10,000 Gather in Fiji to Hear Adventist Church President

More than 10,000 people gathered at ANZ Stadium in Suva, Fiji, to hear the words of the Adventist Church president Ted Wilson on Dec. 2.

Wilson arrived in Fiji on Nov. 30—the final leg of a busy six-week world tour, accompanied by his wife, Nancy.

On Friday, Dec. 1 Wilson presented at a combined worship for staff at the Trans-Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) and the Fiji Mission. He emphasized that every church member, young and old, needs to be involved and engaged in God’s ministry in what the world church has called Total Member Involvement.

Later he and Adventist Church communication director Williams Costa officially launched Hope Channel Fiji onto the Walesi digital TV platform. On Friday evening, the General Conference president visited the Church’s new “center of influence” in the capital city of Suva.

The full-day Sabbath program included a free breakfast for about 2,000 people. Despite heavy rain on Sabbath morning, the stadium was filled by 7 am and by 10 am the sky had cleared, and it was fine for the rest of the day.

“We are so honored and happy that you could come and visit us once again,” Fiji Mission general secretary Joe Talemaitoga said during the Mission on the Move afternoon program. “We are delighted that you could come and inspire our people here. Thank you for your ministry.”

Church President’s Message

Wilson presented a message on the high price Jesus paid through His sacrifice on the cross and the importance of developing a personal relationship with Him. “I want you to know that when you go out to proclaim Jesus, you must have a relationship with Him yourself,” he said.

“You cannot share something you do not have,” Wilson went on, “and at the very core of our relationship with Jesus is our understanding that grace saves us, that we are not there because of our works, that the amazing grace of Jesus was costly, but it is free. I do not want anyone here to imagine that Jesus did not have to pay a huge price for our salvation. God’s grace is free, but it is costly.”

In his message, Wilson kept emphasizing the importance of a personal connection to Jesus.

“We owe everything to Christ. He is our Creator, our Redeemer, our High Priest, our Judge, our coming King and our Best Friend,” he said. “When you go out to tell others about this relationship with Jesus, God will stand by your side, and he will give you the power to be a mighty witness for Him . . . His power will work in your life, and He will stand by your side.”

TPUM president Maveni Kaufononga said church members responded positively to Wilson’s messages of total member involvement.

“People were excited, inspired, and empowered to listen to the world president, and everyone committed to doing something for our harvesting program in July next year,” he said. “All local churches will run a program.”

And the best part? According to Kaufononga, that people attending the event felt they were part of something larger than themselves.

“Members were able to see that from the [world church] to mission [local] level, we are all united in the mission of God,” he said.