Iula, sometimes Ula, Qilanoba (1928–1998) served as the first

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

ess of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

for the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. Born in the village of Poropora in north

Choiseul Island Choiseul Island, native name Lauru, is the largest island () of the Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands, at . The administrative headquarters of Choiseul Province is situated in the town of Taro, on Taro Island. History In 1768, the French explor ...

, Qilanoba completed her primary education at the Girls' Boarding School in Sasamungga, arriving there in 1948 after having it interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She became a leader among her fellow students at the school, and took positions in the maternity ward, medical clinic, and nursery, allowing her to develop skills as a nurse and midwife and leading her to accompany medical field trips around the island. She also taught for several years at the same school. By the end of her education she had reached Standard 7, the only girl at the school to do so.Money, Lucy H., 'Ilula (Ula) Qianoba: First Solomons Deaconess', in Alan Leadley (ed.),
Ever Widening Circles: Stories of Some Influential Methodist Leaders in Solomon Islands and Bougainville/Buka
', Wesley Historical Society (New Zealand), Auckland, 2002d, pp. 55–56. When the Methodist Church decided to form an order of deaconesses in the Solomon Islands in 1963, Qilanoba was the first applicant. After training for a year she completed her probation at Kokeqolo and was sent first to

Roviana Roviana is a member of the North West Solomonic branch of Oceanic languages. It is spoken around Roviana and Vonavona lagoons at the north central New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. It has 10,000 first-language speakers and an additional 16,000 ...

and then to

Simbo Simbo is an island in Solomon Islands; it is located in the Western Province. It was known to early Europeans as Eddystone Island. Geography Simbo is actually two main islands, one small island called Nusa Simbo separated by a saltwater lagoon fr ...

, later joining the Mono Circuit and working for a year under the Order of St. Stephen. She returned to Choiseul when a minister for Mono became available. She was then sent to Lale on Ranonga before being sent back to her home island once again, this time as

catechist Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

, with the authority to administer the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...

, given by the church, and to conduct marriages, given by the government. More active than her male counterparts, she would often paddle long distances to isolated areas; unusually for a Choiseul woman she was a competent

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ist, and many men deferred to her authority. Upon her retirement Qilanoba returned to the village of her birth. She remained active as a community volunteer until her death, having suffered from poor health in the last years of her life.

References

1928 births 1998 deaths Methodism in the Solomon Islands People from Choiseul Province Deaconesses Solomon Islands midwives Solomon Islands nurses Solomon Islands United Methodists 20th-century Methodists {{Solomons-bio-stub