Date: 30 Jan 2024
Vicar General for the Bishop of the Diocese of Banks and Torres, TORBA
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your engagement with Balance of Power (BOP)?
I am Father Maurice, and I am from Motalava, Banks Islands. I work as a priest for Banks and Torres with the Anglican church, and last year I was appointed as Vicar General of the Diocese of Banks and Torres. My work is to oversee the mission and all the ministries from Torres Islands to Mere Lava, and I specifically look after the women’s ministry, which is called the Mothers’ Union. I came to know about BOP through the ’ Tru the Lens’ film production last year when the BOP team and the film crew came to Sola and Rah Island to film the story of school principal, Olivia Keith. Ever since then, my wife – who works at the Women’s Desk for the Diocese and is responsible for outreach – and I have been interacting with BOP. We are working together on how we can promote and recognise women’s leadership in the ministry, in evangelism work, and especially in our outreach activities for the Mothers’ Union across the Banks and Torres islands.
Tell us how your interaction with BOP has influenced your work as a priest and Vicar General in the Anglican church?
It has helped me support my wife more in her outreach activities and encourage her ministry. I sometimes accompany her on her outreach trips to raise awareness, and to encourage her that sometimes it’s OK to forget about culture and tradition and just stand as a leader, to be bold at the frontline. This is how the outreach program, ‘Women in the Frontline’ came about – to break barriers and raise awareness that they can also carry out ministry, become evangelists, to do what God created women for. It is not only men who can talk about the Word of God, but women can also do it too. We tell them, what started with Naomi and Ruth, and Mary the mother of Jesus in helping Jesus with his ministry, in spreading the Gospel – they can do this too. Women in the Anglican church are not supported enough to preach and spread the gospel. But through the ‘Women in the Frontline’ initiative, we have been encouraging women to preach, to hold prayer groups, to stand and speak up. Women can also be in the frontline alongside men in being leaders, evangelists, and intentional disciples in the Anglican church.
In your opinion, what role can BOP continue to play in promoting women’s leadership?
I believe working with the church, with the women’s groups of the church across the provinces, is important if BOP is to help promote women’s leadership. The church plays an important role and is the cornerstone of our communities. There is still a need to continue to work with the church leaders, to continue the learning and the conversations to slowly increase the recognition of the value of women’s leadership inside the church and in our communities.