OASOM ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY AND OFFERING PROMOTION

 

 

Omaura Adventist School of Ministry Special Project,  2023

Omaura Adventist School of Ministry is an institution operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Papua New Guinea. It is located in Obura-Wonenara District of Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It was established in the 1940s and since then has been in operation for a good number of years. It was established solely to train gospel workers to carry the gospel to the the unreached areas of Papua New Guinea. 

Since its establishment in 1940 up till 1952, the School was referred to as Omaura Training School. From 1965 to 1975, the school became Omaura Bible Worker's Training School. During this period, many students from far and near started to attend this special school. This gives rise to its increase influence as a fore-runner in producing ample quantity of workers to carry the Seventh-day Adventist Church's agenda to the fringes of this beautiful island.

The school since then has become the focal point in training Adventist gospel workers. In 1980 to 1991, the school effectively launched a good number of  Adventist gospel workers into the Papua New Guinea mission field. Many of them became prominent leaders in the Church and are still very active in the ministry. 

Sadly, the school was temporarily closed for a total of 4 years, spanning from 1991 to 1994 for unspecified reasons. After 4 years of temporary closure, the school was re-opened in 1996 by the Papua New Guinea Union Mission and was then renamed Omaura School of Ministry. It is now more recently named, Omaura Adventist School of Ministry by the current Principal, Pr. Garry Leana since taking office in 2020.

The school has now grown from strength to strength and boasts of graduating an average of 100 students per year. It has a robust spiritual culture that is second to non in all the Adventist institutions in this country, owing to its praying culture. Work-line as a norm in all Adventist institutions plays a vital part in shaping the outlook of the institution and its culture. The school has a good farming system that provides food for the students twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). The students and school staff are given gardening space to grow their own food as well.

Currently, the school is able to accommodate 5 Bible Teachers ( 2 bible teachers, a specialized English teacher, the Deputy Principal and the Principal). The school is blessed to have a chaplain who also assists in teaching bible classes and is employed by Eastern Highlands Simbu Mission of the SDA Church. This fruitful partnership between Papua New Guinea Union Mission of SDA Church and Eastern Highlands Mission of SDA Church of sponsoring the chaplaincy position within the school has been a revelation. 

The school has two support service departments, Building and Farm. The Building Manager, employed by the PNGUM works with 5 casual staff to ensure that School's infrastructural needs and development is up to par with the Union Mission's vision of the institution. The Farm Manger and his assistant (both employed by the Union) ensures that school's food demands are met on time. Surplus produce from the farm are marketed to earn the school extra cash for its operations. 

The school recently has a full-time driver employed. The driver's role is to ensure that the school's transportation needs of school materials, household items and transportations are met. The main  assets of the school currently in operation include a tractor, a school truck,  Lucas saw-mill and a generator that supplies the school's electrical needs that operates in the evenings, from 6pm to 9pm daily. The school is constantly changing. It is now slowly evolving to become an influential knowledge hub in the country.

The major challenge lies in its financial capability, as such, progress and development has been very slow. As it is, the school is currently embarking on a special offering collection project on August 12, forthcoming quarter (3rd Quarter, lession 7, 2023) lesson 7- throughout Papua New Guinea Union Mission wide. This special collection will greatly assist in boosting infrastructural development in the school with the aim of boosting school's level to college status once Sonoma Adventist College becomes a University. As such, your contribution to the project will enable the PNG Church, through the Omaura Adventist School of Ministry to improve its learning facilities. This will empower this learning hub to be an effective center of influence whose rippling effect will be felt in the fringes of this land before the Second Coming.

Come Lord Jesus.

Reference

1.Stafford, G. Omaura Adventist School of Ministry, 2020. Accessed from https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/assets/pdf/article-981S.pdf 

2.  Image 1, Andrew Waina- Accessed via google

3. All other images used-- are Isaiah Baburan, Mike Asitore and Michael Pinaung Images, 2023

If you wish to contribute to the development of this special prophet school, your proceedings can be directly deposited to WESTPAC BANK, Account Name: OMAURA SCHOOL OF MINISTRY

Account Number: OOO1 859 306

For more information, the Principal can be reached on 72388018