24 February 2009

Two ordained in New Zealand Pacific region

Manukau, New Zealand
Jerry Matthews/Eliu Eliu/Adele Nash

Two pastors were recently ordained in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the New Zealand Pacific region.

Pastor Russell Puna was ordained on January 29 on the island of Aitutaki, Cook Islands. His wife, Louisa, and son, Russell Jnr, were by his side to celebrate the event.

Pastor Puna graduated from Fulton College in 2002 with a diploma in Theology, then graduated from Pacific Adventist University in 2003 with a BA in Theology. Pastor Puna worked as an intern with Pastor Teina Taivairanga in Arorangi and Titikaveka for two years, and has worked in the Cook Islands, ministering to the three churches on Aitutaki, for the past three years.

He is now working as the youth director for the Adventist church in the Cook Islands.

The Avarua Adventist church on Rarotonga hosted the January 31 ordination of Pastor Taiti Toroma. Pastor Toroma's wife, Rufina, and their children stood by his side during the service.

Since completing his internship on Rarotonga, Pastor Toroma has been ministering to the outer Cook Islands and replaced Pastor Puna on Aitutaki this year.

Pastor Toroma graduated from Fulton College in 1999, and has since worked for churches in Cook Islands. He worked as an intern at the Arorangi Adventist church under the guidance of the late Pastor Uma Katu. He later returned to minister to the islands of Manihiki and Rakahanga for three years, before being called to look after work on the islands of Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia. The past two years of his ministry have been spent on Mauke island.

Pastor Toroma and his wife have six children and two grandchildren.

Dr Barry Oliver, president of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific; Pastor Jerry Matthews, president of the Adventist Church in the New Zealand Pacific region; Peter Lynch, secretary-treasurer for the Adventist Church in the New Zealand Pacific region; and Pastor Eliu Eliu, president of Adventist Church in Cook Islands, officiated at the two ordination services.

Dr Oliver delivered the sermon for both services. He challenged each pastor to be a spiritual leader in the Adventist Church. "The church has the right to expect its pastors to be deeply spiritual and live in a close relationship with God," he said. He also emphasised that ministry is a shared function, saying, "All disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are called to the ministry of reconciliation, as we're told in 2 Corinthians 5: 17, 18. The privilege and responsibility of the pastor is to equip the people of God for their ministry functions and to share in the joy of service."

He prayed for God's special blessing on the wives and families of each of the pastors.