Goilala is one of the new work areas in the Central Papua Conference (CPC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea. The area is dominated by the Catholic church for many many years. The physical geography of the area poses a very challenging environment for foreign missionaries to enter, travel and work. Rugged terrains are the main feature of this rural part of the country.

A CPC team recently visited the area and was in awe to witness the eagerness of the local people to know the bible truth.

CPC General Secretary, Pr. Rex Koi led a team of 6 pastors to Tapini station, Goilala, Central Province, on Friday 24th September to conduct a first ever Adventist baptism, church and pastor’s house dedication in the area. With him were CPC’s Adventist Youth Ministries (AYM) Director Pr. Mathew Walter, Personal Ministries and Sabbath School (PMSS) Director Pr. Andrew Anis, Efogi District Director Pr. Oscar Munele, Cape Rodney District Director Min. Moses Yobuna and Bisiatabu District Director Pr. Jack Tale.

Eighteen people got baptized on Sabbath 25th September at Tapini station, the first ever conducted by the Adventist church in the area. Tears of joy were shared among the locals as they witnessed the first 18 newly-baptized members being welcomed into the Adventists family.

The program continued on Sunday with the dedication of the first Adventist church and the opening of the pastor’s house. It was a milestone achievement of the conference as a whole to finally have an Adventist base at Tapini.

The baptism was the result of the work of the 15 volunteer missionaries and a two weeks evangelistic meeting conducted by a lay preacher Francis Tokai.

After the baptism, church and pastor’s house dedication, the 15 volunteer missionaries were commissioned to take the gospel of Jesus to the un-entered places in the Goilala area. Six strategical locations were selected as gospel fields. The missionaries were assigned to these locations to work in threes and pairs. Most of these missionaries were young as 18 years of age. Pr. Koi encouraged and advised them on challenges they will face at the gospel front.

The General Secretary shared the vision of the conference saying the gospel will be spread from Tapinin to other parts of Goilala and to have Adventist churches establish therein.

Thirty-four souls gave their lives to Jesus in the water of baptism following a one-week district camp meeting at Dorobisoro Village from 30th August – 04th September. The guest speaker of theKwikila District Inland Camp Meeting was Pr. Wally Kapi, Stewardship Director of the Central Papua Conference (CPC). He was preaching on the theme ‘God’s final call – I will go.’
 
Dorobisoro, located in the jungles of Central Province and about 81.2 km from the capital city Port Moresby, is a United Church village with a population of approximately 250 people. Adventist church is only present in the nearby 4 villages of Barai, Onohuro, Boto and Mimai.

Dorobisoro is the only easy link from the area to the outside world with an airstrip that only see one or two flights per year or none at all.

The camp meeting saw faithful Adventist church members from the 4 villages converged at Dorobisoro to fellowship in the one-week religious meeting.

With Pr. Kapi were Minister Julian Lava, CPC Women’s Ministries Director, Kwikila District Director Pr. Pali Veroli, Minister Garry Jack and CPC Media and Communications McValen Kaminiel.

Throughout the week, the United Church members have secretly attended the nightly meetings to hear Pr. Kapi preaching on the end time issues and God’s appeal to the world before his soon return. On the final night on Friday nearing conclusion of the sermon Pr. Kapi was shocked to see people walking up towards the stage without him making any appeal. Young people came in numbers to give their lives to Jesus.

On Sabbath 34 souls went into the water of baptism. Among them was Saul, a United Church member from Dorobisoro village.

Later on, Saul told Pr. Kapi that he and more than 150 other United Church members have attended the meeting every night and have sat in the dark to avoid being noticed.

Pr. Kapi encouraged the new baptized members to be disciples in order to make more disciples for Christ in the context of the world church theme ‘I will go.’

Fifty-one souls went into the water of baptism at Kiru Village in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea after a one-week District Camp Meeting. Pr. Wally Kapi, Stewardship Director of the Central Papua Conference was the guest speaker of the program that ran from 15th – 22nd August this year.

He delivered the messages based on the week’s theme ‘God’s final call – I will go.’ More than 500 church members in Maria District attended the camp meeting among which were few United Church and Bahai followers.

Pr. Kapi preached about stewardship and encouraged the audience to bring back the one-tenth of all their produce to the ‘store house.’ He said many times we have robbed God through our actions such as failing to return tithes and offerings, misusing our resources, mismanagement of our time and many more acts of negligence and ignorance to God’s instructions. He continued on saying ‘test and see that the Lord is good.’

The people who attended the camp meeting came from villages far deep in the jungles of Central Province that are only accessible by bush tracks some of which require days to travel. The local people appreciated the messages and made up their mind to follow what God has instructed them to do in the bible.

Among the 51 souls that went into the water of baptism on Sabbath 21st August were a United Church deacon, a Bahai follower and an outlaw in the society. It was the highest number of people baptized in the history of Maria District.

More than 50 souls took their stand to follow Christ after the baptism when the appeal was made by the Stewardship Director.

Pr. Kapi thanked the faithful missionaries in the area who had left the comfort of their homes for the sake of the gospel to minister to the people in this remote part of the country.