Pacific Island Ministries in involved in Christian education in Papua New Guinea. The Lord has used PIM to start about 35 Christian elementary and primary schools in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. There is a total of 22 provinces in the country. About 13,000 copies of Ten Hot Topics, 13,000 of Eleven More Hot Topics, 11,000 of Leadership for Melanesia, 8,000 of Nine More Hot Topics and 5,000 of Heroes in a Time of Lawlessness have been printed and distributed in Papua New Guinea for Christian Religious Education in the government (public) high schools. The Papua New Guinea government through the Education Department has mandated Christian Religious Education for all high schools in Papua New Guinea.
The Secretary of Education in Papua New Guinea Dr. Uke Kombra has read these five books and has tasked the Curriculum Development Division of the Education Department with vetting these five books. Staff persons in the Curriculum Development Division have read and given approval to these books. In April of this year the Papua New Guinea Education Department paid PIM for the printing of 50,000 copies of these five books. (That’s in addition to the 50,000 copies mentioned above which were paid for and distributed by PIM from 2006 – 2022). PIM is now in the process of printing these books (funded by the Education Department) through a Christian Publishing Company in Papua New Guinea and distributing these culturally appropriate and biblically-based books to high schools in Papua New Guinea.
Pacific Island Ministries is staffed by Pastor Eric Schering and his wife Penny. They have served with Pacific Island Ministries in Papua New Guinea for 23 years. Pastor Schering also served as a pastor of three Christian Reformed Churches in the US from 1985-2004.
Pacific Island Ministries was originally founded by Penny’s parents, Orneal and Martha Kooyers, in 1977. Currently PIM is also involved in the training of pastors in Papua New Guinea.
Pastor Schering also shares some insights into a key person in Papua New Guinea, Dame Carol Kidu. Click here for information into her service in that country.