Irian still needs missionaries

Irian still needs missionaries

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Foreign missionaries, especially
from Protestant denominations, are still required by the
government to help serve and develop the local community, a local
official says.

Head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Religion,
R.S. Soengkono, was quoted by Antara as saying that the
missionaries are needed to build churches and serve in the
hinterland.

Most villages in the province were located in isolated areas
which can be reached most easily by foreign missionaries who have
light planes and are able to approach locals by means of
religion, he said.

He said the missionaries were crucial as they were the
government's main means to develop the huge province.

Soengkono said the missionaries were needed not only to
propagate religion but were agents of change and also improve the
local peoples' welfare.

He said there are currently 66 families of foreign
missionaries in Irian Jaya. They come from Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and German.
They are distributed among nine remote regencies.(pwn)