The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Missionary Fellowship was joined on Sunday, March 10 by a number of residents from Tanunda Lutheran Home (TLH), in whose chapel this 50-year reunion took place. A service in the chapel was well attended, and this was followed by a luncheon, then a number of speakers took the stand to […]

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Missionary Fellowship was joined on Sunday, March 10 by a number of residents from Tanunda Lutheran Home (TLH), in whose chapel this 50-year reunion took place.

A service in the chapel was well attended, and this was followed by a luncheon, then a number of speakers took the stand to share their experiences working in various roles within the Lutheran Church in PNG.

Among the residents of TLH, who saw service in PNG, were retired pastor Hartley Hage, nurses Clair Altus, Marie Heinrich, Elizabeth Ruediger and Irene Joppich.

From the Independent Living units came Barry and Lorraine Hedley who, supported by the Uniting Church, assisted in the establishment of a hospital in Tari.

All up, the reunion was estimated to have been attended by approximately 140, with about 70 staying on for the conference.

On that day I spoke with recently retired pastor Greg Schiller who has spent most of his working life learning the culture and language in the Highlands, near Mt Hagen PNG.

He arrived fresh from Seminary in 1984 to begin training workers and pastors.

He stayed on to serve the locals for almost 30 years and mentioned that the people of PNG, when they heard the good news of the gospel, called it ‘Miti Nanga Miti’: Good News for Me! It is My Good News; this they did while still holding with integrity to their traditions. The people have fully laid their own claim to this Good News, calling it ‘My God, My Church, My Time’.

Pastor Greg was received, almost upon arrival, into a local family and has maintained a close connection with them through all the natural events a life time brings.

The experience personalised his introduction into PNG culture and he has formed a deep love for the people and the culture he was immersed in.

In anthropological terms he calls the experience, ‘participant observation’, as he not only observed the culture but participated fully in it.

He spoke with evident love and joy of his times there. ‘I consider myself a Highlander’ he said, ‘I found the experiences were quite varied, and the people to be warm and generous.’

There are few paid positions in the smaller villages throughout PNG, as people are mainly subsistence farmers and he mentions that the younger generation is moving further afield to take on some of the more recognisable practices of modern living.

‘Another of the long-term workers is Hanna Schulz who has volunteered for the past 12 years, working with locals in the translation of their spoken language. The translation work will enable them to be able to read and write their own stories and history and to further the education of the younger generation.

‘…She mentions in her afternoon talk that there are an estimated 800-1000 distinct languages in PNG, a huge number, spoken across the country. That number represents about 12 per cent of the world’s languages, and that in a country with an estimated population of 10 million.’

All together, the service and the conference affirmed the culturally sensitive work that continues across the country; a work which is almost universally embraced by the Papua New Guineans themselves.

The event was coordinated by Oscar and Irene Joppich and Graham Maas, all of the Lutheran homes Barossa. A total of $1000 was raised, which will be assigned to support the translation work of Hanna Schulz.

Reprinted with the kind permission of The Leader. Visit their website to find out more about The Leader.

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