Most Christadelphian activity in Indonesia centres around the 60 brothers and sisters at Solo Ecclesia, Central Java. The small number in Jakarta are spread throughout that huge city and not all live in Jakarta all year round.
We are very happy to report 4 baptisms in Solo Ecclesia this past year: Bro Ucok, Sis Vinka, Sis Lily, and Bro Joko. Our prayers are with them as they begin new lives serving Jesus Christ. These baptisms have been particularly encouraging as some aged members have passed away. A lovely feature of baptisms in Solo is a ceremony where selected brothers and sisters, of different ages, and different countries (if present), group hands reinforcing our worldwide fellowship and unity.
We note, in particular, the falling asleep of Bro Sulisman at the age of 85. He lived a long and dedicated life in our Lord’s service, and now rests waiting the coming Kingdom. He made a significant contribution to Solo Ecclesia and the many brothers and sisters he encouraged and worked with. Our love, sympathy and prayers are with Sis Sulisman and his family, as well as the Ecclesia.
Study Week 2023 filled the last week of June and was very uplifting and encouraging. Under the title “5 Women of Faith” we focussed on the 5 extraordinary women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1. An abundance of lessons arose from these women. Solo concludes their annual Study Week with discussion groups where each age group summarises key learnings from the week. This review session referenced a significant number of practical lessons demonstrating how much the talks had impacted and helped the members and young people.
A highlight of the week was the attendance of 3 brothers and 2 sisters from Timor Leste. This was mutually beneficial to both the Timorese and the Indonesians, and it was great to see good friendships established. 4 brothers and sisters from Australia and 2 from Jakarta also shared the happy time. It was pleasing too to see some of the younger ones taking on leadership roles as part of the week. A workshop on planning an exhortation was also held for some of the young brothers.
Meanwhile, the usual round of Memorial Meetings, Sunday School, youth activities, and Sisters’ Classes continues. An Annual Study Day held in February 2023 on the topic “Does it matter what we believe?” began with Jesus’ discussion with the woman of Samaria, and encouraged searching to understand what God wants from us.
With Zoom capability in Solo hall, Australian speakers have been able to share the load of the hard worked Solo speakers, and also gives those in isolation the opportunity to attend the Memorial Meeting.