will this church model work in Samoa? The EFKS Porirua success story By Tupuola Terry Tavita A church in Wellington is proving that people don’t need to give money for their church to survive. In fact, it is proving more than that. The Porirua EFKS church is thriving. It currently owns assets with a net worth of over NZ$16 million. “We follow a very simple model,” says church minister, Reverend Nove Vailaau. “The spiritual thrust of the church has to go hand-in-hand with its commercial side so it can remain sustainable. Simply put, the church has to be self-sustainable.” And it is working. The church has parted for some years now from the traditional practice of the congregation giving money to the pastor. Instead, Reverend Vailaau receives a set salary from a trust set up by the church to register and operate its assets. “Just over ten years ago, we implemented this vision that people should no longer be burdened by financial commitments. People came to New Zealand to find employment, raise their families and contribute to their aiga back in Samoa. They did not come here to sacrifice themselves to the church. Reverend Vailaau – a former Secretary General of the EFKS denomination – realized earlier on in his pastoral in Porirua how much that country invests in education – especially early childhood education. So they bought a two-block property and converted the existing two buildings into classrooms, a kitchen, offices and a playground at the back. After government inspections, the facility met all strict requirements and were given the sign of approval. “We then started up our Aoga Amata (pre-school) and applied for government funding. For each child at preschool level, the New Zealand government provides on average NZ$16,500 a year. We started with just 15 youngsters and today, we have 90 in our Aoga Amata. “And we are seeing a lot of benefits not only to our church but our Samoan community here at Porirua. The preschool is employing up to 30 members of our church and all our teachers have undergone preschool training at university and are now certified teachers. Not only is the preschool upskilling our members but it is also providing them needed employment. “For our students, they are learning not only set mainstream curriculum but are being taught a firm grasp of Samoan and Faasamoa at an early age. Our initial students are now in their mid-teens and are accelerating at High School. It’s a model, Reverend Vailaau believes, works and should be adopted by other churches in New Zealand. “Setting up a trust safeguards the viability of the church and separates the business entity from its core spiritual thrust. “ For the future, Reverend Vailaau said that the three EFKS churches in Porirua have set up a separate trust. “We are looking to negotiate with the New Zealand government on purchasing housing blocks that they are about to be put up for bids. It’s a huge undertaking and we are pulling together our resources to give us more leverage. The combined asset value of our three churches comes around to about NZ$65 million. “And housing is very important. Not only do our people need good houses but as an enterprise, it provides an income for our churches and employment opportunities for our members.” Other projects Reverend Vailaau is pondering includes a venture into the shop and retail business. savalinews/2014/11/17/the-efks-porirua-success-story/
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:28:30 +0000
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