Today Peceli and I went up to Chadstone Melbourne for the church service to welcome Rev Tuikilakila and Rev Tevita, President and Secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji. They are both in Australia for a couple of weeks to visit mainly Uniting Church leaders and the Fijian communities. It was a special time yesterday afternoon meeting up with many friends, a baptism, a fine sermon from Rev Tui based on Acts 2 relating the early church, called the Way, to Christian life today. The children's time about baptism and water was led by Rev Enright, a representative from Uniting World, Sydney, (swimming in God's love is a new image for me) and of course choir singing. The service went for nearly three hours I think! I took a ten minute break halfway to ease my aching knee. Afterwards we accepted the splendid hospitality of a feast prepared for all of us. Fijian men and women certainly how to do hospitality very well. We did not stay for the farewell ceremonies as we wanted to visit one of our church members at Wyndam Vale on the way home.
Dear Wendy and Peceli,
ReplyDeleteGreat hospitality from the Melbourne people. I was fortunate to meet up with the Qase Levu and GS Tevita at the Centre for Ministry in North Parramatta. I believe that one of their aims in making the journey to Australia was to bring all Fijian worshipping communities in this country that have a connection with the Methodist Church in Fiji under the "tent" of the Uniting Church in Australia.
There are some Fijian churches e.g. in Melbourne that are a kind of 'continuing' Methodist which I think is unfortunate. They didn't join in with the service on Sunday - apart from two of three people. But they are still our friends and we sometimes join them. They rent an old stone church next to the former Pentridge Gaol that is heritage listed so it's impossible to have a modern look. But this group does do cultural things very well.
ReplyDeleteOn another matter, Peceli and I plan to go up to Parramatta in September for the Tippett Symposium and I've been in touch with one of the Tippett daughters.