Show gives women a chance to learn

By PISAI GUMAR
A WOMEN’S ministry group from Vanimo, West Sepik, joined women from 14 Yabem church districts to learn and exchange cultural knowledge and skills besides their roles and responsibilities in the ministry.
Twenty women from the Calvary Lutheran Church in Vanimo town arrived safely at Ampo in Lae via Madang on Tuesday, a trip made possible with help of Vanimo Green River district development authority.
Team leader Jenny Jouwe said the journey to attend Yabem women’s first cultural festival was an inspiring for her members to learn leadership skills and management roles and responsibilities to implement in their own ministry functions.
“It is very significant for us to understand what activities, goals and aims are exercised as the core uniting principles within the women’s group. We are here to learn from Yabem women,” Jouwe said.
She said it was their first tour out of Vanimo to a big city like Lae and was an eye opener and an opportunity to expose themselves to attract prospects in women’s cultural exchange programmes.
The Yabem district wwomen invited the border women to attend the festival with the theme “empowering women to acquire skills and knowledge to change family livelihoods in cultural heritage and information networking”.
The purpose was to encourage single and married women and girls to exchange, learn and maintain cultural skills and knowledge in being respected as a woman in community and society.
The Lutheran congregation in Vanimo was established in 2010 and Pastor Kevin Tetac and wife Lakele were engaged that took care of catering for the four congregations – Calvary (Vanimo Town), Wara Stone settlement, St Jaya (Niapon) and Holy Trinity, Disaster area.
Tetac served seven years at Vanimo and was replaced by Ps Andrew Kaupa this year. Jouwe said the women’s ministry areas also covered Skyline, Sarmay and Amadi over in Jayapura based on agreement between the Lutheran Church of PNG and the Gki in Jayapura.