South Pacific Adventists Ignite a “Big Fire” as They Launch Multiyear Initiative

About 1,000 Seventh-day Adventist church leaders and delegates from across the South Pacific Division (SPD) committed to engage and support a multiyear evangelistic initiative across their vast territory. Through symbols and spiritual messages the April 28 ceremony at Watson Park outside of Brisbane, Australia, highlighted the refocus on frontline mission during the next five years as part of the initiative named “SPD for Christ.”

General Conference president Erton Köhler carries one of the torches as a symbol of commitment to SPD for Christ in Brisbane, Australia, April 28. [Photo: Charmaine Patel]

A brief opening ceremony highlighted the connection to the land and local culture. “We are currently meeting in a place called Dakabin, a name that in indigenous language means ‘fire starter,’ ” said Luke Stuart, director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries (ATSIM) in the South Queensland Conference. “Isn’t it appropriate that we have SPD for Christ here, in a place known as ‘fire starter’?” said Stuart, who boasts aboriginal, Scottish, Māori, and Tahitian heritage. “From here there will be a fire [spread] across the SPD and the world.” The traditional sound of the didgeridoo then acknowledged that connection and the commitment to reach everyone, including the peoples native to the area.

Every Region Involved

A torch ceremony underlined the commitment of every region in the evangelistic initiative, including the four union conferences, the SPD, and the General Conference (GC). Union presidents, together with SPD president Glenn Townend and GC president Erton Köhler, marched on stage with their torches, a symbol of their commitment to work together to share Jesus across the diverse region.

Leaders pose behind the torches that symbolize the commitment of every church region in the South Pacific evangelistic endeavors. [Photo: Charmaine Patel]

A flag parade also emphasized the same integrated commitment as it celebrated the missionary engagement of Australia, New Zealand, and the dozen island nations that comprise the SPD church region. Several of those islands comprise the Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM), the emphasis of the evangelistic endeavors between June and August 2026. Meetings are scheduled to take place in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, and several other island nations, leaders reported.

To the Ends of the Earth

According to regional church leaders, the call of SPD for Christ includes sharing the hope that can be found in Jesus and the hope of His soon return, to the ends of the earth. “God invites us to ask, and He will give us the nations,” a narrator explained in an introductory video, quoting Psalm 2:8. “God invites us to align our hearts with His purpose. And He entrusts us with influence beyond ourselves, calling us to reach the world with the hope of Christ.”

Congregational worship and dedicated musicians help attendees get inspired during the April 28-May 2 event in Brisbane, Australia. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

In a region of 19 nations that includes hundreds of languages and dialects and archipelagos separated by hundreds of miles, it is a call, leaders said, to “ask for more, believe faithfully, and go courageously, until the light of Christ reaches every corner.”

Personal and Collective Involvement

According to Sharyn Harrington, chaplain at Northpine Christian College in Brisbane, the launch event was about being “equipped, and connected, and renewed, so that whatever God has placed in front of us, we can go confidently and live out the call.” She added, “This movement is not for someone else; it’s for all of us. Some will preach, some will teach, and some will lead. Some will serve behind the scenes,” but everyone is called to get involved.

Attendees to the SPD for Christ launch the event, which included church leaders and lay representatives from across the 19 nations that comprise the SPD church region. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

“It’s an invitation to be inspired and stretched and to be part of something that truly matters,” Harrington told church leaders and representatives from across the region, many of whom traveled thousands of miles and camped in big tents throughout the week to participate. “Our prayer is that at the end of the event you leave not just informed but ignited—ready to go, ready to serve, and ready to say, ‘Lord, here I am.’ ”

A Touching Testimony

The opening night included the testimony of Anthony Finocchiaro, a builder from Byron Bay, a highly secular area in Australia. In a video, Finocchiaro shared how one day he came across a couple giving out little New Testaments and Ellen G. White’s book The Great Controversy. “I wasn’t looking for God,” Finocchiaro acknowledged. . . . I had deliberately avoided Christianity and religion, because . . . I didn’t feel comfortable with the image of God that was presented to me at school.”

The flag bearer for Fiji marches during the parade of nations on the opening night, April 28. [Photo: Charmaine Patel]

Finocchiaro, however, began to read the Bible and White’s book and found a completely different image of God. “I got a deeper understanding of who God really is and how God works in our lives. I couldn’t put [them] down.”

One day he visited the Manna Haven Café, a ministry of the Byron Bay Adventist Church. Eventually Finocchiaro began to attend the adjacent sanctuary, learn more about the Bible, and was baptized, together with his young adult son. “Now I have this totally new version of God with whom I just want to spend my time, and to whom I want to dedicate my life,” Finocchiaro said.

The flag bearer for Papua New Guinea walks across the stage of the Watson Convention Centre on April 28. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

A Message With a Loud Voice

In the opening message Köhler referenced Revelation 14’s call to proclaim God’s special messages for this time “with a loud voice.” According to Köhler, the repeated reference to “a loud voice” is about boldness. “I believe this is a call to be bold in proclaiming the [message] the Lord has entrusted to us,” he said. “We are being called to move forward always believing that God can open any door. . . . He is the owner of the mission. [Even] if something is impossible for us, it is not impossible for Him.”

Köhler also called church leaders to “make big plans for mission.” He added, “Let us face all our mission challenges, because we have no limitations that the Lord cannot overcome.”

Flags represented the commitment of the 19 nations comprising the South Pacific Division to SPD for Christ. [Photo: Charmaine Patel]

At the same time, boldness implies being bold in investments for mission and in the church’s initiatives, he emphasized, “doing what we haven’t done before, because we believe now is the time to preach with a loud voice.” “Let us go beyond the ordinary,” Köhler said. “Because if the Holy Spirit is leading this movement . . . great things will happen.”

General Conference president Erton Köhler greets about 1,000 church leaders and representatives from across the South Pacific on April 28. Hundreds more followed the evening programs online. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

“Let us go beyond the ordinary,” General Conference president Erton Köhler told regional church leaders and representatives. “Because if the Holy Spirit is leading this movement . . . great things will happen.” [Photo: Charmaine Patel]

The SPD for Christ launch included booths where church institutions and organizations from across the region shared and promoted their ministries. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Many of the attendees traveled thousands of miles and camped in big tents throughout the week to participate in the SPD for Christ launch event April 28-May 2. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]