Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Pastor Faraimo Pagaialii has a great the reason to celebrate his half a century birthday next month, on October 16, 2023. Just last Friday Sept 22, 2023 at 6pm, Pastor Pagaialii received the most votes from an Assembly of God's Church committee, making him the new Minister at the AOG- Pago Pago church.

The Council was composed of 6 licensed pastors, who in a secret ballot, selected a new Minister for the 1st AOG Congregation in American Samoa.

 Pastor Pagaialii replaces Pastor Dave Mageo, who recently retired due to illness.

The American Samoa AOG Committee who supervised the Election, suggested to the more than 40 families of the congregation that they consider holding an official christening ceremony of their Minister soon.

"Don't leave it too long as it will block the work of God. God wants to save the spirits of the people for eternal life.

"Thank you to Pastor Dave Mageo for the many years he served,” the committee said.

Pastor Pagaialii, when given a chance to speak, first thanked God for using him and he also thanked the Congregation for selecting him as their leader. " If this is the answer to your prayers and fasting, then the glory is God. "

He also thanked leaders and the steering Committee, and praised God for everything.

His wife, Silafaiga Pagaialii of Siumu, Samoa, is no stranger to the Pago Pago Congregation. The mother of one, said she was born in Siumu, but most of her life has been spent here in American Samoa.

She and her husband together with her family have been members of the AOG- Pago Pago for some 20 years and have been serving the church about that long.

Pastor Pagaia'ii is a 1996 graduate of a Bible School at Tafuna, currently called the Samoa Leadership Bible College, SLBC. He became a licensed pastor in 2007.

Mrs. Pagaialii is 43 years old, much younger than most senior mothers of the Church; but that shouldn't be a problem, she said. “This job is not hers alone,” and she believes in working together with members and is humbled about it.

She said, “Mom died in 2020 leaving the six of us, five girls with one brother, who is the oldest and currently serves under a Baptist church Pastor in Pago Pago as well, while all my sisters reside here too.”

Pastor Pagaialii is from a family whose roots are intimately entwined with spirit of service in the church.

He is from a family of 12 children. Nine of them are Ministers, while his three sisters are all married to Ministers as well.

He said, “His father, the late Fagalilo Pagaialii, and mother Falenika Pagaialii are people of the Church.” His late father is from the family of Pagaialii in Lefagaoalii Samauga, Savaii.

The Pastor remembers all of his nine brothers in their Service of God, and recounted to Samoa News where they serve. His older brother, Pelepesite Pagaialii, “was a Pastor at AOG- Aoa — he drowned at sea,” her recounted.

He also remembers other brothers of his father, who are also Ministers for the AOG, like Tavita Pagaialii and Tasi Pagaialii who are serving at Lano, Savaii.

His aunty Faapo Pagaialii was one of the first female preachers for the AOG Church in Savaii.

Pastor Pagaialii when asked on how he feels about the incident in father’s village of Lefagaoalii Samauga recently — where an elderly man was admitted to the hospital after he was allegedly beaten, tied to a stick and carried away from his place of residence by untitled men of the village who were executing an order from the matai of the village council —  “I feel sad about what happened, but we continue to pray for them, for forgiveness,” he said.

The AOG- Pago Pago will soon decide when would be the best time to welcome their new Minister.