SAUNOAGA FA’APITOA A LE AFIOGA I LE TAMA’ITAI PALEMIA, FIAME NAOMI MATAAFA I LE TATALAINA ALOA’IA O LE FONOTAGA A LE OBSA I MALUA

30 Aokuso - 01 Setema 2023

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Taitai o le Sauniga - Susuga i le Toeaina, Asotasi Gu Time, Taitaifono o le Komiti o Malua

Taitaifono o le Ekalesia Fa'alapotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa - Susuga Fa'afeagaiga, Esera Auatama

Tamã o le Ekalesia

Peresitene ma sui-auai o le OBSA

Mãlo fa'aaloalogia, Alii ma Tama'itai Su'esu'e o le Tusi Paia

Mamalu ua aofia i lenei aso

Fa'afetai i lau Susuga i le Toeaina, Asotasi, mo talosaga, ma upu folafola mai le Afioga Paia a le Atua, tõmãtauina ai i tatou i lenei taeao.

E ia te a'u le agaga fiafia ma le loto fa'afetai, ona o le avanoa ua auai mai ai, mo le tatalaina o lenei fa'amoemoe taua tele - o fefa'asoa'iga fa'a-le-Tusi Paia ma le Mataupu Silisili a le OBSA, i Malua.

O le OBSA, o se fa'alapotopotoga na fa'avae e nisi iloga i Mataupu tau le Tusi Paia i le Pasefika, e fefa'asoaa'i ai i auala fa'a-Pasefika e su'esu'e ma fa'auiga le Tusi Paia.

O le fa'amoemoe o lenei fa'alapotopotoga, ina ia fa'alautele le vaai i le Tusi Paia, e fa'ataua ai vaaiga mai i o tatou lalolagi, ma siosiomaga fa'a-Pasefika. Ae le gata i lea, o le fa'atauaina o le tapu'e fa'a-laau ola o le poto ma le atamai fa'asu'esu'e o le Tusi Paia i le tatou itu-lagi.

O le manatu autu o lenei fonotaga, o 'Fa'afitauli o le Tau ma le Soifua Maloloina, ma Auala e Fofoina ai nei Fa'afitauli.'

Ua potopoto ma auai mai nisi o tagata su'esu'e o le Tusi Paia ma le Mataupu Silisili o le lalolagi, e pei o sui mai Aferika i Saute, Amerika, Ausetalia, Niu Sila, Filipaina ma atunu'u o le Pasefika e fefa'asoaa'i, e ala i pepa ua sauni e talanoaina.

E momoli ai le agaga fa'afetai tele e fai ai ma sui o le Malo o Samoa, i le OBSA ona o le tofa na a'e, e fa'avae ai lenei mafutaga a tagata su'esu'e o le Tusi Paia o le Pasefika ma le lalolagi, e fa'ataua ai le sailiili i le Afioga a le Atua, ina ia fa'atumauina le avea o le Atua Tolutasi Paia, ma fa'avae i olaga, e le gata o tagata Samoa, ae fa'apea foi le Pasefika.

E momoli foi le agaga fa'afetai tele i Tamã o le Ekalesia ma Ekalesia o le Fa'apotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa, ona o le lagolago ma le latou fa'atauaina o mafuataga mo fonotaga taua nei, aua lava le fa'aauauina o le tatou nafa-tausi fai fa'atasi, o le apoapoina o le soifua manuia o tagata lautele i le tino, mafaufau, ma le agaga, i Samoa ma atunu'u i fafo.

Ia manuia le alo atu o lenei aofia, i le fa'amoemoe taua o le fonotaga a le OBSA i Malua, ua amataina.

I le ava tele, ou te tatala aloaia ai lenei fa'amoemoe, OBSA i Malua 2023

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER, FIAME NAOMI MATAAFA AT THE OCEANIA BIBLE STUDIES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE AT MALUA THEOLOGICAL COLOGEGE.

30 August - 01 September 2023

Church Leaders,

President and Members of the Oceania Biblical Studies Association

Distinguished Guests, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Talofa and I Greet you all and offer you a very warm welcome to Samoa

This is my first encounter with OBSA and it is indeed an opportunity to hear from experts in the field on how the Bible can speak to us in real life threats to humanity in different contexts around the Oceania and worldwide.

Over the next few days, there is a deliberate section of scholars and speakers at this gathering to inspire and guide our talanoa, our dialogue in unpacking and understanding the theme of this conference, Bible, Climate and Health.

It truly is an honor to open our dialogue here this morning as we folau together in unison, the same beat and heading the same way. To see how we all can contribute by sharing how we read the Bible from different perspectives of our collective sea islands to teach us about God and His grace for human kind.

Although we travel in different va'a, and paka around the pacific, we all journey and folau with the best interest of our aiga, family, our nations and God in mind.

I am speaking to you this morning as a leader of the country that is founded on God and the leader of the political party called Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua tasi, OR Samoa united in Faith. And this is a reflection of how faith is still a foundation and heart of this country and in our journey, continued to witness God's grace and goodness for this country and its people. For my part, I read, reflect by the Bible when opportunities arise.

Climate crisis are threats to our existence that government will wide place high priorities demanding deliberate and rapid actions, Samoa is no exception likewise. Health related concerns demands and close attention and careful consideration and must not be taken lightly.

We are now just recovering from being cripple to our economic political and social core from the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. But the region also faces, what I believe is in a greater health threat which is with our non-communicable diseases. The statistics show that our region is a region where the health stats continue to decline and this is not a situation that we should take lightly.

We are losing our human resources to poor health. The development of our nations is impact because of the impact of poor health on our citizenry.

I am so pleased that in this conference, you have brought this issue to the floor as we all explore how we can respond and find solutions to improve the health of our people.

Our travel restrictionss between the international borders with the mandatory quarantine has been lifted and the world is returning to a new normality of existences. Healing from these global issues needs to be a combined efforts from everyone where the spiritual healing is sort through the work of Faifeau and Faletua, Church Ministers and their wives as practical theologians and pastors consulars.

OBSA provides the foundation for such works to read how the Bible can speak to the global social and the environment issues we face today.

I congratulate OBSA for the work done by helping our Pacific people to understand the Bible better and how collectively we can respond or at God's wisdom and grace whom neve forsakes his faithful followers.

I also congratulate the EFKS, Ekalesia Fa'alapotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa and the Malua Theological College for hosting this important conference over the next few days.

May God Bless everyone gathered here today, and may this talanoa help us all to respond effectively for the betterment of our communities.

It gives me great pleasure to formally declare Open this conference at Malua

Soifua ma ia Manuia

August 30, 2023

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