The National Prayer and Repentance Day on 26 August must be observed with solemnity and true repentance, say the three main Christian Church bodies.
In a media conference held on Friday, 19 August, church leaders representing the PNG Council of Churches (PNGCC), the PNG Evangelical Alliance and the Body of Christ movement called on the government and the people to genuinely repent and pray for God’s intervention.
Secretary for Department of Community Development and Religion, Jerry Ubase said they have given the mandate to churches to facilitate both the Day of Repentance as well as the Annual Dedication of the Public Service.
“Department will only facilitate. I feel that that mandate must go back to churches to facilitate on behalf of the country,” said General Secretary, PNGCC, Rev. Roger Joseph.
He reminds the public that the Repentance Day is being observed at a very crucial time, referring to injustices experienced during the 2022 election, and amidst the call made by the Government to ‘Take back PNG’.
“The call for a national repentance day by the nation of PNG is a genuine and timely call. A call to take back PNG from where we are heading. It is a call for all to pause from our normal activities and spend time with God. This allows God’s probing spirit to direct us as to where we have gone wrong or have failed and by this same spirit to convict us from our short comings and enable us to confess these short comings.”
Body of Christ Deputy Chairman, Pastor Michael Wilson announced lead-up programmes towards the Day of Prayer & Repentance in the NCD.
There will be gathering of faithful along the Independence Boulevard to pray from Monday to Thursday, next week.
Ps Michael Wilson, “That is to let everybody know we will be doing in groups, there will be professionals especially young people will be there, there’ll be grouped into different categories of how we live, for example men, women, youth, professionals, and then leaders. We going to have those kind of people to come and say sorry and have a good time with the Lord.”
Meanwhile, Chairman for the Evangelical Churches, Ps. Mathias Hamaga said in the coming years, the church leaders would like to organize similar gatherings for prayer and repentance in the provinces.