Mission Journey for Nias island

THE HISTORY OF MISSION AND EVANGELISM

ON NIAS ISLAND

By: Rev. Juliman Harefa, M.Div., Th.M




A. BACKGROUND

1. Geographical Location

Nias Island is an island geographically separated from Sumatera and the other islands. Geographically Nias Island is in the position: The island lies in the west coast of the Indonesia archipelago which lies on 0-12 up to 1-3 north latitude and 97-98 west longitude, stretching north west with a varying height of 0-800 meters on the surface and borders:

On the south : borders with many islands (Aceh special province)

On the south : borders with the islands of Mentawai (West Sumatera province)

On the west : borders with Hindia island.

The breadth of Nias II Level Regency is 5.318 square meters out of 17 regencies. Population 702.000 people.

2. The culture of Nias

a) Language: Communication language of Nias is called Li Niha (Nias language), which is generally the same in the entire island of Nias but having a bit different accent.

Outwardly the people of Nias or Ono Niha have yellower skin than most other Indonesians. While the language is included in the language family of Melayu-Polinesia which is vocal, i.e. having no consonants in the middle or at the end of a sentence. Besides, the language of Nias has two dialects consisting of northern Nias, western

and eastern parts of Nias while the second is used in the middle, southern parts of Nias and Batu islands.

b) Mado (Clan) and Marital Custom

The dominant cultures among other cultures on Nias Island are Mado and Marital Custom. Mado or clan (the same as in Batak), that is Patrilineal Clan. The function of Mado is to arrange the limitation of partners in marriage. For the Nias race, the exogami mado prevails with certain limitation, in the sense that a person is allowed to marry another person of the same clan provided the ancestral relation has reached over ten generations or more.

"Jujuran" in the marital custom of Nias Race is expensive. In parts of the regions it still prevails and in some regions it has experienced a lightening increase. For the said expensive marital custom, at least 100 pigs should be prepared, with the measurement of 4 alisi (the circular measurement of the pigs' chest, 44 cm - 1 alisi). The marital custom has four stages, 1st stage: Mamebola (proposing marriage), sending gold and pig (for engagement). 2nd stage: Fangoto mbongi, the determination of wedding day and the value of dowry. 3rd stage:Fangowulu or the wedding ceremony. 4th stage : Fumuli Nucha or visitation to parents- in-law.



3. The Religion of Nias Race

The deities known in the religion of Lowowalangi Nias Race, the creating-world deity that rules the macro cosmos and has a throne in the above world, Latura damo is the deity that watches and

maintains the macro cosmos and dwelling in the lower world.5 Silewe Nasarata is the deity protecting the Eres (religious leaders) and becomes wife of Lowalangi.

Nowadays most of the people of Nias embrace the Christianiy. Another religions that have believers are Islam, Catholic and Buddha.

The people of Nias, after believing in God, then the name of deity has become the name of God while Osali or the place for worshipping idols has become the name of church on Nias Island.



B. THE ROLE OF MISSIONARIES IN EVANGELISM (1865-1915)



1. The Beginning of Evangelism

The Mission of Evangelism on Nias Island was begun by two pastors from the Roman Catholic church, from the mission of Etranger de Paris in 1822-1823. They were Pere Wollon and Pere Barart. But three days after arriving at Nias, one of them died of Malaria. Three months afterward the other one also died. The result was that there was no trace of their work left.

Then, on the 27th September 1865 came a missionary named Erns Ludwig Denninger (27 September 1865 - 10 August 1875) who preached the Gospels on Nias Island. Before he came to Nias island, E.L.Denninger was the mission of Rheinisch Mission Gesellschaft (RMF).

In Nias Denninger and his wife learned Nias language, and opened school for children. Seven years afterward RMG sent the second missionary, J.W.Thomas. He ministered in Ombolate with his wife, in the year 1873 came the third missionary, Rev.Kraemer and his wife. In the year 1876 Dr.W.H. Sundermann as the fourth missionary. The fifth missionary was J.A. Fehr in the year 1881.



2. The style of Evangelism

a) Education

E.L. Denninger called some young people in his house to be his assitants and taught them to read and write. These young people then assisted Denninger to teach other children in the Missionary school, they were taught to read, write and sing. Then Denninger translated the Gospels of John and Luke and made them the materials for teaching.

b) Visitation

Kraemer and his wife who came in the year 1873 had a good relation with the inhabitants. Nearly every afternoon his wife visited the indigenous families in the kampung of Hilina'a. This visit and good relation brought forth a pleasant result.

Finally, salawa Hilina'a called Yawaduha, together with 25 inhabitants asked to be baptized on the day of Pentacost in 1874 and this was the first baptism on Nias Island. The next was in 1875 and 6 people were baptized in Dahana and 32 people were baptized in Faechu in 1876 by the missionary named Thomas.

c) Opening stattions for Evangelism

During the 25-year ministry in Nias the five missionaries from RMG had opend three stations for Evangelism. In this period of beginning, a civil war happened in Nias so that the accessible regions for the missionaries were only the regions under the rule of the Dutch Government.

In Gunungsitoli a Station was established for Evangelism and 148 people were baptized, in Ombolata 348 people and in Dahana 203 people were baptized. The total number was 699 people.


C. THE ROLE OF CONGREGATION IN EVANGELISM



1. Sinenge /Missionary

Sinenge is a word in Nias language which has the same meaning as missionary, the person to be sent or an apostle. They, who are called Sinenge, are the result of cultivation and development of the Missionaries in order to assist them in the duty of Evangelism.

2. The Congregation

The congregation was not prepared and arranged by the missionaries but they were activated and sent by the Holy Spirit (compare : The Act 1:8). The news they conveyed was the news of repentance which they themselves had experienced because of the Holy Spirit. And because of this work of the Holy Spirit, the news of this repentance experience spread to the entire corners of Nias Island and became a movement of great mass repentance which also caused the sinenges, the missionaries and church elders to get involved in repentance. This was the first mass repentance in Indonesia which happened through many stages as follows:



a) Personal repentance

In the beginning an asistant-teacher in the missionary school named Filemo, as written by W.Gulo was :

The repentance that covered the entire Nias Island initially began in the congregation of Hekefanikha in the region of Humene in a religious service with holy communion in April 1916, Rev.Otto Rudersdof was in charge there. A member of the church service named Filemo, assistant-teacher in the missionary school, after contemplating the Words of God which he heard, he was aware of his impropriety in the presence of God. He remembered all his sins and faults he did in the past which caused him worried and distressed very much. He was trembling and cried and his family presumed he was sick because of black magic. When he was asked what caused him to act like that, he answered: "my sins".[2]



As the missionaries came from the Pietis circle in Germany, the phenomena was not strange to them. So they stated that the man did so not because of sickness but because he repented of his sins and the repentance was done by God in his heart. Then it was explained to the man that he should improve his relation with the men to whom he had done wrong.

Then he did according to the guidances and even the other men who forgave his sins said a prayer of intercession for him so that he could feel peace and happy in his heart.

b) Mass Repentance

The attitude of Filemo which showed his humility and willing to ask for forgiveness to whoever he had done wrong and improved his relation had apparently become a blessing to other people. The Holy Spirit spoke to them and they experienced what Filemo had experienced before as was written by Van den End :

However, when the repented man had done so, the other people from whom the forgiveness was asked began to cry as well for being aware of their own sins. This event was repeated continually so that more and more people began to repent. The missionaries and those in charge of the congregation had difficulty to serve all the people who came to them for counselling. Those people began to feel peaceful in their heart when they felt assured of the forgiveness for their sins. After they got assurance that their sins were forgiven, their faces looked brighter because of their happiness and they began to live a new life.

And then this event went on not merely in the region of Humene but spread to other regions in the entire of Nias Island, from an individual to other individuals, from one family to other families, from one village to other villages that created peaceful and happy situation.

3. The Style of Evangelism

From this individual repentance that spread and developed to become mass repentance, the unity and oneness in the heart of the Christians began to grow. Then many kinds of holy gift began to appear, such as the apostolic gift (I Kor 12:10), the gift of healing through prayer, dreams of ecstatic situation. Van den End even[3] confirmed that members of the congregation were eager to evangelize to those who had not accepted the Gospels. This Evangelism was done with simple methods.

a) Prayer of Intercession

The Prayer of Intercession is a motivator for Repentance and Evangelism. The pastor said a prayer of intercession for every individual being ministered, gave guidance and advice and then let him go to ask for forgiveness from the person to whom he had ever done wrong. He acted according to the guidance and the person who forgave his sins also said a prayer of intercession for him so that he felt peaceful and happy. Then the person who forgave the sins was moved by the Holy Spirit as stated.

Finally the people to whom he asked for forgiveness experienced the same phenomena as what was experienced by Filemo.

b) Visit to a Family

They who had repented went to their families in other distant places to preach the gospels that they had experienced and settled the affairs that ever happened among them. When they had families who lived in distant places, they visited them to settle all the problems they ever had.

At the time when they met their families and told them about the grace of God that they had gotten, the families being visited were moved by the Holy Spirit and they also experienced repentance.

c) To be witnesses for other families

The repentance of the families in the Kampung (village) had become testimonies for the said kampung so that they also repented. The repentance spread to the entire inhabitants of the kampung, then the repentance became witnessess for the kampung and so forth. Hence this repentance came quickly into the kampung being visited and spread to all people.

The event of mass repentance that happened on Nias Isaland was the work of the Holy Spirit which was extraordinary, the event unified the whole community of Nias in a beautiful fellowship. It was the event that motivated the Nias community to become missionaries (Sinenge) or the Evangelists.



D. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BNKP [4]

(The Protetstant Christian Church of Nias ), 1931-1965



1. Leading to the establishment of the Churches

In order to strengthen the work of the missionaries, they felt it was necessary to built a church as a corporate body.

When the movement of spiritual rivival abated, the missionaries began to think of the autonomy for the church. In the year 1936 they finished making plan of the administration of the church. Then the Synod of Banua Niha Keriso Protestant (BNKP) was held. (November 1936). The BNKP Synod which was just held was led by Ephorus Rev. A.Luck from RMG until 1940.

2. The New Era

In the year 1940 the preachers who were sent to carry out the mission by RMG had left Nias Island as a result of the second World War, they were all imprisoned by the Dutch government. The Leadership of BNKP was compulsorily taken over by the natives of Nias themselves. In May 1940 the synod of BNKP elected Rev.Atofona Harefa as the first eporus.

This transfer of leadership was called the new era. Then a challenge came out immediately and had to be faced by BNKP that is a separation in the body of BNKP itself either before or after BNKP.





E. UNITY, UNIFICATION AND DISSENTION IN THE BODY OF BNKP

(1916 - 1992)



1. Unity of the Congregation (1916 - 1930)

The unity in the congregation had grown ever since the movement of mass repentance. This mass repentance unified the congregation which could be seen from the spirit of fellowship held and carried out by the congregation themselves in the form of joint religious service of prayer fellowship. Van den End saw this as the wave that made BNKP as the church of the people of Nias.

2. The Unification of Organization (1960)

The unification inside the body of BNKP took place in 1960 with BKP (Banua Keriso Protestan) which was domiciled in the subdistrict of Batu islands, Nias regency.

The Church was born from the missionary body of Lutheran, Amsterdam. Before the independence of Indonesia, the subdistricts of Batu islands were not included in the Nias government. In the spirit of fellowship and supported by the spirit of unity in the context of the nation and the spirit of oikumeni in the context of the church, BKP was unified with BNKP which was legalized in the meeting of the synod.

3. Separation in the body of Organization (1933-1992

a. Fa'awosa (1933)

This fellowship was established and led by ama Wohakhi. Fa' awosa left the missionary leadership because they did not want to obey the rules but they wanted to obey and hear the voise of the spirit. Their teaching was affected by another religion and the element of Occultism.

b. Angowuloa Masehi Idanoi Nias (AMIN), 1946

AMIN separated from BNKP because of the authority of the chief of race in the church of BNKP, the unjust funds giving and transfer of pastors.

c. Orahua Niha Keriso Protestant (ONKP), 1950

The separation of this church from BNKP was due to regional element, and dissention took place between the congregation and the leaders of BNKP.

d. Ama Haogo Group, 1965

Ama Haogo was the discharged pastor. He taught misleading teaching, for instance, seeking for the real name of God in order to know what is happening now and in the future.

e. BNKP-Indonesia and BKP Nias, 1992

The two churches separated themselves from BNKP for not approving the leaders elected in the synod of BNKP in 1992.



F. OPPORTUNITY



1. Opportunities of Discipleship :

a. BNKP Churches are the churches’ who has no stabilizations of the Theologically perspectives specially of discipleship formations, the opportunity is Need for fill the true theologically perspective in BNKP Church.

b. The separation that happened in the body of BNKP Church was due to the bad quality and style of discipleship. The BNKP Church requires a good training of leadership in every level of ministry inside BNKP church. The total number of BNKP Church is 808 churches, the total number of pastors is only 124, therefore, BNKP still requires 684 pastors. Opportunity is need the new discipleship formations.

c. The study of mission and evangelism in BNKP church is too little. The BNKP requires evangelical educators for the pastors, members of the church council and the other ministries in order to win souls among the unbelievers. The opportunity is need the discipleship missions perspectives

d. In the last 5 year BNKP church has established the Sundermann Theological Seminary.




FUTURE VISION AND THE PRAYER



The purpose is to make the BNKP Church become an independent church in Theology, Power and Funds as the Church of the Gospel in order to become the Church for Evangelism to the world.








[1] www.niasisland.com

[2] W. Gulo, Benih yang Tumbuh 13, (Satya Wacana, jl. Letjen Suprato 36, Semarang, Indonesia) p.15

[3] End, Dr. Th. van den. 2001. Harta Dalam Bejana: (Sejarah Gereja Ringkas. PT BPK Gunung Mulia, Jakarta.)

[4] 3. The present BNKP Church (2002) Banua Niha Keriso Protestan (=The Protestant Christian Church) Address of the Synod's Office : Jl.Soekarno No.22, Phone: 21448 Fax 323127 Gunugn Sitoli – NIAS, Island, North Sumatera, Indonesia.