Here we are again in far-off Samoa, this beautiful and green island and country. We started from almost scratch our efforts to build the holy baptistery and the church of the Evangelist John the Theologian. All we have is the land, which we still do not own well, well. But unexpectedly, God’s blessings come to us in return. “And grace for grace.” He who offers is rich and generous. It is our Lord Jesus Christ in whose name we begin the work of the Church here in Samoa and by whose grace we hope to accomplish it. And His grace is tangible and is becoming more and more evident every day. Before we even start building the church, He introduced us to a faithful and zealous man, the Greek Orthodox George, who lives in New Zealand but has connections to Samoa. He is a man who believes in Christ and the Church, and has the financial means to help us. Already, he has undertaken the building of the Baptist church by donating three thousand Samoan dollars. He then brought to us Mr. Penjamina who, together with other Samoans, has long been looking for points of contact with the orthodoxy they wish to bring to their country. Mr. Penjamina gladly accepted to be baptized, he and his wife to become the first priest in a people who have traditions and readily accept the truth. “…And for the sake of grace” Close to Penyamina is also Tuala, a lawyer by profession with a strong personality and a strong will to cooperate in order to proceed with the building of the church, to make the first baptisms and when Penyamina returns as a priest from Constantinople and Greece, to have a baptistery to baptize and a church to serve. And because the big church will take at least one year to finish, we all said that a smaller church should be built first. Mr. Pepe, who is the second to be ordained and work for the spread of orthodoxy, agrees with this.
We started building the Baptistry, but we were stopped by the decision of the local leaders. There are strong unwritten laws here too. But with God’s help we achieved something much greater. We took Pennyamina and his wife Fashenga to Wellington, New Zealand, baptized them and then ordained Pennyamina a deacon, giving him the name John in honor of the theologian and evangelist. The following Sunday, in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, he was made an elder in the presence of many Greek Christians and his fellow Samoans. We all experienced moments reminiscent of Holy Pentecost. So instead of the beginning of Orthodoxy in Samoa with the Baptistry and the Church, it was with the First Priest and Missionary. Everything indicates that this pious and dynamic priest, Father John Tapelu, will be a pioneer of Orthodoxy not only in his homeland of Samoa but also in neighbouring Tonga. “How can we not be moved and thank Him who is the fullness of the Law and the Prophets and from Whom we receive grace upon grace, that is, all good things and all benefits? And how can we not believe that everything that begins in His name and for His glory is finished by His power and grace? Blessed be His name.
The New Zealand Amphilochius
