the
Northwest Pacific
Islands
of
Saipan, Chuuk, Palau
and Yap
Dear brethren,
This booklet has been prepared to help you become more familiar with our work of spreading the Gospel
in the Northwest Pacific Island countries. Much time, prayer, and planning has been devoted to our
decision to evangelize these islands. Our hope and prayer is that you will find this work worthy to
support and that together we can spread the Gospel where “the fields are white unto harvest,” John 4:35.
Tammy and I commend you for the concern and compassion you have for lost souls around the world.
Knowing that the will of God is to teach the Gospel to these people, we can press on toward the goal of
evangelizing the Northwest Pacific Islands with your help.
We look forward to speaking with you and will be in contact by telephone within a few days. Thank you
for your time and consideration.
Together For His Cause,
Joey & Tammy Treat
There are several groups of people on Saipan. The native people are the Chamorros. There are also
significant populations of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, and a few Americans. Virtually everyone on
Saipan speaks English. There is a church of about 50 meeting on the island. The church began with a
few baptisms resulting from correspondence courses and has grown steadily over the past several
years.
The church in Saipan is made up of new Christians. They desperately need the assistance of a
missionary to help them grow in the faith and be grounded in God’s word.
Chuuk
Never have I seen people as receptive as they are on the island of Chuuk. During our last campaign
there we spent an average of 8 hours per day conducting personal Bible studies. The Chuukese
people do not have many of the modern conveniences we are used to in the United States, but their
openness to studying God’s word is remarkable. There are three churches on Chuuk, each of which is
very small. They meet in homes (under pavilions really) and are struggling. They desperately need
continued leadership and guidance in God’s word. Most of the people do not speak English, so we will
learn the Chuukese language to better be able to speak with them. As in our own society,
communication can be made through an interpreter, but we respect people who take the time to learn
the language.
Palau
The Palauan people are some of the kindest to be found on earth. The small church of
10-20 people faces great challenges, however. Denominationalism is strong in Palau, and we must
continually fight to keep our new Christians in the church. The Palauan people need much teaching
and grounding if the church is to thrive there.
Yap
Yap is a mission field in the strictest sense of the word. There are a few in Yap who have been
baptized, but the church is not meeting. One of the difficulties is that they don’t speak English. In
Chuuk, other benefits make is possible for this barrier to be overcome. In Yap those benefits are not
as prevalent, and the church does not yet have a foothold. In order to establish God’s church in Yap
we need someone who can speak the language and spend some considerable time in the villages. Our
plan is to do just that. In addition to Chuukese we intend to learn the Yapese language.
In the field of mission work it is not common to be invited to support a work which has been operating
and successful as long as the work in the Pacific Islands. The elders of the Forest Park Church of
Christ have been overseeing the work for 20 years. The work has grown from one missionary family to
five. These missionaries do not work in the same place but are scattered through the islands. Robert
and Mary Martin work in Fiji, Randy and Sharon English in American Somoa, Terry S. Frizzell in the
Marshall Islands, Steve and Pam Vice in Saipan, and now Joey and Tammy Treat in Saipan. The
combined knowledge of evangelizing the island people is overwhelming.
These families get together for a week long retreat with the Forest Park elders every two years to
discuss the work. They discuss what works and what does not work and thereby sharpen each other’s
abilities. The Forest Park elders take a hands-on approach to overseeing the work. They not only
bring the missionary home to report but also go to him on the field. On those campaigns they work side
by side with the missionary so they know what is happening in the field.
The work in the Pacific Islands is a proven work. It is prospering and growing. May we not only pray
that the Lord of harvest will send forth laborers into the harvest, but may we send them ourselves!
1. Our goal is to establish an indigenous church which means local Christians accept responsibility
for their new life in Christ.
a. We will help them to see from the start that they can direct their own worship services. In so
doing, they will more likely be faithful when we are not with them.
b. We plan to make regular visits with them as needed for teaching the basics. Every 90 days we are
scheduled to go from Saipan to each of the outer islands.
c. We want to impress upon these new congregations that one day we will not return to them due to
either death or a call to another work by God. Thus it will be important for them to carry on their work.
d. We will stress the need for them to stand on the word of God only and for it to be their sole guide.
e. We will show them what simply New Testament Christianity is and how people of every race can
please God in obedience to His will.
f. We will warn the new Christians against customs, traditions, and local practices and teach them
that our final authority in all that we do is the Bible.
2. Prior to obeying the Gospel, these individuals accepted responsibility for their physical needs.
Now we want them to accept responsibility for their spiritual needs.
a. These brethren should never be led to depend on missionaries or expect outside financial
assistance in order for them to carry on the Lord’s work.
b. We must not begin a new work and train them for the time they can “hire a preacher” but rather
train them that all should be “preachers.”
c. When one or more are favored with employment with funds from the outside (usually the U.S.), it
tends to create an unfavorable atmosphere. So we do not intend to raise support for the local brethren.
d. We feel we can use our time more wisely if we do not have the responsibilities of administering
funds for a building.
e. As a rule, most congregations start small and financially poor; so:
1. They can start by meeting in the homes of the church members.
2. They do not have much interest in church buildings, and furthermore
with a gift from outside sources, the building may be built too lavishly. Since they did not build it, they
would have a tendency to let it go, not feeling as responsible for it as if they owned it.
3. When they outgrow their place of worship, they will find a way to build or secure what they need
in accordance with their own financial level.
4. We know that a building with or without a hired preacher has never made the church what it
ought to be (even though both are helpful) but rather taught, dedicated, and zealous church members
do.
3. Souls will be added to the Kingdom by a variety of methods:
a. Living on the main island and making continual trips to the outer islands
We will live in Saipan and will make one trip per month to an outer island spending a week there. In
rotation, one month we will spend a week in Chuuk, the next in Palau, then in Yap. This way we stay in
constant contact with the people and are better able to meet their spiritual needs.
b. Leadership Training
The Pacific Islands Bible College (PIBC) is a course of study made available to the Christians on the
islands. Instead of bringing the Christians to a school of preaching and having the high cost
associated with doing so, we take the courses to the students. For example, on one trip to Chuuk we
might teach a course on the book of Galatians. On the next trip it may be church leadership, and so on.
The Christians have the opportunity to pass all of the courses of the PIBC over a few years’ time.
c. Campaigns
Groups of people are continually being brought out to the islands to conduct campaigns. These
campaigns help the island people meet new Christians – most especially, mature Christians. Since the
island churches are made up largely of newer converts, it is invaluable for them to see how people act
and live who are mature in the faith. The lessons these people teach help the islanders to grow in their
faith as well.
d. Bible Correspondence Courses are continually offered on the islands. This enables work to be
done during the times when the missionary is visiting the other islands.
Reporting
We will be back to report to each of our supporting congregations every two years during the summer
months. We will call several months ahead to set the date for the report. There will also be several
copies of a monthly report mailed to your church building. We believe in maintaining an open
relationship with our supporters. Our success is your success; therefore you should be well informed
of what goes on in the field.
Another way for churches to learn of the work we will be doing in the Pacific is to bring members out for
campaigns. We are all too eager to have a group from your congregation come and join us in the work.
Campaigns usually involve a two-week trip, including travel time. We would love for you to come!