WCC NEWS: WCC mourns loss of Rev. Illesa Naivalu, general secretary, Methodist Church of Fiji

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the death of Rev. Illesa Naivalu, general secretary, Methodist Church of Fiji. Reverend Iliesa Naivalu, general secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji with his wife Ani Naivalu outside the Suva’s Centenary Church, Fiji, November 2019. Photo: Luke Nacei 21 December 2021 In a condolence letter to Naivalu’s wife and family, Rev. Dr Mele’ana Puloka, WCC Pacific President, expressed sadness at the loss and appreciation for the life. “His service demonstrated his enduring faith in the Almighty God, his love and dedication to his church, and his victory that sought Eternal Life,” wrote Puloka. Naivalu passed away on 17 December at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva following a period of ill health.  He had attended the 2018 General Assembly in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand in his capacity then as general secretary of the Fiji Council of Churches.  He had previously served as the secretary for Christian Citizenship and Social Services for the Methodist Church in Fiji as well as on mission as a diaspora minister in Melbourne, Australia through the Uniting Church in Australia. He was recalled from his role as general secretary of the Fiji Council of Churches to the Methodist Church in Fiji to be the deputy general secretary in 2019 and in February of this year took up the position of general secretary.  The Vanua o Waya, the official reguregu (traditional condolence gathering) will begin on  27 December, and he will be later laid to rest in his island home in Waya, in the Yasawa Group of Islands. “During this busy time, please keep the late Rev. Naivalu's wife Ani, his children and grandchildren and the Methodist Church in Fiji in our prayers,” said Rev. James Bhagwan, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches.   See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland