Farming group gives back to church

National, Normal
Source:

The National – Tuesday, February 8, 2011

MORE than 100 different churches in the Chimbu’s Kerowagi district received K150 each as one-tenth tithes from Kerowagi District Farmers Cooperative Society.
The society distributed K60,000 to the churches last Tuesday at Miunde village, near the border of Western Highlands and Chimbu.
The money was part of the K600,000 given to the society by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring last September under the national agriculture development programme to assist registered farmers to boost their production.
Francis Siune, a district rural development officer who was behind the society’s proposal for the funds, said apart from distributing the money to the churches, they were also giving out K700 seed funding vouchers to the 380 registered farmers that the blessing came from God and they had to give one-tenth back to God.
Siune said different churches in the district played a vital role to maintain peace and harmony and they must
help churches to continue their good work and by doing that the churches would help the people to settle down and engaged in their agricultural activities.
He said when many people become Christians, they would not “hang around” doing nothing and engage in criminal activities. Instead, they would go back to their villages and cultivate their land.
Siune said the society would work in partnership with the different churches to help people back in the district.