South Pacific

Jesus. All About Life & Bible Mission

Overview

This project is aimed at expanding Bible mission in the South Pacific, including the Easter 2023 Jesus. All About Life campaign. By distributing Bible resources and connecting the people of the South Pacific with churches, Bible Society South Pacific aims to bring about spiritual revival.

The Need

On the islands of the South Pacific, the global pandemic has hit the youth population the hardest. Most have lost their jobs and schools were closed in COVID lockdowns, leading to a high number of young people engaging in substance abuse and other harmful behaviour.

Communities have been faced with financial hardships and emotional breakdown, with traumatic issues like fear of death, hopelessness after loss of employment, suicidal thoughts, and more. These struggles are in addition to other existing issues such as domestic and family violence, child abuse, suicide, and drug and alcohol addictions. The Pacific is also prone to natural disasters, which affect the people and their livelihoods, leaving them suffering from fear and trauma. Church leaders met with Bible Society and voiced the need for Trauma Healing amongst their communities, as well as Youth Camps to work with young people. The Pacific Islands are becoming increasingly secularised, with young people especially turning away from God and the church.

There is a desperate need in the South Pacific to restore relationships and build peace in families and communities, and to bring about personal healing. There is also a need to build resilience in communities that have faced disasters and political or ethnic conflict.

2.8m population in the South Pacific.

Youth population most affected by the COVID Pandemic.

A need for Trauma Healing workshops voiced by church leaders.

Goals

This project aims to expand the mission of the Bible Society in the South Pacific through working in partnership with Churches to advocate and re-tell the story of Jesus to people nationwide. The campaign to unite churches in the South Pacific for Easter 2023 — the Jesus. All About Life campaign — will enable partnering churches to grow as they run their own evangelistic events. Bible Society will promote the campaign and build interest through various media channels to start a national conversation about Jesus.

Through the Jesus. All About Life campaign, Bible Society South Pacific aims to serve the church, offering digital resources and Scriptural material for their Easter programs. An Easter Production (drama) will also take place, designed to engage the youth in the great Suva area with the word of God during Easter. The campaign will also connect churches to the Bible Society South Pacific, and grow awareness about Bible work in the South Pacific.

In 2023, Bible Society South Pacific will also hold Bible Month Celebrations, a month-long celebration of honouring the Holy Bible in church communities as part of the mission to expand awareness about the BSSP mission. The Fiji Missions Team will travel to remote islands, Rabi and Rotuma, where the Bible Month Celebrations will be held in July.