Orthodoxy in Samoa When the Gospel was first preached on the Samoan islands, the story of the Triune God was received by a people already formed by reverence, communal life, and an instinct that life itself is received as a gift from above. This is why Christianity took root so deeply and so quickly. The … Continue reading Fa’aaloalo – Reverence That Knows How to Wait
Tag: Orthodox Mission
The Courage of Christ -The Sacred Mission of the Church
The Church’s Sacred Mission is courageous precisely because it is cruciform. It goes where Christ goes: among the poor, the forgotten, the estranged. It does not seek safety or approval. It does not wait for the conditions to be favourable. It moves, quietly and fearlessly, into the places of death, to speak the word of resurrection.
The Blossoming of Faith – Building a Mission Centre in Vanua Levu
In the quiet town of Vanua Levu, the second-largest island of Fiji, a quiet miracle has been unfolding for more than a decade. What began as a modest effort to plant the Orthodox Church in the soil of the Pacific has grown into a flourishing spiritual community. The story of the Church in Vanua Levu … Continue reading The Blossoming of Faith – Building a Mission Centre in Vanua Levu
In the Midst of the Feast – A Priest for the Pacific
Some events in the Church take place without great ceremony or attention, yet they mark a quiet turning in the life of a community. The recent ordination of Fr. Timothy in Fiji was just such an event. Held in a modest church of Holy Trinity in Saweni, among people who had long prayed for a … Continue reading In the Midst of the Feast – A Priest for the Pacific
Where the Celebration of Resurrection First Rises: Orthodoxy at the Edge of the World
“It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O you peoples: Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha!” Before any other land utters the words, it is on Tongan soil that the Feast of Resurrection breaks forth into the world. In the far reaches of the Pacific, where the earth first greets the light of the … Continue reading Where the Celebration of Resurrection First Rises: Orthodoxy at the Edge of the World
How much we give and how much we receive?
Reflections of Mission Life It is easy to be in Fiji if you are on holiday. The sun, the beaches, the smiles, and the constant `Bula Vinaka’ greetings make you feel noticeably special. It’s a home away from home with resorts catering for every need and want. Yet dig beneath the surface and park yourself … Continue reading How much we give and how much we receive?
Reflection on how by ministering in the field of the Sacred Mission of the Church we cultivate our own lives
Mission as a voluntary exile Our family has lived in the mission field only one year, and so we are still beginners. At home in Alaska for the summer we have had time to reflect on our experience, and we are quite different than we were when we got off the plane in Fiji last … Continue reading Reflection on how by ministering in the field of the Sacred Mission of the Church we cultivate our own lives
Ierapostole: The Real Purpose of the Entire Church
Just a few days after the Sunday of Pentecost, which marks the birthday of our Church, the our thoughts run to the first days of the Church of Christ on planet Earth. Simple, unlettered people, without education or diplomas, with their only references being the “graduation ceremony” of the Holy Spirit, in regards to who … Continue reading Ierapostole: The Real Purpose of the Entire Church