On Sunday 22nd June, the Anglican Church of Melanesia celebrated 50 years since its inauguration. In 1975, it became the Province of the Anglican Church of Melanesia.

There was a wonderful celebration service at St Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara, Solomon Islands: a thanksgiving, a commemoration, and a joyous celebration of the past 50 years the church has journeyed through.

During the service, the The Most Rev. Leonard Dawea, the current Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, and Bishop of the Diocese of Central Melanesia, gave an address on the theme of the anniversary: “Celebrating Our Golden Past, Serving Our Present and Envisioning Our Future Together.”

“My speech is long because this is my only time to make a speech at the 50th anniversary of the Anglican Church of Melanesia,” he said. “I won’t be here in the next fifty years, so bear with me!”

ABM was represented at the anniversary event by our Executive Director, Rev Dr John Deane, and our AID Campaign Coordinator, Isabel Robinson.

Rev. Deane presented the Church with a plaque at the service, commemorating our long relationship. Both institutions began in 1850, when the newly created Australasian Board of Mission was formed to fund the construction of a boat to support the Melanesian Mission.

The fruits of this became the Melanesian Mission, and later the independent Anglican Church of Melanesia, which continues to partner with ABM today.

Prior to 1975, the Diocese of Melanesia was a diocese within the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. 

It was wonderful to see so many friends from ACOM, its international partners, religious orders and the Governor General of the Solomon Islands, His Excellency Sir David Tiva Kapu.

And to see the hard work of the women of the church and the Mothers’ Union who do so much every day to make celebrations like this happen.

Congratulations to the Anglican Church of Melanesia on all it has achieved, and we look forward to the future of this long and fruitful partnership.