CHURCH leaders, pastors, ministers, and local mission officers have successfully completed a two-day intensive Governance and Local Church Finance Training at Gander Youth Hall in Carltex, Wewak, a program designed to align church leadership at the local mission level with the Papua New Guinea Union Mission’s strategic direction for this quinquennium.
The training was an initiative of the Papua New Guinea Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (PNGUM) and was facilitated by two resource persons: Rex R. Rosas, Associate Chief Financial Officer for PNGUM, who covered local church finance, and Stephen Currow, Governance Development Officer for the South Pacific Division, who delivered sessions on governance principles and accountability for church leaders.
COORDINATED BY MISSION SECRETARY
The program was coordinated by Pastor Charles Paul, newly appointed Secretary for Sepik Mission, who led the effort to bring local mission church leaders together for the training. His organisation of the event reflects the mission’s commitment to ensuring that governance and financial accountability become embedded priorities at every level of church leadership.
PARTIAL TEAM ABSENT DUE TO FLIGHT LIMITATIONS
The training was not without its challenges. Due to unforeseen circumstances, part of the visiting team was unable to join the mission as originally planned, with fully booked flights to Wewak preventing some guests from travelling. The mission acknowledged the inconvenience and expressed its expectation of hosting those guests on a future visit.
Concluding the two days, Sepik Mission urged the two facilitators that the depth of need for governance and finance training across the local mission level far exceeded what two days could address. The mission expressed its willingness to plan for a longer and more comprehensive program in the future, signalling that this training is not a one-off event but the beginning of a sustained investment in leadership development across the Sepik region.
