A ‘prayerful man, humble servant of God’ farewelled
The late general secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji Reverend Iliesa Naivalu was a man who entered into the presence of God deeply in prayer.
This was the sentiment shared by Pacific Council of Churches President, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong, during the thanksgiving service for the late Reverend Naivalu at the Centenary Church in Suva yesterday. Family and friends turned up in numbers to farewell a man who was described as a humble servant of God.
Archbishop Loy Chong said Reverend Naivalu took up two important positions in the church this year and that was as the general secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji as and the vice-president of the Fiji Council of Churches.
“He had a prayerful nature, he had the heart of Jesus when it comes to standing up for people’s needs,” he said.
“He was always ever ready, always willing and happy when we worked together on social issues or on issues of injustice in Fiji.
“As the President of the Fiji Council of Churches, I had great hopes of working with Reverend Naivalu.
“The Fiji Council of Churches, we’ll definitely miss his presence and especially his warm smile.”
Delivering his eulogy from Melbourne, Australia, Reverend Naivalu’s son, Mosese Naivalu, said though his father held high positions in Church, at home he was a husband, father and the best grandfather.
“At home he was Nau’s best friend and husband and his children’s vava or dad and he would always bring himself a level down to in the same level with his grandkids so that they know he is always there as a grandfather,” he said.
He also said growing up, his parents’ teachings were based on the importance of their faith in God and education. After the service at the Centenary Church yesterday morning, the procession departed for Yalobi in Yasawa where the body of Reverend Naivalu rested for a night before he is laid to rest today.