SDA church at Matatufu
Last month leaders of the
SDA church in the South Pacific Division (SPD)
met again in Australia with pastors from Samoa and Samoan pastors
representing Samoan churches in New Zealand and Australia. The bible
conference discussed the impasse in Samoa which is detrimental to a
fundamental doctrine of the SDA church where there are now two
seventh-day Sabbaths, some worshipping on Saturday and the majority
worshipping on Sunday.
An outcome of the meeting is the matter to be referred to the
Biblical Research Committee of the
South Pacific Division for further research.
But in Samoa, the local church administration has instructed the law office of
Schuster-Betham-Annandale
to write to the Leauva’a-uta SDA members who are worshipping on
Saturday to refrain from using the church facility there. The letter
dated 6
th February warns that failure to comply within 7 days
will result in the matter been taken to the High Court for an order
regarding ownership, demolition and removal by the church of assets.
Leauvaa-uta Sabbath keepers in front of their church building.
The letter from the lawyer however states that the church does not
dispute the land belongs to the title Sala (held by Fonoti Peteli). This
is further confirmed in a letter from the Register of the Lands and
Titles Court stating the ownership of the land known as Laumasa is with
Sala Fonoti Peteli and is not being disputed. The Register however goes
further advising the parties involved to seek legal advice from lawyers
in regards to dividing of church assets.
The SDA Sabbath dilemma in Samoa today centers around which day is
the seventh-day of the week after the IDL change in 2011, the second
time Samoa has changed its location to the IDL. Is it Saturday or
Sunday?
Seventh-day Adventists keep the Sabbath on the seventh day of the
week which is Saturday like everywhere else in the world. Most Christian
churches in Samoa however also call Sunday the Sabbath but for a
different reason – to commemorate the day of Jesus’ resurrection which
falls on Sunday, the first day of the week.
On the TVNZ program
Tagata Pasefika last year, President of the
SDA church in Samoa,
Pastor Uili Solofa stated that “now in Samoa, the seventh-day falls on
Sunday.” The same argument was published in the Samoa Observer 1
st
July issue saying, “The practical result in terms of Sabbath keeping is
that Sunday not Saturday has become the seventh day of the week.”
In a document dated 29
th December 2011, Pastor Uili Solofa wrote,
“The majority of church leaders, worshippers and villages
(in Samoa) are not saying they are happy that Seventh-day Adventists
are keeping Sunday, instead what they are saying is that – we are going
to keep the Sabbath of the Seventh-day Adventist church; praise God!”
In a separate correspondence, Pastor Uili Solofa also wrote, “You
have to know that all the other Christian religions in Samoa have
publicly testified that they have moved to keep the seventh–day Sabbath
of the Bible.”
Catholic Chancellor Ono does not appear to share that view. Asked
about casinos opening on Sunday, Father Ioane says that personally, he
had no problems with it. “For Catholics or any Christian for that
matter, Sunday is a day of rest, a day of giving thanks and praise to
the Lord. It is also a day of joy and celebration because for the
Catholic Church, Sunday is the day of resurrection of Jesus.” (
Samoa Observer, March 12, 2013)
Such statements by SDA leaders in Samoa and the Pacific that Sunday
is the “seventh-day” in Samoa today appear to contradict the reason
Christian churches worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, to
commemorate the day of Jesus’ resurrection.
Also see related articles:
Leauvaa-uta Official Opening and
Leauvaa-uta Church Members Continue to Meet on Sabbaths Despite Opposition
http://sabbathissues.org/2013/03/sda-church-dispute-heads-court/
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