Humble Servant Leadership

Published in OFF THE WALL – Fiji Times, Wednesday 16^th February, 2010

As the nation mourns the passing of a great traditional and national leader, many of us have reflected on the life of the late former President and Turaga na Tui Vuda, Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda.

As many us have read and heard over the past few days since his death was announced, Ratu Iloilo (as he preferred to be known) worked as a teacher and civil service administrator, before becoming a member of the House of Representatives. He then served as a Senator in the 1990s, and was President of the Senate prior to his becoming Vice-President of Fiji on 18 January 1999, under President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 1999.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”

Ratu Iloilo became President during one of our country’s most turbulent periods from July 2000 until his retirement in 2009. Many have been criticial of the late former President’s actions in 2006 and 2009. However there are many who also feel that Ratu Iloilo was a humble and prayerful leader who sought at all times to model Christian life.

“God’s signs are not always the ones we look for, yet the private prayers of people, whether in our homes or in this place, are known, heard, and understood. There are prayers that help us last through the day, or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and strangers that give us strength for the journey. And there are prayers that yield our will to a will greater than our own,” he said at the National Day of Prayer in 2005.

I came across the following statement in Wikipedia: “(Ratu) Iloilo refused to intervene directly in the disputes among politicians, but quietly reached out to disaffected factions, including the Indo-Fijian community.”

Ratu Iloilo’s faith and worldview guided his vision for our nation, “God created this world with a moral design. Grief, tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance, and love have no end. It is said that adversity introduces us to ourselves. This is true of a nation as well. We see our national character in our ability to rally together in times of difficulties, celebrations and in eloquent acts of sacrifice. In these acts, and in many others, we show a deep commitment to one another, and an abiding love for our country.”

His humility was made evident to my family in 2004 when only five days after my father’s death and two days after his funeral my family had to attend a Commonwealth Day event at Government House as I was to present for viewing to the President and Prime Minister a short film I had made which had resulted in Fiji’s first Commonwealth Vision Award.

It was a difficult time for us all, especially for my mother. I had made this short film in 2003 when my father was still alive and his joy on hearing that December that I had won the award had known no bounds. The last time we were together as a family at Government House was in 1996 when my father had received the Medal of the Order of Fiji from the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Now we were there once more – without the head of our family.

After an emotional speech and the viewing of the video, Ratu Iloilo shook my hand firmly, looked me in the eye and placing his hand on my back said, “Well done my boy.”

As I was recalling this episode to my mother over the long weekend, she shared with me that as she was meeting the dignitaries at the same function, Ratu Iloilo, knowing her loss, gave her a hug of comfort and shared words of encouragement. It meant a lot to a grieving widow that the head of state would comfort her in her loss.

That for our family marked the true humility of the late Tui Vuda.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, sums up the concept of humble leadership in this quote, “To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness”

May Ratu Iloilo’s example of humble and servant leadership inspire all those who acquire the mantle of leadership, and especially those who find it thrust upon them.

May he rest in peace.

Rev. James Bhagwan is the Circuit Minister for Dudley Methodist Circuit – Suva. He holds a Bachelor of Divinity in Ecumenical Studies (Hons) and is a regular columnist for the Fiji Times. The opinion expressed in this article does not necessarily represent the views of this newspaper, the Methodist Church in Fiji or any other organization with which Rev. Bhagwan is affiliated.

Email: padrejames@gmail.com

Called to Serve

Published in "Off The Wall" Fiji Times - 9^th February, 2011

My family recently relocated from Toorak ( where I have spent a total of 8 years living throughout my life) to Samabula. Fortunately I also relocated with them. I find myself living in a house named after the Late Pauline Campbell, a past headmistress of Dudley House School and a strong advocate of equal participation of women in the ordained ministry of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma.

More importantly Miss Campbell, was instrumental in the establishment of the Deaconess Order of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma.

In the words of A. Harold Wood, “So strongly was she connived of the needs of religious and social welfare work among Fijian and Indian women in urban areas that she promoted the foundation of the Deaconess Order in Fiji. From supervisor of deaconess training, and, after retiring, decided to return to Suva to support the Mission’s programme. The Deaconess Order, already proving a boon to the women of both races, is a monument to her wise oversight and her spirit of complete devotion to the Church’s mission in Fiji.”

My new neighbours are the new Administrator of the Deaconess Order, Deaconess Meresiana Kuricava and her extended family. By extended family I mean the eight student deaconesses that stay in the dormitory between our two houses. You see I live next to the Deaconess Training Centre, which is currently a hive of activity.

Tomorrow, (Thursday 10^th February) is celebrated as Deaconess Day in the Methodist Church Calendar.

From as early as 1878 missionary sisters have served the Methodist Church in Fiji, teaching in schools, caring for orphans, providing medical and nursing care and engaging in evangelistic, pastoral and social and community work.

According to the late Miss Campbell, in 1953 the Fijian Synod of the Methodist Church of Australasia appointed the first Deaconess Committee because all Fijian annual meetings had recommended to the Synod the establishment of a Deaconess Order.

In around 1966, three women, Miss Mulya Dharanji, Sister Ethel Brent and Mrs Gladys Campbell bought the property next door to me, especially for the purpose of setting up a Deaconess Training Centre. A multiracial group of volunteers along with the first four deaconess students prepared the house for occupation and on February 10th, 1967, classes began for the student deaconesses.

The term Deaconess comes from the Greek word diakonia which can be defined as service or ministering. According to the World Federation of Diaconal Associations and Diaconal Communities,

· Diaconal work establishes a connection between church and society. It is present in service as well as every-day life.

· Diaconal work overcomes denominational boundaries; in the broadest sense, it is ecumenical.

· In service and spiritual care, the diaconate gives witness, both to protect injustice and to give expression to the promised Kingdom of God.

Deaconesses have served as chaplains in Schools, Religious Education teachers and in pastoral appointments as assistants to ministers. Sometimes their roles are misunderstood and as a result undervalued by the ministers and communities they serve in.

44 years since the training of Deaconesses began in Fiji, with a new Administrator and staff, the Deaconess Training Centre and Deaconess Order is at a crossroads and is reflecting on its relevance and rethinking its mission.

Many, including the current leaders of the Deaconess Order believe the time has come for the Vada ni Turaga – “Servants” or “Messangers of the Lord” to begin to make a difference in new areas of the community through specialised ministries such as children’s ministry, providing care for the aged and hospital ministry.

Writing in the late 1980’s Miss Campbell, who died in 2009 aged 85, stated that, “the church has not yet had a vision of the potential of deaconesses for innovative and outreach work,”adding that in other countries, it was normal for some deaconesses to be working in appointments outside the church, with church approval.

She went on to say that, “it is to the areas of greatest need in the community, and to the guidance of the Spirit, that the deaconess, the (Deaconess) Committee and the Church should look to.”

In recent years final-year student deaconesses have written a project paper, from which they must develop in to a workshop and implement during their probationary period. The issues such as child abuse, violence against women, poverty and other current issues, including the impact of the media in society may perhaps point the way for the re-envisioning of the role of the Deaconess order.

However tomorrow is a day for thanksgiving and praise. In Suva, Deaconesses in the Central Division will converge at Rev. Edward Caleb Church in Moala Street at 4pm for a Thanksgiving service which the sermon delivered by the first local Deaconess to be ordained by the Fiji Conference of the Methodist Church, Litia Rabuku (nee Balewai).

In Lautoka, Deaconesses in the Western Division from Sigatoka to Rakiraki will hold a service at Coronation Church in Lautoka at 10am. The Mokani Circuit near Bau Landing in Tailevu will also have a service to honour the occasion.

This year’s Deaconess Day is also significant in that all working deaconesses will, in a gesture of thanksgiving, donate a book each to the library of the Deaconess Training Centre.

To my sisters and mothers in Christ, of the Deaconess Order and all other orders in the fellowship of Christ and the service of humanity – thank you for your commitment and compassion.

Let us all be inspired to love and serve unconditionally.

Rev. James Bhagwan serves as a Minister for the Dudley Suva Circuit in the Indian Division of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma. He holds a Bachelor of Divinity in Ecumenical Studies (with Honours) from the Pacific Theological College and has won awards in television, radio and print media. This article is the sole opinion of Rev. Bhagwan and does not necessarily represent the views of the Methodist Church or any other organisation or group to which he is affiliated.

Email: padrejames@gmail.com

Why We Need to Just Support the Boys (and Girls)

Why We Need to Just Support the Boys (and Girls)

For "Off the Wall" - Fiji Times 2nd February, 2011

I remember the euphoria in our country in 2005 when we won the Rugby 7’s World Cup and our joy in 2007 at how our Flying Fijians grew and spread their wings in the build up to and during the Rugby 15s World Cup. In December, 2007 on my way to a World Council of Churches meeting in South Africa, the immigration officer at the airport stopped me and on checking my passport asked me where Fiji was. My response that we were in the South Pacific was not as interesting to her as the fact that we were the team that almost beat them in the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup. “Oh that Fiji! Welcome to South Africa!”

It might seem strange for a minister of religion to be writing about rugby but this is our national sport (or at least one of them) and I love the game. A very brief spell as a lock forward in the International School First XV in the late 1980s is my claim to the sport. Even though my son is more interested in basketball and swimming, my hope is that one day he might lace up his boots and play rugby – even if only during sports at school.

Of course the minister who is in the best place to discuss rugby, Rev. Rinakama was instrumental in the 2007 Flying Fijian campaign. It was unfortunate that he was made to choose between a calling in the circuit (parish) and being perhaps the most influential minister in Fiji by molding our 15s team as its national coach. I say this because I still remember Waisale Serevi’s testimony to millions of viewers after Fiji won the 2005 7’s World Cup.

Last weekend I watched an interview with one of my favourite Fiji rugby players, Setareki Tawake. I could not agree with him more in his call for the people of Fiji to just come out and support the Fiji Team.

All our national representatives, in sport or any field know that the aspirations of an entire nation rest on their success or failure. Accepting that responsibility comes with wearing the national colours. “You are representing the vanua and people of Fiji,” they are told when they present their i-tatau to the head of state. It is not something to take lightly. Often they are reminded of this in the locker rooms before the game or competition.

So where is our support for our national sports representatives in the midst of drama and intrigue in sports administration? When we meet a national rep or even a former national rep, in whatever sport, how many of us thank them for making us proud or doing their best.

I remember crowds at the airport when we win tournaments, series and cups. I also remember empty arrival halls when teams have not made it. I guess we are just fickle in our support.

It is easy to support the winning team, not so easy to support a losing one.

I remember my younger days, when pastoral visitations did not limit the number of test matches or 7’s tournaments I watched. Not having a Fiji rugby jersey or t-shirt to wear, a white t-shirt would have to do. Sitting or standing on the embankment at the National Stadium, one ear glued to the portable transistor to listen to the commentary, I would cheer for our teams until my voice gave out. This continues in my home with my family constantly having to remind me that my shouting at the television will not affect the outcome of the game. As an advocate of the power of prayer and positive thoughts, I disagree.

The point is, let’s support our men and women who represent us and the nation we live in - whatever the sport or event; whatever the outcome. They do what we cannot do. They stand for us. They play for us. They put their bodies on the line for us.

The least we can do is tell them that we appreciate and support them.

To our rugby players (7’s, 15’s, League – even touch), footballers, net and basketballers, badminton and tennis players, chess players, golfers, athletes to the Pacific Gamers, sailors of the Uto Ni Yalo and all who hold high the Fiji flag on the track, field and court – we are with you.

This weekend our 7’s team plays in Wellington; our 15’s Warriors take on the Warratahs; and local tournaments and the buildup for the Netball World Cup continue. Let’s pray for them, cheer for them and regardless of the outcome, be proud of the best we have.

A hero is a person who demonstrates courage and strength, often overcoming adversity. Let’s stand by our heroes. Let’s cheer them on in the arena. Let us bind their wounds when they are defeated. Afterall, they play for us.

Rev. J.S. Bhagwan is the Circuit Minister of Dudley Methodist Circuit –Suva. This article is the sole opinion of Rev. J.S. Bhagwan and not that of the newspaper or any organisation that Rev. Bhagwan is associated with. Email: padrejames@gmail.com

“Respect” and “Tolerance” are not dirty words for religious communities

Published in "Off the Wall" - the Fiji Times, Wednesday 6^th January, 2011

The latest eruption of religious violence in Egypt brought an uncomfortable conclusion to my festive season. I recalled last year, I think it was on the 6^th of January – which is the date of Epiphany and for Coptic Christians, the date on which they celebrate Christmas – that Coptic Christians were gunned down in Egypt as they left their midnight Christmas service. This year’s attack on Christians has led to protests and violent clashes between minority Christians and police.

I reflected on why this news disturbed me so much. Perhaps it was because I am appalled when any group of people oppresses or persecutes another group, especially a minority. Perhaps it is that as a Christian, I am familiar with Ancient Egypt (and the exodus of the Hebrews). Perhaps it is because I have grown up with the knowledge of Fiji’s role in Sinai. Perhaps it is because I had the privilege of touring the “Fiji Batt” in Sinai, visiting each observation post, checkpoint and sector control unit in the 2FIR’s area of operation. Perhaps it is because I have made friends in Cairo and visited the Coptic Museum there. Perhaps it is because these religious rivalries and intolerance exists despite the fact that both communities of faith are different branches of the same root – the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition which have as many similarities as they have differences.

However, I came across an article this week which filled me with a new hope in terms of organised religion, tolerance and peace. The article highlighted Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI decision to organise a summit of religious heads to discuss how they can work towards world peace.

The summit is to be held in Assisi, the birthplace of the revered Christian pacifist St. Francis, to whom is attributed the famous prayer, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace…”

According to the Pontiff, the summit follows in the footsteps of an earlier summit, hosted by the Late Pope John Paul II, in 1986, which was attended by leading Jews, Muslims, Christians and other faith leaders such as the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Pope Benedict XVI said that the aim of the summit was to make a serious push for a renewed “effort of those with faith of all religions to live their faith as a service for the cause of peace.”

While this is certainly glad tidings of joy for peace on earth and goodwill to all, any discussion at a global level will only bear fruit if it is planted in the local. For peace advocates and leaders of faith communities, the message still remains, “Think globally and Act locally”.

So what about our nation of Fiji? Despite the increasing number of churches in Fiji, prisons remain full of members of these communities of faith, the number of crimes committed by people who when asked about their religious affiliation will profess not only to be Christian but often consider themselves members of the larger churches in Fiji.

There is so much competition for wining souls that some churches add the phrase “at any cost” to their challenge to win a soul for Jesus. At any cost? Coercion? Intimidation? Defamation of other faith communities? What would the Lord and Master say to these people who gather flock with one hand and alienate people with the other?

Interreligious peace (peace between different religious groups) and intra-religious peace (peace among different denominations and sects of a particular religious group) are opposite sides of the same coin in Fiji. While I can only share from a Christian perspective, I understand that there are similar, if smaller in scale, tensions among other religious groups. However, before some groups can love their neighbour, they first need to embrace their brother, sister, mother and father.

In Fiji the tension between mainline churches can be seen not merely from personality clashes but predominantly because of politics – in terms of support for and against the different governments and allegiances during political crises in our 40-year history as a so-called independent nation. Until recently this has continued to be the case. However there are signs that despite some rumblings and continued agitation from within, all mainline churches seem willing to once again move forward, working together for the benefit of God’s people in Fiji.

Are churches in Fiji willing to work together? Are church leaders in Fiji willing to sit together? Can the desire to embody the ministry of reconciliation given to all Christians be greater than the quest to be the greatest? Cooperation in common mission rather than competition?

There are issues of doctrine such as acceptance of differing understanding of symbolic and ritualistic baptism, receiving of Eucharist and recognition of ministry that can only be understood and respected if all churches are willing to sit down in fellowship of a common belief.

The Fiji Council of Churches and Assembly of Christian Churches in Fiji need to demonstrate their collective Christianity by finding ways to reconcile and embrace each other as fellow pilgrims on the road, fellow workers in the vineyard. Perhaps the younger can learn from the older and at the same time offer fresh insight into the faith needs of their people.

Interfaith Search Fiji exists to promote not syncretism but dialogue and mutual respect for different faith traditions. However, this organisation is ignored by new churches and barely acknowledged by mainline churches and many other religious leaders.

Perhaps the Faith and Society Programme of the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) could direct its sustainable dialogue programme as part of ECREA’s Mainstreaming Peace strategic plan. Perhaps the Pacific Conference of Churches Ecumenism Programme could make it their contribution to the final few months of the decade to Overcome Violence.

But more than that, church leaders (at parish, community and national levels) need to begin to talk to each other about how they can work together, what issues they have difficulty with and how they can overcome these issues peacefully and amicably. It could be over a cup of tea, a prayer breakfast.

But what it requires is for leaders of the churches and religious communities to step out of their comfort zones; to open their arms and in their vulnerability recognise their commonality as human beings as children of God and embrace each other as brothers and sisters.

May the rest of your week be blessed with love, light and peace.

Reverend J.S. Bhagwan is a probationer minister of the Methodist Church in Fiji’s Indian Division. All opinions expressed in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect the opinion and policies of the Methodist Church in Fiji or any organization that Rev. Bhagwan is affiliated with. Email: padrejames@gmail.com

An Alternative Perspective on the New Year

Published in the Fiji Times' "OFF THE WALL" – Wednesday 29^th December, 2010

With Christmas celebrated in churches, homes and among families, today many people return to work for the short week that marks the end of December and this year. Come Friday evening the three-day haze of work clears for some so the festivities can continue again. For others the three-days of clarity will be enveloped in another haze that will last from Friday night to at least Monday night (3^rd January 2011) the New Year’s Day Public Holiday, or perhaps even Tuesday morning.

By the end of this year we will have completed our first year in the second decade of the twenty-first century. According to the United Nations calendar we will have also completed the Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism; Bone and Joint Decade; International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World; and the Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa. The World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence also comes to an end.

Next year sees the conclusion of the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding - from 12 August 2010 (International Youth Day) to 11 August 2011. The United Nations has also declared it the International Year o Forests; the International Year of Chemistry, (recognized by UNESCO); the International Year for People of African descent and World Veterinary Year.

For sporting enthusiasts it is a Pacific Games year, a 15’s rugby world cup Year (as we are reminded on a particular television commercial at least once an hour), the cricket world cup year, the women’s soccer world cup year, as well as the handball and polocrosse world cups year.

In some countries national elections will be held, in others not. People will mark certain milestones in their lives next year – their first year in school, their last year in school, their first year in tertiary education, or entering the workforce, or entering unemployment. It may be the year of promotion for some, while for others it may be the year of retirement.

Our country will also have its memorable as well as unforgettable moments. The planet grows another year older; another cycle of life begins and ends.

While I’m the sort of person who takes time during their birthday to mark their own personal New Year and reflect their own milestones in life’s journey, and different cultures and religions have their own calendars and therefore New Year days, December 31^st and January 1^st are another opportunity for the global consciousness to reflect on its common journey.

In Fiji we are familiar with the typical image of New Year’s Eve: a group of revellers with party hats and noisemakers, the countdown to midnight, ringing in the new year with champagne and perhaps (if they know the words) singing “Auld Lang Syne.” There will be fireworks, bamboo canons, much use of the baby-powder bottle and throwing of water.

However many of us are also familiar with events which flow in a different direction as churches, welcome the coming year in a different way with a Watch Night service.

Methodism founder John Wesley originated Watch Night services in the mid-18th century, sometimes calling them Covenant Renewal services. The original services were spontaneous prayer services designed to deepen the spiritual life of Methodists.

The service is loosely constructed with singing, spontaneous prayers and testimonials, and readings.

There may be preaching or not. Volunteers may take turns continuing quiet prayer in the sanctuary until dawn.

In Methodist tradition, Watch Night was considered a time for recommitment. The unity of the congregation was renewed, the covenant with the world-wide Body of Christ was renewed, and people testified and sang.

I read that Watch Night services have special significance in the African-American community, where they date back to the days of slavery. At the end of the year, owners tallied their property and often sold slaves to pay debts. They did not know after tallying if they would be separated. New Year’s Eve was often the last night a family of slaves would be together.

Watch Night took on even more significance during the Civil War. When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, it was to take effect Jan. 1, 1863. Slaves sat up the night before, waiting for their freedom to arrive at midnight.

In the Dudley Circuit, services will begin at 10.30pm and last until a little after midnight, with songs and hymns, prayers and preaching. At Dudley Church in Toorak, our young people in the Praise and Worship team will lead in contemporary gospel songs and choruses and the preacher will be the Rev. William Lucas, Divisional Superintendent of the Indian Division of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma.

As we reflect on the year gone by and the year to come, whether in church, with family and friends or living it up - our focus should be light and hopeful, not dwelling on the past, but acknowledging it and looking to the future with renewed hope and enthusiasm.

I leave this thought from Jiddu Krishnamurti to ponder as we take our final steps through 2010 and our first steps into 2011:

“Freedom and love go together. Love is not a reaction. If I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market; it is not love. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something- and it is only such love that can know freedom.”

May your week and New Year’s celebration – in whatever form it takes – be blessed with light, love, peace, joy and hope. May the year 2011 be marked by Simplicity, Serenity and Spontaneity.

This article is the opinion of Reverend James Bhagwan and does not necessarily represent the views of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, any other organisation or institution Padre Bhagwan is affiliated with or this newspaper.
Visit the Blog - http://thejournalofaspiritualwonderer.blogspot.com/ or email padrejamesgmail.com

“A nearly Christ-less Christmas”

Published in "Off the Wall" Fiji Times December 22, 2010

A friend of mine who is a member of the same congregation that I pastor to as an associate minister came up to me at the end of service on Sunday to share his sadness that he would not be able to attend worship on 27Christmas Day (Saturday 25th December, 2010) because his employer had informed all the staff that Saturday was another normal work day and that everyone who worked on Saturday was to be at work or have their pays for the public holidays of Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th deducted.

My friend is not alone. There are many others who are affect that due to the Christmas Day public holiday being held on Monday, some employers are taking advantage to insist that workers, including those who are Christian, work on Saturday December 25 which is the actual date for Christmas Day, the day which Christians around the world gather together in worship to celebrate the birth of their Lord Jesus Christ.

This move comes despite the fact that the Christian community has commemorated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on December 25th for 17 centuries. There are three significant Holy Days in the Christian Calendar for all Christians regardless of denomination, these are Christmas which celebrates the birth of Christ, Good Friday which commemorates His crucifixion and death for the sins of the world, and Easter Sunday which celebrates His glorious resurrection signifying His victory of sin and death.

This is not the first time that Christmas Day (Dec 25th) has fallen on a Saturday. In the last twenty years alone, Christmas has occurred on Saturday in 1993, 1999, 2004. However this is the first time this has been an issue between retailers, employers and those of the Christian community.

I recently came across a book of my mother’s which was given to her by my eldest sister. The story of Moses, a significant person in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic faith, is told from the perspective of Miriam, his sister and Tzipporah, his wife. In the Holy Bible, in the book of Exodus, we are told of the requests made by Moses to Pharaoh Amun-Ra for the Israelites to be allowed to go into the wilderness to worship their God, Yahveh. The Pharaoh, as we know from Sunday-School, forbids them to do so, or allows them and then rescinds permission. A series of plagues befall the Egyptians until the Pharaoh relents.

Rather than call for plagues on those employers who were demanding that their employees work on Christmas day or face penalties (rather like the Pharaoh who increase the labour demands on the Israelites) in the form of boycotts or as one person suggested on Facebook, “naming and shaming” the companies involved, the Indian Division of the Methodist Church, through its Divisional Superintendent, Rev. William Lucas put out a press release raising its concern on this issue. Others joined in raising the voice of the voiceless such as the Pacific Conference of Churches and even Allen Lockington who posted the issue on a Facebook page apparently belonging to the Prime Minister.

As the news media embraced their role of the Fourth Estate questions were posed and by the end of the day the response from government was forthcoming. I thank the Prime Minister’s office for clarifying this issue. According to the Ministry of Information, “Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Colonel Pio Tikoduadua, in clarifying the matter, has reminded all employers that this Saturday is not a working day. Colonel Tikoduadua further stated that employees must not face any discrimination if they don’t work on Saturday. He further added that Christmas is a time for family and a day for worship.”

The fact that some Christians were being compelled by their employers to have to chose their job over the observance of their faith smacked of discrimination. However below the surface of the issue, it seems that even in Fiji, secularism is attempting to erode our spirituality. Yet despite the dying grasp of materialism on spirituality and mutually empowering relationships, it is my belief that this spirituality, our faith, our ability to see each other as fellow human beings, brothers and sisters and children of a creator God, and our understanding that each one of is equal in our self-worth, dignity and capacity to love and be loved, will not only be the catalyst for peace and harmony in our mother-land of Viti kei Rotuma, but will also be the source of liberation for the world as we know it.

I send you light, love and peace this Christmas. May each one of us receive the gifts of simplicity, serenity and spontaneity. May the Christ-light be lit within you and may it shine and illuminate the lives of those around us.

If you a looking for somewhere to worship, and you are not being forced to work, you are welcome to join in the celebrations of the birth of the Christ at Dudley Methodist Church on the corner of Amy Street and Toorak Road at 9am on Saturday, 25th December.

Merry Christmas!

* Reverend J.S. Bhagwan is a is a probationary minister of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, serving as member of the Faculty at Davuilevu Theological College and the Associate Minister of the Methodist Indian Division’s Dudley Methodist Circuit in Suva. This article is the sole opinion of Rev. J.S. Bhagwan and not of this newspaper or any organisation that he is affiliated with. Email: padrejames@gmail.com

Human Dignity and Justice – getting to the core of human rights

Published in "Off the Wall" – Fiji Times 8^th December, 2010

Bula si’a from Labasa on the the beautiful island of Vanua Levu!

I am in my motherland to lead a series of Bible Studies at a workshop for churches on Human Rights, Good Governance and Leadership, organised by the Pacific Conference of Churches. It is good a privilege to have this opportunity to participate in this workshop and share some biblical and theological reflections on human rights. It is also a rare opportunity to visit my mother’s hometown, (the L.A. of Fiji to some) and meet up with family and close friends.

Close to sixty young people, lay workers and clergy from Labasa and around Vanua Levu have gathered at St. Mary’s Hostel, in Labasa to explore human rights in the context of the church and cultural traditions, using local examples as case studies to enhance learning.

According to Mr. Raju Fong who is responsible for the PCC Human Rights programme, the workshop will also focus on the UN Declaration of Human Rights and other important conventions on human rights.

“Our experience so far is that people understand what human rights, and our goal is to contextualise human rights for their culture and faith,” said Mr. Fong.

This year workshops were held in Suva, Samoa, Kiribati, Maohi Nui (Tahiti), Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. There are plans for a workshop on climate change and Human Rights in Labasa in 2012.

Mr. Fong added, “The participants come from churches, they shy away from secular discussions on human rights, but when you link it to their faith, through bible studies and discussions on Christian understandings of justice, mercy, compassion and other core Christian principles, then they begin to understand that Human Rights is not a foreign concept but something that is in fact close to their hearts.”

The objectives of the Human Rights Programme of the Pacific Conference of Churches are:

· To deepen understanding on human dignity and human rights.

· To create awareness of Christian responsibilities towards the protection and promotion of human rights.

· To increase the scope for social action on human rights issues by churches and their members.

On the workshop began on Monday with a devotion led by Father J.J. Ryan. The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum made a presentation on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I shared on the biblical and theological foundations of Human Rights.

Yesterday, Aisake Casimira, Programme Manager for PCC shared with participants on the key concepts of consent, consultation and participation in the area of governance and leadership. Sessions will also be held on Violence against Women, the Rights of Children and the role of the churches on human rights, good governance and leadership issues.

The understanding of human rights as a Christian responsibility lies in the understanding from the human rights perspective that every human being is worthy of respect and has the right to live in dignity.

Our first bible study focused on humankind being created in the image of God, (Imago Dei) based on the text from Genesis a central book in the Judeo-Christian-Muslim scriptures. Genesis 1:27 reads as: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

This passage reminds us that every man and woman is made in the image and likeness of God. The term Imago Dei denotes image and likeness of God. The scriptures teach us that in the creation of humankind God stated, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” God made “man” in his image and likeness, because of this there is a certain dignity or worth of the human person.

For Christians, our God, is a creator, a “Father” to us all. As a result, all humans are brothers and sisters. Humans are unique and related to others in a common origin, ancestry, common physiology and psychology. This basically means we have the same working parts and experience the same range of emotions.

One of the central faith statements for Christians is found in the Gospel of John chapter 3 verse 16:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)” Christians believe that the Christian God is the God of every race and every human being. Jesus therefore died on the cross for the whole world. All forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination are, for that reason, an insult to the work of Christ on the cross.

Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). If God is impartial and loves us with impartiality, then we need to love others with that same high standard. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. If we treat a person with contempt, we are mistreating a person created in God’s image; we are hurting somebody whom God loves and for whom Jesus died.

From our love of God and love of our neighbour, flow the respect, compassion and thirst for justice, that are expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On Friday, 10^th December, the world celebrates International Human Rights, there will be speeches and rallies and concerts and events all over the world to mark this important day. In Labasa the workshop participants will join in an ecumenical church service to commemorate this day.

The prophet Isaiah called people to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood."(Isaiah 58:7).

If you live in Labasa and what you have read strikes a chord in your soul, you are welcome to attend the Human Rights Day Ecumenical Church service at 10am at St. Thomas Anglican Church on Nasekula Road, Labasa’s main street.

May the rest of your week be blessed with Mishpat (justice); Hesed (steadfast love); and Shalom (peace).

“Simplicity, Serenity and Spontinaey.”

* Reverend J.S. Bhagwan is a member of the Faculty at Davuilevu Theological College and the Associate Minister of Dudley Methodist Circuit in Suva.

This article is the sole opinion of Rev. J.S. Bhagwan and not of this newspaper or any organisation that he is affiliated with. Email: padrejames@gmail.com