a church at Coober Pedy, the outback opal-mining town of South Australia.”

As with all Global Mission projects, local churches, Conferences, Missions and the Unions (regional offices) all contribute to the operating budgets and usually support at least one lay missionary, called a Global Mission pioneer, who is responsible for the church plant.

In North New Zealand, the Cambridge Adventist Church is sponsoring a new church plant by two of its families in the nearby rural town of Matamata. In Samoa, the local Mission is supporting a church plant initiative in a new subdivision at Tuamasaga. Two important projects that never got underway last year will also proceed this year: a campaign on Niue Island to revive the dwindling numbers of Adventists there, and an outreach to Fakaofa Island in the Tokelau group. In Tasmania, Project Hope is aiming to strengthen the Adventist presence in the northeast towns of Scottsdale and Scamander.

In addition to these Global Mission projects, the $299,272 contributed by the Adventist Church in the South Pacific to ten church plants in Australia and New Zealand brings the total investment in church planting in 2009 to almost $600,000. This contribution was greatly assisted by a recent anonymous donor who gave $100,000 to support Global Mission in the South Pacific.

The annual Sacrifice Offering contributes directly to Global Mission Funds at the Adventist world church, but church members can contribute regularly to support Global Mission by including a donation to Global Mission in their tithe envelope.

“We are grateful for the sacrifice and generosity of our church members who support the mission of the church with their donations, but we also appreciate the dedication of pioneer laymen and women who open up these new areas,” says Pastor Coombe.