The view of the scaffolding that surrounds the Vunisei Methodist Church will only be around for another month or so.
The goal of the $100,000 plus project is to ensure one of the oldest Methodist Church in Toga District remains viable, said Aminiasi Driu, Vunisei Church consultant.
Mr Driu said the nearly 200 families that now make up the yavusa Navokai’s congregation have already raised more than $90,000 for the re-building project despite COVID-19 and want no part of seeing an end to Vunisei’s Church 70-year legacy.
“The self-sacrificing yavusa Navokai who relied on their faith and wanted to make sure they had a house of faith where they could find sanctuary and peace,” Mr Driu said.
“We want to make sure we keep that for the future and we don’t want to be the group that let it slip away.”
He added the pledge had grown significantly and it had in fact increased to a projected level of more than $35,000 of the estimated total cost of $150, 000.
Mr Driu said one encouraging trend was the slight increase in the average pledge.
Average pledge in 2020 was $2500 compared to $1000 from 2018 to 2019, and that was the highest single pledge to the tune of $11,000.
The latest list of gifts who have pledged to supply building materials for the new church apart from the people already mentioned in the previous editions include:
– Ratu Kitione Vesikula’s family, who are the vasu of Mataqali Burotu’, gifted $1000 to fulfill their total pledge of $2260 for steelworks;
– The vasu of Tokatoka Davuilevu from the mataqali of Navokai gifted the pulpit, offering plates, lali, and the church supper materials;
– Ro Elenoa Cuanilawa and Seremaia Temo’s family of mataqali Burotu gifting the PA system, laptop, multimedia projector and dropdown screen once the building is completed;
– Richard Narayan of Viti Dalia Investment continues supply of soapstone at reduced prices.
Mr Driu also thanked the Delta Timber Company for providing timber on credit when finances were low.
Iliesa Turagalada of Nakorokoro in Muana Village gifted 300 roofing screws.
Vunisei Methodist Youth Fellowship pledged to give two church crosses that will be mounted on both ends of the building worth $1300.
On Saturday, September 12, Ratu Kitione and Alumeci Matailevuka of mataqali Nakausoqo based in Sydney, Australia, gifted electrical works worth $1413.39, and ceiling boards worth over $3644 – plus $7000 for the church pews.
The gifts were hosted in an occasion of merry-making and kava drinking to welcome the respective groups that presented their gifts.
The total cost of their pledge and soli was $13,057 and the yavusa Navokai thanked mataqali Nakausoqo for their kind heart in collecting a huge amount of money for a worthy cause.
* More on Vunisei Methodist Church next Sunday
