Christianity entered southeast Sulawesi for the first time in 1885-1887, when the RCath Mission had a post in Kendari. Around 1910 the Protestant Church had a congregation there, consisting of government officials and military. The Prot mission effort began in earnest in 1916, when Islam had already gained a foothold; so it had to fight an uphill battle. Only a small percentage of the population became Christian (first baptism September 1, 1918). During World War II the church suffered from the Japanese, the more so because the mission had not made preparations by ordaining ministers and registering property in the name of the congr. In 1950 a missionary and several church workers, who were traveling around to make preparations for church independence, were killed by Muslim guerillas. In 1957 thepolitical situation had stabilized sufficiently for the GEPSULTRA to become constituted as an independent church. After 1968, when the Muslim rebellion had been stamped out, the central government started a development program which included the transmigration of large numbers of settlers from other provinces to sparsely populated southeast Sulawesi. As a result, the church now consists of elements belonging to 27 ethnic entities, among them Torajans, Javanese, and Balinese; its ministers belong to 12 ethnic entities. The number of Christians in the area attached to different churches has increased from 6,000 (1966) to 40,000 (1995), out of a total population of 1,400,000 now. A related problem was the great difference in agricultural methods between the indigenous population, including the Christians, still using slash-and-burn technology, and the new arrivals, who were familiar with sawah culture. The church responded with a village development program founded upon a “village theology,” which brought together people of both categories and combined agricultural training with spiritual upbuilding. The GEPSULTRA has two orphanages, 1 elementary school, and 4 secondary schools. It publishes a magazine,Bulletin Gepsultra.The church considers February 10, 1957, as its birth date.
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