Battle of the churches…SDA v. Presbyterian

More drama in Paama…so, my Mama Eva belongs to the SDA church and so do many of the mamas I am close to…they attend Sabbath on Saturday, sing English songs, do not drink kava, eat pig or crab…guess I'm out of the club. However, I enjoy the Saturdays with them and they are always gracious and welcoming. After service, we sit together and eat lunch under a magnificent mango tree with the Paama hills hugging us…it’s quite beautiful and peaceful. We eat, storian and then close Sabbath with the AY (Adventist Youth) program…memory verses, singing and Nature talks. There is a visiting minister who comes to serve for 2 years and then moves to another island.

SDA church and baptisms

Now, Papa Isaiah belongs to the Presbyterian church and there are Presbyterian churches in each village which disperses the congregation number (one SDA church for 5 villages), local elders lead the Presbyterian sermons and attendance tends to be low in Tahi …so needless to say, the strength of the Presbyterian church is lacking and while my Papa does not attend church avidly, he has recently demanded that my Mama no longer attend the SDA church. She has yet to go to the Presbyterian church and instead, observes Sabbath on Saturday at home. There are also rumors or what is known here as “coconut wireless” that people from both churches talk negatively about each other…which I do not doubt given the situation.

Prebyterian church

Obviously, this has caused some tension…although I’ve noticed that the Ni-Vanuatu culture is a quite passive-aggressive one so it has not caused major issues that are apparent to me. However, because of this division, I worry about showing any favortism...so it's a good thing each group attends church on different days because if you are ever wondering what Amy might be doing on Saturday or Sunday, it’s likely that you can assume and picture me donned in island dress singing “Jesus lives in you, Jesus lives in me.”