Mercy Moment
‘A True Blessing’ to the Church
LCMS missionaries Rev. Dr. Ron and Mary Anne Rall have served alongside the Gutnius Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea for 50 years.
The Rev. Dr. Ron Rall and his wife, Mary Anne, have been serving as missionaries with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) intermittently for more than 50 years. In this time, they have walked alongside the Gutnius Lutheran Church (GLC) through many ups and downs.
Recently, after nearly 40 years of strife, the longstanding factions within the GLC have been united under a new interim bishop. Since this bishop did not belong to any one faction, he was able to serve as a unifying figure within the church. This has had a positive effect overall on the GLC, including contributing to an increase in enrollment at the seminary.
However, even with more men seeking to serve the Lord, there is still a shortage of workers for the harvest. “Groups come and ask for our church to start missions, but we’re short on people to send,” said Rall, who teaches at the GLC’s seminary. “It’s like the problem we have in [the United States], … but it’s magnified [in PNG].”
There are three Bible schools in PNG — each offering a one-year program — that function as feeder schools for the seminary. The GLC encourages congregations to send young men to these Bible schools and then to support them with tuition assistance. However, people in more remote areas often struggle financially to support their students.
Although there is improved unity within the church now, tribal conflicts still occur, particularly over land and livelihoods. This has sometimes resulted in churches, schools, clinics and homes being burned to the ground. Many members of the clans are Christian, but their loyalty to their clan sometimes wins out over their beliefs. To counter this issue, one of the Lutheran high schools in the area is working on an initiative to reach out to the community to address this violence.
The Ralls also are involved in various mercy efforts. One of their recent projects included supplying reading glasses to those who have trouble seeing well enough to read their Bible. In addition, the Ralls have brought over 500 Bibles, funded in part by Jehovah Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn., to give to pastors and seminarians.
“[PNG] was my first call out of the seminary in 1973,” said Rall. “[Mary Anne and I] got married in [PNG], [and] three of our children were born there. Our life is embedded in the lives of those people. … We hope to keep going back as long as God gives us strength and health.”
Currently, they serve in PNG for six months of the year.
Rall “is a true blessing to the people of PNG and to the LCMS Asia region,” said the Rev. Charles Ferry, former regional director for the Synod’s work in Asia. “Ron and Mary Anne have been working in PNG for decades, and they continue to set an example of Lutheran mission work. Ron is tireless in his teaching, preaching and visiting in one of the most challenging and complex fields in Asia. We are overjoyed to have their ongoing service on behalf of the congregations of the LCMS.”
Learn More
- Read more about mission work in Papua New Guinea
- Learn more about the Rev. Dr. Ron and Mary Anne Rall
Brianna Dehn
Former staff writer with LCMS Communications.
