Buala SDA Church

Church History

Buala Seventh-Day Adventist Company Church.

Date: 1990

THE FIRST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN BUALA, ISABEL PROVINCE.

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) company church at Buala town in Isabel Province has consisted mostly of government workers at Buala town. For years the company church at Buala usually worshiped in residental houses for the mid-week and Sabbath worship. However, by 1990 its was decided that the church need to acquire land for a church building and also a land for SDA church at Buala town. Therefore, the members hatched a plan to get a land and build a church for SDA mission in Buala town in 1990.

Under God's guidance John Maetia Kaluae and his wife Caroline Kaluae were in Buala village at the time. Caroline Kaluae owned a prime area of land in Buala town. Caroline Kaluae offered the land to build a church for the SDA church. Furthermore, Caroline sub-divided the land then offered the best piece of the land to the SDA church as a church property and kept the other half for her family. It was a generous gesture for John and Caroline Maetia.

As a result the small SDA communities at Buala collaborated with the Western Pacific Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventist Church(WPUM) to register the land for SDA church. Work then started on the first ever SDA church building at Buala town in January 1990. It was a historical event for SDA church in Buala. Only four(4) families organised the building processes. The families and individuals who lived at Buala to organise the new church building were; family of Jadis Oscar, family of Henry Tara, John Maetia's family, Rex & daughters ( Rex is a man from Malaita who worked as a malaria microscopist), and the family of Lipson John Nunu Sisiolo. In addition Peter Buka, a single boy at that time, also played a key role. Parents of Lipson Sisiolo were also present at Buala at the time and they involved in the building then dedication of the first church.

On the very day the land forces of the Desert Storm operation entered Kuwait in 1990, the SDA church members at Buala went out for the very first time to collect bush materials for the new church building. Isabel Provincial authority was very kind to allow us to get some bush materials from Fera Island. It was evident during the planning and implementation phases of the operation that God was incharge of the plan. There were numerous stories that showed God's leading on the project. It was a great blessing to have supports and involvements of other Seventh-day Adventist villages like Hovi and others nearby. The nearby SDA villages helped to provide panadus leaves and other bush materials. In addition, the two nearby Adventist villages involved in the construction of the new church.

During the construction phase of the simple new church GOD protected His church. Some non-SDA locals around Buala area planned to burn the infant church. However, when the enemies came at night to burn the church, they saw two people dressed in white and guard the simple church. The enermies later told stories through other people and asked our team about the people that we may have used to guard the church. We did not arrange for any human to guard the church. We then knew that GOD protected His church for His glory by sending His angels to guard His church.

The new church was opened by the delegate from WPUM that consisted of Pr Collin Wince, Pr Lawrwnce Tanabose and Francis Feratalia. Glory to God.

Group photo after opening of the Buala SDA Church - First SDA church building in Buala.

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