More than 5000 people gathered to celebrate the 141st anniversary of the George Brown day during the weekend.
United churches in the Raluana division of East New Britain marked the occasion at the Tungnaparau Memorial Reserve, situated in the Talakua village of the Gazelle district, on Saturday.
Tungnaparau is an historic site as it still holds the remains from unfortunate events of the past. The late 1800s saw the tragic killings of missionaries who came from Fiji, accompanying George Brown to this very part of the province.
On their mission to spread Christianity, Late Dr Brown's Fijian missionaries were murdered and eaten by the ancestors of locals living in the villages surrounding Tungnaparau. Despite suffering their loss, he pushed to spread the Gospel.
"Our people were left with the shoes to feed on, thinking that was still part of the legs," a local from the Talakua village told Loop PNG.
A reconciliation ceremony was held in 2007 to reconcile locals with the relatives of the deceased missionaries.
This year's theme for the George Brown day is ‘Lift up your voice to the Lord with fear and faithfulness’, taken from the book of Psalms 92:1.
This bi-annual event normally falls on August 15.
"We, the Raluana Division, have decided to move it to the 13th so the students and working people can also join in the celebrations," said a senior woman preacher of the Davaon circuit.
Celebrations are done in commemoration of the coming of the faith to the island of New Britain in 1875.
"Upon their arrival here, they communicated with our people through singing."
"They died in this very place, still singing," said the Servant of Ceremony.
"People of East New Britain, today we are privileged as blood was shared for the gospel to come," said Bishop Nathaniel Pairuia in his speech.
Apart from celebrating the coming of the gospel, the day's program was also to acknowledge the sacrifice of Dr Brown and his missionaries.
Activities of the day started at 9am with a short devotion and ended at 5pm with the presentations of the March Pass and Choir Competitions by the different choir groups within the Raluana division.
(The March Pass during the celebrations on Saturday.)
