By GABRIEL KATUHO
THE PNG Revival Church has ushered in a new era of mass communication with the launch of The Voice of Revival, a radio and television station dedicated to spreading the gospel across Papua New Guinea.
The new media platform is expected to expand the church’s outreach by using radio and television to share Christian teachings, messages of hope, and the word of God with audiences across the country.
The station was officially launched on Tuesday, 1 September at the church’s main centre at Nine Mile, Port Moresby, as part of celebrations marking the church’s 44th anniversary.
The launch brought together pastors and members from the church’s four regions, along with representatives from the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA), National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and National Censorship Authority.
Church founder and Principal Pastor Godfrey Onpaye Wippon were the guest of honour.
NICTA Chief Executive Officer Lume Polume commended the church for using technology to expand its ministry, saying radio could help overcome the geographical challenges of reaching people across the country.
“Church has always been the number one partner of the government. Things that the government cannot do, the church does, and so representing the government to see that the idea of radio came into fruition is an achievement for the church and government as well,” he said.
Chief Censor Jim Abani congratulated the church on the launch and urged it to ensure that programming remained appropriate and consistent with broadcasting and censorship requirements.
“I, as the Chief Censor, want to see the content. Because many times we hear people complaining about radio announcers. They must be decent in the dissemination of information for public consumption,” Abani said.
Mr Abani also presented a certificate from the National Censorship Authority recognising The Voice of Revival as a broadcaster.
NBC Director Kora Nou said the launch demonstrated the church’s willingness to embrace the changing communications landscape.
“PNG Revival Church has gone into the era of mass communication, and the radio might either break or build a person,” he said.
Mr Nou encouraged the station to use its platform to promote messages of love and unity rather than hate.
He also pledged NBC’s support to the church and congratulated Pastor Wippon and its members on the milestone.
The PNG Revival Church began in 1982 in Karaite village, Lumi, West Sepik Province, with nine initial baptisms.
Founded by former NBC radio announcer Godfrey Onpaye Wippon, the church has since expanded across all 22 provinces of Papua New Guinea.
The church has provincial, district and area pastors overseeing its assemblies, with its central teaching based on Acts 2:38, focusing on repentance, water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
It regards speaking in tongues as biblical evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.
The Port Moresby Assembly is the church’s largest and is based at Nine Mile, inside the Old Moitaka Show Grounds.
The church also holds an annual National Rally, with its 24th National Rally held in Port Moresby in September 2025.
From its humble beginnings with nine members, the PNG Revival Church has grown to an estimated 800,000 members nationwide.