Despite war and civil tension, and the disappearance of the plantations of oil palms that used to surround the place, the cement block buildings of the Mbalasuna Bible College in the Solomon Islands are still standing and being used to train pastors for Christian Outreach Centre. These buildings were established in 1990 under the vision and with the help of the Innisfail COC, in Queensland, Australia.
Before the civil tension caused the closure in 1999, the College was used as the base for training COC pastors from the South Pacific nations of Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Samoa.

Under the oversight of Ps Santo Gullo of Innisfail, the College now operates with the help of Solomon Islands pastors administering and lecturing and a number of Australian pastors who invest their time to assist with the lecturing.

Ps Willie Tagadaena and his wife Roselyn have accepted the responsibility of being Senior Pastor at the College for the past 3 years, but the need is there for a couple to take on the role of Administrator so they can be released to pastor their church.

On their visits to the College, the Australian pastors also invest their lives in different ways. Sitting with the students and sharing their experiences and wisdom, ministering to nearby villages, taking a team who can help out in such ways as looking after the children while lectures are in progress. Ps Tim McDonald from Brisbane takes his spear-fishing tackle with him and the students get some welcome meals of fish meals while he is there.

There are 21 students participating this year – 10 couples and 1 single man. Many of them have travelled from distant islands to get to the College. After graduating from the College in early September, they will continue to be mentored by senior pastors for a time.

These students are sponsored by donations from COC people and churches in Australia in order to cover the living costs, and some running costs such as staff wages, fuel, maintenance, etc.  

Some of these students will be planting new churches and some will be returning to pastor or assist in the churches they came from. To see churches planted and the Gospel of Jesus Christ taken to every corner of the nation is their vision.