PM OPENS CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS FOR BOUGAINVILLE SDA MISSION
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape officially opened the centenary celebrations for Bougainville Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) mission yesterday at Rumba in Central Bougainville.
This centenary marks an incredible milestone of unwavering faith, community and mission in Bougainville since 1924 and celebrations in Bougainville were planned to be begin from the 18th of December in Lavelai, Buin where the first missionaries arrived from the Solomon Islands, then to Inus which is accessible to the Atolls where the missionaries travelled to establish the church and then back to Rumba.
Celebrations in Rumba began yesterday with a march pass and guard of honour accorded to the Prime Minister by the SDA youths of Bougainville.
Hon. James Marape in making his speech at the ceremony congratulated the Bougainville Mission for reaching the 100years of establishing the mission and called on Christians to acknowledge the past and celebrate the achievement but not to forget the reason for the celebration.
“It is important that we come together to celebrate the work of the church and say thank you but lest we forget we have to look at the reason why we exist and that is the promise of eternal life,” he said.
He added that 100 years is a long time and along the way we had many that helped to bring the church this far, but we must not lose focus on the bigger picture and that is eternal life.
Prime Minister Marape congratulated the Bougainville Mission for achieving the 100 years milestone and acknowledged the past missionaries, thanking the missionaries from Bougainville that travelled out to other parts of PNG, including the Highlands region as he is a child of a missionary that served in Buin.
He particularly thanked Pastor Micah from Buin who travelled to Hela to share the gospel and looked after Mr. Marape’s father, who later became a missionary and travelled to Buin to serve the church.
“The missionaries arrived in my home in the 1950s and Ps. Micah while serving there looked after my dad, an orphan in the village who later became a missionary married my mum and followed Ps. Micah’s footprints to Buin to serve and that is where I grew up, knowing the gospel,” he said.
He said that for the past years he had always spent the Christmas holidays out of the country but by the grace of God, he and his family decided to celebrate the Christmas holidays in Bougainville especially to be a part of the centenary celebrations in Bougainville.
“I had to follow the path back to Bougainville where my parents had served as missionaries and today, I want to encourage us all to be vigilant, be prayerful and look at the reason why we exist,” he said.
Furthermore Hon. Marape acknowledged the youths for the guard of honour accorded and challenged them to remain steadfast in their faith. He also thanked the Christian churches for spreading the good news of eternal life, acknowledging that it was the churches that brought service to the people long before PNG became independent and we as a nation should remain steadfast in our faith.
“I want to thank all the Christian churches, especially mainline churches including the Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventists among others that are celebrating 100years as they were here long before PNG’s independence. PNG will be turning 50years next year as an independent nation, but churches were already there and we should be thankful,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape said he was glad to be part of the celebrations and also declared a contribution of K1million towards the work of the Bougainville Mission in Rumba.
President of the Papua New Guinea Union Mission Pastor Malachi Yani welcomed the Prime Minister, his delegates and other faithful SDA Christians from the Solomon Islands, other provinces of PNG and across Bougainville and stressed the importance of the centennial celebrations, acknowledging the first missionaries that visited the Bougainville isles and planted the seed of faith that flourished across Bougainville.
“During this time, we gather with profound joy and gratitude to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bougainville Seventh Day Adventist Mission. This centenary marks an incredible milestone – a century of unwavering faith, community and mission in Bougainville since 1924. On behalf of PNG Union, I extend my heartfelt greetings and deep appreciation to each of you who has joined us in this historical celebration,” he said.
Ps. Malachi acknowledged the foundational role of the Solomon Islands SDA Mission, whose missionaries brought the gospel message to Lavelai in the Buin area, as their courage and dedication planted the seeds of faith that flourished across of Bougainville.
“Their early efforts established a legacy that continues to grow and inspire us today. We are profoundly grateful for the partnership and vision of our Solomon Islands brethren, whose commitment to spreading the love of Christ has played a vital role in the establishment and growth of the Adventist faith in Bougainville and to other parts of Papua New Guinea,” he said.
Bougainville Mission President Ps. Mathias Foxsy shared similar sentiments, also acknowledging pioneer workers and their children who fought the battle of faith in the torrents of this great land without better transport, medication and communication system to establish the mission on the mainland and brave the simmering seas of the Atolls to establish churches there.
According to Ps Mathias, the 100 years of the seventhly Adventism in Bougainville speaks volume to the challenging spikes and scars that came with the sacrifice. The Australians and Solomon Islanders who brought the gospel, secondly the Bougainvilleans who believed and accepted the redemption story and the took oath to the New Guinea mainland through the islands and the mighty large army of missionary recruits to the mainland of PNG.
He said it took a decade to reach the interior parts of the Highlands, as a result the church in Bougainville is enjoying the services of these young Highlanders and Papuans by choice or marriage.
The centennial celebrations in Rumba will continue to the 31st of December and is attended by SDA Christians from the Solomon Islands, mainland PNG and across Bougainville.
Prime Minister Marape was accompanied by the National Minister for Bougainville Affairs Hon Manasseh Makiba, National Minister for Communications and Member for South Bougainville Hon. Timothy Masiu, National Minister for Internal Security and Regional Member for Bougainville Hon Peter Tsiamalili Junior and National Member for North Bougainville Hon. Francesca Semoso.
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