WEWAK: Pastor Rayden Wanji has been appointed as the new Adventist Youth Ministries and Family Ministries Director for the Sepik Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the next five years, replacing Pastor Richie Gako.

His appointment was officially confirmed and announced on Tuesday, 7th October 2025, during the Mission’s quinquennial business session held at Gander Hall in Wewak, East Sepik Province.

Originally from Para Village in the Kubalia District along the Sepik Highway and raised in the Tangara suburb of Wewak, Pastor Wanji has been actively involved in church activities since his early childhood. Over the years, he developed a strong passion for youth ministry and took on various leadership roles within the church, helping shape his calling to serve young people and families.

During his early ministry years, Pastor Wanji served in the Western Highlands Mission, where he met his wife, Kamet. The couple married there and are now blessed with three children.

They later returned to serve in the Sepik Mission, where Pastor Wanji was ordained to the gospel ministry. He has since served in several capacities, including local church pastor and District Director for the East Coast Schouten Islands District, covering parts of the Turubu area.

With years of hands-on experience in youth ministry and pastoral work, his appointment is seen as a timely move by the Mission to strengthen the spiritual growth and family life of Adventist youths across the greater Sepik region.

Pastor Wanji’s appointment marks a continuation of the Mission’s commitment to building strong, faith-driven leaders to guide the next generation of Adventists in East and West Sepik.

Despite heavy rain and wind, 23 people were baptized in Forok Village, Turubu LLG, Wewak, on February 24. The baptism was a result of a two-week evangelism series conducted by Joe Philip, sponsored by Maur Seventh-day Adventist Church and assisted by Wei and Koil Island Adventist Choir groups of the East Coast Schouten Island district of Sepik Mission.

The baptism ceremony itself took place during the rain, with the nearby creek swollen and overflowing its banks. The rain and the flood did not stop people from neighboring communities and new interests to witness the baptism. The baptism was conducted by the mission president of Sepik Mission, Pastor Henry Monape, assisted by the outgoing district director Pastor Tony Peter and the newly appointed district director Pastor Rayden.

Pastor Monape commended the church for their commitment and perseverance to stand in the rain to worship on the sabbath and to conduct the baptismal ceremony. He said, “𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.”

The program was a pre-evangelistic event preceding the upcoming PNG for Christ campaign that would be held nationwide here in Papua New Guinea on April 26th to May 11th. There is great interest in the area after this event prompting Maur church to further focus its efforts in other such programs in Forok and the surrounding communities.