The following letter was sent from Dr. Jim and Rev. Melinda Scott honoring Rev. timothy Tipitapfor his many years of service to the Foursquare Gospel Church of PNG and the Foursquare Global council. Jim Scott was a past director of Foursquare Missions. Please clink the link to read the letter.
This article was originally published on the United states Foursquare Website at www.foursquare.org
Rev. Timothy Tipitap, Foursquare national leader of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has gone to be with the Lord. He was 63 years old. He had been admitted to a hospital recently because of the sudden onset of typhoid fever but was unable to recover. He died on Monday, Mar. 8.
The second Papua New Guinean to serve as national leader (following Pastor Kumoro Vira), Timothy will be greatly missed in the global Foursquare family.
Foursquare Church President Randy Remington says it’s not uncommon to hear someone labeled a “nation-changer” today, but Pastor Timothy fit the definition with his rock-solid belief that you can change a nation through changing hearts.
“This required the proclamation and the demonstration of the gospel,” Randy says. “Caring for the whole person, the love of Jesus compelled him and The Foursquare Church of PNG to minister to his nation’s spiritual, physical and intellectual needs.”
Leslie Keegel, chair of the Foursquare Global Council, notes that Timothy had been faithfully serving as national leader for more than 20 years and pioneered amazing growth since 2005. Timothy also served as regional chair for the council’s South Pacific Region since October 2016.
“His passion, love for the Lord, and care for all people—especially in his region—is unprecedented,” says Leslie, who also serves as the national leader in Sri Lanka. “His love for this global Foursquare family was clearly evident. With great enthusiasm and proclamation, he led the celebration of an entire nation under the banner of Jesus’ love and saw thousands come to Christ.”
Ted Vail, D.I.S., senior director of global mission for Foursquare, calls Timothy a “uniter” of many tribes and people, and so beloved the entire nation will be called to a period of mourning.
Despite limited resources in a developing nation, Timothy as national leader led Foursquare in the building and staffing of more than 400 primary and secondary schools, as well as 40 medical clinics.
As Foursquare PNG has grown to 1,800 churches, Ted says it has been an important social reinforcement, showing how lifting up the name of Jesus leads to finding a way to sending missionaries, building schools and planting churches.
“Timothy embodied something amazing,” Ted says. “He had vision and capacity to lead in both expansion and uniting amidst a nation of tribes and hundreds of languages, and proclamation and demonstration of the whole Foursquare Gospel.”
Foursquare’s work on PNG dates back to 1956, when Mason and Virgene Hughes planted the first Foursquare church on the South Pacific island. The training they and successive missionaries offered helped PNG move from a Stage 1 to a Stage 4 nation in Foursquare’s Four-Stage Model. The final stage of sending out missionary workers came under Timothy’s leadership, with leaders and workers going to such places as Australia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
In addition, Timothy started a Bible college and helped Foursquare become known as a church that helps train and educate the nation. He was deeply engaged in serving communities and villages.
Born on May 4, 1957, in the Enga Province—the Highlands’ northernmost region—Timothy grew up Catholic and regularly opposed, insulted and persecuted Christians of other denominations.
However, after sustaining a serious back injury in a car accident as a university student, a nurse who attended the Goroka Foursquare Church cared for him. Her demonstration of love and joy compelled him to reconsider his beliefs, which ultimately led to him joining Foursquare.
After completing his degree, he returned to his home in Wapenamanda and became a medical worker in a hospital. Timothy and a close friend, Siki, worked to plant a church in Enga that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019.
One FMI missionary who served alongside Timothy at the beginning of his service as national leader calls him a “gentle giant” who was a man of strength and vision.
George (last name withheld for security reasons) says Timothy’s soft-spoken manner concealed an unstoppable sense of mission and a passionate desire to see transformation in his native land.
“His joyful spirit, belief in people and desire to please God were contagious and will be greatly missed,” says George.
Frank Greer, now area missionary over East and Southern Africa, calls Timothy one of the greatest leaders he’s ever known; he says Timothy’s life and exploits sound a lot like that of the apostle Paul.
“From the time I knew him, I saw that everything he sought to do, he did,” says Frank, who met the leader in 1983 when Timothy was the supervisor for Enga Province.
“He planted churches, raised up leaders, engaged in opening schools, medical clinics, training centers and building the kingdom of God wherever and however he could. The church around the world has lost a mighty man of God. There will never be another just like Timothy Tipitap.”
Timothy is survived by his wife, Salome, a nurse who was educated in New Zealand and was a vital part of his ministry. Pray for her, as well as their children Nathan, Nathaniel and Priscilla. Funeral arrangements are pending.
To help support Foursquare’s work in Papua New Guinea, consider giving to the Global Missions Fund to support the work in PNG and the South Pacific.
Rodney Tom’Riesa, Pastor of Living Light Foursquare Gospel Church in Port Moresby was named as the National Capital District (NCD) and Central Province Supervisor by General Supervisor Wayne Nurumu.
Ps Tom’Riesa has also been a long-standing member of the Foursquare National Executive Council and currently serves as treasurer.
Pastor Magio Goro, Foursquare pastor, church planter, Southern Region Supervisor and NEC member died suddenly Sunday, June 30 while preaching at his home church in Bushwara, Port Moresby. The following announcement was put out by his family and church.
Pastor Magi Goro
06th March 1963 to 30th June 2019
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants” Psalm 116: 15
The following statement is issued on behalf of the immediate family of Pastor Magi Goro, his leadership team of the Bushwara Foursquare Gospel Church, its family, congregation and the Bushwara Community.
It is with a profound sense of sadness and thankfulness that we announce the passing of our beloved Dad “Paps” – Pastor Magi Goro. Sadness that he has left such a gaping hole in our lives as individuals and a collective family in Christ, and thankfulness that we were privileged to be blessed with and through his life.
Pastor Magi died practicing a motto he has always stressed – Preach the Gospel in a Practical Way – and he was called home to glory on the 30th of June 2019 while preaching on our pulpit, one of the last of some 200 or more churches he planted.
Words cannot sufficiently express how thankful we are to God for the life of Pastor Magi. He was a humble servant with a big heart, a devoted husband to Pastor Debbie, loving father to Harry & Stephanie, George & Lisa, Grace & Perry, Mathis, Goro, and Corrie-Joy. He was also a very doting grandfather to Judy Anne, twins Debbie and Monica, Emmanuel, Ezra and Nissy.
While his calling leaves a great chasm in our hearts and lives, we are comforted with the knowledge and faith in Christ that we will be united again.
Funeral arrangements are being finalized and details will be made known in due course. We warmly invite all who would like to celebrate the life of Pastor Magi Goro to join us on that occasion.
Pastor Magi was influential in a lot of spheres and impacted many lives. If your life was one of the many he impacted during his life/ministry and you would like to express your gratitude through assisting in the hauskrai or repatriation of his body, the church account details are listed below:
Bank:
Bank of South Pacific
Account Name:
Bushwara Foursquare Gospel Church
Account Number:
7012832767
BSB: 088294
Swift Code: BOSPPGPM
For further information, you can contact the leadership team through the below numbers and addresses:
Email:
bushwara.fgc@gmail.com
Pastor Jude: +675 768-97-878
Pastor Robert: +675 760-12-148
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Bless indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them” Revelation 14:13
The following videos give an overview of the Multi-Media projects that are currently in the works in Enga province.
You may have have heard about the Vocational Training and Multi-Media Centre build in Kumbas in late 2107. The building is still under construction, but the top floor was set up to house the Foursquare Missions Press Mobile Missions Printing Project.
The Multi-Media level includes a large pubic reception and display area, a four-room suite that will house the Foursquare FM radio station including: Sound and control room, station office, interview room and another small office or storage area. It also has a conference room, the FMP digital print shop and a kitchen and toilet area. the first video shoes the entire Media-Centre floor, while the second video gives an overview of the FMP print shop. The third video is a promotional video to raise funds for the Foursquare Fm radio station.
Please pray for these multi-media projects. Not only will we produce many materials to be used throughout PNG and the South Pacific by our missionaries, we will fulfill a second objective of offering internships to students who want to learn multi-media skills such as: broadcasting, printing, graphic arts and audio/video production. Ps. Steve Highlander, FMI missionary to PNG is currently setting up and running the projects.
Scroll Down to view the three videos:,br>
Multi-Media Centre, Wapenamanda, Enga, PNG
Foursquare Missions Press Mobile Print project – PNG
Enga Language Radio Station Project Fundraising Promotion
Right photo: Rev. Frank Miki (left), the newest Foursquare Missionary to be sent from PNG to another country, left Wapenamanda Airport on Tuesday. he waves good bye with Ps. William Alo as they get ready to board the plane to Port Moresby. They will depart from POM later in the week to head to Nauru where Pastor Frank will take over the mission work there. The Nauru mission was started by Pastor Alo, who is travelling with him to set him in the work there.
Left Photo: Foursquare PNG President Rev. Timothy Tipitap leads a prayer of dedication for Ps. Frank and Ps. Jenny on National Foursquare Day, just a few days before Frank left to start his new assignment.
Southern Highlands and Hela Provinces, Papua New Guinea
By Dr. Steve Highlander
Papua New Guinea experienced the first major earthquake centered in the Highlands region on 26th, February, 2018 at 4 AM. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake and numerous aftershocks devastated portions of Southern Highlands and Hela Provinces with landslides, major property damage and the loss of over 100 lives to date. Many people are still reported as missing.
Relief efforts are have been hindered by the remote terrain and the fact that roads, airports and other infrastructure has been severely damaged. The flowing is a report from Rev Henry Kopilyo, Foursquare Provincial Superior on the ground in the affected regions.
Rev. Kopilyo asked for prayer and financial support to help with the effort to re-establish the Foursquare churches, homes and ministries impacted by this disaster. He issued the following statement,” Foursquare family and friends, we need your support for God to give us strength and provide finance to rebuild, maintenance and to cover the cost damaged by the earthquake.”
Report with photos from the Foursquare Care Centre that is housing displaced church families Click here to see Care Centre photos and report
Official reports with damages and photos Diaster Reports and photos: Click Here