Landowners give back to churches

 A LANDOWNER company in Hela paid K80,000 to church denominations in the Benaria local level government area last Thursday.

The money was 10% of the total dividends it received from its umbrella company, Hides Gas Development Company (HGDC).

Bebahoya Ltd, a landowner company in the Komo-Margarima electorate, decided to donate 10% of its royalty to support the work of the church. 

Bebahoya Ltd managing director and HGDC director Simon Denny delivered the cash to the pastors and church elders last Thursday in Mt Hagen.

Denny said the cash was given according to the number of churches.

He said from the K80,000, United Church received 5%, Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) 15%, Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea 75% and Catholic Church 5%.

He said this was to say thank you to God for blessing the people of Hela with the gas in the area. “God is the source of everything and I have decided that 10% must be given back to him.

“The church plays a key role and this company has decided to give back to God and support the work of church,” Denny said.

“My appeal to the people is to work together and see what the company can do to bring in good things to help and promote better living.”

Denny thanked HGDC chairman Libe Paraindali for paying out the dividends and ExxonMobil for playing a major role to develop the lives of people in the area.

Pastor Andrew Andama from the SDA Church said it was good to see that 10% was given back to God.

Andama thanked Denny for coming up with a brilliant idea to support the work of churches.

Chairman of the Evangelical Church of PNG in Hela, Aiguru Mondoro, expressed his gratitude for the money.