By Thomas C. Hanson
Epeli and Sofi Kanaimawi, who pastor the churches in Fiji and Tonga, attended a garden tea party July 16 at Buckingham Palace given by Queen Elizabeth to honor recipients of the Royal Victorian Order.
The Royal Victorian Order was established by Queen Victoria 100 years ago to honor those who have served the monarch in a personal way. The tea party, with about 5,000 in attendance, marked the order's 100th anniversary.
Mr. Kanaimawi received the Royal Victorian Order in 1977 when Queen Elizabeth visited Fiji during the Silver Jubilee of her reign.
At that time Mr. Kanaimawi was commissioner of the northern part of Fiji, and Mrs. Kanaimawi helped arrange for her visit to the northern part of Fiji.
At the tea party, the Kanaimawis chatted with the Queen as the royal family mingled with attendees.
Mr. Kanaimawi met Robert Runcie, the former archbishop of Canterbury, and talked to him about doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God.
Mr. Runcie replied, "I will now say some good things about the Worldwide Church of God."
Later, George Henderson, a local church elder in London, told Mr. Kanaimawi that Mr. Runcie is from St. Albans, near the former Bricket Wood campus of Ambassador, and because of what the Worldwide Church of God said about the Anglican Church in the past, Mr. Runcie had a poor opinion of the church.
Mr. Henderson said he hopes Mr. Runcie will say good things about the Worldwide Church of God, because what Mr. Runcie says carries a lot of weight in the Anglican Church and in England as a whole.
The Kanaimawis had previously decided against making the trip to England because it was too costly. However, Mr. Kanaimawi was given free airfare on British Airways, and visa fees were also waived. The Kanaimawis' grandson Eugene, 9, accompanied them and flew for 10 percent.
In addition to pastoring the churches in Fiji and Tonga, Mr. Kanaimawi serves isolated members in Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands.
Mr. Kanaimawi is chairman of the grants committee for the University of the South Pacific. The committee sets the contribution levels for the 12 member countries that support the university, headquartered in Fiji with satellite campuses in all member countries.
When Mr. Kanaimawi visits the member nations, he also visits members in those areas. In dealings with the university he is introduced as the minister of the Worldwide Church of God.
Mr. Kanaimawi is one of a three- person interim administration committee for the Banaba people, who earlier lived on Ocean Island in Kiribati, but because of phosphate mining on their island they were asked to leave, and they resettled on the island of Rabi in Fiji.
In this role Mr. Kanaimawi visits the northern part of Fiji and conducts Bible studies in Taveuni and Labasa and visits the member family of Jacob Christopher on Rabi Island.
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