23 September 2009

ATSIM establishes pastor in Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy, South australia
Adele Nash

The Adventist Church's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries (ATSIM), the South Australian Conference and Global Mission have worked together to establish a full-time pastor in Coober Pedy. Alan Tuionetoa, who is working in the town as an intern pastor, will be mentored by former ATSIM director Pastor Eric Davey.

Steve Piez, director of ATSIM for the Australian Union Conference, says, "There's been no major Adventist presence in Coober Pedy and this is totally new work-we're breaking ground both here and in Oodnadatta, where we plan further outreach."

Aboriginal people from the area approached ATSIM at the end of 2008 to request an Adventist church be established there. This led to discussions with conference administrators and ATSIM obtaining funding from Global Mission to pay for a pastor. The three entities involved in the project set aside money at the beginning of this year.

Alan Tuionetoa in his underground dug-out home in Coober Pedy.

Mr Piez says, "Coober Pedy is a hub for Aboriginal people from the surrounding communities, so it's a very significant centre for us."

Pastor Don Fehlberg, associate director of ATSIM, agrees. "There are about 40 different nationalities in Coober Pedy. We felt it needed someone there to make things happen, rather than just visiting now and then."
The first church meeting was held on August 15 at the local Lion's Club. The service was attended by 13 adults and four children, and Pastor Davey says, "People were very excited that it's happened. We discussed what church was about in the meeting and people came up with great ideas for what they wanted their church to be like, listing words using an acrostic based on the word ‘church.'"

Mr Tuionetoa is working with "core people" in the area who have known Pastor Fehlberg and Pastor Davey for years. "They're introducing me to other people in the area," says Mr Tuionetoa.

This includes Barney Lennon, an Indigenous Australian who was baptised in the mid-1970s. Mr Piez says, "Barney's influenced a number of people who've said they'd like us there. He's just one guy living out there on his own but he's worked hard to build connections."

Mr Tuionetoa is conducting broader outreach within the local Indigenous community and says, "My wife and I just go and talk with them. I'm hoping to start a cooking class, as we've got a woman at the church who used to run a bakery and whose husband is a baptised Adventist. We also hope to run children's programs for the local kids.
"There's a good possibility things will grow here-we just need to pray a lot and work hard. It's exciting."

When the church is a little more established in Coober Pedy, Mr Tuionetoa plans to work on reaching out to communities around the area, including Oodnadatta. "There are a few people there who have been to Mamarapha College and need Bible studies," he says. "I'll be working with them on that."

Keith Minunga, a graduate of Mamarapha College, has been working in the Oodnadatta area and will support Mr Tuioneta in his work there. Mr Minunga will also provide translations for traditional languages.

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