5 November 2009

Global Mission projects keep on growing

Wahroonga, New South Wales
RECORD staff/Ray Coombe

In spite of financial limitations, Pastor Ray Coombe, director of Adventist Mission for the South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, says the number of Global Mission projects around the SPD that plant new churches to open up new areas is continuing to grow.

Around 50 projects have been conducted this year and budget cuts threatened to limit the addition of any new ones. Pastor Coombe reports that 66 Global Mission projects out of the 75 applications received have been approved and given funding for 2010.

The SPD's Global Mission Committee met on October 20 in Wahroonga to ensure the 50 ongoing projects and 16 new projects will continue to grow church groups next year. "These range from inner and outer city church plants in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to new island communities and isolated highland villages," says Pastor Coombe.

"We were worried the dramatic cut in budget funding this year from $A150,000 to just $A50,000 would prevent us from taking on any new projects," he adds. "However, the local conferences and missions have been willing to pick up a larger share of responsibility and reserves held at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists have kicked in to ensure the mission of the church does not falter."

These General Conference (GC) funds are provided from the Week of Sacrifice Offering, which is collected in churches around the world today. The total value of the projects approved for 2010 represents an all-time high of $A1.5 million. Of this, the SPD is contributing $A192,000, the unions are contributing more than $A241,000 and the GC is contributing more than $A504,000.

Pastor Lawrence Tanabose, committee chairman and SPD general secretary, says, "Global Mission projects represent the cutting edge of church growth. When so many areas are calling for us to open up new work, we must respond. The Lord is opening doors of opportunity and every new church plant represents a group of new candidates for God's kingdom."

Although reports from this year are not due yet, more than 100 baptisms have already been reported as a result of the projects and a number of new churches have been built. "It's always exciting to get photos of new church groups and baptisms of the first fruit from a new area," says Pastor Coombe.

Some of the new church plants in Australia already underway include the "Church in the Fields," based at Macarthur Adventist College, Sydney; Marrickville church plant extension of "Fountain in the City," Sydney; two new groups on the Sunshine coast, Queensland; Tabulam Indigenous church plant in northern New South Wales; "All Nations" church and Cafe 7 in Perth; Indigenous outreach in Coober Pedy, South Australia; and a revived church group in Scottsdale, Tasmania, called "Project Hope."

In New Zealand, projects continue at Matamata with an Indian group in Auckland and a new project to plant a church among the Filipino population in Christchurch. The new group of Adventists on Wallis Island struggle against intense opposition but Dr Jude Cuniah continues to minister there.

"Projects also continue in Papua New Guinea, where funding has been missing for two years," says Pastor Coombe. "These include 10 very successful church plants in the Western Highlands Mission. Five new projects have been approved for 2010, with other church plants developing in the Sepik, Madang Manus and Central Papua areas."

Several small chapels have been constructed in the Solomon Islands. A minister is now located on Nauru and a fishing outreach program in Kiribati is "going well." In Samoa, a new church has been built, following a successful evangelistic program at Tuamasaga Church plants are also continuing in Fiji.

The annual Sacrifice Offering this Saturday (November 7) goes to support Global Mission initiatives around the world. Each year, the General Conference allocates $US220,000 of these funds to the South Pacific Division for entering new areas. This week's offering will go to continuing work in our area.

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