The Dudley Methodist Church in Toorak, Suva, yesterday held a thanksgiving service dedicated to the release of the 45 Fijian peacekeepers in the Golan Heights.

Reverend James Bhagwan, the secretary of communication of the Methodist Church in Fiji, delivered the sermon yesterday, saying they gave thanks to God for answering our prayers for the safety and protection of the 45 Fijian soldiers who were held captive by the al-Nusra Front.

“For strengthening their families, friends and colleagues, for guiding and empowering the negotiators, and last but not least, for the captors who kept their promise of not harming our peacekeepers,” Rev Bhagwan said.

“So this morning (yesterday), let us praise God and thank God for all the blessings experienced this week.”

He said with the International Day of Peace that falls on September 21, the church also asked its members to use this time to reflect on and pray for peace.

“The underlying themes from our epistle and Gospel reading today are about our relationship with others – forgiveness and non-judgemental attitudes.”

Meanwhile, a video of the soldiers when they were released last Thursday was shown during the service.

Rev Bhagwan said what’s interesting in the clip was that the Fijian peacekeepers embracing their captors as they walk through the gate or disembark the van carting them showing, “the forgiving and non-judgmental attitude”.

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