Veteran pastor honoured

WORKING as a pastor for the whole of his life in his beloved Kaupena village in Southern Highlands, Kepeleya Koipa has been recognised for his meritorious work in the community under the 2010 Independence Day anniversary honours list at Government House last Thursday.
Koipa was one of 20 recipients to be awarded the MCS or Meritorious Community Service medal under the Orders of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and principal Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu last Thursday for outstanding community service.
In thanking the government and the people of PNG, particularly members of the PNG Bible church in Kaupena, Koipa said it was to the glory of God that he would continue doing the Lord’s work.
When the early United States Missionary first came to Kaupena in the 1950s to spread the Word, he was one of the first and fortunate locals to be schooled and be trained as a pastor during the 1960s.
The missionaries came to Kaupena in 1958, which saw his enrolment in 1960 till 1962.
He is now a senior pastor and one of the founding elders with TPNGBC in his village Kaupena, spreading the witnessing for the last 52 years.
Following his love for God and determination to work under the church, he went for further training at the Christian Leaders Training College in Banz in 1972 and graduated two years later.
Having widely travelled PNG as a pastor, he was also once stationed as the Mendi town senior pastor for The PNG Bible church but he said his heart was in witnessing in his beloved Kaupena.