NEWS
News from our member churches and the wider ecumenical movement, with our monthly roundup and a library of stories from ecumenical bodies around the world.
A fellowship day for theological students in Suva
Students and communities of Pasifika Communities University in Suva joined students of the Pacific Regional Seminary, the Catholic seminary for the region, for their annual combined fellowship day in late September.
Methodist Conference 2026
The Methodist Church of New Zealand’s Conference for 2026 was set for Wesley College, Paerata, from 2 to 7 October, under the theme “Maranga!
General Synod puts the ocean first
Meeting in Nukuʻalofa in August, General Synod Te Hīnota Whānui unanimously passed a motion on ocean wellbeing, placing the health of the ocean at the top of the church’s care for creation.
Season of Creation opens with “Living Water”
The 2026 Season of Creation opened on 1 September with a service on the theme “Living Water”, from Ezekiel 47.
Na Laca, a new newsletter from Pasifika Communities University
Pasifika Communities University launched Na Laca (“The Sails”), its new newsletter, in September.
Fiji’s Parliament passes the Pasifika Communities University Bill
Fiji’s Parliament passed the Pasifika Communities University Bill at its third reading on 25 August, with support from all sides of the House, giving a legal footing to the regional university that has grown out of the Pacific Theological College.
General Synod meets in Tonga for the first time
Opening the 67th General Synod Te Hīnota Whānui, the first to be held in the Kingdom of Tonga, Archbishops Don Tamihere, Justin Duckworth and Sione Ulu’ilakepa gave a joint charge on the theme “One Mission, One Ocean, One Vaka”.
With the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu
Rev.
Pacific resources for the Season of Creation
The Pacific Conference of Churches published its resource guide for the 2026 Season of Creation, which ran from 1 September to 4 October with the shared ecumenical theme “Living Water”, from Ezekiel 47.
Thursdays in Black in Fiji
House of Sarah, a faith-based organisation in Fiji, works to support women and prevent gender-based and domestic violence.
Bible Month in the Diocese of Polynesia
The Diocese of Polynesia kept its annual Bible Month in July under the theme “Anchoring Our Vaka on the Word”, inviting families to pray and study the Scriptures together each day.
Remembering Rob Wayne
Christian World Service paid tribute to Rob Wayne, its colleague of many decades, who died suddenly in March.
Two hundred years of Christianity in Tonga
Leaders of Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, among them the president, Te Aroha Rountree, the vice-president, Rev.
Remembering Jione Havea
The World Council of Churches paid tribute to Rev.
Pacific Church Leaders’ Meeting closes
As the Pacific Church Leaders’ Meeting closed in Fiji, WCC general secretary Rev.
Pacific churches launch a decade of climate justice action
During the Pacific Church Leaders’ Meeting, the churches launched an Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action at Togoru, on the coast of Fiji, where the sea takes more than a metre of land each year and families are preparing to move.
Sails of Hope sets out from Fiji
The Soko ni Nuinui (Sails of Hope) programme set out from Pacific Harbour in Fiji during Eastertide aboard the traditional voyaging canoe Uto Ni Yalo, aiming to train more than 1,400 people over 50 days at eight centres around Fiji before Pentecost.
Pacific Church Leaders’ Meeting opens in Fiji
Church leaders from across the Pacific gathered in Suva from 13 to 17 April for the Pacific Church Leaders’ Meeting, hosted by the Pacific Conference of Churches.
Fiji’s churches celebrate Easter together
The Fiji Council of Churches held its annual Ecumenical Resurrection Sunday at the Suva Civic Centre on Easter Day, 5 April, a tradition that has brought Fiji’s churches together to celebrate the resurrection since 2017.
An Easter message from Pasifika Communities University
In his Easter message, “The Intensity of Grace Amid a Wounded World”, Rev.