Lutheran Church Dedicated

In Ng Highlands

ONE of the first permanent churches in the Central Highlands of New Guinea was dedicated near Kainantu late in March. The ceremony marked the be ginning of a three-day celebration in which 6,000 Upper Ramu natives took

part.

The climax of the festival came when 370 natives of the area were baptised.

Among the Europeans present were Superintendent Kuder of the Lutheran Mission, Lae, and Mr. and Mrs. Toogood from the Kainantu Sub-District Office.

The church has been constructed from the finest of local hardwoods. Native carvings in the interior give it a Papuan touch and a Sydney artist designed the art glass chancel window depicting Christ blessing three Papuan natives. The sym bols in the eight art-glass windows in the knave tell the complete Bible story, be ginning with the hand of creation and ending with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The church will seat 600 natives.

Friends in America and Australia con tributed toward the local church fund begun by the Kainantu natives early in 1948 and made this fine building possible.

As Kainantu is the gate-way to the Central Highlands, this church with its silvery roof, serves as a landmark for the many pilots who fly the air-lane from Lae. It is also a reminder of the progress made by the mission organisations in the Central Highlands of New Guinea, which began work here about fifteen years ago.—AP.

Dr. T. R. A. Davis, of the Cook Islands Medical Department, who has been spend ing several months in Australia, expects to return to Rarotonga in August.

The New Church.