The Oceania Centre’s Children’s Sleepover was held for the first time in September 1998, making use of the school vacation, with the goal of nurturing the children of Yoboku and followers in the diocese as well as of sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings to the local communities. Since then, the Children’s Sleepover has been held almost four times a year every year, and the latest one that was held in June 2008 marked the 35th. The total number of the participants is 819, over half of whom are children from non-Tenrikyo families. In this way, the Children’s Sleepover of the Oceania Centre has become a community-based event.

The Children’s Sleepover had been held many times on a 2-day and 1-night schedule targeting children from five or six to 15 years old, but since the year 2002 onwards, the Sleepover in January has been held on a 3-day and 2-night schedule extending one day so that children, especially those from such a distant place like Sydney, can enjoy the atmosphere of “Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba” as much as possible, which is held every summer in Jiba.

The Sleepover programs consist of the morning and evening services, small talks on Tenrikyo, practices of the hand movements and musical instruments for the service, clean-up hinokishin, etc. as Tenrikyo-related activities, and dodge-ball games, Indoor Olympics, sports festival, workshops, etc. as entertaining activities.

In recent years, placing emphasis on “Three Promises” set out by the Tenrikyo Boys & Girls Association Headquarters, the Sleepover is well-organised so that the participants can experience the importance of mutual help through group work, and become more aware of the Joyous Life by providing them with the “Most Joyous Group Award”.

TOC Fife & Drum Band was formed on 26th December 1999 for the purpose of further developing the Oceania Centre’s activities for children, to have the local community recognise the Oceania Centre and contribute to missionary work through the Band’s activities, and to provide its members and their parents with an opportunity through the Band activities to join the “Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba” which is held annually in Jiba.

Since then until the present, the Band members have enjoyed their practice from 2 o’clock on the 3rd Sunday after the monthly service of the Oceania Centre, always puzzling about ensuring its members.

At the moment, the Band has 20 members from 5 to 21 years old. In recent years, the Band has performed at various venues such as TOC Summer Festival in January every year and “Harmony Day” at a local primary school. On top of these, the Band had the opportunity to perform in front of the Shinbashira and Mrs. Harue Nakayama at the celebration commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Oceania Centre in September 2007, which added spice to the celebration.

In this way, the TOC Fife & Drum Band has not only been very helpful to activate the Centre’s activities, but also greatly contributed to the local communities through the Band’s activities.

The Oceania Centre has held various lectures and seminars sponsored by Church Headquarters in the seasonable times since its establishment, such as the “District Lectures for Yoboku: Action & Progress” in November 1999 and the “120th Anniversary of Oyasama District Lecture” in June 2003.

The latest one was the “Seminar for Successors” which was held in February 2008 with the aim of nurturing the young people who will take the lead on the path during the next generation toward the next milestone after the 120th Anniversary of Oyasama.

These seminars have become a good opportunity for our further spiritual growth by listening directly to the voices from Jiba.

The “Lecture for Mothers” is by nature a lecture held for the purpose of nurturing successors of the path, especially mothers who have small babies. However, the Lecture for Mothers in the Oceania region is planned by devout Yoboku and followers who want to provide their friends with an opportunity to solve their worries and problems in child-raising based on the teachings of Tenrikyo as well as to know a little about Tenrikyo.

The Oceania Centre held this lecture in Sydney in November 2004 and in Auckland in August 2008, both of which acquired a good reputation.

　The “One-day Seminar” is one of the educational programs on which the Oceania Centre has focused its energy for the purpose of nurturing Yoboku and followers in the diocese. In the Oceania region, missionary activities have been developing these days and the number of Yoboku and followers is now gradually increasing.

On the other hand, even if followers receive the truth of the Sazuke, the Divine Grant, and became Yoboku, it is very hard for them to enter Shuyoka, the three-month Spiritual Development Course, which is held at Jiba, and intensively learn the teachings, the Dance with Hand Movements, and the musical instruments for the service due to various reasons. In order to overcome such a situation, the Oceania Centre has decided to hold this seminar.

The first seminar was held at the Oceania Centre in December 2004 and 11 Yoboku and followers eagerly attended the seminar in which they listened to the lectures on the “Tenrikyo Introduction” and “Service” and learned the Dance with Hand Movements and the musical instruments for the service.

The Oceania Centre has prepared for the seminar that will be held on a regular basis.

The “TOC Otefuri Course” started to be held for the first time in January 2005 in response to requests from the participants in the “One-day Seminar” which had been held in December in the previous year, and gained great popularity.

Since then, the course has been held almost once a month 15 times up to the present. The participants learned up to Song Six.

he Oceania Centre will restart the course when needed.

In June 2004, the “Translation Study Meeting” was first held at the Oceania Centre, aiming at “promoting the translation of materials relating to the teachings of Tenrikyo” as well as “nurturing native Yoboku and followers living in the diocese who will deepen the understanding of the teachings and be helpful in translating the teachings in the future”. The meetings are attended not only by a guest lecturer invited from the Translation Section of the Overseas Department, but also by some followers from Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, etc.

The meeting has been held three times so far, in June 2004, June 2005 and September 2006 respectively, and a book entitled “Questions and Answers about Tenrikyo” has been published as its achievement.

Future meetings will be held when needed.

The Seminar for Spiritual Growth is held aiming at further spiritual growth of Yoboku and followers living in the diocese.

This seminar was held a few times before in the Oceania region. After the founding of the Oceania region, the seminar was held with 38 attendants at three venues including Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in September/October 2001, inviting a lecturer from Church Headquarters.

The seminar will be held when needed.