A pastor from another faith community was among 22 baptised following a two-week evangelistic program conducted by Kereva Seventh-day Adventist Church at Goldie, Papua New Guinea.
For nine years, he served as a chaplain and later spent 10 years as an Evangelical Bible Church pastor. He had also completed three years of study at Lae Bible College. Yet, despite his years of ministry, his desire to understand God’s Word more deeply continued.
His journey toward Adventism began as he encountered the Seventh-day Adventist approach to Bible study.
“What impressed me was the way Adventists study and preach,” he said. “They dig deep, connect the texts and they can interpret the prophetic books like Daniel and Revelation.”
The more he studied, the more his understanding developed. But Bible study was only part of the journey.
Something else had caught his attention: the way Adventists put their faith into action.
Members of Kereva church visited his elderly and vulnerable mother. Their visit went beyond words and prayer. They helped wash her, repaired her house and took her to the hospital when she needed medical attention.
For the former pastor, those acts of kindness demonstrated something he believed deeply about Christian faith: that what people believe should also be seen in how they treat others.
“I believe Seventh-day Adventists are true Bible-believing Christians,” he said.
His decision did not remain a personal one. His wife, elderly mother, six family members and two members of his former church also accepted the Adventist faith. Together, they were among the 22 people baptised at the conclusion of the evangelistic program, which was conducted by elder Karl Jack.
For the former pastor, the occasion represented more than a change of denomination. It was a continuation of his commitment to God, now expressed through a new understanding of Scripture and a new church family.
“I will continue to do God’s work with my new belief until Christ returns,” he said.
