Sweet harmony at a Melbourne church

from w
Yesterday we had the pleasure of joining with four or five church groups at Chadstone, Melbourne, as guests of the Melbourne Fijian Uniting Church there. After the one hour freeway drive from Geelong we arrived just as the church worship was starting. Yesterday was rainy and extremely cold. The church was crowded with many people we know and a few new ones. Sermons and prayers were interspersed with fine choir singing, including that joyful Jericho song that Peceli first heard from the Vesi church in Mali. Speakers told of their visit to the Fiji conference that was not a conference - upbeat stories as well as sad tales. Afterwards we had a delicious lovo feast and then the men mixed yaqona. After we'd been in Chadstone for five hours I gave the 'five minutes' signal to Peceli and some time later we left.

It had been a lovely time of sharing and catching up with people we've known a long time and meeting new people such as students from Fiji and new migrant families. I had a new camera to try out but haven't got the gist of it yet so gave it to a friend and she switched it on to 'video' which didn't work! I only have one photo - of some of the leaders, not the informal shots of little groups of people telling stories that I usually take. Maybe by Fiji Day I'll have some decent photos. The weekend of 9,10,11 October offers many choices for Fiji people - a rugby day, an Island night, a 60th birthday party for Sese, and a two and a half day conference for Fiji Indians. (See Trinity Uniting Church website.) Peceli and I have booked in for the last one so we'll have to brush up on singing bhajans.