21 April 2009

Torres Strait outreach feeds "Bible hunger"

Thursday Island, Queensland
Nathan Brown

A new church group will soon be meeting in Australia's most northerly community after a recent evangelistic series in the Torres Strait (Qld). This outreach was believed to be the first such Adventist program on Saibai Island, situated within sight of the Papua New Guinea coastline.

"It is new ground but we are growing the seeds that have been planted by those who have worked up here before us," says Torres Strait minister, Glenn Grey.

Pastor Don Fehlberg, associate director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia, led two evangelistic series between March 22 and April 4.

"This was really pioneering work for the church in this region," he says. "The more it unfolded the more exciting it became."

The first program was conducted in Kubin village on Moa Island, where four baptised members comprise Australia's most northerly Adventist church. "We had 20 to 25 people each night," reports Mr Grey. "The members led out for us and really stood up."

Despite initial opposition from community leaders, the meetings on Saibai Island were similarly well attended. Over the course of the week, a total of 80 people-about a quarter of Saibai's population-attended at least one meeting.

"Every person in the audience were non-Adventists except one Papua New Guinea lady who came across for the meetings," reports Pastor Fehlberg. "It was so refreshing. The people are hungry for the word of God and they are ready to accept what is written in the Bible.

"The other thing that impressed was that people were coming along to the house where we were staying, with their Bibles, wanting to ask us questions."

Nick Brightman from Pacific Yacht Ministries (PYM) was also part of the programs, presenting health talks each night. PYM is now seeking approval from Torres Strait authorities to establish their work in the region.

Pastor Don Fehlberg preaches to Papua New Guinea traders on Saibia Island.

At the end of the week of meetings, 10 people requested baptism, another 28 requested further Bible studies and 40 people said they are interested in keeping the Sabbath. Additionally, Pastor Fehlberg was able to preach on three occasions to groups of about 50 Papua New Guineans, who travel to trade with the community on Saibai Island under a special agreement with the Australian government.

"I would like to see a church group meeting there soon," says Pastor Fehlberg. "We have had talks with the Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea about funding a minister in one of the seven ‘treaty villages' who trade with the people on Saibai Island. To have someone based there who could work across the cultures would have potential to really build the church's presence there."

The success of these programs has led to invitations to conduct similar outreach on other islands in the Torres Strait. "There was excitement among the people in discovering that Jesus is real and that the Bible has a lot of things that they had not previously understood," says Mr Grey. "We have so many Bible study opportunities now that we will be really struggling to follow them up."

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