The Foursquare congregation at Sumkar district, Madang, celebrated the opening of their first permanent church building on January 15.
It was a historic occasion to see a modern infrastructure being constructed because the Foursquare Church was the first Pentecostal church to establish its roots in 1982 in Karkum village, which is predominantly Roman Catholic.
The event was witnessed by several hundreds of people, mainly from sister churches in Madang, Bogia and the mainland Sumkar districts.
The new Church was built at a cost of over K29,000 and took a period of four years to complete. The sole financier of the church building was Collins Yapen, a budding young businessman who sacrificed his time and effort to complete the project.
Collins’ brother, Ps Larry Yapen, during the opening, also gave an historical account of how the Church established itself at Karkum village, firstly through the conversion of his parents’ faith.
“It was not an easy road, our church faced stiff opposition and even we had our early church structures burnt to the ground by arsonists,” Ps Larry said.
Senior Ps Joe Wakames, during his address at the dedication, encouraged Christians to make it their business to protect the Kingdom of God on earth through worship and keeping firmly their faith.
Former governmental head and former Madang administrator, Clant Alok, challenged that Christian churches, besides addressing the spiritual needs of the people, also have the responsibility to change the people’s physical life.
Guests at the ceremony included Member for Usino-Bundi, Anton Yagama, former national governmental head and Madang administrator, Alok, Foursquare Church Bogia district supervisor, Wakames, and chairman of the Madang Christian Academy, Alois Zale.
The dedication of the church was conducted by senior Ps Wakames.
(The entrance of the new Foursquare building)