On Sunday 4th of June, the Seventh-Day Adventist community of Asaro Watabung District witnessed a one-of-a-kind traditional contribution ceremony towards the upcoming PNG for Christ campaign next year. The event took place at the district headquarters at Mapemo.
Churches from the four divisions in the district came together to contribute money using a traditional method of payment. The money (notes) were tied to a long bamboo pole and presented to the district. This method of payment is usually done when paying for bride price and compensation settlements.
In addition to the contributions from the churches, Ilopanek Foundation (Someone Who Cares) Inc, a humanitarian nonprofit organization, donated a total of K100,000 to this project. While pledging the funds, the president of the Foundation, Mr. John Glanville, said, “It is worth giving for a worthy cause to help transform the lives of our people in the community and we are proud to be part of this great initiative by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church community here in Asaro Watabung district.”
The event was witnessed by many distinguished guests including Pastor Malachi Yani, Papua New Guinea Union Mission of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church President, Pastor Joanis Fezamo, Eastern Highlands Simbu Mission of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church President, government representatives, business representatives, community leaders and gospel workers.
Pastor Fago Peter, the District Director for Asaro Watabung District, was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the contribution. “The outcome is unexpectedly unbelievable as we didn’t expect the churches to come with such amounts of money in a short period of time, like they did today for only two weeks,” he stated.
Another missionary Wesley Moirafa shared a heartwarming story from the event. “While gathering with our congregation and contributing, we were surprised to see drug addicts who joined us and contributed money towards this great cause of the gospel commission,” they stated.
The PNG Campaign for Christ is making great strides in its outreach mission in Papua New Guinea. An example is the traditional donation ceremony held in the Asaro-Watatabung district, which is a testament to community unity and support for the cause.
Story Source: HERE!
