Church’s administrators reunite after 18 years of disagreement

A CHURCH in Western Highlands that split into two groups with different administrations had their commands reconciled and became one during a Christmas crusade.
The Christian Revival Crusade (CRC) Church, established in 1980, separated in 2003 with one group heading 15 outstation churches and the other group heading 12 after a disagreement over the location of where its headquarters would be established.
Kenken Puri, a church executive, told The National that Pastor Namba Puri, who established the church at Mala village in Dei, chose a certain location while another senior church member John Marmar chose another.
Puri said the disagreement caused a split in the members with Namba running 15 outstation churches and Marmar the other 12.
He said several attempts were made to bring the two administrations together but were unsuccessful until last September during a national executive meeting in Jiwaka where the church’s executives spoke to the two groups and got them to agree to reunite.
“Congregations from both groups came together and made preparations for the reconciliation and unity process which eventuated on Christmas,” Puri said.
“Executives from the two church administrations came under one umbrella and are now headed by one administration.”
He said for the past 18 years since the breakaway, Christians had been praying for the unity and their prayers were finally answered.