Papua New Guinea: Church Chronology

1944–1945 • New GuineaDuring World War II, several groups of Latter-day Saints serving in the military conducted Church services while stationed in New Guinea. A set of sacrament cups was made from 20-millimeter ammunition shells.

January 20–September 26, 1961 • Port Moresby and Lae, Papua New GuineaThe first missionaries were sent to labor in Port Moresby and Lae. Later that year, the country was closed for missionary work and the missionaries were withdrawn.

September 16, 1975 • Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea became independent from Australia.

July 24, 1980 • Port Moresby Senior missionary couple Eva Johnson and L. Douglas Johnson of the Australia Brisbane Mission were assigned to recommence preaching in Papua New Guinea.

October 19, 1980 • Port MoresbyThe first baptismal service for local converts in Papua New Guinea was held.

May 1981 • Port MoresbyFormal recognition and legal status granted to the Church allowed leaders the right to lease land for chapels and other church buildings.

August 1981 • Port MoresbyVaiba Rome and Auda Dairi became the first Papua New Guineans to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood.

November 1–2, 1981 • Port MoresbyThe Port Moresby Branch was divided into four branches: Port Moresby, Tokarara, Korobosea; a branch was created in Girabu.

August 29, 1982 • Papua New GuineaRobert Goisisi and Johnson Auda were set apart as the first Papua New Guineans to serve as full-time missionaries. They were called to serve in the Australia Brisbane Mission.

group of people in front of Hamilton New Zealand Temple

January 14, 1983 • Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Vaiba Rome and Mauveri Wadega traveled to the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and received temple ordinances.

April 14, 1983 • Port MoresbyMore than 500 members attended the dedication service for Papua New Guinea, in which Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered the dedicatory prayer.

September 26, 1984 • Port MoresbyA new meetinghouse was dedicated in Gabutu, the first Church-built meetinghouse in Papua New Guinea.

July 16, 1986 • Papua New GuineaYoung missionaries began serving in Papua New Guinea, joining senior missionaries who had been serving for five years.

1987 • Papua New GuineaBy the end of 1987, all branches were presided over by Papua New Guinean leaders.

May 22–23, 1987 • Varirata National Park, Papua New GuineaAt the Varirata scout camp, 150 Latter-day Saint youth attended a youth conference.

October 1, 1988 • Port MoresbyDistrict Relief Society president Sandra Munro presided over an inaugural Relief Society conference at the Gabutu chapel. The conference brought together about 130 Latter-day Saint women from all branches for 10 workshops.

October 16, 1988 • Port MoresbyDiane Aua and Jimmy Kairi graduated from seminary, having attended mid-week study classes every week for four years.

March 31, 1989 • Papua New GuineaMary Aitsi, first sister missionary from Papua New Guinea, left to serve in the Australia Sydney Mission.

1991 • Sydney, AustraliaNear the end of the year, 138 Papua New Guineans traveled to the Sydney Australia Temple and participated in ordinances.

February 7, 1992 • Port MoresbyThe Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission was created, with Joseph J. Grigg as president.

October 22, 1995 • Port MoresbyThe Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Stake was created, with Vaiba Rome as president.

January 20, 1996 • Port MoresbyKapena Boe Arua of the Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Stake was ordained as the first patriarch in Papua New Guinea.

1997 • Liahona, TongaA group of Papua New Guinea Latter-day Saint students traveled to Tonga to attend Liahona High School.

July 1998 • Suki, Papua New GuineaMembers who had been converted elsewhere moved home to places such as Suki, prompting the organization of a branch in Suki in July 1998.

March 2001 • Papua New GuineaCoordinating frequently with Lady Carol Kidu, a member of Parliament and minister of social welfare and development, leaders and members in Papua New Guinea established a strategic plan for self-reliance, focusing on supplying potable water, increased access to education, employment resources, and medical equipment.

2008 • Port MoresbyThe Community Development Department of the government of Papua New Guinea and the Church Family History Department signed an agreement resulting in the digitization of 2.75 million images dating from the early 1800s.

2008 • Papua New GuineaIn cooperation with the World Health Organization and the Papua New Guinea medical establishment, the Welfare Services Department undertook a major measles vaccination project. Primary children recorded pro-vaccination jingles that played on the radio.

April 22–25, 2010 • Daru, Papua New GuineaLatter-day Saints gathered for a district conference in Daru. Over 1,700 people attended, a quarter of whom traveled down the Fly River by canoe.

July 2010 • Port MoresbyNearly 300 young single adults attended the National Young Single Adult Conference, including a group of 17 young people, accompanied by their district president and his wife, who made a five-day journey by foot through rugged mountainous terrain to attend.

December 2010 • Daru and Fly River Delta, Papua New GuineaA cholera outbreak claimed the lives of more than 70 Church members in Papua New Guinea.

May 29, 2011 • DaruThe Daru Papua New Guinea Stake was created, with Tom Songoro as stake president.

August 8, 2013 • Boroko, Port MoresbyThe Church delivered 30,000 digitized records to Loujaya Toni, minister for religion, youth, and community development, as part of a partnership to digitize the nation’s vital records dating back to the 1800s.

August 3, 2015 • Kokopo, Papua New GuineaAt the Kokopo Fire Station, a representative of the National Orthotics and Prosthetics Services (NOPS) accepted a donation of wheelchairs and other mobility aids from Latter-day Saint Charities.

February 2016 • Port MoresbyLatter-day Saint youth gathered for a Port Moresby Youth Convention for worship, games, and a service project promoting vaccination in the local community.

May 2016 • Four Mile, Port MoresbyThe Gerehu and Kuriva districts merged into one, the Gerehu Papua New Guinea District, with Charles Tuigamala as district president and Barbara Liri as Relief Society president.

June 19, 2016 • Port MoresbyShortly after returning from her mission in Sydney, Australia, Fidelish Metta, age 23, finished second in the nationally televised Vocal Fusion singing competition. She won a 20,000 kina cash prize and went on to study psychology at BYU–Hawaii.

November 12, 2016 • Four Mile, Port MoresbyChurch members held a Family Discovery Day, with activities and speakers celebrating family history. In a service project, Latter-day Saint youth photographed more than 300 headstones at the Bomana War Cemetery and donated the images to a genealogical research website.

March 13, 2017 • Port MoresbyThe Saints in Papua New Guinea celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Mission with cultural celebrations, dance, and a missionary reunion.

October 5, 2019 • Salt Lake City, Utah, USAPresident Russell M. Nelson announced a temple to be built in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.