St John’s Church celebrates

Weekender

By MALUM NALU
AUSTRALIAN Lutheran pastor Rev Brian Schwarz was just 23 years old when he came to Goroka in 1969.
On Sept 28, 1969, the young man of God and champion Australian Rules footballer in Goroka (who captained New Guinea against Papua), became the first pastor of the brand new St John’s Lutheran Church in the historical colonial town.
Schwarz and his young wife had an eight-month-old child, Nick, who grew up in Goroka for the next 16 years.
Another son, Ben, was born shortly after as well as a daughter Jackie.
Nick and Ben were Sunday school childhood friends of my siblings and I when we were in Goroka from 1975 to 1977.
I remember their dad as a dashing and handsome young Australian pastor much loved by the people of Goroka and Eastern Highlands.
On Sunday, Sept 29 Rev Brian Schwarz, now 74, and his two sons were back in Goroka for the 50th anniversary of St John’s.
Also there was another long-serving Australian pastor, Murray Thomas and his wife Edith, who were also much loved by the people.
Pr Murray and Edith were close friends of my late wife and I from 1999-2002, with my eldest son baptised in St John’s in 2001, so I have a long history with the church.
Hundreds of people packed the church on Sunday to hear Schwarz preach again just like old times, as well as give a comprehensive history of the church. He said it was a story of the building as well as the congregation.
Schwarz said the man responsible for the church building was Rev Ralph Goldhart, who started first at St Mathew’s in North Goroka and then St Paul’s in town.
St Paul’s was then known as “Protestant Chapel” in which all Protestants, including Lutherans, went to church together.
Schwarz said work on the new church at West Goroka started in January 1969 and he arrived in March that year.
“At that time, they were laying the concrete,” he remembered.
“The work was done by a team of carpenters from Lutheran Mission. They were good carpenters, well trained, and they were led by a Kote (Finschhhafen) man called Yuyu Womerong.
“Plans for this building were drawn up an Australian man called Lester Rohrlach.
“Lester drew up plans for 200 haus lotus (churches) in Papua New Guinea.
“In June 1969, Rohrlach went on leave with his wife, and I worked with Yuyu and the carpenters.
“My job was to purchase the materials needed.
“I didn’t do any carpentry work, and you can be thankful for that, because I’m a bad carpenter.
“If I had tried to build this church, it would have pundaun pinis (already fallen down).”
On Sunday, Sept 28, 1969, the House of God was opened by Rev Zurewe Zurenuoc, who at that time was Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of New Guinea, and later became the first national bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG.
“The opening was a great day,” Schwarz continued.
“This building is a special building.
“It is full of great memories, of memories like the marriage of Himony Lapiso (now St John’s Chairman), which I conducted up here.
“It is full of memories of baptisms. Two of my children, Ben and Jackie, received baptism here.
“It has memories of confirmations, like family members of Bishop Zurewe who were here.
“It has memories of funerals, sadness, and memories of wonderful celebrations of Christmas.
“My children, who are all about 50 years old now, still talk about the Christmas drama that was held here in 1985.
“It was a wonderful Christmas play.”
Schwarz said the real pioneer was Goldhart, who first worked at Asaroka, and later moved to Goroka where he became town pastor.
“I was the second pastor of this place,” he said.

Former St John’s pastor Murray Thomas, wife Edith, church veteran Joe Kaupa from Chimbu and another faithful on Sunday.

“My ministry was from St Paul’s, which had a predominantly expatriate congregation.
“When we opened the new church, I told everyone to move to St John’s, as a multiracial congregation.
“We started services in English and Tok Pisin.
“We invited students from high school to come to the English service, as well as the Teachers’ College (now University of Goroka), Goroka Technical College to attend service here.
“Educated Papua New Guineans also attended services here.
“You could call me the founding pastor of St John’s, and I worked at building this congregation, a congregation which is based on faith in Jesus Christ.
“Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church because Jesus died for us, rose again, and is the Lord of the Church.
“If the church is to be strong, it must stay on this foundation, (you) congregation are the stones of this church.
“You are the living stones because the Holy Spirit lives in you, and you make together the House of God.
“I worked hard to build the congregation, but I wasn’t the only one who worked, (as) my wife was with me.
“My wife and I taught Scripture classes at primary schools and high schools, as well as the technical school.
“We also started Sunday school.
“Later, some young men, who were trained as pastors at Martin Luther Seminary, came.
“One of them was Kasik Kauto, the first national principal of Martin Luther Seminary, who later came to Melanesian Institute in Goroka and later Kristen Press in Madang.
“The second was Timothy Luke, who worked in the Mission Department of ELCPNG.
“In 1977 Bishop Zurewe asked me to go to Port Moresby, to the Koki congregation.
“I said I did not want to leave Goroka, but he insisted, so I went to Port Moresby. In Port Moresby, there were other pastors who worked with me, one of them named Jim Baital.
“Pastor Jim Baital worked at Gerehu, and he had a son, named Grahamme (now the pastor of St John’s).”
A German, an American and an Australian followed as pastors at St John’s, followed by Murray Thomas, a Papua New Guinea, with now ELCPNG Head Bishop Jack Urame standing in until the “little boy from Gerehu” (Grahamme Baital) came in.
“Many pastors have worked in this church,” Schwarz said.
He, however, stressed that the gospel was key and not the pastors.
“The man who wrote the gospel isn’t important,” Schwarz said.
“The gospel is important.
“In the same way, the man who speaks the message isn’t important, the message is important.
“It is the message about Jesus, and why he rose again, about Jesus who send the Holy Spirit to us, that this the important thing.
“The message that gives us faith in God, that gives us the peace of God, it is this message that gives us hope when we die.
“On this day, let us give thanks and praise to God.”
Meanwhile, the church had three days of celebrations starting from last Friday until Sunday.
The celebrations included a one-day seminar on Friday, cultural show on Saturday and 50th anniversary service on Sunday.
Goroka MP Henry Ame unveiled the 50th anniversary plaque on Sunday in front of a fullhouse crowd including former congregation members from around the country, including the Zurenuoc family.
“It really was a joyful occasion,” said Schwarz.
“Today was a wonderful service. It was the best service I’ve ever been to at St John’s, better than any of the ones I’ve conducted.
“It was a lovely time, everyone welcomed me and I was very honoured, I’m very thankful to God.”
Schwarz said under the leadership of current pastor Baital of Siassi in Morobe, “St John’s might be able to play and important role in furthering ministry in urban centres, take a leading role to help train pastors, and other leaders in working more effectively in urban centres”.
Murray, who was at St John’s from 1993-2003, said it was heartening to see the church still continuing its work in Goroka.
“It was great to come back and catch up with people we knew as friends, and to see that the church is still going,” he said.
“We have many faithful pastors, and many faithful church members, who are following God’s way and growing.
“It was good to see all the people here, the energy in getting all the celebrations and preparations.”
We all look forward to the next 50 years.

One thought on “St John’s Church celebrates

  • Ahhh GOD BLESS YOU Rev Schwarz..

    I knew you as Aussie Rules footballer and sometimes as our chaplain at Asaroka Lutheran High School 1974-77.

    May God give strength to your bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and all other internal organs and you have a blessed life.

    There is no need to remind you of GODS BLESSINGS on your life and we in Goroka thank God for your missionary work among us.

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