The baptismal waters became a place of new beginnings on August 8, 2026, as 22 people publicly committed their lives to Jesus Christ following a two-week evangelistic program by Kereva SDA church at Goldie. The two weeks evengalism was conducted by Elder Karl Jack.
Among those baptised was a former Evangelical Brotherhood Church (EBC) pastor, his wife, his elderly mother, members of his family and two congregations connected to his former ministry.
But behind the baptism was a story of a pastor who spent years preaching the Bible and then found himself searching for a deeper understanding of the Scriptures he had devoted his life to teaching.
For nine years, he served as a chaplain and later spent 10 years as an EBC 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. On August 8, 2025, he made the decision to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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 Seventh-day Adventist 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 became part of the 22 people baptised at the conclusion of the two-week evangelistic program.
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.
His ministry experience spans more than two decades. After completing his studies at Lae Bible College, he served nine years as a chaplain and then 10 years as an EBC pastor.
Now, as he begins a new chapter, he says his calling has not changed.
“I am still willing to do God’s work,” he said. “I will continue to do God’s work with my new belief until Christ returns.”
For 22 people, August 8, 2026, will be remembered not simply as the day they were baptised, but as the day they publicly declared a new beginning in their walk with Christ.
