The '
Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC)
'' is an

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

organization representing

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

churches in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

region. It seeks the visible unity of the church on issues of justice, peace and integrity of creation, initiatives on capacity building, and solidarity with its members during times of natural disasters and internal social upheavals. Reverend James Bhagwan of Fiji was elected General Secretary of the PCC in November 2018.

History

The roots of the Pacific Conference of Churches can be traced to a 1961 consultation held at

Malua Malua is a small village on the Samoan island of Upolu. The name originates from the Samoan word "Maluapapa" which is translated 'shelter under the rock'. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island in the electoral constituency (''faip ...

Theological Seminary in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

, followed by its founding in 1966 when its first assembly met on the Loyalty Island of

Lifou Lifou is a communes of France, commune of France in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. Geography Lifou is made up of Lifou Island, the largest and most heavily populated of the Loyalty Islands, its smaller neig ...

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. Its first chairman was the

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Sione 'Amanaki Havea Sione is a given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name A – K *Sione Asi (born 1998), New Zealand rugby union player * Sione Fakaʻosilea (born 1987), Tongan rugby union player * Sione Faletau (born 1988), Tongan rugby union player *Sione ...

, serving from 1966 to 1971. From very modest beginnings in the early 1960s, its membership is now numbered at about 27 Pacific member Churches and 11 National Council of Churches (NCCs). The head office of the Pacific Conference of Churches is based in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Programmes

At their meeting in

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

, in 2007, the ninth General Assembly of the Pacific Conference of Churches agreed on six main programmes to focus on. #

Ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

in the Pacific #

Human Rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

# Good Governance and Leadership # Environment and

Climate Change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

Globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

and Trade Furthermore, there are two sectoral programmes specifying on certain target groups. # Women Development # Youth Empowerment

Vision

PCC is “a fellowship of Churches and Church organisations ��that seeks to fulfill together their common calling to the Glory of One God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (PCC Constitution Part 4). In essence, PCC strives toward a vision of a Pacific region that is characterized by the values of unity, solidarity, justice, peace, dialogue and leadership after the heart and mind of Jesus, and a spirituality that gives grounding and substance to PCC’s existence and to the work it does.

Mission

Recognising PCC's Aims as stipulated in its Constitution (Part 5), its mission is to: # Encourage and promote a spirit of ecumenism among the Churches in the Pacific. # Encourage and support member Churches to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in studying and working towards the full visible unity of the one undivided Church. # Help members evaluate their work in mission and to help them co-ordinate, organize and plan together so that wherever possible their personnel, finance and material resources can be more effectively utilized in joint action for mission. # Encourage and promote among members a greater awareness of justice, peace, integrity of creation and human development among the people and nations of the Pacific region and the world. # Facilitate mutual consultation on issues affecting Church relationship and other issues of common concern among the members. # Encourage and promote active participation by members in the wider ecumenical movement. # Be a means whereby the Churches of the Pacific can help each other and help Churches and other organizations in other parts of the world in times of natural disaster and special need, or to secure help from the Churches in the other parts of the world in times of similar natural disaster or need. # Encourage and promote programmes and disseminate information for the preaching and spreading of the Word of God. # Undertake such co-operative activities and programmes on behalf of members as the Assembly may from time to time approve. # Encourage and promote inter-faith dialogue.

References

External links

Official PCC website

{{Authority control Christian denominations established in the 20th century Religious organisations based in Fiji Religion in Oceania Christianity in Oceania Regional councils of churches Christian organizations established in 1961 Members of the World Council of Churches