By Martha Taumata Faavae
More than 10 new church ministers scheduled for bestowal of holy rites to become full members of the clergy of the EFKS Church are being made to wait until it is possible for the graduation service to be held.
The event is scheduled every year prior to the church annual general conference going into session.
The service this year should have been held this coming Saturday 16 May 2020 as the normal lead up to the official start of the conference on Sunday 17 May 2020.
Coronavirus lockdown restrictions, however, is not going to make that happen.
The EFKS Malua Fonotele where the graduation service is held as part of the general conference is cancelled for this year.
“The bestowal service is very important to the church, the new ministers have completed 2 years of novice service and are now eligible to be elevated to perform all the duties as full ministers of the church,” General Secretary of the EFKS Church, Rev. Vavatau Taufao explained.
“The new Ministers are also eligible to be assigned a congregation to work with once they are blessed with the holy rites to officiate at funerals, weddings, communions and all the normal services for a full minister of the church to undertake.”
The new graduating group of ministers were already approved by the elders or ‘Komiti a Toeai’ina’ of the church last March and it is only a question now of when the bestowal service is allowed to go through.
All will depend on the easing of the lockdown restrictions that are currently in place.
Sunday church services have only just been allowed for the last two Sundays already but for not more than one service a day,
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