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Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Volume 31, Number 22. September 17, 1968

Churches in battle for converts

page 2

Churches in battle for converts

Although Churches throughout the world were in a state of ferment, most people in his area had not as yet come to grips with such development, said the Rev Rev. Tuilovoni Setereki Tuilovoni, Secretary of the Pacific Council of Churches, talking on recent developments in the Churches in his area.

The people, he said, had a simple faith and theological matters did not mean much to them or even to their pastors and ministers.

Until the last few years, missionary work in the Islands had been carried out by the established churches, Methodist, Anglican and Roman Catholic among others, and a certain amount of overlapping had occurred.

Recently other religious sects, among them the Mormon and Pentecostal had begun work in the Islands, without liaison with the longer-established Churches.

In some areas, in Tonga and Tahiti, these jet-age missionaries were swiftly establishing themselves as they could alTord to pour thousands of dollars into the building of churches, church halls, schools and youth centres, making ready converts as they fulfilled the needs of the people.

But the Rev. Tuilovoni said. "We hope there will be more contact between our two groups" though sometimes it seemed that someone was "stealing sheep" and it was the established denominations who were "losing them".

If people wanted to go over to these new flocks and if they saw truth in these other sects then they should not be stopped. But these new groups were using "material things as bait".

While church-going in the Pacific Islands was on the whole good, some people, he said, remained at home "with a bowl of kava".

Nowadays there were many other things, such as football for example, which attracted people away from Sunday worship. Sometimes going to church was just a tradition for people and it was hard to say if those received something from their going.

Nevertheless, the Church had an important part to play in the community, even in political affairs. He felt that if a minister of religion had the ability to stand for election there was nothing to prevent him from so doing.

As more Pacific territories were gaining their independence there was a need for political education of the type the Citizenship Department of Fiji was engaged in.

The Pacific Islands were developing quite rapidly, economically the Rev. Tuilovoni said. For example. Fiji was just realising the great potential of its tourist trade. But throughout the Pacific there were many things still to be done.

Salient faces competition from students and milk-bottles for room on the lawn outside the Student Union Building.

Salient faces competition from students and milk-bottles for room on the lawn outside the Student Union Building.