Situated east of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands comprises more than 1,000 islands, and is part of the Church of the Nazarene's Asia-Pacific Region.
Bethany Church of the Nazarene, on the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands, was planted by its mother church of the same name. With seating for 24, 70 squeezed in on opening Sunday.
Missionary George Miller greeted the congregation on its opening Sunday. Miller serves as superintendent of the district.
John Lofta (far right), head man of the community, invited the Church of the Nazarene to open work there. Lofta is pictured here with his family.
Recent Bible college graduate Pastor Revelation Kalia is planting a church among her husband's family in Tautaumalefo. Photos courtesy George Miller.
The Bethany Church of the Nazarene is located at the village of Anasao in Northeast Malaita. This small church building has a maximum seating capacity of 24. I think with children we crowded 30 or so into the building for the opening service. The opening Sunday I counted 70 people; over half of them were standing outside.
They had erected a tent to have the meeting in because they were expecting a number of visitors. Due to the heavy rains the ground was wet under the tent so we only used it for the food. Sunday morning the rain stopped and it was a beautiful day until the program was over.
John Lofta, the head man of this place who invited the Nazarene Church into his area, was sick for two weeks before our arrival. He was so excited to have us come that as soon as we arrived he was encouraged and got up from his sick bed. I actually didn’t realize he had been sick until we left his village. Pray for John and his family.
In Tautaumalefo, Pastor Revelation Kalia, a South Pacific Nazarene Bible College student, is leading a new work among her in-laws.
Then Sunday, January 24, a group visited our Honiara Zion Church from the village of Masupa in the Are’are area on Malaita. They have been holding prayer cell meetings and are starting a church in their village. This village is the home of the wives of Jeremiah, our Zion Church pastor, and Osborn, our district NMI president. These family connections are instrumental in getting the work going there. Students have come from there to attend our Bible College, too.
Please pray for these new works.
-- Missionary George Miller is superintendent of the Solomon Islands district, in the South Pacific.