Revivals in the 21st Century
2007 Revival in the South Pacific – Revival Movements
Geoff Waugh
Many revival movements continue to spread in the Solomon Islands. Visiting teams have participated and encouraged leaders.
Honiara, the capital has seen many touches of revival. A week of evening revival meetings in Wesley United Church in the capital Honiara spontaneously erupted in September 2007. That was the first time they had had such a week of revival meetings, including joining with youth of other churches. Calvin Ziru, their youth leader had been worship leader in the law student team hosted in Brisbane in 2002. He was then legal advisor to the parliament in the Solomons, ideally placed to lead combined churches youth revival meetings and also the parliamentary Christian fellowship.
Seghe lies at the south east point of New Georgia in stunning scenery. Revival meetings have been held at the Theological Seminary at Seghe in the fantastic Marovo Lagoon—70 kilometres with hundreds of tropical bush laden islands north and west of New Georgia Island. Morning teaching sessions, personal prayers in the afternoons (and some rest) and night revival meetings, with worship led by the student team, filled an eventful week in September 2007. That was the first time the seminary held such a week. Meetings included two village revival services in the lagoon, including Patutiva village, where revival started in Easter 2003. That meeting went from 7 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. with about 1,000 people! Hundreds received personal prayer after the meeting ‘closed’ at 11 p.m.
Simbo. A tsunami ravaged Gizo and Simbo islands in April 2007. It smashed all the Simbo canoes, except Gideon’s and his brother’s which were then on the ocean on the two hour trip from Simbo to Gizo. Tapurae village has hosted many revival meetings. It was wiped out by the tsunami, so the villagers relocated to higher ground. Strong moves of the Spirit continue on Simbo. The villagers relocated from Tapurae have a revival prayer team of 30, and no one from that village needed medical help from the clinic in three years since they started praying constantly for the sick, laying on hands and casting out spirits.
Gizo, the provincial capital of the Western Region, is the Solomon Islands’ second largest town. Its unique airstrip fills a small island near the town, with its pressed coral runway covering the whole length of the island. Travellers take a canoe or launch across to the town. The central United Church hosted revival meetings in October 2007. The Premier of the region asked penetrating questions and joined those who came out for prayer. He testified that he was immediately healed from stress-related head pain and tension.
Taro. The regional centre for Choiseul province in the west Solomons hosted an amazing week of unprecedented unity among all the churches, the United Church, SDAs, Catholics and Anglicans. The meetings included 30 leaders from Karika in the Shortland Islands region, further west. Revival started in Karika the day after leaders returned from the National Christian Youth Convention in Choiseul Island the previous December.
The region’s premier and officials attended a meeting at the regional parliament house, which included praying with people afterwards. So did the director for medical services and his staff at a meeting at the hospital. Others gathered at the Catholic Church for a meeting and personal prayer there. Each night combined churches revival meetings were held on the soccer field, with huge responses for prayer nightly. Pastor Mathias from Vanuatu shared in speaking and led worship in the prayer groups.
The Lord opened the way for strong ministry with revival and national leaders in all these places. Revival, reconciliation and transformation accelerate now. God is doing far more than most people are asking or even thinking about in these islands (Eph 3:20–21). In all these places people made strong commitments to the Lord, and healings were quick and deep.
Both in Vanuatu and in the Solomon Islands the people said that they could all understand the speaker’s English, even those who did not speak English, so they did not need an interpreter.
Used with kind permission of Geoff Waugh