Nauru Congregational Church

1887-1987 Front cover picture: The present-day church at Orro

Published by the Council for World Mission, Livingstone House. 11 Carteret Street. LONDON SW1H 9DL. UK

Printed by The Campfield Press. St Albans. UK

N November 1987 the Nauru Congregational Church celebrates the I centenary of the coming of the Gospel to their island. It was brought by a Gilbertese (now called Kiribati) pastor, Timoteo Tabwia, who was put ashore from the small mission ship Morning Star IV, on or about 5th November 1887. The ship belonged to the American Congregational mission body ABCFM (American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions). The place of landing in the Nibok District of Nauru is marked by a stone cairn near the present chapel there. This event marks the beginning of a colourful and difficult century, but by 1 987 Nauru has become self-governing with 99 per cent of its people literate, a country strongly influenced by the Christian faith with Congregational churches throughout the island, a Roman Catholic mission (established by Father Alois Kayser from Alsace as a Catholic Sacred Heart Missionary in 1902) and an Independent Church.

Nauru, the land Nauru is a coconut tree fringed island, oval shaped, about 12 miles in circumference and 8'/2 square miles in area, located in the Central Pacific Ocean just 33 miles south of the Equator. It is nearly equi-distant from Honolulu to the west and Sydney south-westward. Nauru is the top of a great underwater mountain. The centre of the island is a plateau about 100 feet above sea level. The coastal strip is 100 yards to ’/2 mile wide; the surrounding underwater coral reef gives way suddenly to a sharp drop into deep water. The island plateau is phosphate rock dipping to a small lagoon, Buada, around which is the chief inland village, with fruit trees and luxuriant growth. The phosphate is quarried and despatched to coastal depots by road or by a one-mile railroad. A 1 9,000-ton ship can be loaded in 5 hours by two huge two-armed cantilevers using a conveyor belt to reach beyond the coral reef. Drying and storing plants on-shore greatly increase the facility of the modernised cantilever loading system.

Nauru, the people Scholars do not agree as to the origin and racial composition of the 1,200 to 2,000 residents in 1887. Though discovered in 1798 by Captain Fearn of a British ship, the perils of approach by sea discouraged whalers, traders and deserters. The first to settle were a few beachcombers put adrift from Ocean Island who drifted ashore in 1842. A feud

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4 ensued following a breach of a point of etiquette at a Nauruan wedding. Albert F Ellis reports they had been drinking ‘sour toddy’, a dispute arose, a pistol was fired, and the young chief of a high rank family was killed. The avenging of his death quickly involved all the twelve rival tribes in ‘the form of more or less indiscriminate sniping’ (Ellis, Ocean Island and Nauru, 38). William Harris survived, married a-number of Nauruan wives and was accepted readily because of his skill as a boat builder and his speedy fluency in the unique language of the island. Harris was impressed by the missionary work he had seen on other islands and besought the American mission in the Caroline Group to settle on Nauru.

Nauru before 1887 (from an article by J Aroi) Nauru, before and even up to the arrival of Timoteo Tabwia, was completely shrouded in darkness, there was not one thread of light at all. There were settlers at the time, like the Europeans. These people never bothered to teach the Nauruans to improve themselves; instead they encouraged them to remain primitive. The Europeans brought in alcohol, guns and bad habits and the Nauruans were purchasing more and more of these firearms and were slowly learning the habits introduced to them although they could still visit one another in the districts at the time and killing people was still not practised. About ten years or so before the arrival of Timoteo Tabwia fighting broke out among two or three clans or tribes, triggered off by one person under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The fighting began to spread to the other tribes and soon developed into a full-scale inter-tribal war. It was not possible to travel from one district to another because people would be shot on sight irrespective of whether it be man, woman or child. The situation was quite favourable to the Europeans who were more interested in the

5 gains they were getting from the sale of these firearms than the loss of lives it entailed. The population dwindled markedly. On 10th April 1 886, probably about the time the ABCFM were thinking of sending a mission to Nauru, a deed was signed in Berlin between the governments of Great Britain and Germany dividing their territorial possessions tn the western Pacific—Nauru was allocated to Germany. (A German ship arrived at Nauru on 1 st October 1 888.)

The work of God on the island of Nauru The following was written in 1937 by Timothy Deiudamo for the Jubilee in that year: lA ship ahoy! A ship is here!’ The person who shouted this announcement was in the coastal main road. He had been running from the northern districts and was still running arid shouting this piece of news going towards the next district, his last destination. People from the districts were all eager listeners especially when it was all about ships. During the period before the year 1887, people were always in readiness with their goods for sale, like chickens, pigs, baskets, seashells, sharks fins, and many more. Those which were received in exchange, and also the most sought after items, were tobaccos, firearms and liquors. When this runner arrived at Daradae in Baitsi district he again shouted, ‘A ship is here!’ The headman of Daradae, whose name was Dagayea (Jideida, asked him where was it? It was in the north coming this way, the announcer replied. Dagayea called out to his relatives and friends; they pulled out their canoes with their goods for sale and paddled out to head off the ship. They finally reached the vessel off Ganaka coast; they got hold of a rope and Dagayea climbed aboard, He held up his chicken to show it off, having already decided that if a crew wanted his chicken he would settle for a plug of tobacco but at the same time to make casual enquiries about guns and the like. After some time of displaying his chicken, not one person on board seemed to take any notice of it at all; he was very surprised if not annoyed, so went to the side and told his friends in the canoes that the people on board acted very; strangely. The ship wfas the Morning Star on her voyage of spreading evangelism to the people throughout the Pacific in the Gilberts, Marshalls and the Caroline Islands. She sailed from Kusaie after leaving there pupils from the Gilberts and Marshalls, and also brought teachers from Kusaie. At this point she was passing close to Nauru on her way to the Gilberts when Dagayea and party* headed her off. While Dagayea was still on board the pioneer evangelist. Mr Walkup, asked the purpose of his visit; Dagayea said, ‘I want guns and gunpowder, if you have any.' Mr Walkup replied in Gilbertese,* ‘No guns or cannons on this ship. This is a mission ship on a voyage to spread word about peace, life and blessings to all mankind.' Dagayea asked, ‘How would people receive life and blessings?’ Mr Walkup said, ‘Did you know anything about the god Tabuarik?’ Dagayea said, ‘I know him well, we have him here in

"Mr Walkup and Tabwia spoke in Gilbertese. Dr Hiram Bingham fl, son of lhe famous American pioneer missionary in the Pacific, was a specialist in the languages of the Pacific. He appears Io have been lhe first lo recognise within the unique Nauruan language some affinities with Polynesian words and occasional words akin lo Micronesian and Melanesian. This linguistic clue is noi sufficient lo establish the origin or nativity of the Nauruans It was, however, enough to enable Mr Walkup and Tabwia to communicate with them.

6 our country, too.’ Mr Walkup said, ‘Well, there is one god who is much, much more powerful than Tabuarlk; if you let this god come to your country, people will have life and blessings.’ Dagayea said, ‘Very well, come with us and teach us all about him.’ Mr Walkup—‘Do you like him to be your god?’ Dagayea—‘Yes I do.’ Mr Walkup then said, ‘I am unable to go with you now but I will return.’ After words of encouragement from Mr Walkup, and after taking note of Dagayea's name, both men parted. The year 1886 came and went and Dagayea’s "date* still had not come. Words about this encounter had already been known by many people on the island through those who went aboard the ship with Dagayea at the time and so were expecting one white man to arrive and stay at Dagayea's home, also supposedly, bringing along lots of guns and the like. No one ever dreamed that this guest of Dagayea would change the whole concept of Nauru’s way of living a life. During the course of the year Dagayea died and so was unable to honour this promised ‘date’. Perhaps it was the will of God that through Dagayea this invitation was to be extended on behalf of all Nauruan people. The matter ot great importance to the people during those days was io fight one another. Members of one district deemed it a great achievement if they could eliminate the entire inhabitants of their fellow Naurans in the neighbouring districts. Many of them concentrated on sharpshooting practices and indeed some sharpshooters eventually emerged in the districts, thus deaths were accelerated. In the month of November 1887 the Morning Star returned with Mr Walkup on board. It slowed down at the coast of Nibok and lowered its boat. If landed al Angowong in the district of Nibok. The very first question Mr Walkup asked was the whereabouts of Dagayea He was informed that Dagayea had died. Mr Walkup then asked the people in that area if they would like the services of a teacher. The people there said they didn't want one because he might stop them from their liquors. Mr Walkup went back to his ship and was thinking of sailing home; when he reached the coast of Aiwo he landed with a hope that there may be a foothold. The headman of Aiwo, whose name was Wanigaye, told Mr Walkup they would want a teacher and would also look after him during his stay. Tabwia arrived here right at the peak of the civil war; and as was recalled by eye witnesses of the period, he did his duty with confidence and courage, He started conducting worship in the Aiwo district and then paid visits to other districts. Each time he visited a district he was surrounded by warriors with firearms; during the evening when at rest after the day’s work, he could hear nothing but gunfire from evening to next morning. God had blessed the progress of his work that at the beginning of the year 1 888 the first church building was completed in Aiwo soon to be followed by another in Buada. He paid regular visits to the districts of Ewa, Nibok and Meneng. Towards the end of 1888, God eased the situation for Tabwia by eliminating all instruments of war on arrival of the German warship Eber, which led to confiscation of all guns from Nauru. Now that people no longer possessed any guns there came peace to all in the land. It was also now possible for the people to join in a combined service at Orro where Tabwia lived during the historical period. There was no bicycle at the time and so walking from one district to another was not a good time-saving method of travelling. During that same year, loo, the Morning Star did call in and representatives of Ewa and Meneng came to Mr Walkup asking for teachers. Biribo was assigned to Meneng and

7 Uruakarawa, Ewa. People were very interested in their new faith and it spread so quickly to new areas. This new religion had established itself firmly among the people. In the year 1893 the Hiram Bingham arrived with Mr Walkup on board; the people 'welcomed him with the joy accorded to the mission ship as usual. Mr Walkup this time brought unexpected news for his visit was to repatriate all overseas teachers on Nauru. It was said that the German government did not want them here. This was indeed a sad day for Nauru, but as this was the decision of the government, nothing else could be done. So because of this the Nauruans themselves endeavoured to continue on the work of conducting the various church services including Sunday worship. They had enjoyed only six years under the guidance of their teachers and now they were struggling to help themsleves. After some years people began to tire out and some no longer went to church. Others reverted back to past practices. There were also others whose faith remained firm and unshaken. These were the people who with joint prayers tirelessly wrote to Mr Walkup Io send them teachers, Five years lapsed and still no reply from Mr Walkup. In 1898 Mr Walkup arrived and with him all the letters addressed to him from Nauru as proof to the German government that the Nauruans genuinely needed teachers. Even some of those who wrote the letters had had audience with the Administrator to support their request—here were some of them: Ababu. Ikenemae, Eidagabo, Dogomadang, Dogoa and Nobob. On 6th November 1899 the mission ship the Morning Star visited again and this time brought the following teachers to be stationed here—Mr P A Delaporte and wife, and William Harris and wife. Because of this the people broke forth in unprecedented joy and gratitude, and to prove this there were witnesses still alive at this time who could relate the incident well. Those few who continued to uphold the work during the six struggling years without the teachers were the happiest of them all.

Philip Adam Delaporte A new chapter in Nauru’s history began with the arrival on 9th November 1899 of Revd Philip and Mrs Delaporte from America with their first child, Augusta. Central Union Church in Honolulu shared with the American Congregational Board in sending them by the Morning Star mission ship. They were accompanied by William Harris and his family as associates. William Harris had been senior boat builder on Nauru. As he had become more and more deeply involved in the churches he went to the American Board’s training school at Kusaie where he received a vigorous training under Dr Hiram Bingham II (a training which included Bible study, translation, preaching, and teaching of mathematics, story- I el!ing/history and English). Philip Delaporte was born in Worms. Germany, on 19th August 1867 and ordained by the Caroline Islands (ABCFM) Church in 1899, Fluent in German, English and several Polynesian dialects he, with Harris’s help, began the long and delicate task of bringing together and building up the Church. Being German born he was accepted by the occupying power.

German assistance The immediate contribution of the Germans to Nauru is vividly described by a Gilbert Islands Pastor whose name. Moses Kau re, was derived from his birth on a canoe which had

8 Mrs Delaporfe and two of her children drifted out to sea. Tribal feuds raged. ‘As to the natives . . . they have had enough of it and would be very glad to be disarmed if it were done simultaneously’ {Ellis, op ctf, 38). Ellis adds that ‘when the German warship called, the chiefs were held as hostages until all the firearms were given up. A state of law and order was established' (Ellis, 39). The Germans permitted the guano and copra trade to continue under The British Pacific Company, with a royalty paid to a German company. German orderliness reached most aspects of Nauruan life, except the Churches, Delaporte, German born, won their respect, and the shipbuilding skills of Harris gave him special value. Nauru was part of the German Empire from 1888 till World War I when Australian troops successfully took control in November 1914. A 2nd July 1919 agreement, confirmed in 1920, set up a joint administration of Australia, New Zealand and Britain; this began two decades of remarkable progress.

The door stop An 1897 visit to Nauru of the Archer supply and trading ship of the Pacific Phosphate Company returned to Sydney with a curious looking rock which was used to keep open the heavy door to the laboratory. In 1 900 Albert F Ellis was transferred to Sydney from a Queensland island. Going in and out of the laboratory he noticed the odd-looking rock. The Sydney manager told him it came from Pleasant Island, the British name for Nauru. About three months later Ellis’s

9 Coral pinnacles left after the removal of phosphate. Much of the island now looks like this curiosity led him to chip off a piece of the ‘door stop’. On chemical analysis it was found to be phosphate of a very high grade. The Sydney manager identified the rock as very ancient and therefore part of a more extensive formation. The London Office of the Pacific Company negotiated an agreement with the German Jaiuit Gesellschaft by which the two trading stations on Nauru and a royalty portion of phosphate was accepted by the Germans as a settlement of commercial rights on the island, and phosphate mining began. This agreement lasted through war and peace until June 1917. Revenue from the phosphate mining enabled the people and churches of Nauru to build houses, roads, schools, a hospital, churches, a Domeanab or meeting place for the people. In due time, with the mechanisation of the phosphate workings and exports, the Nauruans added a radio station, telephones, electricity, autos, built a landing strip of coral and established Air Nauru. A small fleet of seven British ships gave continuous transport to Honolulu. This gave missionaries direct contact with their base.

The Delaporte years, 1899-1917 Delaporte began by visiting the Churches and schools gathered by Tabwia. Harris and the Nauruan teachers and pastors whom they had trained. He quickly learned the nuances of the language and determined to translate the Bible, hymn books and other Christian literature into Nauruan. In a courteous and effective move his initial hymnal in Nauruan was the Nauru Evangel

10 Gesangsbuch; printed al the American Board press in Kusaie, Missions-Druckerei in 1 902 and bound into book form at the Mission House in Honolulu. Rapport with the German administration coupled with the new riches from phosphate undergirded Churches, schools, hospital and Nauruan chiefly status. The presence on such a small island of a dozen or more Chinese, as many as sixty skilled workers, and additional labourers from Pacific Islands created^ more cosmopolitan community. Chiefly power was rivalled by economic power with the Churches as a balancing brotherhood anxious to keep the good features of Nauruan heritage while taking advantage of new technology and such ways of life as would be advantageous to the people. It was a difficult balance to maintain, as is plain in the 1890-9, 1900-9 and 1910 documents and letters of Delaporte in the ABCFM archives at Houghton Library, Harvard University. More details can be found in the collected papers of the Bingham family, the Hawaiian/ABCFM records in rhe Library of the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society in Honolulu; the extensive archives of the Mission Houses Museum, Honolulu, and in the London Missionary Society records in London beginning in 1917 and more particularly from 1927 onwards.

Building The initial tasks of the Delaportes, with the assistance of Harris and Nauruans, were to erect a mission house which stood till 1920, and adjacent thereto a large church of native material, including tower and bell. The church building stood till 1908. By April 1901 a school was established at Orro where William Harris taught children. Mrs Delaporte girls, and the pastor taught both younger and older people. To reading and writing and arithmetic were added singing, history and geography. Additional schools followed at Ewa, Mangange, Buada and Analar. Churches and schools were served by many of the same staff. Gradual growth took place; there was no sudden ‘revival’ such as occurred in some islands. The key date in the first decade of the 20th century was 1906, in which year the Pacific Phosphate Company’s manager and staff stayed at the Mission House, preparatory to beginning work on a large scale. A large church seating 600 was built in 1908 and filled to capacity each Sunday. Two years later J T Arundel, of the Pacific Phosphate Company, erected a school beside the Mission House.

Translations and publications, 1900-1918 One of the fundamental contributions missionaries have made to the Pacific islands has been the writing down of their languages and the making of dictionaries, grammars and translations. Using English, German and Gilbertese Bibles, with much assistance from Nauruans, Delaporte began translating the Bible. His first translations were John’s Gospel and Letters, and Paul’s Galatians. J Aroi and T Detudamo were his major colleagues. Initially material was mimeographed in Nauru. Printing was done at the Mission Station in Kusaie, Aroi bearing the major share of the work. During the years 1900 to 1 906 the following books were translated and published:

1 1 Small hymn book Small primer The Gospels of Matthew and John The Epistle to the Galatians 1 and 2 Timothy, 1,2 and 3 John Hymn book containing 66 hymns Church history’ Part of OT Bible stories School book containing 138 pages Larger Catechism Once the whole New Testament was complete, it was sent to Hawaii for binding. Ruth, Psalms and selected portions of the Old Testament came next, In 1915 the Delaportes returned to the USA, leaving J Aroi in charge. T Detudamo accompanied Mr Delaporte so that they could complete the translation of the whole Bible. Detudamo stayed for three years and was ordained in the USA before returning to Nauru. After the British administration took over from the Germans during World War I the ABCFM negotiated with the London Missionary Society for the LMS to take over responsibility for the work in Nauru. Revd P A Delaporte did not return to Nauru, but he

Revd PA Delaporfe (centre) consulting with JAroi, Deireragea, and TDetudamo

12 Revd Percy and Mrs Gladys Hannah with their son

Mrs Gladys Hannah and students completed the translation of the Bible and also a Nauman dictionary. He became pastor of successive mid-West Churches of the German Congregational Conference, and died at Gridley on 19th September 1928. His wife died the following year.

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society assumed responsibility for the work on Nauru from 1917. T Detudamo returned from the USA and for a time the visiting LMS missionary arranged for a division of responsibility between him and J Aroi. From 1919 J Aroi was in full charge. The village churches were served by deacons trained at the Mission House.

13 Revd Clifford Welch Revd James Aingimea

They ail reported to the LMS missionaries when they visited Nauru in the mission ship John Williams. From 1923 to 1926 Revd H P Bralsford visited from his base in Ocean Island. In 1 923 the government appointed a Director of Education with J Aroi as Head Government teacher; church-directed education now became public. Eventually in 1927 the LMS appointed a missionary to live on Nauru. Revd Percy Hannah and his wife served there until 1 935. He did much to heal the division within the churches and worked hard to prevent the establishment of Anglican mission work on the island. The patience, skill and reconciling spirit of Revd Clifford Welch who took over from Revd Percy Hannah in 1936, cemented the reunion of the Congregational Churches in time for their Jubilee celebrations in 1937. These took place from 2nd to Sth November 1937 and an honoured and chief participant in these celebrations was Tabwia who was brought from retirement from his native island, Abatang, in the Gilbert Islands. A huge church seating 1,000 had been built and equipped with an electric organ and with three stained-glass windows; this was called Jubilee Church.

Japanese interlude Nauru Island suffered heavily during World War II. The installations of the British Phosphate Company were shelled and heavily damaged In 1941 by a Japanese vessel which flew the German flag. At the same time five vessels waiting off the island to load

14 phosphate were sunk. Revd Clifford Welch was on Nauru al the time of this incident. Shortly afterwards he left for New Zealand and became minister of the Congregational Church at Beresford Street, Auckland. The Japanese attacked and took over Nauru in August 1942. They converted the island into an armed fortress, elongated the airstrip, and used it as a major air-oase for the Central

Jubilee Church at the 1937 celebrations

15 Buada Chapel, taken when 78 The Mission House, destroyed in the children were baptised war

Pacific. These were bitter years for the Nauruans. Sufficient repairs were made to work the phosphate. The worst feature of the Japanese occupation was cruelty. A capitation tax was levied on the Chinese. Two Chinese were beheaded for 'wandering around at night’. So was a Gilbertese. Two villages were totally destroyed to make way for the airstrip. Seven Japanese bombers parked on the airstrip were surprised and destroyed by allied aircraft. The 39 leprosy patients were crowded into a leaky boat, towed out to sea and set adrift. 1,200 Nauruans (the majority of the people) were taken to Truk tn the Caroline Group during late 1942 and 1943. 463 died on Truk. The remainder were returned Io their homeland by the British Phosphate Company ship Trienza on 31 st January 1946.

Up from the ruins One of the casualties of the war was the magnificent Jubilee Church with its stained glass windows, electric organ and seating for 1.000. Dedicated in 1937 the building was used by the Japanese for cement storage and was destroyed in the war by Allied bombing. The Jubilee Church was an important symbol to Nauru, not just as a building, but because it celebrated the reunification of the churches, to which the LMS representative Revd Clifford Welch made a major contribution. After the wrar Revd Welch returned for six months io assess the situation. In April 1947, eight months after he had left, Revd J S Robinson came, followed in September by his wife and family. Because of the total destruction of all mission property they were housed to begin with in a building of native materials brought across from the Gilbert Islands in John Williams. Robinson’s work was particularly strenuous as urgent pastoral work was linked with the equally urgent need to provide places for worship and a new mission house. He and his

16 Nauruan colleagues worked with the Australian authorities who were mandated by the United Nations to administer the island from 1945. In 1950 Itubwa Amram went to Australia to commence preparation as a full-time minister of the Nauruan Church, From 1951 a Gilbertese pastor was appointed by the Gilbert Islands District to care for the Gilbertese and Ellice people living in the British Phosphate Company Labour Location.

Fifty years into freedom At the United Nations Conference in San Francisco in 1945 Nauru was placed under the guidance of Australia to prepare the island for independence. Rebuilding was given first place. Australia and other accessible lands supplied the timber, cement and other basics. Hawaii. Hong Kong and Taiwan added amenities rare in older structures. And, of course, al! united in building the village churches, of which one established in 1903 remained Roman Catholic, and one declared itself an Independent Church. The Mission House was enlarged so that missionary or Nauruan chief minister, book store, printing press, medical supplies and church supplies were conveniently available. The facilities for phosphate work, loading and shipping were rebuilt or replaced till they ranked among the world’s best.

The post-war churches With the strong co-operation among the Australians, LMS, Hawaiian Evangel Mission, Nauruan leaders, and a very favourable agreement with the phosphate company, the Nauruans chose to stress housing, church building and education. Till 1927 the schools had been mission administered. In that year J Aroi was created head teacher. Training schools were set up. Promising students were sent abroad for educational and ministerial training. With the 1945 UN mandate a much more favourable monetary arrangement enabled the Australian Administration and the Nauruan Council to establish compulsory education from infants to eighteen years. The 1 985 figures reported to the UN showed 99 per cent literacy, higher than the USA or UK, and the annual per capita income, over $21,000, was one of the highest in the world. The number of Australian administrators was slowly diminished as Nauruans were training to replace them to be ready for the day of independence: 1 st January 1968.

Outreach An important and exciting aspect of the spread of the Christian faith in the Pacific has been the role played by islanders in evangelising other Pacific islands. Scarcely has a viable Church been gathered than missionaries have volunteered for service in o^ier parts of the Pacific. From Nauru pastors, teachers and families volunteered to go to Papua New' Guinea. These were not supported by the LMS or by the ABCFM. They were Nauruans

17 who volunteered out of desire to share the gospel which had meant so much to them. The first to go was James Aingimea who went to Daru District in Papua New Guinea with his family in May 1954.

Revd A ! Amram Mrs Elizabeth Amram Education The search for general education was greatly assisted by funds from phosphate revenues. Nauruans were posted to medical school in Suva, to Camden College in Melbourne, to Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand, and to universities across the US and in the UK. Their example has led others to seek wider education.

Fellowship In May 1958 a delegation of five Nauruans was sent from their Church to attend the biennial meetings of the Congregational Union of Australia held at Burwood, New South Wales. The delegation included Revd Itubwa Amram and Pastor J Aroi. They were accompanied by Revd Ray Forman (LMS) who had arrived in Nauru with his family in March 1 954 to fill the vacancy left by Revd John Robinson.

Revd Itubwa Amram The central Congregational Church and the five district branches grewr to their present stature as the spiritual heart of Nauru chiefly because of the long and arduous service of Nauruans, chief of whom is Itubwa Amram. Early in 1956. Amram returned to his homeland from highly successful years of study in Australia. After graduation from the Congregational Camden College he earned his

18 Licentiate in Theology (US BD or MDiv) al Melbourne College of Divinity. He was ordained as a Minister of Christ in Nauru in June 1957 at which time, most fittingly, Revd Norman Cocks of England, a Secretary of the LMS, was visiting Nauru. The Revd Itubwa Amrams initial service, his preaching, his love of people, his administrative capacity and his teaching skill made such a favourable impression that the Church Council, representative of all districts, encouraged him to accept a scholarship in the Program of Advanced Religious Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New- York, for the 1959-60 academic year. Before returning to Nauru in late 1960 he was able to attend a short course at the famed Ecumenical Institute at Bossey not far from Geneva, Switzerland.

independence The Congregational Church was independent by nature, and from an early date was largely dependent on money raised locally However, the country was under foreign political and commercial control until the end of I 967. From 1945 Nauru was governed under a United Nations mandate. By that mandate Australia’s role was sei as the preparation of the island for self-government. This required joint conferences to organise the government In the beginning the framework was an administrator, a council, a system of courts, medical officer, school system, police, postal service, surveyor and nurses. Commercially the phosphate works were staffed by a commission which provided everything from plumber and electrician to hardware store and harbour-master. Gradually the government made room for private or district enterprise. Nauruans were appointed as officers in ever Increasing numbers. The road to independence had to take into account the large numbers of workers imported from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Australia, New Zealand and China. But in just two decades the first general election was held. Sworn into office were the President, Honourable Hammer De-Roburt, and 18 Members of Parliament elected by district, of whom five (including the President) formed the Cabinet. The Australian dollar was declared the Nauruan official currency. On 1st January 1968 the Iota! administrative structure created from 1947 onwards came under the authority of the islanders themselves. They took charge of all public, services including radio, telephone, roads, co-operative store, hospitals, social centre and Air Nauru. Negotiations proceeded so that the British Phosphate Company became the Nauru Phosphate Company with the Nauru government having a controlling interest.

Nauru today Of the total population of about 8,000 in Nauru nearly 6,000 are Nauruans, and imported workers number about 2,000—500 from Kiribati, 500 from Tuvalu, 500 Chinese, and others from the Solomon Islands, New' Zealand and Australia. Since 1959 a Kiribati pastor has served the people from his country and Tuvaluans now have their own pastor. They use a church building provided within the Nauru Phosphate Company Labour Location. The majority of the island's 6,000 Nauruans belong to the Nauru Congregational Church. This has a council of representatives, from each of the five district

19 branches, who meet each month with the Chairman of the Church, Reed Alfred Itubwa Amram, and with the retired pastor, Revd P J Aingimea, and the General Secretary Mr Reuben Kun. A bookshop/library is maintained in the refurbished mission house. The Church expects shortly to send two young men overseas for theological training. Nauru Congregational Church and the future The Congregational Church was pah of the Congregational Union of Australia until the time that the Congregational Union became part of the Uniting Church in Australia. It has retained fraternal links with the Uniting Church and has become a member Church of the Pacific Conference of Churches. In 1981 Nauru Congregational Church became a member Church of the Council for World Mission, In an article dated 10th March 1987, Revd Itubwa Amram wrote; 'The Nauru Congregational Church faces a number of ill problems such as alcoholism, permissiveness

Stained glass window in the present- The Vice-president of Nauru, and day church at Orro deacon at Orro Church

and materialism, just to name a feu/. However. I would like to draw attention to some of the more pertinent issues seriously affecting the life of the Church. The first issue is this: 'How are we to overcome the failure of so many who are earnest Christians to relate what they believe to their daily life and conduct? They come to church and they seek the face of God. They sit in his presence and hear his word. Their hope and trust are stayed on him. But they find it hard to live it out in a truly effective pattern of Christian life—we all do; we stand in more need of the grace of God than words can tell. ‘The second issue looks further afield; How are we to overcome the nominalism of so

20 many who profess and call themselves Christians, bul that is all? The strange thing is that so many nominal adherents seem unaware of the anomaly which that form of adherence creates. They like to know that the Church is there and that they can turn to it whenever they need it! But how are we to break through the crust—and come to grips with reality?1 Mr Amram went on to call people to greater sharing and to greater care of their environment. ‘We need to know one another and be free to share ourselves with one another—our hurts, our fears, our hopes, our joys and sorrows. . . . Could not the Church give the lead also in cleaning up the environment? The beaches and open spaces are littered with cans, broken glass, broken bottles and other rubbish. What is wrong with the Church embarking on a programme of cleaning up Pleasant Island (the name give by Captain Fearn, the discoverer in 1798), of taking pride in the beauty of God’s creation? ‘ 1987 is our centenary year. On 2nd November last year we began our celebration with a combined service at Orro, conducted by Revd Itubwa Amram whose theme was “The Big Commission”, which related the commitments of the people who served God in Nauru since 1887. Our big day is Sth November this year, thanking our heavenly Father who in his goodness and mercy broke forth his living Word wrhere once there was darkness but now is light, the glorious light of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. ‘It is essential that wfe give attention to training young leaders. The young people are the church of the future. They need to be challenged in ways that will make the Gospel relevant. lWe need a deep appraisal of relationships and a radical renewal. Out Church must be challenged to a new discipleship to Christ so that worshippers are renewed and enabled to exercise their ministry-gifts in an outgoing programme of evangelism to the community which leads to church growth.’

Acknowledgements Material for this booklet has been culled from many sources. Large portions have been taken from Dr H D Gray’s article on The Centenary of the Congregational Church in Nauru published in the 1987 issue of the Congregational Journal. His sources were materia! from Mr David Watson, Regional Secretary of the International Congregational Fellowship. Dr Arvel M Steece, Historian of the US Congregational Christian Churches; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the Mission House Museum, Honolulu; the Hawaiian Historical Society; available printed work and Revd A I Amram. Other material has been gathered from the Nauru Congregational Church including articles published for the 1 937 Jubilee celebrations. Also certain facts have come from Revd Dr John Garrett, and others directly from the LMS/Council for World Mission Archives in London.

Barrie Scopes July 1987

21 Picture credits Page 1 CWM. Page 9 Nauru Congregational Church (NCC). Page 10 CWM. Page 12 NCC. Page 13 NCC. Page 14 NCC, CWM. Page 15 C Welch. Page 16 C Welch. Page 18 CWM. Page 20 CWM.