27 August 2008

Mission projects selected by partners from various Seventh-day Adventist administrative regional offices, or conferences, will feature in Camp Mission programs during this next financial year. Camp mission programs are programs held during regional church meetings, or camp meetings, to support the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Building on the growing relationships that are now developing between most conferences and the mission “partners” (most Adventist regional offices in the Pacific Islands are called "missions"), the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific has decided to allocate 50% of this year’s Mission offering funds (donations from church members collected during camp meetings) to projects within the partner missions.

“This opportunity will help strengthen the ties that are already developing, but give our members specific projects that they can raise funds for within the partner conference,” says director of Adventist Mission, Pastor Ray Coombe. He reports that there has already been some positive exchange visits between several of the Pacific partners, and now some churches and schools are identifying specific partners within the relationship.

Island visitors from the partner missions will in some cases attend conference camps and regional meetings this year to promote the needs of their mission and to share stories of church growth and evangelism.

“This partnership program is bringing a new connection between our church in Australia and New Zealand and the island fields and is increasing interest in mission,” says General Secretary for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, Pastor Lawrence Tanabose.

Not all missions have yet identified the specific details of their projects for the year, but Morobe Mission for example is hoping to provide much-needed accommodation in Lae, Papua New Guinea for their single ministers. Fiji Mission is wanting to develop a TV/video production facility to complement their very successful radio and Hope TV ministry and Vanuatu Mission has identified building developments at the Kwataparen Junior Secondary School on Tanna island and a District Director’s house and office on Malekula.

The Solomon Islands Mission is looking for funds to help operate their medical yacht which takes health outreach teams to island communities, and Kiribati Mission are planning to purchase a PA system for youth evangelistic outreach.

“These are very exciting mission projects that have a specific local focus,” says Pastor Coombe.

Some of these projects will provide further opportunities for members in the partner Conference to be involved in fly-n-build visits and other “follow-up” contact.

“I hope it will give renewed meaning and focus to our Camp Mission offerings,” says Pastor Coombe.

The other 50% of Camp Mission offering income next year will go to assist in funding the relocation of Fulton College. With the ongoing land-lease dispute and other problems, the Adventist Church in the Trans Pacific region decided to relocate Fulton and restructure the educational program. They have already identified a suitable site at Sabeto on the western side of Viti Levu near the international airport at Nadi.

President of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, Dr Barry Oliver, believes that the relocation of Fulton provides a providential opportunity to develop a university campus in Fiji for what will be part of the unified tertiary system in the Pacific.

“It is a huge project that will require much finance over the next few years, and we are looking for strong support from members in Australia and New Zealand to accomplish this major transition,” he says.

“Fulton has been a vital part of our integrated tertiary education strategy in the Pacific,” says Dr Barry Hill, director of Adventist Education in the South Pacific. “As a new campus it will continue to train key leaders and church workers into the future."

Camp Mission offerings have previously helped:

• establish a radio station in Tahiti, build a new adminstraive office at Kokopo near Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
  
• commence re-building and operation of a Layman’s Training School at Kwailabesi in the Solomon Islands
• purchase a new 1.8 miilion dollar aircraft for the Papua New Guinea aviation program
• renovated and restored medical clinics
  
• refurbished the Pacific Adventist University library

“Now, as church members head off to camp and regional meetings this year, I hope that they will prepare for a big mission offering, and give generously to support the new Fulton campus, and their partner Mission,” says Pastor Coombe.