Family builds Sunday school building

LIFESTYLE
By ZACHERY PER
NUTURING the younger generations under closely guided Christian principles and moral values is what is needed today, given a growing trend of normalising corruption in our society, a senior Nazarene Church leader in Goroka says.
Elder Mupe Kaupa says the absence of the fear of God in the hearts and minds of our political and bureaucratic leaders in high offices has created a safe haven for corruption and greed to grow roots in our society.
“I strongly want everyone to nurture our young children growing up to love and fear God; at least I want to do my bit to contribute towards this worthy cause by building a Sunday school house)for our children,” he says.
Kaupa and his family used their own financial resources to build a modern Sunday school building for the Goroka Nazarene Church at Asariufa village on the western fringe of Goroka town. The family has named it Joyce Bartle Haus after the wife of the founding missionary of the Nazarene Church to PNG Dr Neville Burtle.
Kaup stresses the need to raise young children in the love of God that they may grow up fearing and loving God, when they are grow up to be in employment they will eliminate corruption and greed that is becoming our normal way of life in the country today.
He says the interior of the building has space for children to learn about God and worship him. Towards the end there are two separate sections, one a kitchen fitted with cooking stove, sink with running water and a refrigerator and the other is a library with shelves of books and a reading table..
“The kitchen is there to remind the children that they can get food from there and feel that the Joyce Burtel Haus is like their home and the library will have reading books, brochures and pamphlets on words of God. They can see holy picture books, read stories of Jesus and his disciple and many more,” he said.
Kaupa is committed to support the church with more infrastructures such as Sunday school buildings because it is very important as they can plant the seed of God’s love in the hearts and minds of young growing children that lay firm foundations for the future generations.
National Sunday School Coordinator of the Nazarene Church Rev Isaac Wai officially opened the new building on Friday, July 8, 2021 at Asariufa Nazarene Church in Goroka.
“The days of having Sunday school lessons under makeshift shelters and trees are now a thing of the past. I thank Kaupa and his family for the generous gift of a modern Sunday school house that has a kitchen and library inside,” Rev Wai said.
He said PNG today needed God-fearing leaders as in the recent past young children in school did not know God because they had not been to institutions like Sunday schools and learnt about God when they were small.
“Therefore today we are experiencing many problems like accepting corruption as a new culture, stealing from people’s money and resources, misusing money, misusing vehicles, killing other people as no one cares about another person’s life. All these are happening because God’s word does not sink into our hearts and minds,” Wai said.
He appreciated the gesture by the Kaupa to give a new Sunday school building that will help to raise God-fearing citizens.
Two visiting officials from the Nazarene Church headquarter in Kudjip in Jiwaka, Rev Merolyn Wutsik and John Taima were also appreciative of the new building donated by the family.
Kaupa who is the senior school standards officer for the Education Division in Eastern Highlands is one of the pioneer Nazarene Church leaders who brought the church into Eastern Highlands after the Eastern Highlands church became separated from Jiwaka and Chimbu in November 2019.
One of Kaupa’s sons, Ishmael Kaupa who is the Sunday school director for Eastern Highlands said establishing such an institution may sound small but it but it would pay off well in the future.
“After the Eastern Highlands Nazarene Church becomes a district and operates on its own, establishing Sunday schools is one of the many responsibilities and I am grateful that we now have a modern facility for our children,” he said.
The Kaupas have built two churches already; the first was in Kandep, Enga where Kaupa was serving as school inspector and the other was back in their Kere village in Sinasina-Yongumugl district in Chimbu.