Ministry in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has unique challenges and highlights. You might remember seeing landslides on the news in PNG earlier this year. Heavy rainfalls caused these during March. Thankfully, our partners were not directly impacted. However, Alois from the Melanesian Evangelical Church of Christ (MECOC) Conference in PNG recently shared how challenges, like the weather, can interfere with ministry.
MECOC is committed to church planting and leadership training in three main districts. Many of the churches they plant are in remote areas where the focus has been on people's growth and spiritual development. Alois says, "With the word of God, the health and education development of our communities has been successful." Despite the good reports, the reality of ministry work in remote areas is a constant challenge.
The weather has affected MECOC’s ministry. Some churches near rivers have reported heavy rainfall interrupting their usual programs. When the rivers flooded in March, the churches were left waiting for government assistance and disaster relief support. It has been difficult for them to receive emergency support if the flooding has cut off access to their village.
Communication where our partners work is another challenge they face. Due to old, reconditioned VHF radios, they use solar power, but that is intermittent. MECOC has no reliable source of direct communication with local churches and district conference leaders.
The ministry in PNG faces difficulties, but the dedication and resilience of the community and its pastors continue to impact the lives of the people in the region positively. For example, four churches have been planted in a new ethnic group that MECOC had never reached before, which is a testament to their resilience.
Other news comes from the Middle Ramu District, which is progressing well through church planting and baptising new Christians in the provinces of Enga and Jiwaka. The Gandep Bible College has opened again, with Pastor Steven Yamok as the Principal. The diploma program is in progress to help rebuild the college administrative system.
Your support is invaluable, and your prayers are a source of strength in difficult places like PNG. Since the first Churches of Christ missionaries planted tiny seeds for the future, more than 100 national pastors now share the task of evangelism and church planting in PNG. Your continued support and prayers are integral to this work.