Anglican Church serving the furthest corners of PNG

July 28, 2015

On Saturday 18 July, Bishop Denny Guka, Bishop of Port Moresby, travelled with 3 Melanesian Brothers to Pivo, a remote village in Gulf Province.

After a 6 hour truck drive from Port Moresby to Kerema, Bishop Denny and Brothers David, Simon and Wesley, got on a 19 foot fibreglass outboard motor boat (dinghy) for an hour or two’s trip on open seas to the mouth of the mighty Vailala River.

After 11 hours of winding river turns on, first, the Vailala and then right onto the Lohiki River, and finally on the Pivo river, they reached Pivo village. This is where Brothers David and Simon will live for the next 3 yrs and serve the community by providing basic adult literacy and first aid treatments to the Pivo community. These are the only services in this village, that has been largely forgotten by government and others.

The Anglican Church of PNG has been sending members of the Melanesian Brotherhood to this community for the past two decades and are almost ready to dedicate St Francis chapel and open an elementary school and establish a larger adult literacy school.

ABM is supporting this work directly through Port Moresby Diocese and also through Anglicare PNG’s adult literacy and gender programs with the support of the DFAT funded PNG Church Partnership Program.

Pictured are Bishop Denny and Amos Misirait (Diocesan Secretary) with Brothers Simon, Wesley and David (L-R) on the eve of their departure. Bishop Denny was due to return to Port Moresby on Monday 20 July, pending weather conditions.