Villagers come together to rebuild burnt church

A GROUP of villagers put aside their different church affiliations to rebuild a church belonging to the Seventh-day Adventist Church razed to the ground a month ago.
West New Britain deputy governor and Gloucester local level government president Joseph Naipu said they had told police that they would find out themselves who set the building on fire on June 29.
He said it happened after a fight between youths from various denominations at Kilenge village in Gloucester over the different ways they practised their faith.
“This is a chronic problem in the district, where churches are destroyed whenever a fight breaks out,” he said.
“And usually it’s the relatives taking sides in the fighting.
“Then after the fighting and destruction, they make peace and continue with their normal lives.”
Naipu said community leaders had tried to stop people from damaging churches during fights.
Meanwhile, provincial police commander Chief Inspector John Vosivai said a police chaplain was investigating the burning of the churches.
“He reported that the Seventh-day Adventist church pastor and his family were also been harassed and intimated by the other faction,” he said.
“However, the report stated that this incident can be dealt with and resolved at the community level.
“But I insisted that it has to be dealt with criminally as it is an arson case.”