Pa'u Fereti Puni
The Sabbath Keepers Network was founded by Pa’u Fereti Puni of Samatau Village in Samoa, and consists of Seventh-day Adventists worldwide who disagree with the decision of the Samoa-Tokelau Mission (STM) as a result of a recommendation by the South Pacific Division for Independent Samoa (not American Samoa) to keep the Sabbath on Sunday of the new reckoning after Samoa’s realignment to the Date Line.
In addition to defending the seventh-day Sabbath, the day between preparation day (Friday) and the first day (Sunday) of the week, a fundamental belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church which is part of our identity and prophetic witness, they also see an injustice in the way the SPD is “pushing and forcing their will on the people of Samoa and trying to silence the voice of those speaking up against their recommendation and the due process they did not follow.”
How you can support the SDA Sabbath Keepers in Samoa
- Prayer Group: Organise a group of prayer warriors to pray for a swift and speedy conclusion to the Samoa Sabbath dilemma. Send us an email to
to inform us of your group. - Visit Samoa: Contact Emoni Tesese (774-9744), Agalelei Puni (723-6523) or Lance Cutts (759-8629) to connect you to the nearest cell group of Sabbath Keepers or email Pa’u Fereti Puni at
- Make a Donation: The Sabbath keepers continue to return tithe and offerings to the Samoa Tokelau Mission (STM) as per normal practice in spite of the fact that they are not receiving any pastoral support or ministry services from the STM. A bank account has since been set up in Samoa for people wanting to make a donation to support the few SDA Sabbath keepers in Samoa who are left to provide for their own spiritual growth and development. (Click anywhere on this paragraph for more details and specific requests.)
Wow. I am trying to wrap my head around this. I had heard about the problems but am now trying to understand it. I met someone on Adventist Online who wrote about the Date Line issue and adventists being told to worship on the day named sunday now. I am not sure, but I do not think God’s 7th day changes due to man changing some date line thingy.
I will pray, and learn more about this. I am in Australia. I would come and worship with you and visit with you but financially cannot. I love you all, stay strong. God Bless. ((((((((((giant hugs to all)))))))))))))
Malo (hi) Allison,
The issue in Samoa is pretty simple. Saturday is the seventh day of the week like anywhere else in the world, before and after the IDL change.
Interesting how you said “adventists being told to worship on the day NAMED sunday now.” This change in the names of the days is misleading and has been promoted by the local church administration as well as the South Pacific Division all along.
What happened in December 2011 was not a calendar change, nor was there any name change. Such actions would require new legislation. SPD have not provided any proof of the so called ‘day name change’ despite numerous requests because there is non!
In order to facilitate the IDL adherence change, Samoa missed one day resulting in a ‘one off’ 6-day week. This experience is normal when crossing the IDL from the American to the Asian side. Friday 30th December 2011 in Samoa did not vanish into thin air as promoted by the local church administration whereby making Sunday 1st January 2012 the ‘seventh day’ of the weekly cycle in Samoa.
The current Samoa Sabbath dilemma in fact has come about because the SDA leadership in Samoa and the Pacific region failed to accept that the Samoa government implemented a lawful and legitimate shift in the International Date Line, effectively moving Samoa to the same side as New Zealand and Australia for trading purposes.
What is confusing is the notion being promoted by the local administration and the South Pacific Division (SPD) regional office in Australia, “The practical result in terms of Sabbath keeping is that Sunday not Saturday has become the seventh day of the week.”
While most Christian churches in Samoa also call Sunday the Sabbath, commemorating the day of Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week, Seventh-day Adventists keep the Sabbath on the ‘seventh day’ of the week, which is Saturday like everywhere in the world.
Alofa atu (kind regards),
Pa’u ****
Thanks Pa’u for a succinct and accurate version of what happened. When I am next in Samoa (which I hope is within the year) I will be observing the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as I do wherever I am. The SPD may be sincere in their view on this subject, but I believe they are sincerely wrong.