Barakau thanksgiving total highest

By ELLEN TIAMU
MOTUANS are renowned for lots of money floating around whenever there’s a wedding feast going on in any of the villages. Everyone gets together and contributes to the event with notes kept of how much each individual, family or clan has contributed. These groups of people repay the goodwill and also try to outdo one another at every consecutive feast.
Another event where contributing cash is important, and one more closer to the heart of the Motuan people, is the boubou or annual church thanksgiving. At this event too, villagers not only try to raise as much as they can for the work of the church, but they also try to outdo each other in terms of monetary contributions.
For them, it is a healthy competition that compels them to give back to God for his blessings and grace throughout the year.
Members of the Rev Sir Ravu Henao Memorial United Church in Barakau village, along the Magi Highway, recently held a boubou where they gave exceedingly above what was previously the record amount of money.
The 300-member congregation formed out of 17 clans on Sunday Oct 29, raised a total of over K235, 000, beating their previous best of K161,000 raised in 2012.
For the members of the Sir Ravu Henao church, their giving back to God was a culmination of a year’s sacrifice and dedication and as is with all boubous, it was a song and dance filled afternoon as each clan brought forward their final gifts for the church year. Church Treasurer Tau Nanadai, was an ecstatic man.
“I thank God for people willingly giving with all their heart.
“K36, 000 out of this money will go towards the work of the United Church in the Kadeboro Circuit.”
There are nine local churches within this circuit – Gwarumemase, Gohu, Tubusereia, Barakau, Seme, Dagoda, Orikoro, Gaire, Sabuia and Manugoro.
Nanadai said some of the money will go towards the maintenance of the huge double storey church- by far the largest United Church building in Central and NCD – while some of it will go towards administration of the church and spiritual development programmes.
“Thanksgiving monies come from tithing every Sunday.”
“We previously just gave each clan a certain amount to contribute for that year and it works towards that.
The clan that gave the highest amount two weeks ago was Gamada 1with nearly K60,000.
“For the United Church, annual thanksgiving is the only way that it makes money to conduct its work of preaching the gospel,” Nanadai pointed out.
He is also pleased that this feat was achieved under the supervision of the new pastor Gada Agaru, who will be clocking one year at Barakau next month.
All pastors to the Rev Sir Ravu Henao church have been Motuans, coastal people, and Agaru is the first leader of the flock who hails from the inland Rigo village of Manugoro.
Nanadai hopes that the same amount of goodwill will prevail next year.
“If the people feel that they want to contribute some more, they are free to do so. If they don’t that is fine too,” he concluded.