New Samoan church prepares labour mobility recruits before departure

By Staff Reporters/

06 September 2024 – A new evangelical church named Iesu le Ma’atulimanu – translated Jesus the Cornerstone, was officially opened last Saturday at Faleolo as part of the church’s 2024 annual conference.

Founded by the Melbourne based Reverend Dr. Freddy Sooalo, the new church is located on 10 acres leased from the Samoa Trust Estates Corporation at Faleolo.

The church serves for its members on the western side of Upolu Island and the ten acre plot also provides land for agricultural development and a recruitment and training centre for the potential recruits for overseas employment.

A vital part of the church’s spiritual and social development program is providing a base to recruit and prepare young Samoans before they leave to take up work under the Labour Mobility and RSE programs in Australia and New Zealand.

The church founder, Rev Dr Freddy Sooalo has already provided major assistance to Samoans employed under the scheme in Australia in getting them a fair deal from the system and from their employers especially during the Covid pandemic when the poor treatment of workers and substandard living conditions were synonymous to modern day slavery.

Founder of “Iesu le Ma’atulimanu” church, Rev Dr Freddy Sooalo.

The preparatory phase for the potential workers address the major issues that have emerged since Samoans were recruited given their separation from wives, husbands and families, the involvement of alcohol that had resulted in road accidents that had claimed the lives of some of the workers.

The church in Australia and New Zealand will play a major part in providing social support for these workers and address some of their problems while they are away from their families and country.

Acknowledging the Grace of God in the church’s growing ministry, the guests at the opening last Saturday were told that there was no loan as the new church building that costs over $200 thousand tala has been paid for.

Also taking part in the opening ceremony were the chiefs and orators of neighbouring villages such as Satuimalufilufi who have proclaimed their support and blessing on the new church.

The church’s 2024 conference was on the theme Holy Spirit Revolution Movement.

The final event of the conference was the ordination on Sunday of close to twenty new pastors and their wives who will be working in the church’s expanding ministry in Samoa, New Zealand and Australia.

Rev Dr Freddy Sooalo with some of the ordained ministers and their wives.