June 19, 2021

The local church supports families who have faced economic hardship during the pandemic.

IIn order to counter the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the Cook Islands, members of the Avarua Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rarotonga have opened their hall doors to provide free food, clothing and household items to hundreds of families in their struggling community to make ends meet. Adventist volunteers distributed items home for some families.

“The closure of our borders has resulted in some of the hospitality and tourism in our community being unable to work or having their hours reduced, which is a challenge for some families,” said Strickland Upu. Member explains.

Under the title God’s Care Community Service (GCCS), the Church of Avarua has carried out three GCCS programs so far: one in November 2020, one in March 2021 – both of which drew 250 to 300 people – and the most recent on the 30th which supported 104 families .

Thanks to generous donations from Sanitarium Australia, financial support from the Assistance Office of Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and donations of food and household items from local church members, residents were able to find boxes of long-life food, clothing, shoes, linen, kitchen utensils, dishes, basins and buckets, electrical appliances and detergents.

  • Part of the food that will be distributed in Rarotonga, Cook Islands in the latest May 30 campaign, thanks to generous donations from Sanitarium Australia and financial support from the Cook Islands Prime Minister’s Support Office, Mark Brown. [Photo: Adventist Record]

  • Local church members donated food, shoes, clothing and other household items to help those in need in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The articles were distributed on May 30th, 2021. [Photo: Adventist Record]

Looking ahead, members of the Aravua Church said they plan to run two more programs later this year, local church leaders reported. The Cook Islands Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has announced financial support for these initiatives.

The Aravua church leaders said the purpose of GCCS is to build and nurture positive relationships with their congregation and family. They added that they also want church members to want to share their faith in Jesus by giving to others, based on what Jesus said at Matthew 25:35, 36: “Because I was hungry and you gave me something eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me, I needed clothes and you dressed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in jail and you came to me visit ”(NIV).

Cook Islands is a self-governing island nation in the South Pacific comprising 15 islands with a total area of ​​91 square miles (236 square kilometers). According to the statistics of the Adventist church, there are 15 Adventist churches on the islands with 981 baptized church members out of a population of 17,500.

The Original version this story was posted by Adventist record.

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