Solomon Islands Christian Association
Encyclopedia
The Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) is an ecumenical
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...

 Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

. The association comprises the five largest Christian churches in the country, the Anglican Church of Melanesia
Church of the Province of Melanesia
The Church of the Province of Melanesia is part of the Anglican Communion, and includes 8 dioceses. The Primate of the Church is the Archbishop of Melanesia The Most Rev'd David Vunagi.- Official name :...

, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church in the Solomon Islands
The Roman Catholic Church in the Solomon Islands is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....

, the South Seas Evangelical Church
South Seas Evangelical Church
The South Seas Evangelical Church is an evangelical, Pentecostal church in the Solomon Islands. In total, 17% of the population of the Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Roman...

, the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...

, and the United Church
United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
The United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands is a merged denomination dating from 1968 consisting of the former London Missionary Society , the relatively marginal Presbyterian church and the Methodist mission The United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands is a...

.

SICA organizes joint religious activities and religious representation at national events, and is a national partner of UNICEF. They also work with the Christian Reformed Church of Australia to support the missionary outreach of SWIM Solomon Islands.

History

In 1967 a meeting was convened of representatives from the various churches in the Solomon Islands, including Philip Solodia, Dominic Otuana, Goldie Vengo, Isaac Goloni, Baddeley Devesi
Baddeley Devesi
Sir Baddeley Devesi GCMG, GCVO is a Solomon Islander politician.He was born in Guadalcanal. He served as the first Governor-General of the Solomon Islands from July 7, 1978 to July 7, 1988...

 (later the country's first Governor-General
Governor-General of the Solomon Islands
The Governor-General of Solomon Islands is the representative of the Queen of Solomon Islands, Elizabeth II. The Queen does not reside in the islands, and so the Governor-General serves as the country's de facto head of state in her absence....

), Peter Kenilorea
Peter Kenilorea
Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islands politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....

 (later the country's first Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands
The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Solomon Islands is a Commonwealth realm. Since August 2010, the Prime Minister has been Danny Philip of the Reform...

), Bobi Kwanairara, Leslie Piva, and Leslie Fugui, in which a decision to form an association to encourage Christian love and fellowship. A combined church service was held at St. Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara
Honiara
Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...

 to mark the agreement. The agreement, the result of native Solomon Islanders, was also supported by churchmen of foreign origin, such as Geoff Tucker, Eddie Nash, Brian Macdonald-Milne, and Louis Morosini. The organization quickly spread beyond Honiara.

In 1978 SICA organized the Pijin Literacy Project, as an attempt to use Pijin language
Pijin language
Pijin is also referred to as Kanaka and is a language spoken in the Solomon Islands. It is closely related to Tok Pisin of Papua New Guinea; Bislama of Vanuatu; and Torres Strait Creole of the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia and is written in the Latin alphabet.As of 1999 there were 306,984...

 as a medium for teaching literacy. The project produced a number of primers and translation work.

In August 2000, SICA organized a National Peace Conference as a reaction to the coup by the Malaita Eagle Force
Malaita Eagle Force
Malaita Eagles Force is a militant organization, originating in the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands.It was set up during 'The Tension' in the Solomons, which were mainly centred on Guadalcanal, to defend diasporic Malaitans in Guadalcanal and the property of Malaitans that have left the...

 in June. They called for a respect of human rights and opposed blanket amnesty for armed groups involved in the conflict. The leader of the MEF expressed upset to the chairman of SICA, and according to Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 was behind attacks or threats to participants in the conference. More recently, in 2005, SICA has urged a truth and reconciliation commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...

be organized before a human rights commission be set up.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK