More than 500 young people from 13 island nations are represented at the Trans-Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) Youth Congress, which is being held this week at Fulton College in Sabeto, Fiji.

Fiji President George Konrote officially opened the congress on Tuesday. The theme is “Radical Discipleship in Action” and guest speakers are Dr. Hyveth Williams, Professor of Homiletics, Theological Seminary at Andrews University, and Dr. Paul Siope, senior regional pastor for the North New Zealand Conference. The congress closes on Sabbath and the youth will start heading home on Sunday after a “Radical” breakfast.

TPUM youth director Faafetai Matai said the main aim of the congress is to challenge the young people to commit one year of their lives to missionary work: building relationships with their neighbors and friends, leading them to Jesus and planting new churches. “This is the whole emphasis of ‘Pacific Reach’, which we have been running for four years now,” he said.

The workshop presenters are Dr. Leigh Rice, Dr. Peter Roennfeldt, Dr. Ronald Stone, Pastor Wayne Boehm, Dr. Trafford Fischer, Dr. Alipate Vakamocea, Pastor Maveni Kaufononga and Dr Nick Kross.

Today the young people will do a variety of community service activities, including participating in clean-ups at the Lautoka and Nadi hospitals, an aged care facility and an orphanage, and planting trees at the Fulton campus. Tomorrow, they will join representatives of Adventist women’s ministries and other organizations in a march in Lautoka city in support of the “End It Now” campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness and advocating for the end of violence against women and children around the world.