Junior Manase, pictured with his wife Sarah, and fellow Samoan Uniting Church members are relishing the opportunity to engage with UCA history, theology and polity in ways that resonate with their culture and language.
By Marina Williams
When Junior Manase gathers Samoan Uniting Church members in Victoria for a weekend workshop, the atmosphere is alive with conversation, storytelling and reflection.
For Junior, a non-placement Samoan Ministry Pastor at St Stephens in Keilor, these gatherings are far more than training sessions.
They represent a long-held vision coming to life – one where Samoan leaders can learn about the Uniting Church in Australia in their own language, through methods that honour their culture.
At the heart of this initiative is the course ‘Understanding the UCA’, originally written in English by Mel Perkins, Lay Leadership Development Co-ordinator with equipping Leadership for Mission.
The study unit was designed to meet one of the UCA Assembly’s Core Competencies: “Work within the doctrine, ethos and polity of the Uniting Church”.
The unit tells the story of the Church through history, documents and theology, while weaving in its commitment to First Peoples, intercultural ministry and the Act 2 process.
For Mel, creating the unit was about more than meeting formal requirements.
“I knew it was important not just to have a linguistic word-for-word translation, but a culturally appropriate translation,” she explains.
“Something that would meet Assembly standards and provide training in ways that spoke to the hearts of participants, challenging them and giving them support and encouragement.”
Being involved in the Samoan translation project, she adds, has “filled my heart with joy”.
The project has created an opportunity for Samoan members to engage with UCA history, theology and polity in ways that resonate with their culture and language.
A vision long in the making
The idea of Samoan-language training had surfaced many times before, as Junior recalls.
“From what I know, conversations about this project of translating the lay preacher units into the Samoan language began at least a decade ago during a Samoan national conference,” says Junior, who has been in ministry for six years.
“I like to think of it as God’s timing how the project eventually kicked in to gear – a matter of having the right people invested at the right time.”
Among those people was the late Tuuu Kenape Faletoese, then secretary of the Samoan UC Fellowship in Victoria, who helped orchestrate the project.
Samoan Uniting Church leaders at a recent workshop.
Together with Rev Tupe Ioelu, minister in placement at Wesley Geelong and chair of the Port Phillip West Ministry Formation Committee, and Rev Linley Liersch, PPPW Mission Development Strategist and eLM minister, funding was secured and a framework established that opened a position specifically for translating ‘Understanding the UCA’ and providing ministry at St Stephens.
The Samoan UCA Fellowship has also been central to the process.
Junior describes the Samoan ministry agents as the project’s backbone, noting that workshops and discussions would not be as fruitful without their guidance, leadership and input.
Having only joined the fellowship by association in 2023, he says their generosity in offering time, resources and experience in UCA ministry has been instrumental.
Yet, Junior was well equipped. A graduate of Malua Theological College in Samoa, he had lived in both New Zealand and Samoa and was fluent in English and Samoan.
“I am a NZ-born Samoan – so English is my first language. Having spent four years in Samoa for ministry training, I am privileged to be somewhat fluent in the Samoan language,” he says.
“This has been to the credit of the project because understanding the subtle cultural nuances of the Samoan language has really helped with the translations and training.”
Translation as partnership
Junior initially tried translating all the material himself but soon realised this was unsustainable – and less culturally meaningful.
“Rather than me having to translate everything beforehand, I now translate only key talking points and present them to the class,” he explains.
“We discuss the content in depth, from our cultural perspectives, and come up with appropriate translations together.
“The result is a translation that is more nuanced and based on the collective wisdom of the group.”
This spirit of adaptation extended to assessment. While eLM’s criteria relied on written tasks, the group recognised that Samoan culture is primarily oral, so verbal submissions were introduced for those who preferred to speak rather than write.
“For some of the candidates, they are much more comfortable sharing their thoughts through the art of oratory and storytelling rather than essay writing,” Junior explains.
“The way Samoans connect biblical stories to cultural identity and Samoan way of life is extraordinary.”
Mel Perkins loves the fact that collaboration is at the heart of the work being carried out by Samoan Uniting Church leaders.
For Mel, these innovations highlight the heart of the work.
“One of the gifts of the project is the collaborative nature of it – the Presbytery and its funding, Synod involvement, Junior and his gifts, the Samoan ministers, the Samoan community … none of it would have been possible without everyone working together.”
Renewal and passion
The impact has been immediate. Some candidates are encountering UCA structures for the first time; others have been members for decades but are only now grasping the intricacies of interconciliar governance.
For others, the course has sparked a renewal of passion, Junior says.
“As a culture that is founded on community values and collaboration, this training has reawakened the fire within to seek more intentional fellowship and gatherings,” he says.
Rev Tupe Ioelu has witnessed the same transformation.
“One of the greatest joys in this journey has been seeing the look on people’s faces when something new clicks for them,” he reflects.
“It’s not only about learning the history of the church, but also about discovering the reality and the facts of the written scriptures.
“What has stood out most is the way people are growing in their understanding.”
For Tupe, leadership training in first languages is vital to the Church’s future.
“Providing leadership formation in the languages of these communities is not simply a practical matter – it is a way of honouring their gifts and investing in their future,” he says.
“When leaders are trained in culturally and linguistically relevant ways, they gain the confidence to guide their congregations with hope, knowing they have the tools to sustain and nurture their people.”
Belonging and inclusion
For participants, the value of training in Samoan lies in more than comprehension. It is about belonging.
“Allowing formation and leadership training to be delivered in the Samoan language instils a sense of belonging and acknowledgement of our cultures and values,” Junior explains.
“We all feel so blessed to be able to journey through the course in a way that is culturally meaningful and sensitive knowing that we have the support of Mel and the team at eLM and also the Presbytery of Port Phillip West.”
“The project plants seeds of hope for the future, ensuring that Samoan communities within the Uniting Church will not only survive but continue to grow and flourish,” says Rev Tupe Ioelu.
This recognition is what makes the project so significant for Mel.
Alongside Junior, she has provided foundational material, technical guidance for uploading content to the online platform, and encouragement to the community.
Together, the two are recording lessons and challenges, developing a framework that can be adopted by other communities across the Synod and Assembly.
Seeds for the future
The first Samoan-language cohort is close to finishing its course, with 11 candidates preparing to step into lay leadership roles.
In congregations where ministers are scarce, their presence will make a real difference.
Tupe notes that “success can already be seen” in this spread of leadership.
In the long term, some may move towards ordination while others sustain local congregations as lay preachers.
“Either way,” he says, “the project plants seeds of hope for the future, ensuring that Samoan communities within the Uniting Church will not only survive but continue to grow and flourish.”
Mel sees further possibilities. Interest is already emerging from Indonesian communities in Port Phillip East, and she hopes the framework can show that culturally relevant training is achievable in other contexts.
“What started as a small step, has turned out to be a huge one for this community in a wonderful direction,” she says.
Junior echoes that vision.
“I hope that it reminds us that being multicultural/intercultural does not necessarily mean just translating documents into another language,” he says.
“For an oral culture such as Samoa, reading and writing does not do justice in capturing the essence of Samoan perspective, so tailoring learning and training in a uniquely Samoan way brings out the best of the gifts these individuals have been blessed with.
“I also hope it inspires other cultural groups to reach out to their communities and presbyteries to explore whether this is something for them.”
