26/12/2025
Hi everyone,
Thank you to all for our working together this year 2025 till we reach here today being the boxing day and day of Saint Stephen the first Christian Martyr of the Church. It’s always energising to come together as a community, brothers and sisters, Youths and our Kids of Sa’a community both in Honiara and in our village to align on the direction of our Church and culture and the role each of us plays in shaping it. I hope you found the year has been not easy always but at time we face challenges. So many events are valuable but other event are sad as we have lost many loved ones during the year 2025. A special thank you to our engaging Priests, Catechise, Church Keepers, people with essential services as nurses, and others you provide the community to move and have our daily needs met. Not forgetting the Translation Office of Sa’a for the help of communication needs and our Transport Providers and even Shop owners and Boat Owners. Your service to the community is highly appreciated and we must acknowledge you for that great support.
We are making good progress on our 2026 Proposals. Our performance is strong and on track with key business areas, backed by investment in the capabilities we need to succeed. Apuiheu Tribal Project is leading some capable developments for our community while on the Church areas we are planning the continuation of our Cathedral Project at Sa’a. Our aim now is to see may be after two (2) years our Cathedral to be complete and ready for consecration and blessed. More rural Projects will come to support our rural people and community. Thank you – every one of you has played a part in this progress.
Looking ahead, we will need to adapt and change as the landscape around us shifts, but this does not change our direction of focus. We are staying the course to our 2026 Projects and our strategic priorities, sharpening our focus on the outcomes we want to achieve.
This year’s Christmas Program we have included a small game, and it will be on going in the memory of late Fr William Barnabas Kako Maesua and Reuben Michael Rarada together with Modesta Houkeni Rarada. The small income will go towards vestry or running of the Chapel and Church at Sa’a. While our focus areas remain unchanged, you’ll see a few adjustments on last year to reflect the meaningful progress we’ve made and what we’re focusing on next. This will see us rename ‘Modernise our community to deliver through our modernisation efforts. On People, next year we’ll continue our focus on the skills and leadership required to drive strong performance in a modern, tech-enabled world.
I feel very positive about the future. We’re in a great position –though we’re not financially strong, we still growing, and our governance and reputation are building. Each of you is contributing to this momentum, and together we can take it even further. By harnessing the full strength of Hailadami Sa’a Canoe – our expertise, diverse footprint, people, culture, and customer focus – we can continue to modernise, grow and truly set ourselves apart in this world.
As we move into the new year, I encourage you to bring your expertise and empathy to put our children and people at the heart of everything you do, and look for opportunities to learn something, try something and improve something in 2026.
Merry Christmas 2025 and Happy new year 2026.
Walter Lent Sinehanue
Anglican Communion St Barnabas Church Sa'a Community , Diocese of Southern Malaita & Sikaiana Diocese of Southern Malaita & Sikaiana(DOSMS)
