Methodist Church calls for national prayer day, 11pm nightclub closing
Reverend Semisi Turagavou has urged a national prayer day, earlier nightclub closing times and more time for families on Sundays.
Friday 16 October 2026 | 05:30
Methodist Church President Reverend Semisi Turagavou at the first public consultation on the Constitution Amendment Bill by the Special Committee in Suva on October 15, 2026.
Photo: Ronald Kumar
Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma president Reverend Semisi Turagavou has called on the special committee to support a National Day of Prayer, bring nightclub closing times forward to 11pm and limit essential services on Sundays.
Speaking at the Suva Civic Centre yesterday at the first public consultations on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026, Reverend Turagavou said prayer was for everyone.
“Muslims, you pray. Hindus, you pray. All preaching bodies, you pray,” he said. “If we pray in a communal sense, God will hear our prayers.”
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He said people could pray from home or anywhere else. “Wherever you are, you can pray, but there should be a National Day of Prayer.”
On nightclubs, he said the church had seen many social problems, including children being left in the care of others while their parents went clubbing.
“Allow people to spend more time with families,” he said. He made a similar call regarding Sundays.
“We believe that Sunday should [be] a time to spend with families.”
Reverend Turagavou said he was hurt by earlier remarks that the Church would bring nothing to the country.
“Those are some very heavy and hurtful words,” he said. “But we are proposing a National Prayer Day, that is something good for Fiji.”
The Methodist Church is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji. The 2013 Constitution establishes Fiji as a secular state.
Other speakers at yesterday’s hearing debated whether Christianity should be explicitly recognised in the new Constitution.
