Update on Happenings in Fiji - Feb 2104

Read about an Angel & Answers to Prayer.


Read about the appointment of a new pastor to the church in Nakasi.


Read about Tim & Margaret Belousoff and Nikki Pointek & family visiting Sigatoka!


Bruce Edwards also asks for prayer in the following areas -



Praise God:

• For the appointment of a new pastor for Nakasi Church! David Satish commenced ministry in February and a special dedication was held on Sunday 8th.

• During January David Reddy had the joy of baptising several generations of the one family who have come to faith through the ministry of the Lautoka Church.

Pray for:

• The new believers recently baptised at Lautoka as they embark on the journey of following Jesus.

• David Satish and the Nakasi Church as a foundation of trust and relationship is laid with hope and direction for the future.

Newsletter from Bruce Edwards - Mid 2014

It's great for us to be aware of all that is happening in the CoC churches in Fiji. If you click on this LINK, you'll will get all the news from Bruce Edwards, including a brief update on the work in Sigatoka.

Prayer for Our Partners in Sigatoka

It's exciting to hear of a new worship centre being constructed in Sigatoka as a result of true kingdon fellowsip & partnering. Read More >>> 

We have also received these prayer needs over the last couple of months -

- Continue to pray for the provision of a local pastor for the Nakasi Church. A potential candidate recently fell through.

- Praise God for the strong congregational affirmation at the AGM of Raj Deo's reappointment as pastor for another three years at Vuci Rd.

- Praise God that Muneshwar Goundar has regular access to a vehicle through the generosity of the local Korean missionary, Lim.

- Pray for David Reddy at Lautoka as he conducts Bible studies with new believers in preparation for baptism.

- Praise God that some documents misplaced several months ago at the Nasouri Town Council have been found and planning for extensions at Vuci Rd can resume!

- Pray for wisdom and creativity as they develop a plan that will provide an adequate meeting space for the church as well as living space for Pastor Raj Deo and his family.

- Pray for wisdom and discernment about how to best invest time and energy for the Kingdom’s sake at Sigatoka. There are opportunities for the growth of the Sigatoka ministry, but they involve significant travel time in different directions.

- There is still a need for a local pastor at Nakasi Church. Continue to pray for God to lead us to the right person, or the right person to us.

General News of Church of Christ Missions in Fiji

This report from Bruce Edwards is quite interesting and important because it gives a general picture of the CoC missions in Fiji and allows us to see our partnership with Muneshwar in the overall context. There's certainly some great work being done in this Pacific nation!

Download the report HERE.

Christmas & Early 2014 News

We received the follow email from Bruce Edwards, head of Church of Christ missions in Fiji, in early March.


"Hi again Jeff,

Here's the news, photos and prayer points.

A while ago now (I was waiting for photos), but a good news story. On Christmas Day, three groups (Sigatoka, Lomowai & Nabitu - where Munesh has been going to provide Hindi preaching for his Korean friend, Pastor Lim) joined together for a combined celebration service. They arranged transport and set up a temporary shelter erected in the grounds of the Blue Paradise Hotel at Korotogo and around 40 people gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.

A few weeks ago, a 23 year old woman died during childbirth. She was the neighbour of one of the Sigatoka church members, and also a believer, though her husband was more nominal, holding on to aspects of his Hindu heritage, whilst also embracing some Christian beliefs. Through the neighbour, Muneshwar was asked to conduct the funeral and was able to share the love of God with the congregation in a special way at such a tragic time. Since then, he has had opportunity to spend time with the young widower, and also a neighbouring family, who expressed interest in knowing more about Christ. Last week they asked him to come and help them remove the idols from their home and destroy them, as they now want to follow Jesus. He is currently doing some Bible studies with them on baptism.

Please pray for Muneshwar as he continues to minister to these families, and others in the local area who are showing interest in Christian faith in the wake of these events. Pray also for the young man who is now raising 2 children, including a newborn, alone. Pray also for the mother of the young woman who died, who has rejected her new grand-daughter, blaming her for the death.

Also, some resources have been provided, through supporters of Pastor Lim, the Korean missionary, for a simple shelter to be erected at Lomowai for church services.  The Lomowai church members are cutting bamboo for the frame, and the money, along with some they have saved themselves, will be used to purchase corrugated iron for the roof.  One of the local families has made a section of land available.

The plan is that once the structure is up, it will become the primary meeting place for the church, with people from Sigatoka travelling out to Lomowai on Sunday mornings, which will resolve the long running question of where the church meets for worship; so that is a praise point.

Please pass on our ongoing appreciation to the Rivergum church for their partnership in our ministry here in Fiji.

Bruce"

A Visit by Jeff & Pam

As many would know, Jeff & Pam took the opportunity of acting as chaplains on a recent cruise ship. As it stopped in Fiji and they visited the church in Sigatoka, we asked them for this brief report.

"Pam and I had one stop-over on the main island of Fiji during our recent South Pacific cruise.  It gave us an opportunity to visit the church plant at Sigatoka that Rivergum is partnering with, and to meet Maneshwar, wife Stella, and their two gorgeous little kids.  Bruce Edwards who oversees the Fijian churches, also travelled to meet with us.  And we brought along a Christian couple we had met on the boat, Sam and Joannie.  They ended up being such an asset.  With Sam's background and army ingenuity, we were able to bless Maneshwar and Stella with a kitchen "update".  Using limited tools, we ripped out their old kitchen bench that was literally disintegrating, and replaced it with a "new" one.

We were able to visit where they have begun to meet for Sunday Worship (an improvement on their house) then got to see where some of the church members live, including spending time with a few families in a farming community some distance out of Sigatoka.  This outreach was initiated by the miraculous healing of lady there who had suffered a severe stroke.  The impact and witness of her faith has stirred the faith of others in her extended family and among her neighbours, so a Saturday service is held in their home, run by Maneshwar.

It was good to talk to Bruce and Maneshwar, and experience first-hand some of the opportunities and challenges that they face in Fiji.  There is a strong Christian heritage in the country, but a lot of disunity amongst the churches, and a low level of Christian commitment and passionate discipleship (does that sound familiar?).  Maneshwar is visiting door-to-door, following up needs he encounters with prayer and practical help.  Personnel and financial resources are limited.

We began to discuss plans for sending out a missions team from Rivergum, which could be such a mutual blessing and encouragement.  Tentatively, we are looking for about 6 people to comprise this team, and we would probably go for 8 or 9 days around the middle of this coming year (2014)."

News from Sigatoka - Dec 13

Celebrating 20 Years of Mission (Fiji)

10 December, 2013

Nakasi Church was abuzz as 160 people took their seats for the 20th Anniversary Celebrations on Sunday 1 December. They came from the six congregations across Fiji that have grown from the humble ‘mustard seed’ beginnings of 1993.

Testimonies of physical healing, spiritual deliverance and life transformation were shared. Members from across the churches celebrated with performances in song and dance. Premila Prasad, a foundation member of the Nakasi Church, shared reflections from those early days and Jan Christensen, Queensland Mission Mobiliser, brought greetings from Australia. Barry Ward, one of the early pioneer missionaries, shared Paul's confident encouragement to the Philippians, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion."

God's generosity and faithfulness was celebrated with an offering of $400FJD being given to assist the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. “With many members of our churches here living at a subsistence level themselves we were reminded of Paul's affirmation of the rich generosity of the Macedonian churches, giving, even out of their poverty, to bless their needy brothers and sisters in Jerusalem,” says Bruce Edwards, Director of the Fiji Community Churches of Christ. “Our hope and prayer is that the people of the Philippines will experience the practical reality of God's love through this gift.”

Church on the Move (Fiji)

27 November, 2013

People greet each other cheerfully and quietly take a seat. Quiet music forms a gentle background as Pastor Lim applies his skilled fingers on the keyboard. Stella Goundar is busy setting out the necessary resources on a table as she prepares to lead. The group is meeting in a room in a private hotel in Sigatoka rented by Pastor Lim, now transformed into a meeting space for the Sunday service.

The Sigatoka Church of Christ has met here for the past two weeks as it seeks a better permanent location. In recent months at the original site there was increasing concern expressed about the ‘competition' with another church group which has begun meeting in a nearby home. The nature of the neighbourhood and the use of amplification by the other group made concentration difficult for the members of the Sigatoka Church. Attempts to talk with leaders and others from the neighbouring group were unsuccessful. Pastor Lim, the Korean missionary who has been partnering with Pastor Muneshwar Goundar and assisting with transportation and music at Lomowai, offered the solution of his accommodation.

“Once again we praise God for Pastor Lim,” says Bruce Edwards, Director of the Fiji Community Churches of Christ. “He has made space available in the two units he is renting at a small private hotel. His schedule also means he is available to assist with music at that service too.”  

A trial period of meeting in the new space began two Sundays ago. The relocation resulted in lower attendance for the first week and the question of accessibility is one of the factors being considered in the trial period. “We really thank God for Pastor Lim and the provision of this space. It was a great relief and a lot nicer to worship in a quiet place,” says Muneshwar. “We appreciate prayer for wisdom and discernment in evaluating the long term viability of this venture,” says Bruce.