This beautiful artwork was handmade by a local artist from Sentani, West Papua.  It is hand painted onto bark and has the GKI church logo.

The artwork was one of two pieces presented in Adelaide, July 2012 by Reverand Jan (Jappy) Rumbrar and Reverend Matheus Adadikam from the GKI church, a church of West Papua, to a member of the Blackwood Uniting Church in South Australia, who had a mission partnership connection with West Papua in 2010, Jane Bassham.  Rev Rumbrar and Adadikam were in Adelaide for the 13^th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, which had a focus on living faith and life cross-culturally.

What is the GKI church of West Papua?

GKI stands for Gereja Kristen Injili  of Tanah Papua, in Indonesian, or the Evangelical Christian Church of the Land of Papua, a Protestant denomination in Indonesia, particularly in the western Papua region. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_Christian_Church_of_the_Land_of_Papua)

Uniting Church partner, the Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua (GKI-TP) is a member of the West Papua Council of Churches.  The GKI-TP has been a long term advocate of the indigenous Papuan community, particularly around human rights issues. https://unitingworld.org.au/west-papua-churches-speak-out-on-human-rights/

What is BUC connection to West Papua’s GKI-TP church?

Blackwood Uniting Church (BUC), South Australia had a special relationship with West Papua. Members of BUC and Lyn Leane from Mission in UCSA visited West Papua in 2010.

Members of the BUC visited West Papua in February 2010.  6 members of Blackwood Uniting Church, including our then minister Rev Leanne Jenski, Rev Peter Stevens (retired), Christa Megaw, Dr Lyn Muller, Peter Muller and Jane Bassham visited West Papua, which Blackwood Uniting supported in Mission. We are pictured here at Jayapura airport with Lyn Leane who was working in Mission in UCSA; Jemima Krey the then Moderator of GKI & Eduard also from GKI. Note our ceramic bowls that were presented to us on Numfor Island.

Story written by Jane Bassham, member of Blackwood Uniting Church, September 2024