Lutherans mark 125yrs of the Word

By MALUM NALU
THE Evangelical Lutheran church, one of the largest mainstream churches in PNG with more than 1.2 million followers, today celebrates 125 years of the Miti (Word of God).
Church general secretary Albert Tokave said the church had gone through many changes and challenges in its mission.
“Up to now, the church has made a major shift to refocus itself on the current socio-economic changes,” he said.
 “Basically, because people are not living the same as they used to.
“The church has to see what is really happening and what is taking place.
“We have a moral obligation to help guide the way people do things, the way people think, the way people see things.
“In order to meet these challenges of our time, the church has to change itself to reinforce the mission.”
For that reason, the church adopted two important documents at the 27th synod in January last year, hosted by Jabem district.
The documents to guide the church in the days ahead are  theVision 2020 and the revised constitution and by-laws.
It was on this day in 1886  that German missionary, Johann Flierl sailed into the quite beaches of Simbang in Finschhafen, Morobe.
Simbang, a village at the mouth of the Bubui (Mape) River in Langemak Bay, was the first site of the first mission station.
In 1890, he moved the mission station from Simbang to a nearby hill called Gaigeresa that was known as Simbang II.
That same year 1886, Flierl was joined by Karl Tremel, and they moved into Simbang village to set up the first mission station.
In 1888, Mrs Louise A Flierl joined her husband at Simbang.
At that time, it was in a part of the country known as German New Guinea or Kaiser Wilhelmsland.
The first mission station was es­tablished in Simbang on Oct 8, 1886.
The first missionaries were  Flierl (Snr), Tremel, Rev Georg Bamler, Rev Georg Pfalzer and Rev Konrad Vetter.
The second mission station was established on Tami Island, November 1889.
The missionaries assigned to establish it were Rev Tremel and Bamler.
The third mission station of the church was established at Sattelberg with careful planning and proper preparations.
Toward the end of 1892, the missionaries and their families moved into the newly-established mission station. 
They included Flierl (Snr) and family, Rev Andreas Ruppert, Rev Johann Decker, Rev Andreas Zwangzer, Rev Friedrich Held, Frieda Goez (nursing sister), and Rev Ernst Hansche.
In 1899 the fourth mission station was established at Deinzerhill through the initiative of Rev Georg Bamler, at Tamigidu in the Bukawa area.
On the opposite side of the Huon Gulf, missionaries Karl Mailaender and Hermann Boettger established Malaclo mission station in 1907.
In 1907, two new mission stations were established at Malaclo and Sialum .
After 13 long years of missionary work in the northern coast of Morobe of what is now known as the Finschhafen district, the first baptism took place in Simbang involving two local mission workers.
 Kaboing was baptised and christened Tobias and Kamunsanga was baptised with the name Silas.
Pfalzer administered their baptism at Simbang mission station.