PEOPLE

Weekend of weddings in Kundiawa

By VINCENT KUMURA
SUNDAY, Sept 29, 2019 saw the biggest Seventh-Day Adventist Church wedding in the little town of Kundiawa after a long time.
Over 1,500 people flocked into the newly organised Iripui SDA Church on the rear end of Kundiawa Airport just past the Department of Works section to witness a colourful wedding ceremony of Cathrina Kobil and Minister George Sine.
The bride comes from Suwa, Salt Nomane Karamui District and the groom is from Yanny, Gumine District but was born and raised in Bulolo, Morobe.
Cathrina comes from a large family of nine. She is the second born in the family and recently graduated with a diploma in accounting at the International Training Institute in Lae. George comes from a family of seven. He is the fifth born and graduated with a theology degree from the Pacific Adventist University. His tenure as a minister at Iripui had only just begun when he met and fell in love with his gorgeous wife-to-be.
Though simple, the wedding attracted people from many backgrounds ranging from the local business community in Kundiawa to church leaders, professionals and those from civic and NGO organisations. More than 30 members of the Bulolo Town SDA Church including the Renewal Singers choir where George grew up as a boy and attended church services, also came and enlivened the wedding with their harmonious chorale. Retired pastor Jessley Paragaso, former president of the Eastern Highlands-Chimbu Mission and the longest serving president of any local mission of the SDA Church in PNG, officiated the wedding.

Robert Michael, the senior elder of Iripui SDA Church who was also the wedding committee chairman said: “This is the biggest church wedding in the Simbu area SDA community that we managed to pull off successfully within a short time of planning.”
“Over 90 per cent of our church women are involved in the informal sector so at first we were afraid things may not turn out well, but man’s extremity is God’s opportunity so we took the challenge. And look how this turns out to be very successful. We are truly thankful to God” added an elder of Iripui SDA Church.
On the evening of Friday, Sept 27 preceding the event, a remarkable thing occurred. In what was often referred to as “mass wedding”, 43 legally married couples re-affirmed their wedding wows. While all were SDA couples and two ministers of the gospel, also present to re-affirm their wedding wows was Lucy Are and her husband Peter who is the co-ordinator of Gideons of PNG.
In his closing remarks, the groom tearfully recalled the time he bravely went in person to Cathrina’s parents’ house to seek their permission to marry their daughter. After listening, Cathrina’s father Robin Kobil only had this to say, “I am glad to give away my child as a free gift to marry a servant of God”.
Indeed, Kobil kept his words and walked her beautiful daughter gracefully down the aisle of the Iripui SDA Church that warm Sunday morning and lovingly presented her over to George to take as his wife. It was a strikingly emotional moment. The new Mr and Mrs Sine couldn’t hold back their tears, but they were not alone. Hundreds who witnessed also joined with tears of joy as claps and echoes of congratulations fainted softly into the packed crowd.
It was a wedding that truly reflected the Adventist principle of Christian marriage in the church. A momentous occasion where multitudes who came to witness from far and near will remember for a long while to come.

• Vincent Kumura is the director of Kumura Foundation Inc and the 2016 Digicel PNG Foundation Men of Honour Community Ingenuity Awardee. He lives at rural Snow Pass, Bundi, Madang.

Celebrating in style

By ERIC PIET
INDEPENDENCE celebrations always entail cultural entertainment at schools to showcase the variety of cultures from across the country.
For St Anne’s Elementary School in Gerehu, Port Moresby, the country’s 44th anniversary was marked in style – not in cultural entertainment but with exposition of talent in a mufti show competition held with the theme “Dreams of tomorrow”.
Selected contestants from preparatory grade through to grade three took to the stage in a full school hall to showcase their dream careers. Their various dress codes, the tact of professionalism and congenial confidence in displaying what they want to become in the next 20 or so years was something that got me thinking that these kids were in the making to becoming what they have shown.
Determination pays off and I have not the slightest qualm that these kids with developing sharpness of intelligence would someday be at the helm of influence in the country.
Why not? On that day (Sept 13) they kept the attentive audience admiring their presentation qualities, with each contestant giving a go at how best each will serve the nation in their line of duty. And one of the admirable traits highlighted by some of those smart kids was the resolve to obliterate the cancer which has encroached into the fabric of our society and high offices and invading our systems – corruption – with keen to-be lawyers, judges, police officers, soldiers, teachers and doctors pledging to kick out the heinous system and continue on the legacy of those who at present are bravely battling those upheavals and discrepancies in taking back PNG.
Their bravery and agility of mind is a testament of the quality of Christian education imparted to them by their teachers. And in as much as the training and education of a child is concerned, with strong moral principles and reputable traits through schooling and at home by parents, teacher Hellen Bau in no vague terms expressed that the school was offering the best education for its students.
“At St Anne, we are producing some of PNG’s top future professionals.”
The contest ended with a crowning of a male winner as St Joachim and his female counterpart as St Anne. The two saints, according to apocryphal Christian and Islamic tradition, were the parents of Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, although these mentions are not made in the canonical gospel. They are being revered by the Roman Catholic Church for Mary’s training who became the mother of God (Jesus Christ). Thus, devotion to Anne and Joachim is an extension of the affection Christians have always professed toward Mary.
Speaking at the event, Department for Community Development and Religion Secretary Anna Solomon, who was the guest of honour with her deputy Jerry Ubase (Community Develop ment Division) and Catholic Education Secretary Paula Gande, said this independence celebration was the best she has ever attended.
“This is a unique celebration, which is not like the usual way of celebrating the event,” Solomon said.
“I am really attracted by your presentations as you all have confidently presented yourselves by showing us what you want to become in the future.

“I want you to next time present this play in front of our leaders so they see for themselves the qualities you have.”
As a way of encouraging the youngsters, Solomon related to them her then future dreams of how she wanted to initially, at age four, become a teacher, then a nun and a pilot. But as she grew up these all changed.
And although she did not accomplish any of them she is satisfied that in her current profession she can talk to little children like a teacher, talk about God (Yahweh) as nuns do, and flies to all over PNG and many parts of the globe in aeroplanes.
Solomon encouraged the parents and teachers to continue to nurture their children positively as this age group is important in instilling positive values in them.
“If we want to take back PNG, this is the age group that we must concentrate in developing attitudes, mindset and skills,” the secretary said.

• Eric Piet is a freelance writer.