wfn.org | LWI 2008-028 LWF Pays Tribute to Papua New Guinea Lutheran Bishop Wesley Kigasung

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LWF Pays Tribute to Papua New Guinea Lutheran Bishop Wesley
Kigasung
Bishop Wesley Kigasung, LWF Council Adviser Dies

GENEVA, 20 May 2008 (LWI) - An active crusader for justice in
his church, nation and global ecumenical context, is how the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) described the contribution of
Bishop Dr Wesley Kigasung, head of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG), who died on 14 May 2008,
aged 57, following illness. 

In a 19 May letter to ELC-PNG General Secretary Rev. Isaac Teo,
LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko expressed deep
condolences to Kigasung's family, the church and people of Papua
New Guinea on behalf of LWF President Bishop Mark S. Hanson, the
Council and staff. Kigasung has been an LWF Council adviser since
2003, serving on the Program Committee for Ecumenical Affairs. 

The LWF general secretary particularly recalled his 2004
pastoral visits with Kigasung to Mount Hagen and other parts of
the country to respond to some urgent challenges of conflict
within the church, and extolled the PNG bishop for his pastoral
commitment to reconciling difficulties within the church. "Bishop
[Kigasung] was a fine pastor and theologian who firmly believed
and worked for peace and reconciliation both in church and
society," stated Noko.

At the various church-related fora locally and internationally,
Kigasung earned coworkers' respect for the dignified way in which
he related to others, noted Noko, citing the bishop's
contribution at the July 2003 LWF Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg,
Canada, as one of the respondents to the Assembly key note
address. (See http://www.lwf-assembly.org/News-016-EN.html) 

Noko also noted Kigasung's deep passion about ecological issues,
including his leadership in an appeal to the Prime Minister of
Papua New Guinea on the harmful environmental effects caused by
the Ramu nickel mine in Mandang Province.

"Always friendly, flashing a welcoming smile, he will be sadly
missed by all who have been touched by him and his leadership,"
said Noko of the LWF Council adviser. 

Born on 16 July 1950 in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea,
Kigasung pursued his undergraduate theological studies at the
Martin Luther Seminary in Lae, 1970-1975, and further studies in
theology and history at the University of Papua New Guinea in
Port Moresby, 1976-1979. From 1979 to 1980, he served as a pastor
in the remote Kaintiba district in the Gulf Province. He returned
to the seminary in Lae where he lectured in church history until
the end of 1982. He went for further studies in Germany in 1983,
and proceeded to the USA where he graduated with a Master of
Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1986,
and a Doctor of Theology from the same institution in 1989. He
resumed teaching at Lae late 1989, and was appointed the
seminary's principal in 1991, a position he held until his
election as ELC-PNG bishop in 1998. 

Bishop Dr Wesley Kigasung is survived by his wife Susie Manempen
Kigasung, two daughters and two granddaughters. 

According to information from the church office, a state funeral
for Kigasung took place today in Port Moresby, to be followed by
a church funeral service on 24 May in Lae and burial on 25 May at
his home village in Aluki, Bukawa area of Morobe Province. 

The ELC-PNG has 900,000 members, and has been an LWF member
church since 1976. (550 words) 

>*       *       *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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