Vanuatu

Meet Bruce and Lora Whearty—Vanuatu “Survivors”

Perhaps you are familiar with the islands of Vanuatu from their media exposure as a setting for the reality series “Survivor,” but did you know that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has had a presence in that country for over 150 years?

The PC(USA) has forged partnerships with more than 200 educational institutions and literacy programs around the world. The church values these partnerships, whether they are in large countries—countries whose wars and epidemics and turmoil are part of the daily news—or in small, less familiar places.

Bruce and Lora Whearty are teachers who served as mission personnel in Vanuatu in 1992–1994 and again in 2002–2004. Lora and Bruce are now working at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Lora serves as a missionary-in-residence with the Worldwide Ministries Division in a variety of projects. Bruce has joined the staff of the Mission Connections office, working with mission personnel on how best to share their on-the-field experiences with congregations.

The following is a snapshot of Presbyterians at work in a sunny, peaceful country, not divided by civil war or devastated by famine or illness, but a place that is trying hard to increase its literacy rate, educate future church leaders, and improve the daily lives of all its citizens.

Presbyterians in Vanuatu—Sharing the Good News and
Providing Opportunities for Education

The people of Vanuatu were originally fierce cannibals who fought among themselves for over 4,000 years. The first missionaries to the islands, Presbyterians, were killed in 1858. But from age to age the Good News spread and now the islanders are overwhelmingly Christian, with the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PCV) the largest denomination in the country.

Ever since the Presbyterian missionaries arrived, they have been advocates for education. They transcribed the native languages for the first time, translated the Bible, and started numerous schools.

The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu, which has been independent since 1948, founded a seminary and was the first church to provide education beyond the high school level to the local people. Today the Talua Training Center trains lay worship leaders, as well as pastors, and has a special program for developing women as leaders in the church.

There are many challenging ministries for the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu, including ongoing rural development, a fledgling adult literacy program, and a major evangelism drive. PCV sends missionaries to various places in the Pacific and has established a presence on the island of Tanna, in southern Vanuatu. The Spirit is at work in a small thatched church, and lives are changing in response to this gospel outreach. Pastor Fiama says, “Now people are coming to the Lord and there’s a hunger for the Word. May praise be to God!”

Fiama Rakau

Pastor Fiama Rakau served as headmaster of Talua Training Center, and then clerk of PCV for 12 years. He is now the principal of the Presbyterian seminary for PCV, Talua Seminary. With support from the International Leadership Development Office he benefited from an opportunity for further study in the United States in 2000 and 2001, obtaining a master’s degree in theology at Western Theological Seminary in Michigan.

Jonathan Tarip

Jonathan Tarip, principal of Onesua Presbyterian College, a boarding school for students from the seventh through the thirteenth grade, was a delegate to the Mission to the United States (MUS) program conference, through the Synod of the Lakes and Prairies, in 2004. He visited Montana, Wisconsin and Minnesota as part of that conference, learning alongside and from other international delegates.

What and Where is Vanuatu?

Vanuatu is an archipelago in the southwest Pacific Ocean. These beautiful islands have lagoons of turquoise water, beaches of white sand, and picturesque coconut trees rustling in the trade winds.

Many older Americans remember Vanuatu from the days of World War II, when it was known as the New Hebrides. With the Japanese advancing through the Solomon Islands toward the New Hebrides, the 20th century came to the islands all at once in 1942. The islands became an important staging area for United States troops when naval depots and air bases were established.

Following the war, the United States tried to sell its leftover trucks and tanks to the British and the French, but the colonial powers realized that the United States just wanted to avoid paying the cost of shipping everything home. Thinking they would get it all for free, they waited patiently. However, the United States had other ideas. In front of the horrified local people, troops loaded up all the supplies and drove the trucks into the ocean at a place now called “Million Dollar Point.” This dumpsite is now a popular diving destination where tourists can still see the old piles of equipment oozing oil under the sea.

In 1980, after a long but peaceful struggle against the French and British, the country gained independence and became Vanuatu, meaning “our land.”

How to Help

Prayer is always welcome, prayer for PC(USA) mission personnel, for the people of Vanuatu, their churches, and their leadership. Financial support is necessary for the many programs that minister to the people of Vanuatu. Ask God for help discerning your own gifts and then follow where you are led. One Extra Commitment Opportunity suggestion: ECO #862243 for the Vanuatu Pastoral Training Program, Talua Training Center Scholars.

There are PC(USA) study trips that visit Vanuatu. For stories and photos of the Whearty missionary family in Vanuatu, visit the PC(USA) Mission Connections Web site. 

Adapted from the February  2006 "Leaders for a Global Church" newsletter of the former Global Education and International Leadership Development Office.