Methodist Church in Fiji

September 2012: 
The Methodist Church in Fiji has finally been allowed to hold its Annual Conference- the first time such a gathering has been permitted by the Interim Government of Fiji since 2008. Strict conditions were imposed upon the meeting regarding time and place, and no political issues were allowed to be discussed. Rev Tuikilakila Waqairatu, the newly elected President of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, has stated that although the government has closed its doors toward communicating with the church, the church will continue working toward maintaining the relationship. 
Please continue to uphold the work of the Deaconesses in Fiji in your prayers.

DUCA Conference - Deacons in Uniting Church in Australia

The biennial DUCA Conference will be held in the first week of July 2012, in Sydney. The theme is: God is where? There will be workshops, Bible Studies, field visits and an accredited course in public theology for academic credit. A great time of learning is anticipated. The flyer can be downloaded from the DUCA website here.

The blurb:
In a changing time of post-modern culture, there are many questions about how and where we share the Good News that comes to us through the life of Jesus. The ministry of the Diaconate is about listening to the call of God to serve in a changing world. God is working and calling many people to ministry in new and creative ways.
The practice of public theology explores how the Christian faith addresses public issues for the sake of the common good, in a pluralistic, multicultural, multi-faith society. Our hope is that through public theology, the conference will offer a framework to unpack our thinking, hear fro people who have been active in public ministry in creative ways and share our own stories and experiences with insight, enthusiasm and passion.

This conference is open to all those serving in diaconal ministries. We welcome participants from Diaconal Associations in Australia and New Zealand, as well as members of associations in the DAP region (DIAKONIA Asia Pacific).

Floods in Fiji

In January, heavy rains caused floods in Fiji in January. Here's a youtube clip here that shows images of the flooding, and an ABC news story.

Deaconess Salanieta Naveata writes (3 Feb 2012): 

BULA!!!! Thank you for thinking of us!! We have just had a second round of floodings. They are mostly on the western part of Fiji - I went around the island as soon as the first flood hit us and  it was so devastating to see the poor villagers' homes being hit. I raised this concern to the hierarchy of our church here (H.Q. Methodist Church) and they are waiting for reports from the resident ministers of those places that were hit. I am hoping to request the women fellowship groups to donate kitchen utensils. Sala.

Please pray for the work of the Deaconess Association in Fiji, for those affected by the floods, and for the emergency workers.