Planning is underway for a huge evangelistic campaign in Papua New Guinea involving 2000 sites and dozens of preachers with the aim of baptising 100,000 people.
“PNG for Christ” will be held from May 1-16, 2020, as part of the General Conference’s Total Member Involvement (TMI) initiative. World Church president Pastor Ted Wilson will be among the preachers, along with around 30 others from the GC, and more than 100 pastors and evangelists from every mission and conference in the South Pacific Division, including dozens of PNG pastors and lay people.
The SPD is supplying 1500 picture rolls for ongoing teaching, 100,000 World Changer Bibles and 100,000 World Changer Bible Reading Guides. The GC, TMI and Adventist World Radio are providing cell phone evangelistic training and 1000 data projectors. They are also assisting the roll-out of Hope FM radio stations across PNG. So far nine stations have been installed and they are hoping to complete a further 11 stations before January. Radio will be one of the major tools for promoting the campaign.
As preparations continue toward this big event, SPD president Pastor Glenn Townend has called for prayer.
“There is huge vision in PNG and great TMI support in the country,” Pastor Townend said. “Already they are building churches and have thousands in baptismal classes. The church people are very active in health and social service ministry as well as Discovery Bible Reading groups. If this program reaches its aim we could need another 2000 churches.”
Pastor Townend is encouraged to see the rest of the SPD getting behind the campaign. “I have never seen such overwhelming support from the presidents of the missions/conferences around the Division to support their colleagues in PNG.”
Big Camp offerings in 2020 will help to support the campaign, which requires a significant financial investment for the Bibles and other resources, and to build the new churches, Church members can also support the project by joining a preaching team, or be willing to preach themselves, or participate in church construction.
Papua New Guinea Union Mission communication director Cameron Wari said local missions are excited about the campaign “and are planning big for next year”.
In the lead-up to the program, the GC is planning a mega health clinic in Mt Hagen in the last week of March.
