Solomon Islands District - Father & Son Weekend

Family relationships in the Solomon Islands are defined by a complex blend of cultural and religious beliefs that have paradoxically created an environment where gender inequality is eroding the structure of Melanesian village life and deeply held biblical values. Consequently, Solomon Islands now has one of the highest rates of family and sexual violence in the world! Over the past two years we have seen the evidence of these statistics through disturbing regular RSIPF reports throughout Honiara and the Provinces, as well as through direct conversation and interaction with local men and women.

We have heard comments expressed by some of our men that suggest, “we are developing a spirit of retaliation in our homes” or “we don’t know how to interact with our sons.”  Many of our women have disqualified themselves from any role outside of domestic duties because of the label “pencil break” that they wear (meaning they are uneducated) and lament the lack of interaction between their husbands and children.  Our engagement with the RSIPF and NGO’s reveals how such comments are indicative of the vulnerability of families for destructive behaviours to manifest in their homes and village life.

This is the cultural and social context that led us to introduce the successful ‘Father & Son’ event run by The Salvation Army in PNG to the Solomon Islands District.  While there is a lot of work being done in the equality space with women, the need for such an event to change the thinking of men is very evident.  I firmly believe that ‘belief drives behavior’ so the Territorial theme for this year’s ‘Father & Son Weekend’ seemed pertinent for our context — ”Rise Up!  Men of Godly Character.” More than anything, Solomon Islands families need men who don’t just profess faith in God but whose character reflects the heart of God! 

The four messages that spoke into this theme over the weekend called on fathers and sons to be men of strong faith, men of pure heart, men of deep character and men of clear vision.  Our Territorial Commander, Colonel Kelvin Alley, was our invited guest speaker who spoke powerfully into each of these topics by drawing on the lives of Joseph, Hezekiah, David and Bartemaeus.

The Opening Session on Friday night set the tone for the weekend with an extraordinary time of worship led by the Honiara Corps Worship Team.  The evening also featured the RSIPF Brass Band who performed a bracket of contemporary music that was a clear crowd pleaser.  I had the privilege of playing flugelhorn alongside these very talented musicians and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. 

Saturday continued the teaching themes in morning and afternoon sessions, along with more opportunities for worship and response to the Word of God.   The day also included a fun and interactive activity to encourage the fathers and sons to work together and participate in some friendly competition.  We had the guys build ‘Billy Carts’.  This familiar activity growing up in Australia was completely foreign to Solomon Islands.  Nevertheless, once I displayed an image of a ‘Billy Cart’ on the screen and played the classic ‘pushcart race’ scene from the movie ‘Cool Runnings’, it didn’t take long for the men and boys to get excited and energetically participate in this activity.  I recruited the help of an Australian expat builder Martin Wynne, who provided the timber and his expertise. After a practice session at his workshop earlier in the week Martin captured the imagination of eight local builders who are a part of his work crew.  Such was their enthusiasm to get involved, they brought along their own ’Billy Cart’ and joined in our activity.

The fathers and sons were divided into four teams and allocated a prefabricated ‘flat pack’ containing all the components to construct a ‘Billy Cart’. Team leaders guided the process to ensure each ‘Billy Cart’ was race worthy. It was terrific to see the level of participation by the guys of all ages and the energy they invested into constructing their team ‘Billy Cart’. While the concept of a ‘Billy Cart’ was initially unfamiliar, nobody had to show them what to do with the finished product! After lunch, which was lovingly prepared by the wives and mothers of those who attended the weekend, the inaugural Solomon Islands District Billy Car Race was on! Each team was assigned a coloured bandana and the friendly laughter immediately turned to some seriously competitive cheering as the first round of drivers and runners lined up at the starting line. There were multiple thrills and spills as the ‘Billy Carts’ weaved around the figure of eight course. In such a competitive environment there were the inevitable scrapes requiring some minor first aid and missing wheels requiring mechanical attention from the pit crew. After several rounds somebody had the idea to hold a ‘leaders’ race. So, the Territorial Commander, District Officer, Honiara Corps Officer and Gateway Corps Officer took their positions on the starting line. The TC had a commanding lead after the first lap as the DO took the inside curve on the final bend to steal the lead when his ‘Billy Cart’ became entangled with the TC. Then, out of nowhere the Honiara CO did a “Steve Bradbury” winning the race from behind, with the Gateway CO on his tail for a close second. It was a lot of fun, though the TC is calling for a rematch! The value of this activity was much more than a lot of fun and laughs. It was great to see the interaction between fathers and sons, the coaching as guys learned new skills and the team spirit on the racetrack. From the youngest to the oldest, everybody got involved and by the end of the day, everyone wanted one of the ‘Billy Carts’. The TC made a great suggestion to hold a silent auction to fairly allocate the four ‘Billy Carts’, which solved a potentially tricky situation. Though, I’m tipping a few backyard projects are sure to follow for those who missed out.

Each teaching session commenced with a fun activity to further engage the fathers and sons with each other and the theme for the weekend.  The first was a game of ‘Celebrity Heads’ to challenge the guys, with the help of the audience, to guess which biblical father and son they had displayed on their head.  The second involved an enactment of the rite of passage for young men of shaving.   It was hilarious watching the brave dadi’s allow their pikinini to shave their faces, albeit with a plastic knife.  On the Saturday evening, the Closing Session featured some of the Honiara Corps youth who are a part of a local band they call the “Holy Cross Boys.”  Their style of music is a blend of country rock and gospel with a Bon Jovi vibe (especially when Solomon is singing).  These talented young men added a pleasing musical contrast to Friday night’s featured band that was equally enjoyed by the congregation.  The Territorial Commander concluded the final session with a call to commitment that invited the men and boys to sign the following declaration:

“In the presence of God who loves me, who has called me, and who has promised to always be with me, I commit my life by God’s grace, to be a Man of Godly Character in my family, my village and my country.  I choose today, and by God’s help to be the Man of Godly Character that He has called me to be.”

On Sunday morning the whole Honiara Corps congregation came together for a combined time of worship at the Father & Son venue as a finale to the weekend.  This service was a celebration of a powerful couple of days together and included two very significant Salvation Army ceremonies—the Enrolment of two Soldiers and the Commissioning and Appointment of six Envoys.  This was truly a momentous occasion for the Solomon Islands District!  Alick and Esther Hagi started attending The Salvation Army in Honiara after the National General Election in April this year.  They are from a Church of Nazarene background, where Alick had previously held ministry credentials as a Pastor.  His credentials were taken from him by church leadership after he unsuccessfully contested the election in their constituency, so they decided to look for a church where he could continue to serve.  Alick and Esther have a heart for mission and easily aligned with the theology and mission of The Salvation Army.  It has been a pleasure watching their growth and engagement at the Honiara Corps over the past few months. Alick works at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and has opened up a number of ministry opportunities already, including the idea of commencing a new Neighbourhood Fellowship on the SINU campus.

The Commissioning of new District Envoys and the official recognition of their appointments was truly a significant moment for the Solomon Islands District.  We have been working hard over the past two years to raise up local leaders, so it brought us much joy to witness Territorial recognition of these leaders.  The rank of Envoy has been applied in this situation as two of the couples are above the maximum age to enter the Officer Training College (OTC), while the other couple is presently navigating through the Nominee/Candidate process for training at the OTC.   The formal recognition of their roles lays a foundation of official Salvation Army leadership in our District that will encourage others to rise up and respond to God’s calling to become Salvation Army Officers.  We congratulate Envoys Wency & Fostina Ramo’oroa on their appointment as Corps Officers of Honiara Corps, Envoys Charles & Judith Akwasitaloa on their appointment as the Corps Officers of Gateway Corps, and Envoys Joshua Henry & Edith Aebata on their appointment as the Area Officers of Malaita Province.   Colonel Julie gave an appropriate message for the occasion, referencing William Booth’s image of ‘A Vision of the Lost’ to challenge the congregation not to get too comfortable on the ‘rock’ but to reach out and rescue those who are still perishing.

Following the service, Major Vanessa presented Colonels Kelvin & Julie with a gift of appreciation on behalf of the District for their leadership of the Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Territory.  This will be their last visit to the Solomon Islands before retiring next year.  Their support and encouragement have been deeply appreciated by Vanessa and I as well as the Salvationists who make up this growing mission in the Solomon Islands.

Our first Father & Son Weekend was a great success with God speaking so powerfully into the lives of those who attended and affirming His mission in the Solomon Islands.  We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to our guest leaders Colonels Kelvin & Julie Alley, the RSIPF Band, the Holy Cross Boys, the ladies of our SAES team and Martin Wynne for contributing to the success of this weekend.