Easter Sunday at All Saints' Apia
Lloyd Ashton
| 25 Apr 2011
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Robyn Lei Sam, an acolyte for the Easter morning service at All Saints' Apia, with her brother Arthur.
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The main entrance to all Saints' Apia. An Easter Saturday afternoon shot.
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The All Saints' Apia Youth Group camped in the church hall throughout the Easter weekend. Here they are on the Saturday evening.
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New life, and new hats.
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Sonya Hunter preached the Easter morning message - to a congregation which included this flower child.
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Philip Enari considers life's options.
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Fr Ben Tapelu is the new Vicar at All Saints' Apia.
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Josephine Yandall makes her Easter morning Eucharist.
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Anita Abraham discusses an exegetical point with her cousin Sharon.
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Sharon is a bashful birthday girl - and she's being encouraged here by Fr Ben Tapelu.
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Judge Neil Simeti hears legal arguments from prosecutor Aloma Black and defence counsel Josephine Yandall.
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Some of the All Saints' Youth Group going through their Easter Sunday morning routine.
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Arielnumati Schwalger - she's the one in the foreground, leading the sacred dance moves.
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After the Easter Sunday morning service, the congregation at All Saints' Apia gathers on the side porch.
Lloyd Ashton was in Samoa for Easter Sunday, and recorded some of the highlights of Resurrection Sunday at All Saints', Apia.
The church of All Saints' Apia sits at the foot of Vailima, the bush-clad peak on whose summit Robert Louis Stevenson, Tusitala, the teller of stories, is laid to rest.
All Saints' is, arguably, the farthest-flung congregation in the province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
In some ways, it's the loneliest too – because it’s the only Anglican church in Samoa. The closest sister church is in Pago Pago, in American Samoa, which is another country, eight hours away by ferry.
And All Saints' Apia is definitely behind the times, too – which is only to say that when you fly to Samoa from New Zealand, you cross the international dateline, arrive about 20 hours before you set off, and celebrate Easter Sunday when you’d expect to be having your Monday holiday.
But they’re very proud of their Anglican identity at All Saints. They’re close-knit – some of the key families have, through the generations, connected through marriage, and in some ways their isolation has made them stronger: they know who they are – they are the Anglicans in Samoa.
They're beginning a new phase in their life together, too.
Their previous and long-standing vicar, Archdeacon Ricky Schwalger, died last December and there's a new man at the helm. He's Fr Ben Tapelu, and right now he's unpacking his furniture in the vicarage.
You can see evidence of new life elsewhere at All Saints', too. Above all, you can see those green shoots in the church's youth group, which is vibrant, growing and determined to welcome and nurture new youngsters.
In fact, the youth group camped at the church hall for the first three days of Easter, and included in their number were 10 new kids.
Which, given that this is Youth Year in the Diocese of Polynesia, and that Archbishop Winston Halapua is intent on making youth ministry one of the keynotes of his episcopacy, must surely be gratifying to him.
The youth – who are divided into three teams – spent Easter Saturday afternoon working up items for a talent quest that evening.
American Idol seems to be universally influential, and some of the best gospel items were performed at the 9am Easter Sunday service, including a powerful skit derived from Paul’s meditations on the free pardon from sin won for us by Christ.
Young 'felons' were led by a uniformed ‘policeman’ into a dock. The defence had no show – but just as the judge passed sentence, two ‘parents’ stepped forward to pay the penalty.
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Comments on this story
Claude Fong Toy
Friday 06 May 2011 5:53:24 am
Bolivia Smith
Saturday 30 April 2011 7:20:14 am
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Wednesday 27 April 2011 11:58:40 am
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