Council Meeting in Fiji
By E. H. Gates
BELIEVING that the readers of the REVIEW will be interested in the progress of the cause in the islands, I send the following report of a council held by our laborers in Fiji. Brother Fulton, superintendent of that mission, has been in Australia for the past year, for the benefit of his health, but has just returned from a two months' visit in Fiji. He reports excellent and encouraging meetings among the native brethren. We are very anxious to start a school in that group, where we can educate native young men for mission work in the heathen islands to the west of Fiji. Proceedings of the First Church Council in Suva Vou, Fiji
This council was held Nov. 2-5, 1903. There were present Pastors Fulton (Chairman) and Parker, Brother and Sister L. Currow, Sisters Parker, Peoples, Read, and Edwards, and Brother A. Currow. Prayer was offered, which was followed by reading the record of the first council in the Christian church, as recorded in Acts 15. Remarks were made by the Chairman, to the effect that questions of a similar nature had to be dealt with in this the first council of believers in this message in Fiji. As there, the Holy Spirit was needed now to direct and preside, that the work might be rightly done, and harmoniously carried forward in the future. Brother A. Currow was appointed secretary. The Chairman read a list of items for consideration, and suggested the appointment of a committee of three persons to prepare resolutions on the same. The three appointed were C. H. Parker, Pauliaso Bunoa, and A. Currow. The medical work was taken up for discussion, pending the report of Committee on Resolutions. Brother and Sister L. Currow had been sent here as self-supporting medical missionaries. Brother Currow was asked to express his desires, and to make suggestions. He first read a report of the work to date: Number of treatments, 66,—free, 29, representing £6; paid, 37, representing £10 15s. The report was received with pleasure, especially as it represented but three weeks, the work being not yet known in Suva. The blessing of God was attending the treatments in a marked manner. The following outline was presented by Brother Currow for consideration in council: Name by which the work shall be known; the basic idea or form; the charges to be made for natives; the location; health foods and sanitary supplies; advertising among the natives. These subjects were considered and voted upon separately, thus: Name, Fiji Medical Mission; that the basis be educational, for whites and natives; that a nominal charge be made the natives, payable in cash or labor, according to ability of individual; that as soon as advisable rooms be secured in Suva to give the work a public standing; that the work with health foods, etc., be undertaken by Brother L. Currow; that free notices be printed in the Rarama. Meeting adjourned. The meetings which followed were all well attended by the native brethren, who manifested much enthusiasm in taking part in the proceedings. Here it is customary to allow but one, or perhaps two, native ministers to be present in church councils. The discussions were marked by unity and a desire to lift up the standard of truth and present a pure church before the world. We here append the resolutions discussed and passed during the council sittings:— 1. Denominational name. It being difficult to make a suitable translation of our denominational name into the Fijian15language, there being a paucity of words to convey the idea therein, it was voted to adopt the name already given by outsiders,—“The Church of the Seventh Day.” 2. That a request be made to the Australasian Union Conference for union with Tonga and Samoa. Whereas, The Lord has said that our publications should be “scattered as the leaves of autumn,” therefore,— 3. Resolved, (a) That more literature be prepared and published in the native language during 1904, as follows: two tracts on health, one on the second advent of Christ, and one on the Sabbath. (b) That our people be encouraged to take up the canvassing work, commission being allowed on all sales. (c) That the circulation of the Rarama be encouraged by our people, taking yearly clubs of one hundred, at one pound, for each locality of organized believers, and that donations for support of the paper be solicited from Australasia. (d) That a vigorous effort be made to place our literature in the hands of the Solomon Islanders, nearly all of whom speak and read Fijian, so that the truth may be carried by them to their homes when returning thither. One of the native brethren informed the council that on one occasion he had sold ten copies of our first Fijian book to Solomon Islanders, and that these books had been taken to that group. (e) That a new hymn-book in Fijian, containing not less than one hundred hymns, be printed as soon as possible. In view of the importance of Sabbath-school work, and the growth of the work in Fiji. 4. Resolved, (a) That a Sabbath-school organization be effected here, so that that work receive due attention. (b) That one person be elected yearly as its secretary, the duties of that office being to gather reports from different schools; to prepare quarterly reports to be forwarded to the Sabbath-school association’s secretary, in Australia; and to prepare lessons for use in Sabbath-schools. (c) That schools be provided with maps and blackboards, and suitable exercises be introduced to make the gatherings interesting and instructive. (d) That outlines of lessons be printed monthly in the Rarama, for use in the Sabbath-schools. 5. That this council heartily appreciates the action of the union conference in passing a resolution respecting the establishment of a missionary training-school for Polynesia to be located in Fiji, and providing a teacher for same, and in view thereof, recommend that the said school be conducted for the present at the Suva Vou Mission. Whereas, In Fiji intemperance in eating, drinking, etc., is rapidly increasing, and is to some extent sanctioned by other denominations, to the confusing of the native mind and retarding of the progress of the gospel in its purity, therefore,— 6. Resolved, (a) That we as a church in no way countenance the use of the native drink yaqona, and tobacco, neither by cultivation, sale, nor use in any way; and, further,— (b) That we pledge ourselves to follow the Word of God in discarding all things therein classed as unclean and unsuitable for food. Seeing that in the past God’s people were led into idolatry, riotous feasting, and worldly pleasures by beholding such things, and that similar temptations exist and shall increase in these last days, therefore— 7. We earnestly exhort all church-members to maintain an entire separation from such evils and practises as are contrary to the spirit and purity of the gospel. Whereas, The Word of God expressly commands, “Owe no man anything,” therefore— 8. Resolved, That we “shun debt as the leprosy.” Whereas, Ministers of this denomination can not celebrate marriages of parties divided in religious belief, therefore,— 9. Resolved, That this people follow the Scripture in respect to marriage (2 Cor. 6:14), and be not “unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” 10. Resolved, That special effort be made by workers to encourage payment of the tithe, exhorting all to be faithful in returning to the Lord his own. Seeing that we are admonished by the spirit of prophecy to “guard sacredly the edges of the holy Sabbath day,” therefore,— 11. Resolved, That meetings be held at time of sunset, to welcome in and close the Sabbath accordingly. 12. Resolved, That we acknowledge by praise and thanksgiving the goodness of God, and express gratitude for the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in all the meetings. A number present gave cheering testimonies, and all joined finally in a song of praise. A thanksgiving prayer offered by the Chairman, and followed by the benediction, brought the proceedings to a close. A. CURROW, Secretary.