Josaia Rayawa
Encyclopedia
Ratu
Josaia Naulumatua Rayawa is a Fiji
an Chief
, religious minister, and political leader. He served in the Senate
from 2001 to 2006 as one of nine nominees of the Fijian government. He had previously been President of the now-defunct Christian Democratic Alliance
(VLV), which won three seats in the 1999 election
.
Rayawa was born in Nabudrau, Noco
, in Rewa
Province
on 28 December 1931. He currently holds the title of Tui Noco and is one of the district chiefs in the province of Rewa. Educated in the United States
, he holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Religious Education
and a Master of Arts
degree in Theology from AOG
Theological Graduate School in Springfield
, Missouri
.
Ordained as an Assemblies of God minister in 1967, Rayawa has been active in community and religious works in various nations of the South Pacific, including Fiji. He has worked and pastored in Lautoka
(1960-1966); Beqa
(1966); Levuka
(1967); Labasa
(1968-1973), the Solomon Islands
(1971, as a missionary), Dreketi(1968-1972), and Caubati (1974-1977). During this time, he worked as senior lecturer at the South Pacific Bible College in Wainadoi, Fiji. He worked as an evangelist and helped establish missionary work in Waya Island in the Yasawas. He was also senior Pastor/founder of Suva Community Christian Fellowship (1991-1996).
The Assemblies of God appointed Rayawa 1st District Suprindendant Northern Division in 1969. He was elected General Secretary of the AOG Executive Council, Fiji (1988-1996). He has been invited as a conference speaker in Tonga
, Vanuatu
, New Caledonia
, Kiribati
, New Zealand
, Australia
, and Madras, India
. Following his semi-retirement from Executive Council and pastoral work, Rayawa ventured into the political arena, where he served as President of the Christian Democratic Alliance. He served as a Senator in the Upper House of Government during SDL Governance.
As a young man, Rayawa served as a Royal Fiji Military
soldier in the Malayan Anti-Communist campaign during the 1950s. He was also an active rugby player in the Combined Services Rugby team.
Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
Josaia Naulumatua Rayawa is a Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an Chief
Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
, religious minister, and political leader. He served in the Senate
Senate (Fiji)
The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...
from 2001 to 2006 as one of nine nominees of the Fijian government. He had previously been President of the now-defunct Christian Democratic Alliance
Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji)
The Christian Democratic Alliance, better known locally by its Fijian name, Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakarisito , was a Fijian political party that operated in the late 1990s and early 2000s....
(VLV), which won three seats in the 1999 election
Fiji election of 1999
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999. They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.-Electoral system:Previously,...
.
Rayawa was born in Nabudrau, Noco
NoCo
NoCo, or No Compromise, is an alternative rock band from Silver Spring, Maryland.NoCo was rated as one of DC's "Hottest 5 Bands" by Metromix and W-USA 9 in 2010....
, in Rewa
Rewa Province
Rewa is a province of Fiji. With a land area of 272 square kilometers , it includes the capital city of Suva and is in two parts - one including part of Suva's hinterland to the west, and a noncontiguous area to the east, separated from the rest of Rewa by Naitasiri Province...
Province
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
on 28 December 1931. He currently holds the title of Tui Noco and is one of the district chiefs in the province of Rewa. Educated in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he holds a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Religious Education
Religious Education
Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in Theology from AOG
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
Theological Graduate School in Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Ordained as an Assemblies of God minister in 1967, Rayawa has been active in community and religious works in various nations of the South Pacific, including Fiji. He has worked and pastored in Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
(1960-1966); Beqa
Beqa
Beqa is an island in Fiji, an outlier to the main island of Viti Levu, 10 kilometers to the south. The island has a land area of 36 square kilometers and reaches a maximum altitude of 462 meters.-Tradition:...
(1966); Levuka
Levuka
Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. It was formerly the Capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population of 1,131 , about half of Ovalau's 8,360 inhabitants...
(1967); Labasa
Labasa
Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...
(1968-1973), the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
(1971, as a missionary), Dreketi(1968-1972), and Caubati (1974-1977). During this time, he worked as senior lecturer at the South Pacific Bible College in Wainadoi, Fiji. He worked as an evangelist and helped establish missionary work in Waya Island in the Yasawas. He was also senior Pastor/founder of Suva Community Christian Fellowship (1991-1996).
The Assemblies of God appointed Rayawa 1st District Suprindendant Northern Division in 1969. He was elected General Secretary of the AOG Executive Council, Fiji (1988-1996). He has been invited as a conference speaker in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Madras, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Following his semi-retirement from Executive Council and pastoral work, Rayawa ventured into the political arena, where he served as President of the Christian Democratic Alliance. He served as a Senator in the Upper House of Government during SDL Governance.
As a young man, Rayawa served as a Royal Fiji Military
Military of Fiji
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...
soldier in the Malayan Anti-Communist campaign during the 1950s. He was also an active rugby player in the Combined Services Rugby team.