Lives are being changed on Norfolk Island

Laurie Carleton, Field Staff

Lives are being changed on Norfolk Island through the Good News of Jesus! There is much to report with exciting opportunities to testify of God’s goodness to His people here, and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

A real highlight for us has been the mini revival in UNIT Youth (you may have seen the article in Sydney’s Southern Cross Magazine).

In 2023, the group dynamics of UNIT Youth began to change, and it became a place where young people became actively involved
with the Good News of Jesus in new and unique ways. The group began to grow, albeit slowly, while it continued to be a place that was unashamedly Christian. We saw Jesus changing lives.

Last year we had 14 to 16 kids on average, but this year we’ve got around 40 kids coming each week! We’re so thankful for what God is doing. These kids are mostly from unchurched families and it’s a great opportunity to speak the truth of Jesus into this environment.

Our Kids Club held on a Wednesday is also thriving, but these two groups are being run without a Kids and Youth Minister. Of the
five years we’ve been on Norfolk Island the position has been vacant for four. We are praying that God has prepared the heart of someone to come and take on this role. Currently I’m spending around seven hours a week on programming, prep and being at the programs.

We are also praying for volunteers to come and help, because with growth comes the need for leaders to ensure we make the requirements for adult to children ratios.

EASTER ON NORFOLK
We start each Easter with a production called Women at the Cross on Maundy Thursday. This production was written by
some friends from Newtown and Erskineville Anglican Church who gave us the opportunity to use it on the Island. It tells the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross through the eyes of women who witnessed His life and ministry. It’s an outreach
opportunity for people to come and hear the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection from a fresh perspective. All the monologues
are biblically-based and thoroughly researched within the Bible. This year we had around 80 people come from the church and the community.

On Good Friday we held a combined churches event at All Saints in Kingston. The Church of England joins together with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Fijian National Church (All Nations), the Uniting Church, the House of Worship
(Pentecostal), and the Catholic Church. It was such a blessing to see all the churches come together in fellowship to celebrate the common faith we share in Jesus Christ. There was a real unity in the fellowship of the Spirit.

Throughout the Easter weekend we looked at the curtain from the tabernacle and the curtain from the temple, and how the tearing of it in two opened up the way to access God through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

On Easter Sunday we celebrated new life in Christ at a Combined Churches Dawn Service. We got up to the
top of Mount Pitt at 4.45 am and watched the sunrise. It was a blessing to start Easter Day in this way.

We also held our regular Church of England Sunday Service following the theme of the curtain ripped in two. It was great to finish the story.

We’re very thankful for the opportunities we had to speak the truth of Jesus into the lives of Christians (regular and visiting), but
also community members who don’t normally come to church. Pray that God would be at work in the hearts of those who attended and that we can have gospel conversations moving forward.