Members of the Universal Church across the country held the Easter Fast yesterday.
In Port Moresby, the main church was again able to reach more than 500 needy adults and children, giving out food packages, clothes packs and snacks for children.
Universal Church in PNG holds a bi-monthly Uni-social event where homeless and needy people on the streets go in for a feed and to receive a food pack at the church. This time on Easter Saturday 8th April, it was a collaborative event held all across the world in 142 countries including PNG.
At the main church in Gordons there were 537 adults on record that received packs of food and clothes, and 160 children were fed, whilst at the 8-Mile church 120 people turned up, making the total in Port Moresby to 817.
In addition, there were 160 people also turned up in Lae and 101 in Arawa so in total over 1000 people were given food and clothes on this day in all the Universal churches across the country.
According to Senior Pastor, Jonathan Pine, though it is a normal social activity for the church bi-monthly, this event is special because it is being done simultaneously across the world in all the 142 countries where there are Universal Church congregations.
“All nations where the church is, so we are all doing the same thing, from big temples that we have to the smallest church. So the idea is that in a massive way we are doing the same thing to help those in need,” Ps Jonathan said.
Pastor Pine added that the programme does not only care for the physical needs but also their spiritual needs as well. He said the theme this time is, “The Fast that pleases God,” based on Isaiah 58.
Ps Pine continued to explain that the main goal is not to get those in need to attend the church, though that is what the church desires, i.e for people to come and attend the church.
“In those uni-social events, we know that many people are not going to attend the church. It is really the idea to help them so we don’t mind if they come and get the food and they don’t attend the church. At least they came, got help, and got to know that Jesus can help them and their life can be changed. It is important that they saw the church and got help even without being part of the church,” Ps Jonathan added.
Pastor Marcello Santos who recently moved to Port Moresby from Lae compared the two churches uni-social activities and said the Lae church is smaller but had more corporate donors, whereas in Port Moresby the congregation number is bigger and though less number of corporate donors, the congregation themselves are able to give and to organize activities.
“I was in Lae before and of course the numbers of people here are three times more people coming for the outreach programme. The advantage here is that they have many volunteers. So they’re the ones with the packing of food, they also do the organization of the event like welcoming the people, assisting them to get the food baskets and the clothes as well. So even though we have a bigger number people here compared to Lae, we have more volunteers that makes the work to be very organized,” Ps Marcello said.
The congregation donated food and clothes to more than 800 people in Port Moresby on Easter Saturday.
Two medical nurses who are members of Port Moresby congregation were available to conduct vital medical checks.
A similar event will take place in the last week of June.