After 40 years of service, one of Papua New Guinea’s earliest female Adventist ministers has retired from pastoral ministry, concluding her work with the baptism of three individuals during a service held at Kavieng Beach, New Ireland Province, on December 20, 2025.
Minister Jocabed Pomaleu, who had been pastoring the Vual and Pawa organised churches in the New Britain New Ireland Mission, retired after four decades of ministry across union, mission, educational and local church settings.
Mrs Pomaleu is recognised as one of the first women to enter Adventist ministry in Papua New Guinea. She graduated from Sonoma Adventist College in 1985 and began service at a time when pastoral leadership in the country was largely male. She entered ministry immediately after graduation, accepting appointments that would shape a wide-ranging career of service.
Across 40 years of ministry, Mrs Pomaleu served in multiple roles within the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM), including leadership in women’s and children’s ministries at both union and mission levels. Her service also included appointments at Morobe Mission and Madang Manus Mission, as well as roles at Sonoma Adventist College and Pacific Adventist University.
Mrs Pomaleu’s ministry journey included significant personal loss. Her husband, Pastor Geoffrey Pomaleu, former PNGUM president, died in 2016, and one of her children passed away in 2023. Despite these losses, she continued serving in active ministry, accepting an appointment as chaplain at Kambubu Adventist Secondary School after Pastor Pomaleu’s passing and remaining engaged in pastoral work until her retirement.
Reflecting on her years in ministry, Mrs Pomaleu said she remained committed to God’s calling. “I am satisfied and grateful to have served God for all these years,” she said.
She also encouraged other women serving in ministry, particularly in contexts where leadership roles are limited. “You may not be ordained in the earth, but God has called you and ordained you already. Ministry is not man’s call but God’s call to serve Him with your whole heart,” said Mrs Pomaleu.
Mrs Pomaleu said her retirement from pastoral duties does not mark an end to service. “So long as I can breathe, I will continue to serve God,” she said.
