After many months of burning the midnight oil, local freelance writer/documentarian Daniel Pouesi is releasing the sequel to his documentary, The Search for Tagaloa. For those who don’t know, Lupe Faalele is about power, sexual and money abuse in a certain Samoan mainline church. These issues, Daniel notes, are, by no means, unique (or new) to the Samoan Church. He hopes “Lupe Faalele” sheds additional light on the issues and helps those who are “sent forth as doves” to care for God’s flock. American pastor and author Dr. John MacArthur closes the documentary with these words: “You take on the responsibility of being a man of God; you take on the accountability for being a man of God. Pray for your pastors.” After serving in the Samoan Church for over 30 years, Daniel wrote on Facebook: “I’ve witnessed (and heard) power and sexual abuse, embezzlement, and outright thievery among members of the clergy. Yes, pastors are humans. But the moment they enter the ministry, they’re held up to the highest standards (see, for instance, 1 Timothy, Titus and Corinthians). They need our prayers. And they also need to be held accountable just like the rest of the body of Christ.”
