Port Moresby's 50-Yeors-Old

Church

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, Dec. 1

ON Sunday, November 17, a large con gregation gathered in Ela Protest ant Church, Port Moresby, to cele-

brate the 50th anniversary of its estab lishment in 1890. A service was conducted by the Senior Missionary of the LMS in Papua, Rev. H. J. E. Short, assisted by Rev. S. J, Rankin and Rev. Maurice Nixon, Chairman of the LMS.

The service was an impressive one, and in his sermon Mr. Short testified to the soundness and dignity of the Church’s contribution to the life of the community over the years, and he made a stirring call to a new allegiance.

The Senior Elder, Mr. C. H, Brough, sketched the history of the church since subscriptions were raised towards the building fund by the first LMS missionary in Papua, Rev. G. W. Lawes. Of the 62 subscribers to the fund. Mr. A. C. Eng lish, of Kapa Kapa, is the only one liv ing to-day. The names included those of Sir William MacGregor, Sir Samuel Griffiths, Sir James Burns, Sir James Reading Fairfax (“Sydney Morning Herald”) and many others, long passed away.

Mr. S. A. Lonergan, Assistant Govern ment Secretary in the New Guinea Ad ministration arrived in Australia with Mrs. Lonergan recently on leave. Mr. C.

Meares has taken Mr. Lonergan's place during his absence.

The church building, photographed in 1890.