Solomon Islands Ministries - Auki Mission

Over the past few weeks there has been some exciting movement around Auki in the Malaita Province concerning The Salvation Army, which does not yet have a presence in this town.  The movement I speak of is the activity of Holy Spirit who is stirring the hearts of some local pastors who are feeling restless, as they have been disconnected from any real denominational alliance for some time (that is a whole other discussion for another time and place).  Their restlessness led to a meeting with their spiritual mentor Joshua Henry who happens to be a Salvation Army soldier at Honiara Corps.  Joshua met recently with seven of these pastors to respond to their call to learn more about The Salvation Army because of their respect for his leadership and his strong witness.   

Throughout their time of worship and sharing together Joshua felt the Lord speak the following prophetic words for this group of pastors:

"As far as the Solomon Islands is concerned, The Salvation Army is the newest move of God in this country for NOW!"

"As far as The Salvation Army is concerned, everybody in the Solomon Islands who are Christians could all be citizens of the Kingdom of God already.  But to join the military of a nation there is a separate recruitment.  The Salvation Army is now that recruitment for a mission movement of God in the Solomon Islands."

"The Salvation Army is the fresh stream that is flowing into this country and out of this country."

As Joshua relayed these messages to me I felt both excited and terrified by the potential implications of such utterances!  Imagine if all seven pastors responded to Joshua's message by saying, 'sign us up!'  Well, we have dared to imagine such an outcome, despite not having the resources at this point in our journey to support an immediate burst of growth like this.  We dare to believe in a God who "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20) and who "will meet all [our] needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Alongside this prophetic word from Joshua we have proactively stepped into this mission space to pursue a couple of social enterprise opportunities to build a foundation for sustainable growth throughout the Malaita Province by developing a mission base in Auki.  We continue to look and listen for where the Spirit is at work so we can join in on His mission activity.  We continue to trust God to lead the development of His Army not only in Malaita but right across the Solomon Islands.  We continue to prioritise the development of future leaders and financial sustainability as we develop further ministries.

Solomon Islands Ministries - International Women's Day

Today, communities all over the world are celebrating International Women's Day to promote equal rights for women and raise awareness of continued gender inequality that causes discrimination, exploitation and abuse.  In the Solomon Islands such a day has particular relevance with 64% of women aged 15-49 reporting physical and/or sexual abuse by their partner, girls as young as 12 being forced into prostitution, and only one woman holding a senior government ministry position.  The Australian High Commission in Honiara has prioritised gender equality by committing to support the work of the Ministry of Women, Children, Youth and Family Affairs in achieving their five priority outcomes for women:  improve and ensure equitability in health and education, improve economic status, equal participation in decision making and leadership, elimination of violence against women, and increase the nation’s capacities for gender mainstreaming.

The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries joined forces with a variety of government and non-government groups this morning to march in solidarity for gender equality.  The march commenced behind the Honiara City Council building and proceeded down the main street of Honiara to the National Museum, where a large crowd gathered to hear a number of inspiring speeches, including one from the Prime Minister's wife Madam Rachel Houenipwela who shared her story. 

As The Salvation Army builds it's ministry presence and mission impact in the Solomon Islands, it is clear that we have a key role in empowering women and addressing some of the ongoing issues in this space.  Major Vanessa Evans has recently met with a number of community leaders in Honiara to discuss issues of prostitution, human trafficking and domestic violence.  Each of these leaders expressed a strong desire for the churches to be more proactive in promoting a healthy biblical framework for equality. 

More than ever before, the famous words from William Booth's final speech, "While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight!" continue to echo as a pertinent call to action for all Salvationists to fight all forms of injustice until equality is finally achieved.