Getting out into the streets

from w
It is good to see that for Palm Sunday one congregation decided to go out into the streets rather than stay inside a building. Butt Street - Wesley - had their children waving palm branches as they walked through the streets of Suva.  Palm Sunday in many places these days is a day for the religious and secular world to have peace marches, protests, such as in Melbourne yesterday. The issue this year was to protest about the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers in Manus Island and Nauru.

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Members of the Wesley City Mission Church in Suva started their Palm Sunday celebration with a march through Suva City – from the Flea Market to Ratu Sukuna Park. Children – in their white dresses and boys in black pocket Sulu and white suits – marched through the streets singing hymns. Church members filled the seats at Ratu Sukuna Park, as children took the stage to conduct morning service. They (children) recited Bible verses, performed action songs, Bible reading, poetry, prayers, and choir singing.

The Methodist Church in Fiji’s divisional superintendent, Reverend Jeremaia Waqainabete said, “The programme was run with the idea that we would bring the children out of the church and as part of their awareness that church services are not confined within the church. “It is important that we hear the cries of our children and introduce them to the wider world so they can recognise and acknowledge that they do have a part to play towards the church,” Reverend Waqainabete said.

Pictures of the protest march in Melbourne on Palm Sunday 2015.

With their theme ‘Hail Jesus! King of Peace and Salvation, Rev Waqainabete said children needed to be well looked after and be treated with respect.