News

The Adventist church in the Southern Asia-Pacific region expresses its sincere condolences to the bereaved families of Pastor Samuel Simorangkir, Communication Director of the Jakarta Conference in West Indonesia, and Dr. Marthen Sengkey, president of Universitas Klabat, in Manado, Indonesia. 

Pastor Samuel Simorangkir, 54, was born in Medan, North Sumatra province in 1966. He took his bachelor’s degree in Theology at Universitas Advent Indonesia in 1989.  He upgraded at the Adventist International Institute for Advanced Studies in the Philippines where he completed his Master of Arts in Ministry degree in 2001 and his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in 2005. 

Simorangkir started his ministry in 1990 as a Bible teacher in West Java Mission.  He became a church pastor the following year and continued serving the DKI Mission (DKI means Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta or Special Capital Region of Jakarta), and the Jakarta Conference until the present.  His passion for media work led him to become the Communication Department director of the Jakarta Conference from 2006 to 2010.  Simorangkir also became the Communication Department director of the West Indonesia Union Mission from 2011 until 2015. 

Simorangkir will be remembered for his dedication to the Lord’s work, especially to the media ministry.  His passion for bringing the gospel through modern-day technology will be an inspiration to those he has worked with, to his family, and to the generations to come. 

Simorangkir leaves behind his beloved wife Lauri Siahaan and their two sons, Michael Jordan Simorangkir and Stephen Ebenezer Simorangkir.

Dr. Marthen Sengkey is the President (Rector) of Klabat University since 2018.  Sengkey, 62, was born in Lowu, South Sulawesi on March 15, 1959. 

After battling his disease for almost a year, Sengkey expired on Friday night, July 9, 2021, at the Rumah Sakit Advent Manado.

Messages from friends and colleagues in the university flowed in memory of their beloved leader and comforted the bereaved.  "We express our condolences to his wife, children, in-laws, grandchildren, and to the extended family members of the late Marthen Sengkey.  We pray that the comfort and strength of God the Father and Jesus Christ be with all the families left behind.  Let us remain faithful until Maranatha so that we can meet again with this servant of God who has rested in Jesus,” said Pr. Wendell Mandolang, Ministerial Secretary of the Adventist Church in the Southern Asia-Pacific region.

Sengkey’s remains were buried in the Sentosa Cemetery, Maumbi, Manado.  He is survived by his wife, Juniarny Waworuntu, and daughters, Gricia Sengkey and her husband Larry Tenda, Virginia Sengkey and her husband Frisky Kasingku, and Dasha Sengkey; and two grandchildren, Ezekiel Tenda and Gabrielle Kasingku.

Pastor David Panjaitan, West Indonesia Union Mission and Pastor Harry Waworuntu, East Indonesia Union Conference