In 1956, a plaque dedicated to the memory of Charles Christopher Godden (1876-1906) was placed in the Cash Chapel of Moore Theological College. Godden was a Moore College trained Anglican clergyman who suffered a violent death on the island of Ambae in Vanuatu in the context of his missionary ministry in Melanesia. The plaque was unveiled as “a constant reminder to students of the price which has been paid for the evangelization of the world”.[1]
In April 2024, two Moore College faculty members (Mark Earngey and Susan An) took off for Melanesia with 10 passionate and humble students to follow in Godden’s footsteps and serve in the evangelisation of that wonderful part of God’s world. On the invitation of Archbishop Leonard Dawea and Bishop Othniel Gamutu, the Moore College team were privileged to share the good news of Jesus Christ across various churches and ministries associated with the Diocese of Central Melanesia (Anglican Church of Melanesia) in the Solomon Islands.
We heard about the compassionate women’s work of the Sisters of the Community of the Church and the evangelistic endeavours of the Melanesian Brotherhood. We encouraged the teachers and students at Norman Palmer Anglican School and St Nicholas Anglican College. We heard the gospel preached and gospel choruses rise at St Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara, and were privileged to participate in the huge Sunday School ministry. We shared about the importance of biblical theological education at the Bishop Palmer Theological College and gave them a huge library of second-hand theological books donated by Moore College faculty, Matthias Media, and various retired clergy from Sydney. And we preached Christ crucified and shared our testimonies to God’s work in our lives throughout various parishes within the diocese.
Admittedly, these more formal events in our program only scratch the surface of our experiences there. We were struck by the deep concern to pass on the gospel to the next generation of Solomon Islanders. We were challenged by the sense of spiritual battle bound up with the evangelisation of Islander pagan worship. We were humbled by the simple and selfless Christian lives of the clergy who served in financially challenging circumstances. We loved seeing the liturgical love shown to the children in church—the priests and bishops would bless each of the children at the chancel steps at the conclusion of the service. And the singing! We were blown away by the powerful and uplifting harmonies and choruses rejoicing in the resurrection hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The student team were the model of visiting missionaries. The culture of high church Anglicanism was a new experience for most, and the team embodied the best form of humble curiosity and gospel-centered flexibility. They were adaptable to changing circumstances and spontaneous invitations to serve. At the beginning of the mission we were all rusty with the sometimes sudden sermon invitation, but by the end of our time we could hardly be stopped. The final evening at the cathedral went until 11:30pm and many of our students were delivering passionate 20 minute sermons, with Bible in hand, and totally off the cuff! Suffice to say, each of these Moore College students would make excellent missionaries—whether abroad or reaching the lost here in Australia.
From little things, big things grow. Today, on the island of Ambae a hospital is named after Charles Godden and Godden’s initiative of translating the Bible into Havai has been recently completed. When our Moore College mission team spoke to clergy from the Anglican Church of Melanesia about Charles Godden, the local clergy spoke with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of his short-lived missionary service. What a joy, to think that our Moore College trained students continue to go into the world and plant gospel seeds which will grow. What a thought, to consider the impact upon Sydney, throughout Australia, and around the world, of humble and faithful brothers and sisters, offering themselves as living sacrifices unto the Lord. What a prayer, to boldly ask the Lord to set aside more and more for such service. The main thing our Moore College mission has taught us is that we have an extraordinary missionary God who uses ordinary people like us.
Mark Earngey
Head of Church History
Find out more about the spiritual legacy of C.C. Godden here: “Let there be peace”: the spiritual legacy of C.C. Godden (moore.edu.au)
Please Pray
The connections we made with the clergy and ministries within the Anglican Church of Melanesia suggested five main areas for prayer. Firstly, please pray for some suitable students from the Solomon Islands to come and study at Moore College. Secondly, please pray that the churches in the Solomon Islands might benefit from the resources and ministry of Youthworks College. Thirdly, please pray for the Anglican schools in central Melanesia—they have huge numbers of students, but need more teachers. Fourthly, please pray for the Anglican Church of Melanesia to hold fast to its biblical convictions as they critically engage with the growing presence of progressive ideologies relative to their islander cultures. Finally, please pray for CMS missionary David Pettett who is serving at Bishop Patterson Theological College. Not only was David invaluable for our mission to the Solomon Islands, but his teaching of Greek and Biblical Studies will be even more invaluable for the training of clergy and clergy wives there too.
[1] Sydney Diocesan Magazine (Oct-Nov 1956), 37 as cited on https://moore.edu.au/resources/let-there-be-peace-the-spiritual-legacy-of-c-c-godden
