Prime Minister and Member for Tari-Pori, Hon. James Marape has paid tribute to churches across Papua New Guinea for their immense contribution to nation-building over the years pre-dating Independence.
The Prime Minister said churches have played vital, irreplaceable role in trans- forming lives, promoting peace, and shaping communities through the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the country.
Speaking at a church event for Habare Pioneer Seventh Day Adventist Church Mission in Tari, Prime Minister Marape said the impact of churches has gone beyond spiritual care to education, health services, peace-building, and moral guidance.
“Churches have brought peace and change to Tari and across Papua New Guinea. I am a direct beneficiary of missionary and church work that brought not only the Gospel but also schools, health services, discipline, and hope to our people,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He acknowledged the long-standing contributions of the Seventh Day Advent- ist Church, alongside the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Evangelical Bible Church, and other Christian denominations, for uniting once-divided tribes, nurturing families, and raising generations of children in Christ-like values of love, respect, forgiveness, compassion, and peace.
The Prime Minister said communities such as Habare, Piripu, Paipali, and sur- rounding areas in Tari have experienced peace and social transformation through the Word of God delivered over decades.
He encouraged the people of Tari-Pori and Habare, including residents of Tari Town, to remain grounded in the Word of God to guide their lives, and to co- operate toward church programs and building church infrastructure as part of service to church-work instead of relying too heavily on government.
Reflecting on the Christmas season, Prime Minister Marape said Christmas is a time for reflection, forgiveness, reconciliation, love, compassion, and peace, urging families, tribes, and communities to set aside differences and embrace unity in Christ.
“Christmas is a good time to reflect, to forgive one another, and to share love and peace with our families, our tribes, our communities, and our country as a whole,” he said.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged overseas SDA missionaries, including those from Pacific, Australia, and other parts of the world, who sacrificed greatly to bring the Gospel to Tari and Hela Province. He said their obedience to God’s calling laid the strong spiritual foundation upon which communities continue to stand today.
He further paid tribute to Papua New Guinean SDA missionaries, particularly those from the New Guinea Islands region, including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, New Ireland Province, and Manus, who served faithfully as pas- tors and church workers in Habare and Tari. Prime Minister Marape said many of these missionaries later spread the Adventist mission work to other parts of the Tari District and across Hela Province, leaving behind a lasting legacy of faith, service, and leadership.