The year has seen a remarkable increase in the number of our people coming forward to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This is due largely to the witness and personal evangelism of the converts themselves… sometimes we are perplexed by what may happen if the number increases very much faster. Highlands DistrictContinue reading “30. The church begins to grow in 1962”
Tag Archives: Tari
29. Moving to Tende and other changes, 1962
Here at Mendi each person is trying to cope with more work than one can possibly do… This work which God has sent us to do has outgrown us. John Rees, July 1962 The year has seen a remarkable increase in the number of our people coming forward to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their LordContinue reading “29. Moving to Tende and other changes, 1962”
27. First baptisms, 1961
‘This was the day. It was the climax of months of preparation by many people and the fulfillment of years of work by others.’ Joyce Rosser, writing of the first baptisms at the Methodist Church in Tari, 1961. ‘The preaching has led to no hasty decisions of belief in God, but rather to a gradualContinue reading “27. First baptisms, 1961”
26. First signs of Christian conversion, 1960s
1960s ‘Little did we dream what was to happen’. Sister Edith James, Tari ‘In a service at Tari nineteen people have made a public confession of faith. A medical orderly at Mendi also accepted Christ’. Annual report 1960 There was nothing to warn them that something important was about to happen. In Tari, it wasContinue reading “26. First signs of Christian conversion, 1960s”
24. Practical ministries of education and health, 1960
We did not understand the meaning of school, so many of the boys left and went back to the village, only a few of us continued. That doesn’t mean we knew the meaning of it either, but we wanted to stay with the mission because it was better than living in the village. Dabuma, 1970Continue reading “24. Practical ministries of education and health, 1960”
23 Hope, disappointment and new hope, 1960
Our missionaries are doing a great job but, if their numbers were doubled, they would only be touching the fringe of this field. Rev Harry Bartlett, visitor to Highlands on behalf of MOM 1960 The cutting edge of the church’s advance is the witness and work of the island missionaries. Missionary Review March 1958 TheContinue reading “23 Hope, disappointment and new hope, 1960”
16. Visitors from a wider world, 1955
Workers from New Zealand, Germany and Tonga join the mission team In 1955, the mission team spoke at least six different languages in their homes and tried to learn the languages of the local people as well. They were all a very long way from their homes. For many centuries, perhaps for thousands of years,Continue reading “16. Visitors from a wider world, 1955”
15. Life in Mendi, 1954
People who liked to fight By 1954, it was clear that there were many challenges for both the Australian government administration and for missions working in the Southern Highlands. Tribal fighting was one of many problems. When some people asked why missions were there at all, the MOM General Secretary Cecil Gribble replied. “But behindContinue reading “15. Life in Mendi, 1954”
14. A Visitor to Tari: 1954
November 1954 The General Secretary of Methodist Overseas Missions (MOM) in the 1950s was Rev Cecil Gribble. He was very interested and encouraging of the new mission work in the Southern Highlands and began to visit Mendi regularly from 1951. In 1954 he came from Sydney to visit the new work in Tari for theContinue reading “14. A Visitor to Tari: 1954”
Synod and other meetings
Every year representatives from the churches in the Highlands would gather to find out what was happening and to make important decisions together. The annual meeting was called the ‘Synod’. This photo collection from 1959 to 2006 shows Synod meetings and other important meetings of church leaders. Click on the arrows to move forward orContinue reading “Synod and other meetings”
Margaret Reeson 