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Business

using these assets to generate funding
to provide programmes which bring
about social justice.”
That means teaching about freedom
for the people of West Papua, compensa-
tion for the victims of nuclear testing in
Maohi Nui (French Polynesia) and sup-
port for relocated communities in Fiji,
the Solomons and Papua New Guinea.
And then there is the business of
helping the people of Tuvalu and Kiri-
bati who are under threat from rising
sea levels.
For the church to venture into busi-
ness means it will attract criticism from
many quarters.
In Fiji the social media attack on the
Methodist Church when it announced
plans to venture into the hotel business
The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Suva. The Anglican Church has also ventured into real estate Photo: Invictus was vitriolic.
May detractors criticised the institu-
salvation of souls, ministering to the nors to conduct programmes on issues
people,” Turagakacivi said. from gender-based violence to rethink- tion for financially burdening its con-
“Any money we make goes towards ing development, self-determination or gregation and called for it to remain in
the people through the work we do.” climate change. the business of church – caring for and
The Sacred Heart Cathedral – the main “There is only a certain amount of preaching to the people.
church in the Archdiocese of Suva – funding available to organisations in Former World Heavyweight Champi-
rakes in an easy $FJD4000 per week or the Pacific – a small pool to which all on-turned pastor, George Foreman, is
$FJD208,000 per annum in collections churches, Non-Government organisa- also a successful businessman, making
and candle sales. tions and civil society go to drink,” wise investments with the money he
For the last two years the church has Pihaatae said. earned from boxing.
set aside money from its collection dur- “Eventually that pool will dry up. He knows only too well that the time
ing Lent (the 40 days before Easter) and “We are lucky at the PCC – and many comes when the church must step out
built homes for the victims of natural of the Pacific churches are the same of its comfort zone.
disasters. – in that we have land and houses “The world is full of people who
Modern and Pentecostal churches bequeathed to us by our founding want to play it safe, people who have
often encourage tithing or the giving of members. tremendous potential but never use it,”
10 per cent of a member’s income to the “The challenge is to turn those proper- Foreman said on his website.
church. This is based on an Old Testa- ties into pools from which we can take “Somewhere deep inside them, they
ment teaching specifically to the Jews. life-giving water to those in need. Those know that they could do more in life,
The Christian Mission Fellowship who need help to relocate due to climate be more, and have more — if only they
International is one of those churches change or those in need of protection were willing to take a few risks.’’
and it was the first civil society organi- from violence.” Those risks may not extend to brewer
sation to reach out to victims of Tropical Under Pihaatae’s direction the PCC and soft drink manufacturer San Miguel
Cyclone Winston in Fiji in 2016. has embarked on a path towards finan- in which the Catholic church in the Phil-
Its charity arm, Global Compassion, cial self-sustainability using its seven ippines owns major shares.
is funded through money sourced from commercial properties in the Central Nor may they stray into a major arms
members and the church’s supermarket Business District and four homes in firm General Electric in which the Church
chain. up-market suburbs. of England invested $FJD30million.
The Anglican Church in Fiji has cho- The total portfolio is worth an esti- Of course GE also makes refridgera-
sen the path of real estate to support mated $FJD5-6million which is a fraction tors, jet engines and generators along
its mission to women and children, the of the value of the properties owned by with technology for combat aircraft,
poor and members of the minority ethnic the Methodist, Anglican and Roman military transport, helicopters, and un-
Solomon Island community. Catholic churches. manned aerial vehicles – better known
It has a number of buildings on high- But Pihataae warns against going into as drones.
end commercial and residential in Suva. business as opposed to turning property Anglican priest Keith Hebden said the
Reverend Francois Pihaatae, General into a tool for doing God’s work. church policy on investment was wrong.
Secretary of the Pacific Conference of “If our sole purpose is to make a profit “We’re going to end up with problems.
Churches, understands the need for the and build an empire then we are doing This means we have a stake in wanting
church to make wise investments for the this (property development) for the there to be war.”
benefits of the people. wrong reasons,” he said. The only war that churches in the
This is especially important in the case “Our focus should be on how to use Pacific want to fight are against social
of church-based organisations which these assets to improve the lives of the injustice.
rely on international and regional do- people. In the case of the PCC that means r netrika66@gmail.com

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