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A recently build Seventh Day Adventist Church on Anuta Island, in the Temotu Province of Solomon Islands, has been demolished by angry locals.
According to Pastor Irving Vagha, who holds the portfolios of Adventist Volunteer Services and Global Mission for SIM, Anuta’s Anglican priest together with a large group of supporters demolished the church.
Anuta Island is predominately comprised of Anglicans and this is believed to be one of the reasons compelling the chief of the island to have ordered for the tearing down of the church.
Seventh-day Adventist Selwyn Faramarama has been working on the island since last year as a Bible worker funded by Volunteers in Action (VIA) and supported by the Solomon Islands Mission (SIM) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Three people have been baptised and Mr Faramarama has been studying the Bible with five more people in preparation for baptism.
Putanakipenu Arikifaka, son of the first chief of Anuta Island told the Solomon Star that the SDA followers were told not to construct a church building; but to instead, conduct their worship within their homes.
“They should listen to us while living on the island,” said Arikifaka, “We have our own laws. ”
“We only listen to our chiefs. We [do] not even recognise the government…”
“We are asking all Adventist members living on the Island to… leave on any available transport that reaches the island this month.”
SIM president Pastor George Fafale is attending regional Church meetings in Fiji at the time but was going to seek urgent meetings with Solomon Islands’ Council of Churches and Anglican national leaders upon his return.
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