HARRISBURG, PA. – The Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) is thrilled to announce the launch of a significant capital campaign to renovate and expand Goroka Baptist Bible College (GBBC) and the attached Seigu Baptist Clinic which share a campus together in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. With a goal of $6,710,832 and $1,271,387 already funded, the Goroka Project is set to transform lives—and a nation—through enhanced capacity for theological education and a sustainable platform for medically based evangelistic ministry.
Bill Smith, a long-term missionary to PNG, shared his insights on the local spiritual climate: “Papua New Guinea’s spiritual state would be basically this: they’ve had a form of Christianity, but they don’t have the power of it. They have some knowledge of Christ, yet there’s works; there’s [sic.] all kinds of things added to it. Their Christianity is not genuine, and that is the hardest thing. Sometimes you have to get them lost in order to get them saved.” The Goroka Project aims to address these challenges by providing robust Christian education and community outreach.
“The main purpose of the Goroka Baptist Bible College is training tomorrow’s Christian leaders today,” Bill Smith continued, highlighting the college’s broad educational scope. “We are developing the next generation of leaders. And it’s not just training pastors; it’s training teachers, it’s training medical workers, and whatever else God allows us to train them in—making a difference in their lives with the people that God gives them with their gifts and talents.”
Solomon J. Kinamat, Vice President of Student Affairs at GBBC, emphasized the college’s role in fostering integrity: “In a country where corruption is rife, our goal is to have Christians become leaders but become honest leaders. The two programs that we offer here at GBBC are Theology and Education . . . for theology, to know the Word of God and to be able to explain it clearly for the people to understand.”
Lori Smith, a missionary at the Seigu Clinic, spoke about the profound impact of their healthcare services: “Here in Papua New Guinea, people don’t have a Band-Aid; they don’t have an aspirin. They have nothing, and when they have physical needs and they come into the area of our clinic, they immediately feel a difference because the love of Jesus Christ is just permeated through everything that we do.”
The Seigu Clinic not only meets immediate medical needs but also serves as a gateway to spiritual conversations. “The gospel message is at the beginning of every clinic, and then throughout the day in smaller groups, each person has at least two opportunities to understand the gospel message and to make a decision, if they need to, to receive Jesus Christ,” Lori Smith added.
Paul Davis, president of ABWE, invites global supporters to be part of this initiative: “Although the good news of Jesus Christ has spread throughout Papua New Guinea and many of its 600 islands, the work of making disciples is far from over. Yet that task will be finished not mainly through Western missionaries but by trained, equipped, and qualified Papua New Guineans ablaze with zeal for the Lord. Expanding GBBC is the most strategic way we can do that.”
To support the Goroka Project, please visit https://give.abwe.org/projects/goroka-project. Your support can help extend the reach of GBBC and the Seigu Clinic, fostering generations of Christian leadership and healthcare excellence in Papua New Guinea.
About ABWE
ABWE is a global missions agency in 84 countries focused on multiplying leaders, churches, and missions movements among every people.
About Goroka Baptist Bible College
Founded in 1974, GBBC dedicates itself to developing future Christian leaders in Papua New Guinea. For further details, visit gorokabaptistbiblecollege.com.
