Pastor combines traditions of Samoa with traditions of the Disciples.
During a traditional ceremony at a Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, a special cup, containing a plant believed to hold medicinal properties, is shared by honored guests attending the service. According to Taulau Tupua, pastor of Via Dolorosa Congregational Christian Church and Disciples of Christ in Modesto, Calif., “It is a tradition brought over from the Island of Samoa, where we would offer it to honored guests in the villages. Now any time we have honored guests at church, it is used as a part of a ceremony,” he said.
During an Easter 2009 visit to a Samoa Congregational Christian Church in Federal Way, Washington, pastored by friend Paulo Lealaitafea, that Taulau was introduced to a few traditions of the Disciples of Christ and opportunity to dual membership. “I became interested and when I returned to Modesto, I began inquiring about the Disciples of Christ,” said Tupua. And after a few months of due diligence, Taulau’s congregation began the affiliation and membership process.
Since becoming affiliated with Disciples, Via Dolorosa now holds dual memberships. According to Taulau, there is a great historical tie between the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa and Samoan immigrants in the United States. “In the beginning it was all right to survive as an immigrant community, but now that we have second and third generations (some have married people of other cultures), it is almost that we are not being true to the meaning of being a Disciples of Christ. So in a way, I think that Disciples of Christ answered my congregations prayers — for us to get more connected with the people of God,” said Taulau. “Someone once told me God is bigger than your theology and to always have an open mind.”
