Lae church launches reconstruction work two years after disaster

The Cassowary United Church in Lae, Morobe, has officially launched ground-filling works to reclaim its premises two years after part of its property was destroyed by natural disaster.

The church's backyard was washed away by the flooding Bumbu River in August 2024, forcing the congregation to spend two years raising funds to restore the land.

While other centers have celebrated progress, the Cassowary congregation was left to focus on land recovery efforts, ruling out any plans to relocate due to severe land scarcity in Lae.

Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony, Reverend Rau Vetali expressed deep gratitude to church partners and stakeholders who supported their fundraising drives over the last two years.

“The church conducted two major fundraising dinners, one in Port Moresby and the other here in Lae, and we are still continuing,” Rev Vetali said.

“We are grateful for good support from the provincial administration and the former late Governor Luther Wenge.”

Several business houses in the province have also stepped in to contribute to the backfilling and land reclamation project.

Rev Vetali re-emphasized that the church would not move from its original site, though secondary operations have been shifted out of necessity.

“Land is scarce these days, but we would only source land elsewhere for other church activities,” he said.

“For example, our church-run elementary school has been relocated to a new site at this time.”

The ground-breaking ceremony coincided with a dual celebration marking the church's 57th anniversary alongside United Church congregations across the country.

Meanwhile, backfilling work started last week.