It is common knowledge that education and religion are very important for society in social life. This also applies to the community who live in the land of Papua. That is why a TNI member sparked the idea of the Church Program for Papua, more precisely, in the Kodam 17 Cenderawasih territory.
The first person who came up with this idea was Colonel Inf. Yarnedi Mulyadi, who is a former assistant of Kodam 17 Cenderawasih. Until now, Mulyadi is still actively building and repairing churches in their territory. For now, at least there are 14 churches built as a result of this program.
Establish Partnerships with Gereja Kini Foundation
However, Mulyadi obviously cannot run this program alone. In addition to getting help from the Indonesian National Army Forced members in Kodam 17 Cenderawasih, he also established a partnership with Gereja Kita Foundation. So, TNI members work together with the pastors and the donors.
The construction of the churches is based on concern for one another. Especially because religion is fundamental for the people of Indonesia, including the Papuan, Mulyadi said that religious facilities must be adequate. He initiated this program to facilitate people who want to get closer to God.
Church was chosen because the religion of the majority of Papuans is Christian. So, it is clear that many Papuans need a proper church to pray. A very basic facility that all the community cannot enjoy. This is because the number of churches in Papua is still very limited.
Perhaps, people can easily find houses of worship, such as churches in urban areas. However, in rural areas, people still have difficulty finding decent churches. That is why apart from constructing the new churches, this program also repairs the old ones.
For example, such as the recent activity of this program is the Gumban Hidup Church renovation in Malagayneri District, Lanny Jaya, Papua. The initiator of this action is Yonifmek 203/Arya Kamuning Task Force Organic.
Gunadi Karjono, from Karunia Merah Putih Association, gave his full support to this program. He even facilitated the construction of the Kasih Karunia Monument and the Kristus Sang Penebus Statue.
Road Access and Transportation
Unfortunately, some problems still make this program not as smooth as it desired. The main obstacles are road access to the mountainous region, which is still very little. Also, there is not enough transportation to reach that region. This is why the church construction is still hampered.
Even so, this program is still ongoing. After the Gumban Hidup Church renovation, many churches are still ready for repair. For now, they are still in the process of sending materials to three churches in other areas. Although it still has not reached villages in the mountain area yet.
Mulyadi said, “Many small churches in the villages need to be repaired.”
The average size of churches that will undergo renovation in this program is 6 x 18. In addition to the construction of the building, in this program, the TNI, pastors, and donors also helped to complete the church facilities. Starting from the furniture to other important things, such as toilets.
However, due to road access and transportation limitations, this church program has only been able to reach the coastal area of Papua. These two things are still a big stumbling block for the program to reach the mountain area of Papua up until now.
Aside from the Church Program for Papua, Kodam 17 Cenderawasih and the surrounding community also work hard to build access to clean water. They are also trying to revive the cocoa plantations with the local government.
