Senior pastor retires after 40 years of service

A SENIOR pastor from the Evangelical Lutheran church of Papua New Guinea (ELCPNG) in Jiwaka has retired after more than 40 years of service.
The ceremony was held at Bamne in Nondugl on Saturday.
ELCPNG head bishop Rev Dr Jack Urame congratulated Ps Sam Wune for winding down “the most important call” in life.
Rev Urame described the retired pastor as a committed servant of the church who had served with distinction and had diligently completed the order of pastoral ministry in the church’s system.
“You must now rest well knowing that you have served the church faithfully,” Rev Urame said.
“You have answered one of the highest calls of the land.
“You are a role model and an inspiration to young pastors.
“Your remarkable journey will serve as an encouragement for others to follow your footsteps.
“We need more ‘Sam Wunes’ in our church.”
Members from Ps Wune’s Dawoo circuit border parish and pastors and members from the other circuits in Jiwaka and the community cheered on as he delivered his final speech.
Ps Wune, 86, said he was old enough to remember the end of WWII and became a member of the Lutheran church as a young man and, later, a pastor in the late 1970s.
He said he had enjoyed his journey and was retiring a “satisfied man.”
“There is no work more satisfying than doing God’s work and to save souls.” He challenged young Lutherans to live faithfully and according to the church’s teachings and they would reap the rewards. The Nondugl native is a faithful and humble servant of God.
Despite having no children, Ps Wune said he had never let “an earthly situation” worry him. He said he was retiring with no regrets as he knew that a great reward awaited him in the next life.