December 31 - Multiplying Mission Hubs

Talofa lava. My name is Aitui Fanene,

a pastor of nine churches
in Melbourne, Australia.

It didn't start with me.

It actually started with a small group
of dedicated church members,

with the leadership of Pastor Eddie Erica
about 27 years ago now.

I serve the community,
I serve other people,

I serve God,

and for me, that is the major part
of what I do.

I'm a third-generation Adventist.

I grew up in the church,
served God in the church,

but as I continued to live my life

and goal and travels,

I started to see some things
that were not in harmony

with what I believed at that stage.

I still believed in God, but I went wild.

It was during that time

that I came out of a pub in Wellington,
and I heard a voice.

The voice said,

"What are you doing here,
this is a Friday night."

The voice was not judgemental.

I just heard this voice
which was connected with me,

so I turned around, and I said,

"Well, God, I know I've left you,
so I'm coming back to you,

but not necessarily to the church."

When I came here,

called to be a minister or a pastor
here in Melbourne,

I soon found myself
in the top of the hierarchical system.

I found the picture that Paul
has presented in Phillippians 2

clearly says that Jesus
decided to be a servant.

When you're there, you are connected.

I found it to be something

that makes you connect
with all the people.

So this church Carrum Downs started off,
geographically, not here

but at Nunawading.

Then they decided to plant
their first church,

North Melbourne Church.

I've been a Christian all my life.

At the end of 1992, we discussed
with Pastor Eddie Erica

and some of the elders in the church

that we need to plant
another Samoan church here,

on the north side of Melbourne.

Now our church planted
two more mission hubs.

Out of those two mission hubs,

they planted another two mission hubs.

From my experience, the way I look at it,
with all these hubs,

instead of a pastor doing all this work,

we work together to make disciples,

and God is leading everywhere we go.

That's how we have all these hubs
and everything going.

We have Carrum Downs on the southside.

We have North Melbourne
on the northside of Melbourne.

And now we have Melton, Werribee,
on the westside of Melbourne.

Now we're covering all three corridors
of Melbourne.

They continue to change the culture
as a result of the training.

Leaders got equipped,

and they realized that there is not

one way of doing church or ministry.

A lot of Discovery Bible Reading groups

emerged out of these churches.

I think this story relates
to all other cultures,

and I think these small ministries
and new church plants

are trying to reach and bridge the gap.