Church of St. George
Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of TongaA Mission of the Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of New Zealand
Church of St. George
Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga
Welcome!
Michael’s first trip to Tonga in April, 2019, meeting for the first time His Eminence Metropolitan Myron (left), Archimandrite Meletios Pantic & Fr. Paul Patitsas
We are an Orthodox Christian family from Eagle River, Alaska. After listening to a podcast about the extraordinary missionary efforts of the Holy Orthodox Christian Metropolis of New Zealand we felt a strong calling from our Lord to reach out and see how our family might be able to assist in their holy work. Because Michael is a building contractor, the Metropolis invited him to assist in completing a temple that has been started in the Kingdom of Tonga. After growing closer to the people of Oceania we decided to move to the South Pacific to assist with the Apostolic Ministry.
In March 2022 we moved our family to Viti Levu in the Fiji Islands to join the mission parish at the Sacred Church of the Holy Trinity in Saweni, Lautoka. After a year adjusting to life in the Pacific and learning more about mission life, we received the blessing of our Mission Director to move to Tonga to help re-establish the small mission there, under the supervision of Fr. Bartholomew Senibulu, a Fijian priest who has been assigned to reopen the mission now that the COVID-induced lockdowns are lifted. God-willing we will travel to Tonga in August 2023. You can keep updated on our progress by signing up for our mailing list.
This website is to share our story and keep folks updated on the progress we make. Our hope is that you will be inspired to support and participate in the missionary labors of our Holy Orthodox Church in some way – whether by supporting this project or another missionary ministry that speaks to your heart. As our Lord said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matt. 9:13).
Thank you for your prayers for the blessed Apostolic Ministry in Oceania!
Michael & Meghan Jones
Watch the Film!
The incredible story of the Orthodox Pacific Mission details the miraculous events following Metropolitan Amfilochios Tsoukos’s arrival in the Pacific, his tireless efforts and remarkable achievements in bringing Orthodoxy to the islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
Working to Complete the Church of St. George
Construction of the Church of St. George in Nuku’alofa, Tonga began in 2016, by the blessing of then-Archbishop of New Zealand, His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilochios. Using funds donated from Orthodox Christians in Greece and Australia, the church structure was completed. However, much work is needed before the building is ready to serve as an Orthodox Christian temple. The Church is weatherproof and marble tile floors have been installed, but the remainder of the finish work needs to be done.
Under the direction of the current hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Myron, we are continuing to make progress on the project. Through the prayers of St. George, we hope to have the church ready for divine services as soon as possible.
Tour the Church of St. George in Tonga!
In March, 2020 I lead a team of five volunteers from the US to help a work crew from Greece finish weatherproofing the building. Our team raised almost $20,000 to pay for travel expenses and building materials. Watch this video to see the progress we made!
The Podcast that Started Our Journey: An Interview with Missionary Priest Fr. Paul Patitsas
Ancient Faith Presents – March 1, 2018
This interview gives a wonderful overview of the missionary work accomplished by the Holy Metropolis of New Zealand in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga over the past decade. Fr. Paul’s invitation for listeners to help was the inspiration for us to reach out and eventually get involved in this project.
Visit the Metropolis Website
The Holy Metropolis of New Zealand website has lots of great information about the work God has accomplished through their hands in a short time. Please take a look, and consider how you could support the work of the archdiocese.
Michael's Tonga Blog
Post 1 – I’m Going to Tonga!?!
Malo e Lelei! Six weeks ago I had never even heard of Tonga, or if I had it didn’t stick with me. Samoa? Yes. There are quite a few Samoans in Alaska, plus the famous Orthodox NFL linebacker Troy Polamalu is of Samoan Descent. Fiji? Best I could tell you is it was...
Post 2 – First Day in the Kingdom of Tonga
Hot, but not too bad. Partly cloudy, so the sun isn’t killing me. I rode in front with His Eminence, and Fr. Paul behind, helping to translate as necessary. His Eminence speaks English fairly well, but he’s only been in New Zealand a year or so, and he’s still getting...
Post 3 – Sunday in Tonga
His Eminence Metropolitan Myron officiated the Divine Liturgy this morning, and I helped Fr. Paul with the singing. About a dozen local Tongan people came to the service. Afterwards His Eminence and Fr. Meletios spoke with the small congregation a bit about the Church...
