Sukurea celebrates arrival of Gospel

By MICHAEL LAI
A SAND painting of a missionary giving the Bible (Gospel) to an Engan man was presented by Sukurea Lutheran Church to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Gutnius Lutheran Church in Enga from Oct 31 to Nov 3.
The painting that was presented to the missionaries during the celebration symbolised the first American missionaries to have arrived at Yaramanda on Nov 3, 1948. On behalf of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Julie Lutz and Marie Dicke received the painting.
The sacrifice the missionaries had made in 1948 in walking two days and nights in the bush, tracking through the thick rugged mountains and valleys may as a myth or legend to future generations of Engans. The stories will be relayed from generation to generation as the story of white men who not only touched the untouched and unexplored land but brought light to Enga.
The quiet Minamb Valley in the border of Enga and Western Highlands was the first choice for the Gospel to be planted by the missionaries.
Christians from 550 congregations of the Gutnius Lutheran Church of PNG gathered at Sukurea Lutheran Church at Yaramanda to celebrate the 70th anniversary and 501 years of the Reformation. The four-day gathering brought back memories of the first missionaries who had arrived in 1948 at Yaramanda and settled between two warring tibes, Maini and Wauni, in the Wapenamanda district.
The Sukurea congregation has taken the initiative to host the event with the support of the entire Wauni tribe.
The Wauni, Maini, Pyapin and Sani tribes are remembered for their invitation to the Hagen carriers led by Rev Freund, Klienig and Rev Felix Doering to build their mission base at Yaramanda.
Congregation chairman Anis Ripa said of the gathering as a celebration of the birth of the church in the area and spread of the Gospel to other parts of the province.
Ripa said worship the programme on Wednesday began with baptism, confirmation and other activities to praise and thank God for his saving grace.
Minjuku Yasima, a local tribal leader of the Wauni tribe had met missionaries in Olgebeng, in the Western Highlands. He was so interested to hear the good news which the white men had brought.
He walked to Ogelbeng, resting two nights on the way, and asked for missionaries to come to his place at Yaramanda.
The missionaries agreed to trek from Western Highlands to Enga which is now one-hour drive by bus.
Rev H Freund and Patrick Kleinig from Australia and Dr Willard Burce and Dr Otto Hintze from the United States first arrived there. From there the church grew and its influence spread throughout Enga and neighbouring provinces
Today Gutnius Lurtheran Church of PNG has 550 congregations, 125,000 baptised members, 100,000 communicant members and 250 active pastors.
During the four days celebration representatives of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod were there to commemorate the moment together.
Ezekiel Peter, on behalf the church thanked the LCMS mission and the church body in the United State for their mission to Enga.
He also recognised the Siassi Islanders of Morobe, who participated in the commemoration service with songs and kundu beats. The first mission service was held on Siassi Island on Sunday, June 6, 1948 and involved four natives and two Australian missionaries who would later move to Enga.
Peter said the Lutheran Church Australia had sent missionary Rev Harold Freund and builder Pat Klienig. Their role in seeking permission from the Australian colonial administration through the renowned ‘highlands king’ Jim Taylor in Goroka was also a special contribution to the advent of the Gospel in Enga.
He also paid tribute to the 230 Melpa carriers who trekked with the pioneer missionaries from Ogelbeng to Yaramanda over two days.
Rev Doering, a missionary of the Lutheran Church Australia but a Canadian, was based at Ogelbeng, near Mt Hagen.
Peter also said the 501-year journey of the Lutheran faith began in Wittenberg, Germany when Dr Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on a church door. Without the Saxon immigrants fleeing Germany to America in 1838 the LCMS mission would never have reached Enga.
The 707 people (less those on the Amalia who perished on the Atlantic) who arrived in St Louis, set up the LCMS and established a world mission to plant the Gospel of Jesus Christ in PNG and elsewhere.
Peter thanked the pioneer church leaders for building and establishing congregations, institutions and infrastructure that benefitted the people. He said that God had involved a lot of people in this mission to save people and expand His kingdom.
“Despite suffering and hardships in the 501 years journey our confessional beliefs take a strong footing among us.”
He said today the GLC was a matured church, who could set up her own world mission, to proclaim and teach the gospel around the world.
“We receive calls from Lutheran churches in Africa and Asia to send pastors and teachers,” he said.
“Our former bishop Dr Waesa Waima attended the first world conference of the International Lutheran Council in St Louis in 1970, and therefore the new churhes look upon the GLC as a senior member on global mission.
Dr Martin Dicke, who was the music missionary, preached a sermon and gave an outline of the historic events according to a book by the pioneer missionary Rev Dr Otto Hintze, “From Ghosts to God in Enga Land”.
Dicke, who was also born at Mambisanda in 1964, spoke of Rev Dr Hintze and his uncle Rev Willard Burce as seminarians with different mission plans to go to other parts of the world sent by God to PNG, especially to Enga.
Daphne Kapao, a Lutheran teacher of Siassi origin and married to Engan Henry Kapao, retold the epic journey of the Siassi Islanders who participated in the Wabag Mission with the LCA. She named evangelists and teachers from Siassi who were posted all through the mission stations — Yaramanda, Sakalim, Pawari, Tsak, Sopos, Yumbites, Makapamanda, Yaibos, Birip, Irelya, Wakumare, Kundis, Watumanda, Kupalis, Sirunki, Papayuku and others in Enga.
David Philip, the head teacher of Wamapisa Lutheran Primary School at Yaramanda said the mission not only brought the Gospel but also Jesus’ ministries in education, health, business, engineering and construction. He said that many Engan Lutherans have become players in the country’s development and thanked the missionaries for their contribution.
Philip’s father, Ps Philip Kiso told the gathering that the mission was made possible because Christians made offerings to their congregations and church.
He said that Christians were not giving their tithes and offerings to support the mission. He said e giving was God’s command and Christians had to give their offerings to continue the mission work of the church into the future.
Julie Lutz thanked the Christians for their prayers of support when her visa was blocked for two years.
Lutz said although God has enabled her to work in many Asian countries and the US during her absence, her heart remained in PNG.
She challenged the Christian’s to instruct the younger generation on the confessional beliefs and warned against false beliefs, sorcery and witchcraft.
The Sunday school department launched their building project during the anniversary. They brought in a huge cake and shared it with everyone in a big feast that followed the event.
The crowd also had a minute’s silence to remember two LCMS missionaries who passed on last week – Rev Clarence Budke at Mulitaka and Rev Harvey Kath at Paiela.