Lent 1 - sheep, lambs and lanterns

The Anglican Priests among us here at the Pacific Theological College led the community for worship on Ash Wednesday: a traditional service including the imposition of ashes. I appreciated that. In ecumenical communities which reflect a whole variety of Church traditions there can sometimes be interesting additions or omissions in the cycle of the Church year...

Then, having taken services in Methodist churches for the past two Sundays, I had no leadership responsibilities today so went to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for Lent 1 as I'd done for Advent 1. Their catechumens are coming along apace and looking forward to Easter baptisms. The Rite of Elections was carried out this morning where candidates and their Godparents sign their names before the whole Church to demonstrate their serious commitment to this faith journey. 

His Grace the Archbishop of Suva Peter Loy Chong presided and the great thing was that nine different ethnic communities combined to celebrate the Asian New Year Mass. It's the Year of the Sheep/Goat according to the Chinese Lunar calendar and so the theme for the liturgy was, appropriately, Jesus the Lamb of God. Here's the scene under the High Altar.

Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Sri Lankan, Indian, Korean, Filipino and iTaukei (Fijian) worshippers took part in the liturgy, in a packed Cathedral, and it was a real blessing to be there. The wider world Church in Suva. Something to value and celebrate. 

If you're having a go at reflecting, repenting and reforming this Lent, all blessings. 
How about we pray for one another?

Psalm 79.13. 

Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

The Korean community preparing for their part in the liturgy

Water features

The thing is, it's been a bit wet...

It was a temporary flood, however, caused by a thumping downpour and a drain that couldn't be bothered to make an effort. My heroic neighbours Judah and Joaf cleared leaves and gunk away from it and I wandered around poking things and being cheerful. 

Drainage on campus isn't great. Student houses can suffer much more I'm told, being on slightly lower ground. We're also awfully near the sea wall if big stuff were to happen. No warnings as yet though. 

Here's the sea, come to mention it, and my terrific new neighbours Jeffy and Julia from the house opposite having a more conventional paddle in Laucala Bay just up the road. We had a little outing together last weekend - just an excuse to go for ice cream really..

Their Dad, the Revd Dr Rayappan Isaac joined the staff last month to teach Church History and together with Mum - whose name is Fragrance - it's just great to have them around. They come to the Pacific Theological College from Tamilnadu Theological Seminary in South India: a place that I always feel I know personally from SO many contacts, colleagues and interactions with it over the years, especially in Birmingham at Selly Oak and the Queen's Foundation. So it's good to be brought up to date with news of TTS yet again and one day - God willing - I'll pay a visit to the great place in flesh not just in spirit.

How was your Valentine's Day? We went to Suva's picnic park, 'we' being the Pastoral group I now have the pleasure of gathering together and offering a pastoral hand to. We're about ten families and I hope, perhaps, some will agree to be featured on the blog sometimes and share a little about themselves. Interesting people - fascinating stories. Here we are on the big tarpaulin in the park sharing food. 

Everyone brought a plate. When that instruction is given in Fiji it means, 'Bring a plate - but full of food, please'. Some have been caught out, apparently, turning up dutifully to events with 'a plate' and nothing more than a hopeful smile because that's what was literally requested! It's quite normal at an outdoor picnic I discovered, to invite passers-by to come and eat too, with a friendly cry of 'kana!' - roughly translated as food/eating here! - and a beckoning hand. One brother strolling past did join us: a street seller hoping to find customers for little packs of earrings. I'm afraid sales were poor on that occasion, but hopefully dinner was good and we were glad of his company. We enjoyed Valentine's Day prayers in the park as well - here's the little card I made for everyone from which we sang and read the Scriptures together.

I've mentioned in passing that Suva is a stopping off point for many a cruise ship. P&O's Arcadia (with the yellow funnel), currently doing 'The World' having started in Southampton, graced our shores last Monday 16th February.

And out of all the ships on all the seas in all the world, my friends Desmond and Litsa (I've known Desmond since Reigate days in the mid 1980s, heaven help us) were on it and arranged for it to drop anchor (or whatever they do) in Suva on my birthday. (To be fair, you've probably guessed that P&O's itinerary had fortuitously arranged it that way!) 



So it was a joy to see them and they came up to the College to see the set up, meet everyone and share a special morning tea. You can probably spot them in the second row...

It was a lovely time and it got us all thinking.... What about future opportunities for contact and conversation with passing travellers? I mean, where do Suva's cruise 'day trippers' usually go? And what quality of impressions and encounters do they manage to have? They don't have a great deal of time: off the boat at 9am and back on board at 4pm. They're around the shops I suppose? Maybe taking a whistle-stop taxi tour? But what about coming to US: to meet an amazing community of Church leaders and their families from diverse islands across the Pacific. Perhaps we could offer a short lecture/presentation about the place, a walk around the glorious campus, and for sure we know how to put on a great morning tea or an early light lunch. It's a thought, eh? 

Here's what Desmond and Litsa's e-mail said in retrospect.

Dear Val,

Thank you so much for the pictures and the hospitality you and your colleagues showed  We loved it and will remember it for a long long time.

Please give everyone our love and thanks for their warm welcome. The atmosphere and sense of friendship was tangible.

There's ministry beckoning...

Here's Salome, our administrator in the Education by Extension Department, trying to sign them up for a course. 'Plenty of time for reading on that ship!' She's unstoppable..

And here we are with Finau and Seru. When I said, 'We know how to put on a great morning tea...' what I meant of course was that Seru and her team do! Thanks ladies.

Gearing up

Gearing up firstly for the Pacific Theological College's 50th Anniversary - 1965-2015. I must say it's an added bonus that being a mission partner here coincides with all the excitement of this. There's a huge, special day of celebration planned for 6th March - watch this space - and in anticipation of that, there are briefings and instructions pretty much every day. The resident community (male) found themselves repainting the Chapel today (Saturday), God Bless em. Others of the community (women) including myself prepared meals. Discuss. I couldn't resist borrowing a paintbrush for a few seconds though. Mine's the bit about half way down the drainpipe. Artistic excellence. Here's Fr Sam Koi and friends sloshing it around with Fr Robert Santa raising a hand in blessing! 

(We checked the tins hadn't been tampered with and watered down of course. Wouldn't do to have the Clergy reprimanded, 'Repaint and do not thin again').  

Gearing up too in the residential community for classes and assignments and dissertations and all that. The library's been a buzz of activity this week as these snaps show.

Here, Nalini, who's in charge, introduces new arrivals to our online catalogue and resources. We have close to 27,000 printed volumes and collection areas include General, Theses, Periodicals, Reserve, Reference and Pacific research materials. Some topic areas could really do with strengthening and that's a work in progress. It's an admirable resource though and organised using the familiar Dewey Decimal Classification system and the Sears list of Subject headings with an on-line public access catalogue available both in the library and from outside. Dip into it here if you're interested. Interlibrary loan, photocopying and scanning services are also available.

Suliana and Anna are full of helpful advice, especially for those for whom computer and online worlds are fairly new. People differ considerably in competencies, depending on their previous context and experience. For Extension Studies students, as I've said before, it's very unusual to receive a word processed script or an assignment by e-mail. For residential students, being at PTC is a great opportunity to upskill. 

The library is named after the Revd George A. F. Knight, a missionary and Old Testament scholar who died aged 93 in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2002. He was the first College Principal here in 1965, retiring in 1973. The International Bulletin of Missionary Research records that he was born in Scotland, ordained by the Church of Scotland and directed the Scottish Mission in Budapest, Hungary from 1935-40. From 1947 to 1965 he taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Knox College and the University of Otago, Dunedin; St. Andrews University, Scotland; and McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago. He was a prolific author and his major work, A Christian Theology of the Old Testament (1959), was reprinted in paperback in 1999. Under the splendid title What Next? Knight's autobiography was published in 1980. I've yet to read this, but the sentiment couldn't be more apt for the Pacific Theological College in this its 50th year.

During library briefing and orientation, students are given the usual warnings about penalties incurred for misuse of resources, overdue books, plagiarism etc. And then the notice board offers some cheerful additions...

And especially for those of our European readers whose energies are currently being sapped by the six nations rugby, here's the 1968 PTC squad picture, also proudly displayed in the library. Unlikely there'll be one of the 2015 team though. Standards have slipped...

If you're able and willing, please pray...

For the Pacific Theological College in its 50th year

For our celebration preparations, that we can look forward 

constructively as well as giving thanks retrospectively

For staff who serve here so faithfully, some with many years of service 

behind them, and for those who are newer and learning

For those we call 'students' who bring so much experience

of leadership from across the Pacific region; that their time here 

will build and bless them, their churches and communities

Amen

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring 

good news! Romans 10.15

Outside the College Chapel during worship