Plans for visit by Papuan Bishop

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32629, 10 June 1971, Page 10

Plans for visit by Papuan Bishop

Bishop Ravu Henao, the first Bishop of the Papua mainland region of the United Jhurch of Papua, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, will visit Christchurch from June 23 to June 26. He will visit New Zealand for three weeks as one of a United Church delegation of four persons, at the joint invitation of the Methodist and Presbyterian Overseas Mission committees. The delegation is returning from the Pacific Conference of Churches held in Suva from May 1 to May 14. The other members of the delegation are the first Moderator of the United Church, the Rev. J. Sharp, and Mrs Sharp, and a Christian education worker from the Highlands regions of New Guinea (Miss Yongoman Kusi). Mr

Sharp was inaugurated in 1968 and Miss Sharp was a nurse and deaconess. The team will tour New Zealand speaking of the work of the church in the islands, before it returns to New Guinea.

Bishop Ravu was born in 1928 at Barakau, near Port Moresby. He was educated at the Mission School at Hanuabada and then worked for the Treasury until he was called to serve in the Rouna army unit in World War IL He was trained for the ministry at the London Missionary Society College before he was ordained deacon in 1954 and appointed Bishop when the United Church was established in 1968.

The United Church is made up of Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist denominations.