I recently was able to accompany my mom at her church’s annual conference. It was an encouraging time, as different ministries of the church shared how God was moving in the city and beyond, an elder presented a challenge from the Scriptures, and the finance committee highlighted all the good works being accomplished through tithing.
Churches in PNG have the opportunity to fellowship together too. Our communication director writes about the Central Highlands Conference that recently happened below. It sure looked different than a suburban church’s annual get-together over Tex-Mex, but I am also sure that it was encouraging and challenging too.
Missionaries Jack Crabtree and Jeremy Hambrice were recently able to speak at an annual conference for the Marawaka area here in PNG. This year, nearly 500 believers from six different language groups came together to learn from God’s Word and encourage one another. Leaders from the churches in each of these people groups organized the conference themselves, meeting together ahead of time to determine what topics their churches would benefit from the most.
Eric, an elder from the Aziana church, taught three sessions on grace, while Jack and Jeremy team-taught three sessions about how the end times should affect our lives now. After asking the question, “Why has Christ not returned yet?” they taught from II Peter 3 about how Christ is waiting on more people to believe the gospel before he returns. Therefore, our job as the church is to help “hasten the day” of his return, by being faithful servants who take the gospel where it hasn’t yet gone. The churches responded by strategizing about how they could take the gospel to nearby language groups that haven’t yet heard! They were also committed to continuing to share the truth with their own people who have not yet believed.
Jack and Jeremy also taught breakout sessions on Biblical womanhood and manhood, and the process for making disciples. To make disciples you must “Stap wantaim” (be with people), “Skulim” (teach them the Gospel), “Strongim” (strengthen them with further teaching), and “Soim” (show them how to make disciples by bringing them into the process with you). The women were especially encouraged to hear that it’s their job to help make disciples too!
How amazing that these believers from Wusuraambya, Simbari, Aziana, Wantakia, Awena, and Andekombi were hungry for God’s Word and had a desire to strengthen one another. All the church leaders plan to meet again in January to dive deeper into the processes of disciple-making, church-planting, and Biblical leadership. Please keep praying for this group of churches!