On April 5, 2025, a milestone day for both her life and the wider church community, Pastor Melinda Mauia was ordained to the gospel ministry—a moment she describes as a profound gift from God and a historic breakthrough for Samoan women in pastoral leadership.
Mauia’s journey to this moment has been one of perseverance, faith, and resilience. Raised in a Seventh-day Adventist pastoral family, she witnessed the dedication and sacrifices of ministry from an early age. Yet, her path was far from straightforward. After seasons of personal struggle and spiritual searching, she found her footing through Yucaipa Youth Ministries and missional discipleship. Those early experiences ignited her passion for service and led her to Andrews University, where she overcame academic challenges to earn both a bachelor's degree in theology and later a Master of Divinity in 2014.
Though doors to pastoral ministry did not open immediately, God redirected her path in unexpected ways. From teaching and coordinating in South Korea to serving in San Francisco and completing Clinical Pastoral Education in Loma Linda, Mauia gained deep experience in trauma care, cross-cultural ministry, and spiritual leadership. In 2021, she accepted the call to serve in the Santa Ana Samoan Church and New Hope Samoan Company, where she has faithfully led with humility and courage.
As a Samoan woman in ministry, Mauia has faced both cultural and gender-based challenges. “Sometimes my brothers could say the same thing I was saying, but it would be more readily accepted because of gender,” she reflects. Yet, she has learned to meet these moments with love, rooted in her Samoan upbringing and her calling to shepherd her people as a spiritual mother.
The ordination service carried the theme “I trust in God my Savior—He will never fail.” Surrounded by family, church members, and mentors, Mauia experienced the peace of God’s affirmation. A deeply personal highlight came when her father prayed the ordination prayer over her ministry, sealing the moment with family legacy and blessing.
Her ordination is also a historic first: she is believed to be the first Samoan female pastor ordained by a Samoan church—a glass ceiling broken for future generations. “I may be the first, but I won’t be the last,” she says. With gratitude to her family, community, and conference, Mauia continues to lead with compassion, determination, and unwavering trust in God who has guided her every step.
“If I could summarize this journey, it’s simply about gratitude,” said Pastor Isaac Lee. “God and His people have affirmed this calling, and I don’t take that lightly.”
Lee was ordained to the gospel ministry at Yorba Linda Seventh-day Adventist Church in late March. He currently serves as executive and associate pastor, working with every department and focusing specifically on youth, collegiate, and young adult ministries. He began serving at Yorba Linda in November 2023.
His ministry began in 2009 as a part-time pastor at Fort Lee SDA Church in New Jersey. But the calling started even earlier — before he even knew it.
“My parents dedicated me to God to be a pastor,” he shared. “But they didn’t tell me that until I had already made the decision on my own.”
That quiet thread of providence has woven itself throughout his ministry journey. After seminary at Andrews University — where he earned both his undergraduate and Master of Divinity degrees — he received his first full-time call and served churches across the country.
One of the most defining chapters came after leaving Loma Linda Korean SDA Church. As he sought God's direction for his next step, he received offers from 8 to 10 churches across North America. But one offer stood out, not because it made sense, but because it moved his heart.
“Queens, New York, offered the lowest pay, no service credit, no insurance. It made no logical sense,” he said. “But I was moved with compassion for my people.”
What happened next stunned even him. Despite the Greater New York Conference’s typical policy against granting service credit for local hires, he was given four years of credit — double what he would have earned elsewhere.
“When I told the church members, they wept with me,” he recalled. “It was impossible. But God had a plan.”
Fifteen years since his first pastoral assignment, Pastor Lee says his ordination is not a marker of his worth, but of God’s faithfulness.
“There’s nothing about me that I can boast in,” he said. “Only that Christ chose to use a sinner like me. If anyone sees anything good, it’s just Him working through me.”
Now, settled into his ministry in Orange County, he’s prayerful for what’s ahead: “This is a new chapter — a balance between work and personal life, maybe even preparing for family. But as always, I’m just waiting and listening upon the Lord.”
Congratulations to Pastor Lee!
January 30, 2025 | Columbia, MD
From the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: An Appeal for Human Dignity and Decency
There are many in the United States who are afraid for their futures, and for the lives of family members. As a Christian denomination in the U.S., the Seventh-day Adventist Church supports the rights of all persons, no matter their country of origin—the equal rights provided in the U.S. Constitution and fair treatment as immigrants and refugees in this country.
As members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we believe that “we are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation” (Fundamental Belief No.14).
“We maintain our allegiance to the biblical principles of equality and dignity of all human beings in the face of historic and continuing attempts to use skin color, place of origin, caste, or perceived lineage as a pretext for oppressive and dominating behavior. These attempts are a denial of our shared humanity, and we deplore all such aggression and prejudice as an offense to God” (Seventh-day Adventist Church statement “One Humanity: A Human Relations Statement Addressing Racism, Casteism, Tribalism, and Ethnocentrism”).
The Bible declares that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female—all are one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). We are one humanity. Dehumanization and margination by law or the implementation of the laws or policies are diametrically opposed to the Bible. Therefore, it is inhumane and robs people of their God-given dignity in Christ to have policies that make them afraid to go to church and school because of the threat of being deported.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America encourages its churches and schools to be warm and welcoming places for all people. All are created by God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
In light of the fact that we have a shared humanity, in light of the fact we all are created equal, in light of the fact we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and in light of the fact that Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40, NIV), our appeal is for us, as Adventists, to show our immigrant families that we love them by lifting up our voices and standing by their side in these times of uncertainty.
Our appeal to our policymakers and government leaders is found in The Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual (p. 92): “All are in search of wholeness. All are gifted, needed, and treasured. All are created in the image of God with an inherent dignity regardless of any limitation they may have.” Therefore, let our laws and the implementation of our laws treat all of God’s children, who are created in His image, with the dignity and decency they deserve.
Sincerely,
G. Alexander Bryant, DMin
President
Kyoshin Ahn, PhD
Executive Secretary
Judy Glass
Treasurer/CFO
