BY KENT KINGSTON, Record magazine

In late February, Pastor Ted Wilson, president of the
Adventist world church, and his wife Nancy Wilson, visited Papua New Guinea
(PNG), Solomon Islands, and Fiji, where 75 per cent of the South Pacific
Division’s (SPD) membership resides.

Government
protocol in Papua New Guinea dictated that Pastor Wilson’s tour be given the
same priority as a visit from a head of state, with security on hand and police
vehicles escorting the presidential motorcade through the streets of Port
Moresby, attracting curious stares and friendly waves from locals.

Pastor
Wilson, together with SPD president, Barry Oliver, and PNG Union Mission
president, Leigh Rice, met with the prime minister, Peter O’Neill, as well as
the opposition leader, Mr. Belden Namah, and the Speaker of PNG’s parliament, Mr.
Theo Zurenoc. With each leader, Pastor Wilson offered spiritual counsel and
prayer, thanking the prime minister, in particular, for the religious freedom
enjoyed in PNG.

Following his visit with
Pastor Wilson, Mr. Namah, an Adventist, said he was moved by the Bible verse
the General Conference president shared during their discussion, encouraging Mr.
Namah and his opposition colleagues to refrain from a negative spirit in their
work and to instead “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21) as they work with
the government for the good of the country.

Speaker
Mr. Zurenoc used his visit to explain his recent orders that a number of
traditional carvings be removed from Parliament House. He reiterated his
concern that the totem pole in the Great Hall represents immorality and
witchcraft and showed the Adventist delegation a concept drawing for a proposed
“Unity Pillar” that he hopes will replace it.
Prior to Pastor Wilson’s
arrival, a series of evangelistic meetings at Port Moresby’s Jack Pidik Park,
with the theme of “Immortal Decisions,” had been attracting large and
enthusiastic crowds. But the main speaker, Pastor Chris Moses, secretary of the
Central Papua Conference (CPC), ceded the pulpit to Pastor Wilson for the final
three meetings, including also the Sabbath morning service. Up to 15,000 church
members and other Port Moresby locals crowded into the park.

“It’s
good to see that when our world leader comes to Papua New Guinea, he opens the
word of God,” said CPC president, Pastor Kove Tau, a key host for the Port
Moresby visit. Earlier, Pastor Wilson and his delegation had travelled to
Solomon Islands, where they had met with the prime minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo,
who, according to a government media release, informed Pastor Wilson about the
role of Christian churches, including the Adventist Church, in nation building,
particularly in the areas of education, health, youth development and
spirituality. The Adventist leaders also travelled to Kukudu in Solomon
Islands’ Western Province, the site of the establishment of the first Adventist
mission 100 years ago this year.