I’d have to say this from the very beginning that this post is being written by a young person who is concerned with the current state of the church; by church I am of course referring to the work of the Salvation Army in Fiji. Much has happened in the church for the past 12 months that can rival the entire history of the political situation in Fiji since Independence. Although I cannot come outright and say what exactly has happened, you can be sure that it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the work that is happening here on our beautiful shores.
You may be wondering just exactly what gives me the right to say what it is I’m about to say. I’m doing this because of my history with the church, my love for the way we worship and for my concern for the future of the Salvation Army and I am not alone in this, there are other young people who also share my sentiments and who also share my history with the Salvation Army as our parents were amongst the first few soldiers of the then blooming church over 30 years ago. I am a child of Salvation Army Officers who have faithfully served the church and God for 22 years. My parents are currently the most senior officers of the Fiji Division and by that I mean the longest serving Fijian officers.
I, and ‘those others’ like me, lived my whole life through the eyes of the Salvation Army; I was a Junior Soldier, Corps Cadet and I even took on the uniform of soldiership for three years. My experiences in the church have been many and varied. I was privileged to live in Malaysia while Mum and Dad were on missionary service and I will be forever grateful to the Army for recognising the potential within my parents and using their God-given talents to further the work in that little corner of Asia. But I’ve also witnessed a side to our church that outsiders rarely see; the backbiting, gossip, favouritism, double standards, and a little dose of racism. Shocking as it may seem, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
On most of my numerous discussions with close friends about the church, we have come to realise and we believe that the Salvation Army, Fiji Division is dying a slow death. We may look good on the books and from the outside, but a closer inspection of the reality within our corps will reveal a truer sense of how well the ministry is going. Appearances are very much deceptive and one must take the time to read between the lines on the reports.
You may be wondering just exactly what gives me the right to say what it is I’m about to say. I’m doing this because of my history with the church, my love for the way we worship and for my concern for the future of the Salvation Army and I am not alone in this, there are other young people who also share my sentiments and who also share my history with the Salvation Army as our parents were amongst the first few soldiers of the then blooming church over 30 years ago. I am a child of Salvation Army Officers who have faithfully served the church and God for 22 years. My parents are currently the most senior officers of the Fiji Division and by that I mean the longest serving Fijian officers.
I, and ‘those others’ like me, lived my whole life through the eyes of the Salvation Army; I was a Junior Soldier, Corps Cadet and I even took on the uniform of soldiership for three years. My experiences in the church have been many and varied. I was privileged to live in Malaysia while Mum and Dad were on missionary service and I will be forever grateful to the Army for recognising the potential within my parents and using their God-given talents to further the work in that little corner of Asia. But I’ve also witnessed a side to our church that outsiders rarely see; the backbiting, gossip, favouritism, double standards, and a little dose of racism. Shocking as it may seem, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
On most of my numerous discussions with close friends about the church, we have come to realise and we believe that the Salvation Army, Fiji Division is dying a slow death. We may look good on the books and from the outside, but a closer inspection of the reality within our corps will reveal a truer sense of how well the ministry is going. Appearances are very much deceptive and one must take the time to read between the lines on the reports.
