In 2015, South Pacific Division Youth Ministries leader Pastor Nick Kross went to Mendi, a regional town in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Just 15 minutes’ drive from Mendi was the village of Petre and a campsite where the 2015 World Changers’ congress was to be held.
Pastor Kross attended that congress as a keynote speaker and was excited to help baptise 537 people who had come to Jesus through World Changers. But the gospel message continued to spread after that congress.
“A group of local people from Petre started worshipping every Sabbath at the site where I had been preaching,” said Pastor Kross. “A lay volunteer pastor was assigned to look after the group.”
Four years later, Pastor Kross was back in the area to run training sessions for leaders in Papua New Guinea. More than 300 leaders attended the training sessions, representing four different provinces in PNG: Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Hela Province and Enga Province. However, the local group that had been meeting in Petre had a special request for Pastor Kross; they wanted him to officially dedicate and open their church—the Nick Kross Memorial Church—and baptise their first four baptismal candidates.
One of the new baptismal candidates is the traditional owner of the land on which the group has been worshipping. He has officially dedicated the land to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“In more than 30 years of ministry, this is the first church dedication I’ve ever been involved in,” said Pastor Kross. “It was one of my ministry highlights, for sure.”
Approximately 30 people now worship at the Petre site.
“Seeing the leaders’ passion for the gospel and their desire to go out and change the world for Jesus is inspiring,” said Pastor Kross.
