IRCA Oceania 2025

Listening to One Another

Sharing Struggles and Joy as Rural Churches in Oceania

  • Matthew 11:15 Let anyone with ears listen!
  • Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Namoli Methodist Church

Lautoka, Fiji

Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May 2025

  • Monday 26 May 2025 – Arrival and Welcome LOTU,
  • Tuesday 27 May – Conference
  • Wednesday 28 May – Conference,  
  • Thursday 29 May – Local Church, Community Visit, Farewell LOTU and DINNER
  • Friday 30 May – Departure

There may be options for those who want to stay for the weekend to visit nearby areas, attend worship with a local congregation (offers to preach will be welcome), or visit other parts of Fiji.

Host

Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma (with local and overseas partners)

The initiative for a Fiji hosted conference has come from Wessley Manasa Vatanitawake. First involved with IRCA when he attended the international conference in Lincoln, Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018, Manasa has worked with the Fijian Council of Churches and at the beginning of 2024 began a communications and ecumenical role with the Fijian Methodist Church.

Guest Speakers

Rev Dr Semesi Turagavou, President of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma

Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary – Pacific Conference of Churches Secretariat

Programme

The programme will focus on Veitalanoa – hearing stories from around the region, prioritising Pacific Stories and with time for input from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Contributions will include from people working with, and those directly impacted by, issues like Climate Change, Self-determination, Seasonal Workers to Australia and New Zealand, the incursion into Fiji of international drug cartels, modern day slavery, and safety and well-being of women and families.

The draft programme can be viewed here. Note that this is a work in progress, with details to be developed and finalised later in the year.

Participants

A maximum of 50 people are able to be hosted by the Fiji church and local community. This would include:

  • 10 from Australia
  • 10 from Aotearoa New Zealand
  • 10 gathered from different Island nations by the Pacific Conference of Churches
  • 13 Pacific Islanders from the Pasivika and those from Australia and New Zealand (Pacific Island connection)
  • 7 Conference and IRCA leadership

Cost

The cost will be AUD250 or NZD250 for participants from those countries, or from IRCA leadership.

Accommodation

“share house in village”

Local people are accustomed to hosting church meetings and conferences and, when they do, they prepare their homes, refreshing them with new bedding, pillows, towels etc, and moving in with relatives for the conference time. As a result a comfortable local home is fully available to guests.

The houses are all with the vicinity of the Namoli Methodist Church and have comfortable beds, with each person able to have their own room (rooms for couples also available), and there is a shared lounge area. The houses have flush toilets and running water. Not all have hot water, but those that don’t have electric jugs to heat water to add to bucket or basin facilities. In any case, the water is warm enough for showering by day’s end and, in tropical places like Fiji, single tap showers are more than sufficient! All people would need to bring is their own toiletries and, if they wish, antibacterial wipes.

All meals, including breakfast will be provided at the conference venue nearby.

Arrival

The plan is for us those attending to be in Nadi by Monday afternoon 26 May and meet at the hotel opposite the airport, the Trans International. Around mid-afternoon a bus will take those gathered to the conference venue for the formal/traditional welcome.

This hotel is an ideal place to stay if arriving ahead of the Monday and/or staying after the conference. More details as they unfold. (There is also another hotel – Fiji Gateway – nearby.)

Activities

Options abound for enjoying time in Fiji, whether you come early or stay later or do both. 

One thing that might entice people to stay on is Manasa’s idea for Saturday 31 May. He is keen to take us to a nearby island, where we can do some fishing and have a BBQ on the beach. 

Pasivika Expressions of Interest

Please note that the Australia and New Zealand quota for non-in First Nations and non-Pasifika is now full.

If you are Pasivika, living anywhere within the Oceania regions, Australia and NZ included, and are interested in attending this conference, get in touch by clicking here.

The goal is to create a conference which allows maximum benefit from interaction and learning, along with resourcing for churches in rural and isolated locations, and which makes Pacific interests and needs the priority.

Any questions: email [email protected]

Financial Support for the Conference

Supporting Participants with limited finances

There are some key people to have present at the conference, who would be unable to attend without financial assistance. This is particularly the case with the Aotearoa contingent to ensure they are led by tangata whenua.

Supporting our Hosts

Pacific hospitality is legendary and we are determined that the local people will not be out of pocket once the conference is over. The best way to do this is to ensure the we have a good contingency fund in the conference budget.

If you can help with a donation, no matter what size will be a valuable contribution, please get in touch. Bank account details are available for Australian and for New Zealand based donations. Simply email: [email protected]

ZOOM

The conference will be accessible on ZOOM.

Conference Planning Team

  • Wessley MANASA VATANITAKWAKE, Fiji (Methodist Church in Fiji)
  • Rev Dr Robyn MCPHAIL, New Zealand
  • Ms Linda COWAN, New Zealand
  • Rev Graeme LIERSCH, Australia
  • Team assisting Wessley Manasa:
  • Methodist Church in Fiji Connexional Office representative
  • Ms Ani TOKALAULEVU RAVUALALA, Fiji Council of Churches
  • Pacific Conference of Churches representative
  • Host Division (Western Fiji) representative