The Seventh-day Adventist Church wants to be “a participant in building a strong society” wherever the church is present, said Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist Church worldwide, during a March 1 meeting with Gaston Flosse, president of French Polynesia. 

During the Presidential Palace meeting, Paulsen presented Flosse with a copy of the church’s “Statement on Well-being and Value of Children,” released in July 2000. Noting that French Polynesia is a “young society” with 52 percent of the population under 20 years of age, Paulsen said that the Adventist Church has a “principal interest in caring for the welfare and well-being of children.” He also congratulated the president on his proclamation of the year 2001 as the Year of the Child in French Polynesia.

Flosse, addressing a gathering at the Adventist Church in Papeete, Tahiti, pledged to support the church’s efforts to provide quality education to the predominantly young society of his country. The “government will continue to support the education offered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and other churches,” said Flosse. “Thank you for expressing the principles you stand for and for your solidarity with the goals we commonly share. Education is the answer to many problems we face in society. Parents are well aware of this. It is not acceptable for children not to have access to education.”

“You offer a good family environment in the church,” added Flosse. He challenged the church “to go outside the church and help other families provide the right spiritual atmosphere to grow in.”

The Adventist Church in French Polynesia is currently constructing a new school in Papeete—a US$2 million facility with classrooms for 420 students at both the primary and junior high levels.

“Three quarters of the funding comes from the state,” explains Clifford Doom, secretary of the Adventist Church in French Polynesia. “The state supports all worthy causes by different churches.” When the new facility is completed later this year, the school will relocate from its present location outside the city center.

Last year, the Adventist Church in French Polynesia was granted a 24-hour FM-radio license and the government provided substantial funding for the studio facility as well as salaries for two radio employees. “We are the only such radio operation in the South Pacific region and our reputation is growing,” says Marcel Millaud, the station manager.

Since its first program on December 18, 2000, the station has experienced a steady growth in its audience base. “We are flooded with responses and requests,” says Millaud, who also teaches philosophy at Papeete state school. “We have four full-time employees and 15 volunteers. Everyone is happily busy.”

Addressing the quinquennial gathering of the Adventist Church in French Polynesia, Paulsen spoke of the church as a “faith community that cannot just sit in judgment on society. We need to help and involve ourselves in the well-being of our neighbors.”

“While we are primarily a spiritual community, we have commitments to life itself, to the environment that we have no right to destroy, and to the health and well-being of each person,” said Paulsen. “We have a commitment to our children. I commend the president and his government for their initiatives aimed at protecting children.”

Paulsen’s message comes at a time when communities in French Polynesia are grappling with the issues of family violence and the abuse of women and children. Paulsen challenged members of the Adventist Church to uphold the dignity of every human being and to serve as “examples of living at peace with one another, living in harmony together.”

The Adventist Church in French Polynesia has 45 congregations and a faith family of some 5,000 baptized adult believers.

During the final day of his 16-day visit to the South Pacific region, Paulsen met with the Tahiti press corps. In each country, the media reported extensively on Paulsen’s presence and his public statements.  Paulsen also paid a courtesy visit to Jean Arribaud, High Commissioner of France, who recognized the church’s contribution to education in French Polynesia.