The Sepik Mission in Papua New Guinea launched a new initiative themed “Sepik for Christ” on April 1, 2023, in the Maprik District of the East Sepik Province as part of the wider PNG Union Mission (PNGUM) theme of “PNG for Christ 2024.”

Following the close of the Sabbath, the launch program was held on Saturday night and attended by mission staff and church members. In his opening address, Pastor Henry Monape, Sepik Mission president, explained that the Sepik for Christ campaign is just the beginning of a larger program that will extend across PNG throughout 2024.

Pastor Monape emphasized the importance of small group evangelism as the focus of the campaign. He explained that while the campaign will run for the next two years of the quinquennium and beyond, evangelism work has no time limit. He highlighted the growth in the South Pacific Division during the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence of the success of small group evangelism.

During the launch program, a symbolic fire representing the spirit of evangelism was lit, with Pastor Monape using his torch to light the torches of all the departmental directors in the mission. They, in turn, lit the torches of all the local churches in the mission. Sepik for Christ banners were presented to each local church in the mission to promote the initiative in their communities.

The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist Record website.