A first ever mass wedding conducted by Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Sirinumu dam area of Bisiatabu District of Central Papua Conference (CPC), Papua New Guinea, was held on September 30 at the village of Berebei.
The wedding, which formalised traditional and customary unions, was the highlight of a week-long family life evangelistic seminar conducted by CPC’s Family Life director Pastor Simon Vetali and National Capital District coordinator Daniel Lavaiamat.
Almost 600 people from Berebei, Nakofa, Manamiro and surrounding villages attended the nightly meetings and day seminars. The theme was “Sanctify your home and family for eternity”, which not only encouraged but challenged families to allow God to sanctify them before Jesus’ return.
The program ended on Sabbath with a mass wedding of 15 couples and a combined ordinance service. Among the married couples who received their certificates were the local Ward Councillor Rocky Geno, who left the Adventist Church many years ago, and Peter Wesley, a former Catholic.
In his closing speech, Councillor Geno thanked the Church for organising such a celebration in recognition of marriage. He also made a commitment to return to church.
