Under huge and targetted pressure from the Interim Regime led by Commodore Bainimarama, the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma has cancelled this year's Conference. Whatever the circumstances that may justify a decision, those responsible for it should understand the consequences of their actions. When the Conference was held up in 1987 because of the Coup events then, that decision was made by the Church unilaterally. This time, the Church has bowed to secular authorities some of whom are taking great satisfaction from their persecution and building new religious followings of their own, the genuinenes of which has to be questioned.
The key principle in this whole affair was set down a long time ago, in 1839, by the celebrated missionary John Hunt. When faced with the determination of a high chief (the secular authority)to alter decisions taken at the Annual Meeting of the missionaries [known then as the District Meeting but today as the Bose Ko Viti], John Hunt stated quite categorically that the deliberations and decisions of the Bose Ko Viti came under the direct ordinance of God and as such could not be changed because of providential "interference" as he called it in those very church decisions. This is the principle that has been compromised by today's Methodist Church.
This was the time when they had to take the harder road - to say, in an adaptation of Martin Luther's words: "Here We Stand, we can do no other".
6 comments:
Hello Andrew,
I just discovered this blog when searching for something. Pity that the Fiji people aren't making pertinent comments.
Wendy
Found this site Andrew -when undertaking another burst of family tree research - my interest is Great Grandfather Rev A J Small. I have a diary covering 1879 - 1925, the time A J Small was in Fiji, written by his daughter Winnie McHugh. Is it of interest to you? Do you have any notes on A J Small. [PS Knew your father when he was at Wesley Taranaki Street. Other family connections too via the Gosnell family] Hope this blog is still alive and my message finds you. David Jones
Greetings to you both and I apologize for not opening my blog for a while.
Peceli and Wendy: Thankyou for taking a look at the site though it is a very modest effort compared to your Babasiga!
David - its great to hear from you. Your GGF was an impressive missionary - the longest serving European Wesleyan missionary in Fiji (1879-1925) and the last 25 years as Chairman of the Methodist Mission, a very significant position. I had the privilege of finding his gravesite in Suva and he is commemmorated on a plaque in the central Centenary Fijian Church in Suva. The diary you are holding by his daughter is most valuable. Do you intend to keep it in the family? Would you be prepared to donate it to the National Archives in Fiji, where the Methodist Mission papers are stored?
I recall the Gosnell name from my time in Wellington.
I am interested to know what became of your GGF's children. Did they settle down in Australia?
I have written about your father in my doctoral thesis on Fijian Methodism but a more accesible book (from most University Libraries) that will have many entries on your GGF is A.H. Wood History of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, Aldersgate Melbourne 1978.
Please keep in touch.
Andrew Thornley
Greetings to you both and I apologize for not opening my blog for a while.
Peceli and Wendy: Thankyou for taking a look at the site though it is a very modest effort compared to your Babasiga!
David - its great to hear from you. Your GGF was an impressive missionary - the longest serving European Wesleyan missionary in Fiji (1879-1925) and the last 25 years as Chairman of the Methodist Mission, a very significant position. I had the privilege of finding his gravesite in Suva and he is commemmorated on a plaque in the central Centenary Fijian Church in Suva. The diary you are holding by his daughter is most valuable. Do you intend to keep it in the family? Would you be prepared to donate it to the National Archives in Fiji, where the Methodist Mission papers are stored?
I recall the Gosnell name from my time in Wellington.
I am interested to know what became of your GGF's children. Did they settle down in Australia?
I have written about your father in my doctoral thesis on Fijian Methodism but a more accesible book (from most University Libraries) that will have many entries on your GGF is A.H. Wood History of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, Aldersgate Melbourne 1978.
Please keep in touch.
Andrew Thornley
Hullo Andrew. I'm back in Melbourne after 2 months overseas - have just seen your comment of Dec 15th. I'll get some details of A J Smalls' children probably with help from the McHugh side of the family - Winifred married a Mr McHugh. Another, younger, daughter of AJS was Amy Viwa, my grandmother. She married Rev R B Gosnell in New Zealand - RBG was working in Fiji -with Carpenters and had taken a liking to Amy whom he had met at the Methodist church. Legend has it that AVS told him that if he wanted to marry her he would have to become a Methodist minister - which he did through the college in NZ. After about 11 years [I think] of 'engagement' they were married and I think their first circuit was at Avondale Auckland - where my mother Viwa Winifred Ella Gosnell was born, their first child of six. Viwa is the sole survivor of that family. RBG and Amy lived in NZ serving at north island and south island circuits. RBG died in 1944 when getting ready for a sunday service in Ashburton. All their children lived in NZ.
I think the Winifred McHugh diary is already in church archives - I have a photocopy and have distributed other copies to cousins. I think much the same has happened in the McHugh family.
We too have seen AJS memorial headstone [regretfully broken] at Suva cemetery and the plaque in the Centenary Church. Also visited Viwa and Bau [accompanied by Tomasi K. and after meeting Isireli Casucau]
Thank you for reference to the Wood book.
Incidentially, a little side story. Our daughter attends MLC Kew. The old girls' page of a recent MLC newsletter featured a Mrs Viti Rush aged 106 years. The name Viti interested us and we met Mrs Rush and her daughter. Viti Rush's father was posted to Lau group 1904-06 and AJS had married Mrs Rush's parents at the house in Pender Street, Suva in April 1904. Her fathers name was Rev R Osborne Cook from Melbourne, son of a Rev R O Cook. The Cook/Rush family have a diary of the 1904-06 days and AJS i mentioned therin. [ISBN 1 875894 03 9 "Fijian Diary 1904-06 May Cook"]
Much of this is a 'top of the head' note, I'll get more detail on the family of AJS when I've caught up with business following my absence.
The photo you have posted looks very much like the inlet at Viwa.
Regards
David Jones
Thanks for your latest message.
I think you are right - the diary of Winifred McHugh is in the Methodist Collection at the Fiji Archives. I will check on my next visit.
That is indeed the Viwa inlet in the photo, Viwa will be a focus of attention on 13 June this year when the Church gathers there to commemmorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rev. John Hunt. I will be republishing Hunt's original Fijian New Testament, which first appeared in 1847 but then was quickly superseded by less than adequate revisions.
Meanwhile I look forward to hearing more of the AJ Small family.
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