On July 10 1966 the Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea (ECPNG) was born.
So, in July this year, there was much rejoicing and celebrating in the various districts as we remembered how God had brought his messengers with the wonderful Good News that ‘Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners’ – sinners from every tribe and nation in the world, including this island with 850 tribes!
I love this expressive song.
Islands and mountains, sunshine and breeze
Flowers and moonlight, swaying palm trees Jungles and rivers, white coral sand This is my country, this is my land.
Dark were the days when men lived in fear Fear of the arrow, stone-club and spear Fighting and hatred filled every hand That was my country, that was my land.
Then came the change that brought peaceful days News of our Saviour, learning His ways Darkness is fading out of our land. We know the peace of His guiding hand.
Dramas enacted the way the gospel came – first, to Balimo area (1931), paddled up the River Fly (1950s), then up the River Wae Maeri to Rumginae in 1953. Praise God for those willing to risk their lives to bring God’s message of life and light.
Before the gospel came
The people in Rumginae area lived on sago and bananas, hunting for pig and cassowary with bows and arrows. Grass skirts for the women, and a small fruit casing (tree seed) for the men. They lived in houses in the trees – maybe up to 60 feet high, very isolated from the next group. Tribal rivalry was strong and their position in the trees gave good vision of any unwanted visitors – who were shot at with arrows. Spirits of the dead ‘lived in rocks and certain places in the rivers and trees’. Fear of spirits held people in bondage.
Can you imagine the great fear when the first white men were seen! They were assumed to be spirits of the dead. In dramas this is always acted with much enthusiasm, reality and passion.
Rumginae was a deserted jungle – ‘spirit land’ – that people feared and no one went near. So Brian Tucker, the pioneer missionary to Rumginae, gave a gun to a national to shoot the spirits!
Then the people cleared the jungle – afraid, but persuaded. Metal axes and bush knives made clearing the trees so much faster than with their traditional stone axes!
How the Word came
Over the next years God’s Word transformed lives. God’s message brought life and light to a people who lived in darkness. ‘For God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” made His light shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4.6). Praise God for all those who were changed by God’s Word. Praise God for those who then took it on to others.
Some pastors walked many miles through the jungle, enduring sweltering heat, mud, leeches, hunger and many dangers to share with other remote tribes the Good News of Jesus that had transformed them. Many of these tribes, Kunai, Kubos, Biamis … were torn apart by pay-back killings and bound by fear of magic. These cannibalistic tribes did not welcome visitors with open arms – more likely a ‘welcome’ of arrows aimed ready to kill you!
‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ’ (Ephesians 2.13).
Good news brings many benefits
Along with God’s Word came health care and education – ‘chalk and dust’. Aid posts and primary schools were started in remote villages.
Airstrips were built – enabling access to inaccessible areas. The contribution of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) was enormous – routine supplies, air drops, medical evacuations, mail delivery. Christian Radio Ministry Fellowship (CRMF) and a network of radios made communication possible – truly a lifeline between the hospital, CRMF and MAF.
The message of life and light is slowly transforming people. There are many small churches in remote villages in PNG. Praise God for that. Thousands of believers have been born again since the coming of the gospel. But many people still struggle to leave their customs and beliefs. There is still a strongly-held belief that magic and sorcery are the cause of sickness, which makes the delivery of health care and health education challenging.
Ongoing challenges
Bible schools have been established, but currently many of these are struggling. The constant wear and tear on bush materials in this humid and white ant environment takes its ongoing toll on buildings. The pull of education and development takes trained pastors and Bible teachers away to more lucrative positions. But leadership training is the key to the future.
Women’s fellowships are often strong and women’s ministry active, but there are few men’s fellowships and a noticeable lack of strong male leaders in the churches. Young people are also notably absent, which is one of the big challenges for the church at the moment – how to reach the next generation. So many things are now vying for the attention of young and old – sports, Facebook, phone friends, education, the Internet, money. Work in mine development leads to more misuse of alcohol, smoking, marijuana, etc. The church faces many challenges as we move into the next 50 years!
Praise God for faithful men and women who spread the Good News to the many tribes of Papua New Guinea.
What now?
What will the next five years or 50 years hold for ECPNG?
What is the vision and direction for the church now? That is the challenge. Please pray that we will know God’s direction as we seek to continue fulfilling God’s commission to ‘Go to all people everywhere, and make disciples’.
