Church starts exchange programme

MEMBERS of St Raphael’s Catholic Church at Wabag and Kuiona in Banz Parish have begun an “exchange basket” programme to promote friendship.
A 35-member group of men, women and youths from Wabag presented money, musical instruments and bilum to their friends from Kuiona on Oct 5.
The Jiwaka group welcomed their Engan friends in colourful traditional costumes and gave bilum in return.
Mt Hagen Catholic Archdiocese women’s president Rose Kants lauded the newly-established friendship as a way forward for the church.
She said Kuiona was renovating its church building and needed money to buy building materials so the Engans chipped in.
“This is a first-of-its-kind programme of sharing and caring which we call ‘exchange basket’ programme,”Kants said,
“It aims to establish mutual friendships, exchange of gifts and promote self-reliance among church members of the two groups. This programme will go on.”