PI SYNOD

Representation to the PCC meetings of General Secretaries from member Churches and National Council of Churches of each country.

PCC was mandated at the last General Assembly in the Solomon Island to take stock of itself, and 

provide strategies of improving its effectiveness in providing leadership to the regional churches 

that it is part of.

RETHINK, RENEW, RECLAIM, REMEMBER, RECIPROCITY

RELEVANT.

As people of the Pacific, what treasurers have we lost in the course of our journey into the light of the Gospel.

What are important taogas -treasures that we can reclaim of our culture, rituals and practices 

which will enhance our LOTU, our worship. our reflections, and our life of prayer.

Rethink and review calls for the PCC to reflect on this 50 year journey,

and in our discernment open ourselves to an openness to God's leading in order for us to allow God to do its task of renewing us, and recharging our energy level to give leadership in mission for the next 50 years.

Remember God's place in our lives, Remember the involvement of God in the lives of his people the Israelites. Remember God's influence in or lives and the lives of our forebears.

Renew our outlook and value our most precious gift of family, community, and of fellowship.

Reciprocity is a covenant relationship which is the basis of our lifestyle in our extended families, and in our church family.

Not forgetting the need for us to be relevant in our mission and ministries, where communication is vital within our diverse cultures. What are we doing and why are we doing the things that we value in our lives as individuals and in our faith and social based communities. 

TALANOA

one talk 

allowed us to share, to question, and to develop 

ways of weaving our spirituality, our best practices and our gifts together with the belief that 

God's spirit is embracing these into wisdom that will provide for PCC a renewed pathway for the future.

Bible study in the first day.

Ruth 2.

MIGRATION ......... DISCRIMINATION

HOW DO YOU TREAT A STRANGER / FOREIGNER ?

The bible study enabled the group to observe the dynamics that were happening between characters of the passage. The behaviour of the owner of the harvest surprised us given the nature of the relationship of the people of Israel and the Moabites. 

Boaz found out what a faithful woman to Naomi a family to him. So he cared for her, ensuring that she had enough and some to take home for her mother in law Naomi.

The question was asked: how have our member churches treated the strangers in our village, our Island and our homes?

How do we as God's family from different denominations live out the love of God?

How can we use the lessons of this narrative to improve our understanding of ecumenism?

Day Two

Bible study

Exodus 12: 21 - 28

Passover feast

Luke  22: 19 - 20

Holy Communion.

The passover came out of the plight of the Israelites to be liberated from Egypt's hold on God's people.

Moses made numerous attempts to free his people but were unsuccessful.

The act of worship, protected by the blood of the sacrificial lamb killed in order for an offering to be made saw the death sentence passing over the Israelites homes saving their first born from death that left Egypt in a state of mourning.

The new testament Communion resulted at the time of the pass over celebration as a mark of God's hand being played in the salvation of God's children.

The sacrifice was to follow the agape meal, Jesus was crucified on the Cross.

Much of the discussions were focused on the self giving of God in these two narratives.

The first reading was around the request of Moses to let God's people go.

Set them free.

In the second reading, Jesus set us free with his sacrifice on the cross.

How do these passages build up our relationships with God and with each other as people of the Pacific?

We share the love of God in Christ  as we work with the Spirit in the proclamation of the word.

Are there expressions of worship, of Holy communion and of our faith that we could make employing the gifts that God has made us to be, with the identities that we now carry?

DAY THREE

The power of forgiveness.

Text: The prodigal Son

Genesis 3.

The power of Lotu. and Vanua

FORGIVENESS.

MANA: Blessing - We have good mana, and could have bad mana.

Mana is in the Blessing that we channel. Blessing is from God, we don't have it but we can be medium where we can channel it to others.

We all had a question on forgiveness.

Our group had the following question.

Why do we have to forgive?

From the bible study.

God forgave, he redeemed us from the sins of the first Adam by the death of the second Adam Jesus Christ.

The father forgave the prodigal son. What about the first son? Did he forgive the Father, or his wayward brother? 

God only can forgive our sins. We can forgive others and help others to seek forgiveness from God.

What about the member of the church seeking forgiveness from the minister for his transgressions?

Can the minister forgive? Maybe the minister's is not the he/she forgive, but help the member to identify the wrong, address damages to those who fell victim and assist in reconciliation and maybe restitution.

We Attended a Fijian Village where a cultural act of forgiveness was undertaken, wrapped in Fiji culture among the 12 tribes, and 8 villages. The Chief was party to this act of forgiveness service - with Shark's tooth and Kava ceremony.

Its the act of Fijian Methodist Church with the support of the member Churches from the Pacific asking forgiveness for the history dotted with misunderstanding and wrong doing.

Three coconut trees were planted in commemoration of this act of reconciliation.

Bu la!!!

Receive a representative from West Papua as they seek support from member Churches in their plight seeking independence. 

The PCC member representatives and the secretaries from National Council of Churches do support their plight ans are expressing this with a letter to the appropriate bodies dealing with the situation.

This is my last entry to this blog.

This was a very different approach to meetings where the efforts have been prayerfull deliberation, mostly in the form of Talanoa. Community based Boible study seemed to have been adopted, and I join many of the church representative found it at first different, but started to see the benefits of it as time went on.

The views on this bloig are mine, and reflections my take on the discussions.

So do reflect on them and comment at the end of the blog if there are views that you would wish to make comments on

Rev Don Ikitoelagi

Clerk of PI Synod Presbytery.

Representing Komiti Moana Nui a committee of the PCANZ.

Fans were taken for the day but returned at the end of the evening marking our willingness to share.

People were allowed to take a pick of any fan, however they are returned for the ritual to bring meaning to togetherness.

PI SYNOD Presbytery 

Komiti Moana Nui

PI Synod & Te Aka Puaho

PCANZ

At the Tahiti Pacific Conference of Churches in the late nineties, the PCANZ sought to join the Pacific churches at this ecumenical international organisation. We weren't able to as a PCANZ, however we manged to be accepted as a church represented by Maori and Pacific members of our Church. There was  a concern that Island church leaders have of the Palagi membership from PCANZ outside of the Pacific region, a mindset that promote a worldview far removed from one that appreciate the Pacific heart and culture. Here we are many years later operating with a membership that values the whole PCANZ church, with a body specifically Maori and Pacific representation. Millie Te Kaawa and Rev Leiite Setefano spoke convincingly on behalf of the PCANZ with the facilitation of a Global Mission representative achieved in getting the PCANZ membership to the Pacific Conference of Church.

From such early beginnings, Te Aka Puaho with Rev Te Kaawa's extensive knowledge of Pacific history and migration brought to the PCC a renewed sense of kinship, particular;y between the Tahitian Church and Maori. Komiti Moana Nui and the moderators of Te Aka Puaho, Rev Wayne Te Kaawa and the PI Synod Rev Ere Talagi-Ikitoelagi in the PCC AGM in the Solomon Islands, invited the next PCC meeting to be hosted by the PCANZ in Autearoa New Zealand. 

Many of the Pacific membership from national churches and National Councils of Churches, saw this as a real commitment that has come because of our desire and passion to be standing in solidarity with Pacific Churches in the Pacific Conference of Churches a body that consolidated the connection each member church's has with the international World Council of Churches. 

This is  but a brief comment on the Pacific nature of our ecumenical family with the PCC.

The other connection with the Pacific is the membership that we share as PCANZ with nine other  Pacific Island churches of the Council of World Mission (was London Missionary Society). 

The PCANZ membership of the Very Rev Pamela Tankersley was elected by member churches to be the chairperson for the Pacific region who also in this role become the deputy moderator to the CWM international sharing the deputy position with chairpersons of their respective regions.

I write this blog as a lead up to my attending the meetings of general secretaries from all member churches and NCCs of each country.

We are meeting here in NADI as the third of these forums called by the PCC executive currently chaired by the Moderator of  PPC the Rev Dr Tevita Havea and the General Secretary the Rev Francois Pihaatae.

The first of these meetings was called after the unfortunate event of the PCC facing financial loss due to lines of accountability not being followed. A renewed and more robust structure and governance was set up bringing the member churches and NCC; Secretariat and the executive into a relational networking, shared mission and ministry focused organisation.

The second of these meetings was post Assembly in the Solomon Islands meeting, in being clear of what was decided at the AGM and to work out the implementation process that such decisions were to me managed earlier in the 5 year cycle so allowing a clear direction on how the rest of the term is to be managed through its process with the executive, secretariat and member churches( & NCC).

This meeting is being facilitated with the theme of "Ecumenical rethinking and renewal of the household of God". 11th to 14th August 2014 at the Fun World Plaza Hotel Saunaka Nadi Fiji.

I will include in the next blog a brief outline of the direction, and result of the meeting.

Rev Don Ikitoelagi Clerk of PI Synod representing the PCANZ and supported by the Moderator of the Komiti Moana Nui and Te Aka Puaho.