Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna Islands are French overseas territories located in the South Pacific Ocean. The Seventh-day Adventist Church established a presence in the islands in 2007.

Location and History of the Country

The Territory of Wallis and Futuna is located 280 kilometers northeast of Fiji and 370 kilometers west of Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean. The territory has two island groups (Wallis and Futuna) lying about 260 kilometers apart. The population of Wallis and Futuna is approximately 12,000. The Wallisian and Futunan community in New Caledonia numbers some 35,000.

Since 1961, the islands have been a French overseas territory. Wallisian and Futunans are French citizens and have the right to live anywhere in France. They are entitled to vote in local and national (French) elections. The president of the French Republic is the head of state and represented in Wallis and Futuna by a prefect.

The three pillars on which Wallis and Futuna rest are custom (empowered by monarchy), the Catholic Church, and the French State. There is little desire for independence from France, but there is discussion about giving the territorial assembly greater autonomy over local affairs.1

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna are a part of the territory of the New Caledonia Mission.2 Only recently has the Seventh-day Adventist Church been successful in establishing a presence among the French-speaking islanders. A man named Suane, who attended a series of Adventist meetings in New Caledonia, is the nephew of the king of Wallis and through his influence a request was made in 2007 for the Seventh-day Adventist mission to begin work in the island group.3 In response Jean-Noel Adeline went from New Caledonia to Wallis Island and developed the interest that resulted in an initial baptism of six candidates.4 There are no Adventists living on Futuna, but on Wallis Island the number of members has risen to eighteen. Sabbath School attendance numbers approximately thirty. There are mission plans to obtain a radio license to begin broadcasting the Advent message.5

Resident Adventist missionaries in the past decade have been Jean-Noel Adeline (part of 2007-2008), Fredy Tuputu (part of 2009), Matthieu Payet (2010-2011) and Nelson Kasso (2014- ).6 There are prospects for future development.

Sources

Coombe, Ray. “Sunday Worship on Wallis Island.” Record, April 30, 2011.

Kemp, Brad. “Frontier for Mission: Wallis and Futuna.” Adventist Record, March 4, 2017.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2017.

“Wallis and Futuna Country Brief.” Australian Government: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Accessed August 19, 2018. https://dfat.gov.au/geo/wallis-futuna/Pages/wallis-and-futuna-country-brief.aspx

Notes

  1. “Wallis and Futuna Country Brief,” Australian Government: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, accessed August 19, 2018, https://dfat.gov.au/geo/wallis-futuna/Pages/wallis-and-futuna-country-brief.aspx.↩
  2. “New Caledonia Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association), 353.↩
  3. Brad Kemp, “Frontier for Mission: Wallis and Futuna,” Adventist Record, March 4, 2017, 16-17.↩
  4. Ray Coombe, “Sunday Worship on Wallis Island,” Record, April 30, 2011, 9.↩
  5. Brad Kemp, “Frontier for Mission: Wallis and Futuna,” Adventist Record, March 4, 2017, 16-17.↩
  6. Graeme Drinkall, email to Milton Hook, July 19, 2018.↩