Two months after the ACTS 2000 evangelistic series in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the national crime rate is down and the churches have experienced huge growth.

“Rascal,” or gang, activity has dropped since the 16-day program that featured Seventh-day Adventist evangelist Mark Finley, reports Pastor Wilson Stephen, president of the Adventist Church in PNG. He notes that while minor crime is still a problem, there has been a dramatic decrease in major crime in the country.

“The spiritual effect of the meetings has really taken the attention and interest of the people in PNG,” he says. These changes have been recognized by the media in PNG, with the Post-Courier, a major daily newspaper, interviewing Stephen about the spiritual impact of the meetings. He was also invited to prepare a message to be published on Independence Day in September.

“Those in the government also speak highly of the program,” he adds. “Several have requested sets of tapes, including the Prime Minister, the leader of the opposition, other government ministers and public servants.” The series was conducted in Port Moresby and uplinked by satellite. An estimated 1 million people saw the program downlinked in Pacific island nations, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand as well as PNG. More than 500,000 attended the programs in PNG at 53 downlink sites and 13 delayed replay sites.

In several places the program was run on television and radio, so the total number of viewers or listeners is not known. The long-term impact is one that will strengthen the church, says Stephen, who adds that Adventists have become well known in the community.

Stephen recently received a report from “the bush” out of Lae, a small group of about 20 worshipping on Sabbath, or Saturday. “They’re longing for a pastor or someone to visit them,” he says.

Church administrative districts in PNG report that they continue to be in contact with nearly 16,000 people, many of them now attending church.

“Our biggest problem is church space,” says Stephen. “Most churches in the main centers now have two services. The one we call the ‘seeker service,’ for the new interests, begins at 8 o’clock in the morning.”

Sabbath school and the main worship service follow the first service. Many churches find they still lack space because new attendees want to stay for the second service. The increase in attendance has brought an increase in offerings and tithes.

Stephen reports that church members have received these newcomers with open arms. “Some churches have organized families to help nurture the newcomers. Others are visiting; they go to these new people, they pray with them, they visit with them and they encourage them. Some churches have regular follow-up programs.

“The churches, the pastors, the elders and church officers are all working very hard to nurture these new people.”

One of the big issues the church in PNG faces is having enough pastors and elders to help with the nurture. “Some churches have increased the number of their elders,” says Stephen, “but it’s hard to increase pastors because Sonoma and Pacific Adventist University only produce what they can. The same is true of Omaura, a lay-training school.”

He says the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, or South Pacific Division, has come to their aid with money to employ more pastors. “They’ve requested us to see if there are any experienced pastors who have left ministry because there were no finances to employ them. We have brought them back and the division is paying them for 2001.”

Stephen says he was proud of what the church accomplished with the ACTS 2000 evangelistic series.

“I’m proud to be part of a church that can work together like this and put on a big program that touches the lives of so many people. It was a joy to see the thousands of people coming.”