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Seventh-day Adventist Church celebrates designation as a ‘Mission’

Gov. Lemanu P. S Mauga and other dignitaries
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in American Samoa has reached another milestone in its history when it officially became a Mission.

The opening ceremony to celebrate this long journey was held at the Iakina Church in Iliili Wednesday morning, which was attended by the Governor Lemanu P. S Mauga, leaders from several denominations in American Samoa as well as church members.

In his keynote address, Lemanu congratulated members of the church for the hard work and the willingness to serve God and His ministry. He also acknowledged and recognized with great appreciation and gratitude the awesome and splendid work done by church leaders and members.

President of the SDA church in AS, Pastor Uili Solofa delivered the Divine message while songs were sung by jointed choirs from local churches. He urged church members to focus on God and let their spiritual lives grow in Christ.

Retired church worker for 43 years, Falesoa Puni delivered the history of the church.

92-year-old Siniva Samatua of Vaitogi, who was among the first baptized members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA ) in American Samoa in 1956. She was among those who came to the opening ceremony to celebrate SDA becoming a Mission, at the Iakina Church in Iliili this past week.  [photo by AF]

Church members of the Seventh-day Church (SDA) in American Samoa attending the official opening ceremony for the church becoming a Mission. [photo by AF]

CHURCH HISTORY

SDA in American Samoa traces its beginning to the arrival in 1944 of the missionary sent by SDA in Samoa to start up the church, this marking 76 years since the arrival of the SDA church in AS.

It was during 1891 when the Pitcairn 2 (a schooner built for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for use in missionary work in the South Pacific) arrived in American Samoa for a week before it sailed back to the South Pacific. After 51 years in 1944, a first missionary from Samoa arrived in American Samoa to start the ministry. He was Pastor Tini Inu Lam Yuen, his wife Fuea and their three young children.

Two years later in 1946, the first SDA church chapel was built in Satala.

The church slowly grew and after ten years in 1956, nine (9) new churches were built in nine (9) different locations in American Samoa including Alao, Alofau, Masefau, Satala, Nuuuli, Iliili, Vaitogi, Malaeloa and Leone.

The first SDA elementary school was established in Satala in 1951 before it was shifted to it new location at Iakina in 1975. In 1957, Pastor Lam Yuen and his family were called back to the work in Samoa.

In 2015, leaders of the SDA Trans-Pacific Union in Fiju, along with leaders of the South Pacific Division in Australia agreed to transfer the SDA church in American Samoa to the supervision of the Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) to prepare the church to become a mission.

The church is celebrating 76 years in American Samoa. The SDA has 21 churches including one church in Ofu, Manu’a. There are twelve pastors serving the ministry and 22 teachers teaching at the Iakina Academy.