The South Sea Evangelical Church (SSEC) is an
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
,
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
in
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
. In total, 17% of the population of Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind the Anglican
Church of Melanesia and the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The SSEC is particularly popular on
Malaita
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
, the most populous island, where 47% of its members live; there are also smaller populations in
Honiara
Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lie ...
and elsewhere on
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
, on
Makira, and in other provinces.
History
The organisation was founded in 1886 as the "Queensland Kanaka Mission" (QKM) in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, as an evangelical and non-denominational church targeting
Kanakas (
blackbirded
Blackbirding involves the coercion of people through deception or kidnapping to work as slaves or poorly paid labourers in countries distant from their native land. The term has been most commonly applied to the large-scale taking of people in ...
labourers at the sugarcane plantations, mostly from Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
).
Florence Young
Florence Selina Harriet Young (10 October 1856 – 28 May 1940) was a New Zealand-born missionary who established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in order to convert Kanaka labourers in Queensland, Australia. In addition, she conducted missionary ...
, the sister of Arthur, Horace and Ernest Young, the owners of the Fairymead plantation on which the mission was located, was largely responsible for the establishment of the mission, and served as secretary of the organisation.
At its height in 1904–05, it employed 19 missionaries, 118 unpaid "native teachers," and celebrated 2150 conversions.
Young used
pidgin English and illustrations to explain the resurrection and other Christian ideas.
The South Seas Evangelical Mission (SSEM) was established in 1904 by Young as a branch of the Queensland Kanaka Mission.
Its purpose was to follow the workers back to their homeland, and maintain their religious instruction there. At that time fewer workers were coming, due to the
White Australia policy. Florence Young continued to administer the organisation, from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Katoomba, and made annual trips to the island until 1926.
Between 1906 and 1920, the SSEM established small enclaves on the coast of islands. On
Malaita
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
, these enclaves were always under threat from the more powerful bush groups. The first missionary in the
Kwaio
Kwaio is an ethnic group found in central Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. According to Ethnologue, they numbered 13,249 in 1999. Much of what is known about the Kwaio is due to the work of the anthropologist Roger M. Keesing, who lived among t ...
territory, for instance, was killed, ostensibly to purify a curse, but more because of the perceived threat to their power. Under pressure from the administration of the
British Solomon Islands
The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was first declared over the southern Solomons in 1893, when Captain Gibson, R.N., of , declared the southern islands a British protectorate. Other islands were subsequently declared to form part o ...
Protectorate, the Mission re-evaluated its language policy, and in the 1920s began to use
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as a medium of instruction, instead of pidgins or local languages; however, to facilitate understanding, they devised a simplified English. The SSEM was criticised for using its religious influence to support the
Malayta Company
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
, which was led by the Young family in Queensland, and maintained close connections with the mission.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the experience of many Solomon Islanders that not all whites are strict Christians made some upset that the SSEM withheld what they saw as the real key to power, education beyond literacy. Some whites were then ejected from churches as Malaita Bible teachers participated in the
Maasina Rule movement. The South Seas Evangelical Church was established in 1964 under its current name, and became independent from the mission in 1975.
Beliefs and practices
The SSEC is strict with regard to behaviour of its members, who are not permitted to drink
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
, chew
betel nut
The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...
s or
smoke.
Both men and women are active in all aspects of the church's activities.
The SSEC discourages performance of traditional forms of music, such as
'Are'are panpipe ensembles, because they are
peter as related to the traditional
ancestor worship, the spirits of which are considered "devils."
In Solomon Islands there are a number of schools sponsored by the SSEC, which, like other religious schools in Solomon Islands, receive subsidies from the government. In their missionary work, they have used a few Europeans, but they primarily train natives as Bible teachers, and arrange to have them teach their home community.
The SSEM publishes the work ''Not in Vain'' (originally, in the days of the QKM, ''Not in Vain: What God hath wrought amongst the Kanakas in Queensland''), which includes annual reports, financial statements, and ''SSEM Letters''.
References
External links
South Sea Islander Church and Hallin
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the List of places in Queensland by population, tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's Bundaberg Regional Council, regional area has a population of 70,921, and is ...
: Queensland Cultural Heritage Registry
{{Protestant missions to Pacific Islands
1886 establishments in the British Empire
Churches in the Solomon Islands
Religious organizations established in 1886
Pentecostal denominations in Oceania