Niue Fono Motu Youth

Niue Fono Motu National Youth

The executive of the Niue Fono Motu Youth (Niue National Youth Executive) have for many years managed the mission and ministries of the Fono Motu in regards to the youth and young people.

They have some success stories to share in regards of Parish young people being innovative and work agaist the tide by bringing vitality into the body of Christ.

Some Niuean Presbyterian Churches struggle to maintain youth ministries. As the young become of age (ranges from 12 onwards) they leave the church. They begin to share with parents the reasons for Church not making sense to them at that stage of their lives.  Churches often busy themselves in maintaining tradition, Church culture, identity and culture and most vigorously defend the maintenance of the Niue language.

It is agreed that these aspects of a migrant's life bear a strong connection with his or her home in the Pacific. But is this really the sole responsibilities of churches to uphold these valuable treasures at all cost?

Let us be clear that there is a decline in Niuean who are able to speak the language, and even more who have lost sight on what is important in their cultural identity. Being a kiwi is important, however, a kiwi with a rich heritage from a specific place and time, carrying the lifeline to the tupunas (forebears) does mould one to be a contributor to the rich multicultural mix that is the fabric of this Aotearoa.

Mix marriages does not suggest that this weakens the cultural connectiveness one has with Niue, what it may mean, is the emergence of a community that has both biological and relational ties to each other.

Again the question of faith; what is our core responsibility as the body of Christ?
How does your being Niuean effect your responsibility as a Christian?

Our young people face such questions daily.
Or should the question be reformatted?
How does one's christian beliefs effect one's behaviour as a Niuean?

Culture must be critiqued by the light of Christ. Any cultural practices that is not consistant with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ needs to be relooked at, even consider setting practices aside as not holding true to the values of Christ Jesus.

So how do we see the responsibilities that these youth and young adults are faced with in youth ministries. They do need our support in providing spiritual leadership, training in areas of leadership, discipleship and what it mean to be a follower of Jesus.

A training program is available for young adults 30-45 on the "how to be effective leaders among peers in the world today"

Church growth often is brought about by members asking a friend to come and experience something exciting and life changing in the community that meets regularly in worship on Sunday.
Some would find church in its traditional form which also is lined with cultural expression, church tradition and the Niuean language.

Others may find this alien, and continue to look elsewhere for something different.

Many may wish to follow the Charismatic and Pentecostal approach that normally found in more Assembly of God assemblies.

The young, seeks something that they identify with in their everyday life. Something loud, with beat and lyrics that is more in your face, sharing strong masculine themes. The message that often hits the mark are testimonials shared by those who are like them, who have found something good, and exciting from the Lord of hope.

If the influence that we hope to bring about among our youth and young Pacific Islanders is to be executed with some degree of success, we need to take a multi-layered approach and suggest different methods to be applied to appropriate enquirers looking and seeking something special that they have heard.

Last friday (4th May 2012) the Niue Fono Motu Executive committee ran a very successful Tivial persuite night at the Knox Parnell Church. About 60 young people from the Otara PIC, Henderson PIC Parish and Knox Parnell attended and all reported to have enjoyed the evening. (photos used above is from that event)

Lets get the conversation going about God's call to serve.

PASIFIKA MISIONARE

Taloha ni everyone.

 "God's mission" calls us to serve God and to serve one another.

There is a growing awareness among young people who still work tirelessly in local Pacific multicultural congregations of the need for the Church to have a fresh approach to God's Mission in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly if we wish to have youth and young people become part of the workers in the "harvest".

God's mission is tied in to the saving act of our Lord Jesus Christ in his death on the cross as an ultimate sacrifice of one for the salvation of the many. This need to be made crystal clear according to the young adults that I have spoken to in the course of my work in the month of March.

For someone to begin the process of Making Jesus Christ known, one must first find Jesus exciting challenging and faithful, bearing the good news worthy of being told. It has to be real for you in order for the communication to be electrifying and meaningful. It need to be affirming of the things that God has gifted you in your years of being in the world.

One may experience Jesus in one's high moments, but not in one's low moments.
How far from the truth this notion; if only we take a moment to realize that he came for the sick and the needy. He said so himself, that he did not come for the well but to save sinners. Isn't it at our low moments that we feel Christ the most, embracing us, and placing us on his chest, making sure that we are OK.

I have spoken to Pacific young adults both in congregations supported by the PI Synod and others that are supported by the local presbyteries. They all seem to share something in common. They share excitement of walking with Jesus in their lives and being involved in youth ministry within their congregation. Some hold strong views about maintaining their language and culture as being part of this Christian walk they have with Jesus.Others find it difficult to securing a place in the church with all its tradition and its protocols, because they don't have the luxury of speaking the ethnic language fluently (often the only mode of communication in church matters as well as in the services.) and not knowing much of the culture as do the migrant members of the community.

For these young pasific islanders, the frustration often lead to looking for a place that communicate the gospel in the form and medium that they are accustomed with at university or at their workplaces.

Those who do follow the protocol because they are migrants themselves still struggle to make an impression on the governance and structure of the church which still belongs to the adults, fathers and grandfathers of the church. The functions of traditional families are still strongly practiced. The respect that is given to the elders of the family ensures that the duly elected members of such families are the only ones authorised to speak on behalf of the family.

To nurture this age-group that we have very few of, in the life of the church,  call for us to once again observe the gifts that Jesus made for all of us. The great commission sends us out to participate in God's mission. He granted us all, authority TO GO and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. (Matt 28)

What does not seem clear is the fact that once people get struck down with the Holy Spirit, we must be ready as the church to continually excite them with the glory of God in sharing the Word of God in Scripture and a hearty sermon that impresses on the heart of the observers the great joy of being follower of the living God. At the moment, everything is against this free flow of the evangelical nature of God's calling to us.

So I raise the challenge, for each congregation to take stock and listening to the voice of our young Pasific Islanders, with all the talents in the world gathered around us, and yet not featured in the life of the church.

We need to let go of some of the protocols that have brought us thus far, and be willing to allow the young people to assume some of the roles that call for younger heads.

Matthew 18: 2-5
"Jesus called for a child to come over and stand near him. Then he said: I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. AND WHEN YOU WELCOME ONE OF THESE CHILDREN BECAUSE OF ME, YOU WELCOME ME"

This was Jesus' response to his disciples when they asked him "who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
I often wondered how this passage would apply to us in the Church today. Is it possible that we can be so caught up with the maintenance of the Gospel as it was passed down to us, that we miss the call for us to resume the nature of a child in us. The Innocence of a child, with a total dependence on God.  The complexities of church in all its ministries and traditions may overlook the call to welcome these young people and to bring about the necessary changes that will allow them to grow, and pick up the role of leadership and ministry in our congregations.

How can we change the way that we do things to allow an emergence of young leaders into the councils, eldership, and even paid youth pastors.

Please feel free to make comments at the end of this blog that may help us develop what could be a way forward for us as a church. A church that listens to her people will grow in numbers and in spirit as she discerns the will of God that comes from his divine intervention at times, and through the wisdom of elders and its members. "priesthood of ALL believers" is our nature and makeup.

Rev Don Ikitoelagi

Pasifika Misionare.

PASIFIKA MISIONARE- a touch of history....

The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is engaged in the development of a more cohesive multicultural church. A church that recognises its heritage from its Scottish roots, and now evolving in a society that draws from the global communities. Every year, we find ourselves becoming more and more of a multicultural Church, begining with the cultures of Europe, cultures of Africa, Asia, American continent and cultures from the Pasific.

Our multicultural nature as a Church need also for a continued recognition that Maori has a significant part to play in such a mix of God's children(whanau). They are our kin, who hold a special place in our country and our lives.How important it is for us as children of God to relate more to our love of God, neighbour and the future of our socierty. OUR FANAU!WHANAU!CHILDREN.

The Pacific Island Synod is a gathered forum of five groups that have served each of the said communities in gathering and providing network, culture. language and Church service, even before the majority of Pacific Island Congregational churches (that formed a union of congregational churches in NZ) opted to join the Presbyterian Church in late 60's.

One of the key aspects of such a union was an agreement that was made, that the Pacific Process of planting churches, and pastoral care must be maintained. At the time, the management Borad of the Pacific congregations that made up a group of ordained and lay ministers to manage the growth of Pasific Islanders as they moved around the country seeking for employment and educational oportunities for their children.

Just a litle of history to highlight the early beginings of a diaspora communities from Oceania.

We must not forget the inspiring leaders that we had at this crucial time in the life of Pacific Islanders in this new village called Aotearoa.

The Rev Sio is one of the key men of God that wove the relationship with the Presbyterian Church to its eventual union with the Presbyterian Church of NZ. Many others (list in the Masters Thesis of Don Ikitoelagi) have been named as key leaders from the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tuvalu and Tokelau. The English Speaking Group was a dream of the same that ensured the continuation of the Gospel journey of people from the Pacific.

"The influnce of the church is no longer strong among youth and young Pacific Islanders."

The 2006 Cencus indicated Auckland of having the most Pacific Island young population. About 66% of these youth and young people reside in the Auckland area with high concentration in the Manukau region of the city.It is therefore imperative that we take up the challenge now and explore ways of reaching out in a real way.

It seem that the obvious way is to invite them to join our current congregations, and be involved with prayer meetings and music ministries.

Maybe, there is an alternative way of reaching them, reaching our young, and if not draw them home to our congregations, at least secure a lifeline for them and for us.

A lifeline that will build us a spiritual family. This approach suggests that we look beyond our traditional boundaries of Church and begin by recognising that faithfulness and Godliness can be in the activities that has always been classified as culture and often secular in nature.  

The aim of the conversations with leaders of each of the constituent groups is for such approaches to be added to our method of sharing the gospel with our young.

I invite your responses and comment to these views that I have shared with the hope of drawing wisdom from you our parents (matua) when you share your journey with God over the years in this new and exciting land.

Kia monuina

Rev Don Ikitoelagi.

Pasifika Misionare.

GREETINGS, Kia Orana, Talofa, Taloha Ni, Fakalofa Atu and Hello,  in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.It is great to be back,  and it is exciting to be involved in this ministry among Pacific Island members of the PCANZ.

The Pacific Misionare role seeks to facilitate conversations with each of the PI Synod constituant members and their leaders, to establish ways that will draw youth and young people into faith communities and Synod congregations.

I intend to meet with each constituent group in order to see what mission and ministry approaches are in place for the group as well as for the age groups(13 to 40) in question. The different fono will be reflecting the life and ministries of the whole synod, so this also will be a place that I intend to sit with the leaders in our engagements.

In the meantime, you can offer comments of your views and may use these following prompts.

• What can we do to encourage youth and young people to walk with God?

• How can we enable and encourage youth and young people to remain faithful to the core values of Jesus' teachings in their walk of life? 

• And for Pacific Islanders that have chosen to feed their spiritual lives elsewhere, what are means by which the church can enable them to find spiritual nurturing in the church.

• "Evangelizing starts from home" Comment on this statement.

Please share your views on where you see the future of the church is in light of our youth and young people. Use the above questions as starters to your conversation.

Niue Fono Motu

Pacific celebrating with colourful costumes and lively music.

Mili Tekawa Moderator of Te Aka Puaho.

Bill Cuthers retirement party