Our work in Vanuatu began in 1987, with the vision of our founders to evangelise unreached communities and minister in existing churches across the islands. They also built a substantial home base for community assistance and gospel outreach in the remote north of Tanna Island.
Today, our work primarily involves school education, ongoing community assistance projects, disaster relief, and major public Christian events. All is done openly in Jesus’ name, and in partnership with local churches and other community groups, with our eyes set on a brighter future for the people of Vanuatu!
LifeChanger Christian College
LifeChanger Christian College is located on the main island of Efate, at the edge of Port Vila in the Prima area. It meets a deep local need: affordable, accessible primary and secondary Christian education in the Prima region. It’s no mistake that the local name for our Christian ministry and community assistance projects is LifeChanger!
The school is a Christian faith mission to the surrounding community and is staffed by thirty local men and women who work full-time in the classrooms, offices, nutrition centre, clinic, and school grounds. 280 students ranging from Preschool to Year 10 learn in a happy and safe school environment, where their supportive Christian environment and their hands-on experience prepare them with confidence, knowledge and skills for life.
Being set in the midst of poor village communities, the school provides daily meals for students who would otherwise have little or nothing to eat until their evening meal. Our daily Nutrition Program has improved students’ general health and wellbeing, and their ability to concentrate and learn through the day.
The school meets a deep local need, but the wider need for schooling across the islands of Vanuatu is immense. Only about 10% of the Ni-Vanuatu population complete high school, due mostly to its prohibitive costs. Through the school, we are providing great opportunity for the community, demonstrating the good news of Christ’s love both in “word and deed”! (Col 3:17)
Liberty People funds the school’s staff, equipment and supplies, property developments and many ongoing costs, while the families and regular local fundraisers contribute towards its running costs.
Short Term Teams
Short term teams from Australian schools and churches love to come and assist us in the LifeChanger Christian College, in the villages nearby, or with major Christian outreach events. These teams come to serve the people of Vanuatu but are always deeply blessed themselves!
Their valued contributions include:
- Building and renovating school and community facilities
- Ministry in villages and churches
- Cultural exchange
- Classroom assistance, including lessons in conversational English, and running or assisting student activities
- Professional development for teachers
- Much more!
Information for Visiting Teams
Ministry in Churches
Steve is a much-loved preacher and church planter in many nations, and the churches of Vanuatu have been greatly impacted by his ministry over the last thirty years. We continue to minister in churches across its islands, preaching the good news and inspiring believers in their walk with Jesus. Visiting teams (and individuals!) also have many opportunities to minister in local congregations.
As a non-denominational ministry, we move freely between many church groups in Vanuatu to bless and equip them through preaching and teaching, prayer, sharing songs or other creative expressions, sharing personal testimonies, and extending friendship and practical help.
Disaster Relief and Community Assistance
Vanuatu is highly exposed to cyclones, often experiencing several per year with varying ferocity. In March 2015, Cyclone PAM hit Vanuatu with devastating force. It is believed by some meteorologists to have been the strongest recorded storm to ever hit land in the southern hemisphere. Staple crops were destroyed by the winds and floods, rotting in the wet ground. Approximately 80% of the people of Vanuatu are subsistence farmers or market gardeners, and so families, communities and regions were in desperate need of food.
The impacts of this record-breaking cyclone were compounded by a drought which followed soon after. Many parts of Vanuatu were without fresh water. A well-drilling truck was donated to us and shipped from Australia, to enable us to supply fresh water to communities!
During that difficult year, we served over a million meals to people among the most affected. In the 18 months following the cyclone, we sent out 1070 roof packs and built 190 homes for families who had lost everything in the winds and flooding.
Since Cyclone Pam, our large workshop and other facilities on the LifeChanger Christian College property have continued to be centres of activity and blessing. Our staff continue working in the Community Assistance workshop preparing small house kits, and then assembling them onsite in only 1-2 days! These homes are purpose-built to endure future cyclones.
The donated water drill truck is busy through every dry season, providing fresh water to villages. The complete installation of a well and pump can be funded for only $400 AUD.
GIVE to these Community Assistance projects
Christian Events and Evangelism
Our evangelistic and worship events in Port Vila (also under the name LifeChanger), have seen incredible success. In 2015, our largest event spanned five nights and saw an attendance of 26,000 people, making it the largest Christian event in the history of Vanuatu. Almost fourteen thousand people publicly responded to the gospel!
These large meetings, along with smaller events, give us a stunning ongoing opportunity to share the gospel boldly. They also allow the people of Vanuatu to experience the power of the Holy Spirit together, in a combined-Churches context (a very rare experience in Vanuatu).
Since 2016, our Christmas Carols By Candlelight events have been incredible occasions, with around 18,000 people attending on one night. Vanuatu has never before experienced crowds like these, gathered to worship and celebrate the coming of Jesus the Creator into their world and human experience!
Our legacy of thirty years serving and loving the people of Vanuatu have given us local trust to freely run these Christian events with not only the permission of local authorities, but their strong support!
Naturally, these events require tremendous resources and manpower to coordinate and facilitate. Will you join with us? Your prayers are vital and pave the way for these powerful events — or, if you’d like to contribute financially, please donate below!
