First Sabbath Offering for a chapel on Maré Island, New Caledonia

New Caledonia, with a land area of 18,576 km2, is an archipelago of the French Republic, located in the South Pacific Ocean. It is situated 1500 km east of Australia and 2000 km north of New Zealand. The group of islands, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets known as Lifou, Ouvea, and Maré.

The population of 268,000 inhabitants, as of August 2014, is divided across three provinces—the North Province, the South Province, and the Loyalty Islands Province. The population is a mix of Melanesia natives of New Caledonia, Polynesians, Uveans, Europeans, and Southeast Asian people. The capital of the territory is Noumea.

Half of the population is Roman Catholic, including most of the Europeans, Uveans, Vietnamese, and half of the Melanesian and Polynesian minorities. Protestant adherents are almost entirely Melanesian. There are also numerous other Christian groups and small numbers of Muslims.

The message of revival and reformation came to New Caledonia in 1984. The work progressed to the point where, today, there are two groups of believers in Noumea and one on the island of Maré. Only the North Province is yet to be reached by our message.

At its inception, the New Caledonia Mission was connected with the French Polynesia Field. However, in 2012, it became a mission connected to the General Conference and, in December 2013, became one of the seven founding missions of the South Pacific Union Mission.

By the grace of God, one brother on Maré has donated land for the building of a church. Now, for the first time, we will be constructing a house of worship for the Lord. Our resources, however, are insufficient to complete this project. Therefore, we are appealing to our brothers and sisters around the world to help us realize this plan. As you remember us in your giving, we pray that the Lord will bless you wonderfully and shower abundant grace to all.

“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands” (Isaiah 42:12).

Your brothers and sisters from New Caledonia