Behind Bars, Hope Is Rising
On any given day at Buimo Prison in Lae, the clang of cell doors and the shouts of warders echo across the compound. But in the middle of that noise, another sound is rising, voices of men once feared as criminals, now singing hymns with conviction. At the heart of this transformation is Reverend Martin Moel, chaplain of Buimo since 2022.
Unlike most pastors who walk in to preach, Rev. Moel began by simply walking with the prisoners. For six months, he listened, observed, ate, and talked with them in their cell blocks. Only when the inmates themselves asked him to lead fellowship did he step up to the pulpit.
That moment lit a fire. Prayer groups spread, Bible studies grew, and even gang leaders began leading prayers. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. In 2023, Buimo held its first-ever baptism and confirmation for 82 inmates. Two years later, another 42 were confirmed, including 12 family members of prison warders.
“God’s Word has broken barriers that even walls and barbed wire cannot contain,” Rev. Moel says. “I see men who were once broken now standing as witnesses of Christ.”
Today, he teaches confirmation classes twice a week, prays with inmates in their cells, and prepares others for baptism and marriage blessings. His work has drawn praise not just from the Church but also from prison authorities, who see his ministry as vital to rehabilitation. For Rev. Moel, Buimo is not a place of despair, it is a place where the Gospel proves its power.
The Making of a Chaplain
The strength Rev. Moel carries into Buimo was forged through years of faith and struggle. Born in Tirimana village in Finschhafen, he was the son of devout Lutheran parents who dedicated him to God’s service at birth. “My parents always reminded me that I was given back to God for His work,” he recalls. That early promise shaped his destiny.
His formal education began in 1979 at Gagidu Primary School, where he completed Grade Six in 1984. He then continued at Dregerhafen Secondary School, finishing Grade Ten in 1988. Soon after, he secured his first job at Air Niugini, working as a porter. It was a taste of working life in a busy national company, and he stayed there for three years. But even while wearing the uniform of a national airline, he felt the call of the pulpit tugging at his heart.
In 1994, he left his job and returned to his home village to reflect and seek God’s direction. Two years later, he applied to study theology at Senior Flierl Seminary and was accepted. The challenge was money, he had no way to pay his fees. But God provided.
The late Sir Zibang Zurenuoc and Lady Amaring Zurenuoc stepped in, becoming what he calls his “spiritual parents.” They paid his fees from start to finish, supplied his daily needs, and even gave him pocket money. More than just benefactors, they became mentors and family, walking beside him through seminary until he graduated in 2000. “Sir Zibang often told me,” Rev. Moel remembers, “‘Our investment in you is not for us, but for the good of the Church. God has a special calling for you.’” Those words became his anchor in difficult times.
Ordained in 2003, he began ministry in the Kote District at Qwembung Circuit, serving faithfully for 13 years. In 2016, he transferred to Bethel Congregation at Gagidu. Once again, his spiritual parents supported him financially, this time to complete a Spiritual Formation course at Divine Word University. Those studies broadened his pastoral vision and prepared him for new challenges.
From the Streets to the Cells
In 2019, Rev. Moel moved to West Taraka in Lae, one of the city’s roughest neighborhoods, known for gang violence, lawlessness, and poverty. It was here that his ministry took a bold new turn.
“I lived in West Taraka for three years, performing my pastoral duties among criminals who lived there,” he says. “God used me as His vessel, and as a result, 16 notorious criminals surrendered their lives to Him.”
What happened in West Taraka was a training ground for Buimo. He learned how to build trust with people everyone else avoided. He walked unafraid into tense situations, listened without judgment, and preached Christ with courage. The sight of men once feared on the streets kneeling in prayer gave him conviction that God could bring light even into the darkest places.
That experience became the springboard to his appointment as Buimo chaplain in 2022.
A Ministry of Second Chances
Now in Buimo, Rev. Moel’s ministry brings together every chapter of his journey, the dedication of his parents, the generosity of his mentors, the toughness of West Taraka, and the faithfulness of God through it all.
“Inmates are human beings like us,” he says. “They made mistakes, but God’s love is bigger than their failures.”
His work is a living testimony of Christ’s words in Matthew 25: “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” And through him, Buimo is becoming more than a place of punishment, it is becoming a place of rebirth.
