The following is the full sermon delivered by Rev. Toleafoa Leatuao Larry Tupa‘i-Lavea at the SVSG Human Rights Forum on 27 June 2025. Speaking in his role as SVSG Ambassador for Children’s Rights of Samoa, Rev. Leatuao calls for a shift in national priorities… from building more church buildings to creating real homes and life pathways for vulnerable young people.
Avea lo’u leo fa’atuva’a e fa’atalofa atu ile paia male mamalu ole usufono ole SVSG Human Rights Forum, ile afio ole Afioga Tamaitai Palemia Fiame Mataafa, le paia o Minista ma Faipule ma o latou faletua, susu o Faafeagaiga ma o latou faletua mai fatafaitaulaga eseese; le paia ma le mamalu o tumua ma pule, ituau ma alataua, aiga ile tai, ma le vaa o Fonoti. O outou paia faaleaganuu ole a le oo iai sau faamatalaga, nei sala se gagana ona avea lea ma lape ole auauna.
It is my honour to extend a warm and respectful welcome to all present.
We acknowledge with deep appreciation the Honourable Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa, members of the Caretaker Government, and all public officials whose leadership continues to serve our nation.
We extend our sincere respect to the Church Ministers and their spouses, whose spiritual guidance remains vital to our communities.
To our international diplomatic representatives, development partners, and donor agencies, we thank you for your enduring collaboration and shared commitment to the work of SVSG.
We also recognise the invaluable contributions of local support agencies, civil society organisations, community leaders, and service providers, whose work strengthens the fabric of our society.
May this gathering be guided by wisdom, mutual respect, and a shared mission:
“A safer Samoa, free from human rights violations.”
Sermon Title: “A Place for Every Child: Building the Kingdom with Justice”
Opening
“In my Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you.” — John 14:2
“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” — Micah 6:8
Today, we gather not just to reflect—but to respond.
Jesus gives us a promise—that there is a place for every soul.
Micah gives us a command—to build that place through justice, mercy, and humility. A poignant answer for today’s spiritual and political divide and landscape.
This is the Kingdom of God on earth, and it begins with how we treat the most vulnerable.
Point 1: God’s Heart is a Home for the Forgotten
Jesus speaks to His disciples in fear and uncertainty. He says:
“You are not forgotten. I am preparing a place for you.”
This is not just about heaven—it’s about belonging now.
In Samoa, many children and mothers are without homes, without safety, and without hope.
- Some are victims of abuse.
- Some are silenced by shame.
- Some are invisible to the systems meant to protect them.
But Jesus says:
“There is room in my Father’s house.”
And if there is room in heaven, there must be room on earth—in our churches, our homes, our hearts.
Point 2: Justice is the Way to That Place
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Micah tells us what that way looks like:
“Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly.”
Justice is not about charity—it’s about transformation.
And as Fr. Greg Boyle reminds us:
“You do not go to the margins to make a difference. You go there to be made different by those at the margins.”
We must adopt a victim-centred approach—where the needs, voices, and healing of survivors come first.
- Listen before speaking.
- Restore before rescuing.
- Empower rather than control.
Point 3: The Church Must Be the House with Many Rooms
If Jesus is preparing a place for us, then we must prepare a place for others.
Let me speak plainly:
What if every church in Samoa became a “room” in the Father’s house?
- A room for the abused child.
- A room for the single mother.
- A room for the forgotten.
Justice is not charity.
It’s not about giving from our abundance.
It’s about reordering our lives so that others can live.
Point 4: SVSG—20 Years of Building the Kingdom
Today, we pause to say:
Thank you, SVSG.
For 20 years, you have lived out the mission:
“A safer Samoa, free from human rights violations.”
You have:
- Sheltered the abused,
- Educated the forgotten,
- Created a home on 2.5 acres of love, safety, and healing.
You have shown us what the Kingdom of God on earth looks like.
And to all the partners—international agencies, local government agencies, community members, development partners, faith-based organizations, and businesses—thank you.
Your support has made this mission possible.
You have not just donated—you have stood in the gap.
Point 5: A Prophetic Challenge to the Church and Nation
But the work is not finished.
At the Campus of Hope, children find safety and family.
But when they turn 17, they must leave.
They leave their protection.
They leave their created families.
They leave their home.
Where do they go?
Who catches them?
Who walks with them into adulthood?
I challenge every church in Samoa:
Stop building more churches and bigger buildings.
Start building transition homes on church land.
Let your next projects not be a new sanctuary, but a safe home for young adults aging out of care.
Let your offering fund life-practical living—teaching them how to cook, budget, care for themselves, and live with dignity until they are 21.
This is what the Kingdom of God on earth looks like:
- Not just worship, but welcome.
- Not just sermons, but shelter.
- Not just prayer, but partnership.
I challenge the Government of Samoa.
Provide better policies for the protection of children and women, and those who are differently-abled.
Get on with passing the Child Care and Protection Bill that’s been decades in the making!
Stop bickering over breadcrumbs but make available resources to expand the ever-growing work of SVSG.
I challenge every business:
Open your doors.
Offer jobs to these young adults.
Let them learn the value of hard work, of earning, of sustaining themselves.
Closing
Jesus says:
“I will come back and take you to be with me.”
He is coming—not just to take us home, but more importantly, to see what we’ve done with the house left for us to care for.
Let us not wait for heaven to build rooms.
Let us build them now—on earth as it is in heaven.
Let us honour SVSG’s legacy by continuing their mission.
Let us be the generation that says:
- No child will age out into the streets.
- No mother will be left without a home.
- No survivor will be forgotten.
Call to Action
- Churches: Build transition homes, not just buildings.
- Government: Create life-transforming policies that hold account perpetuators of violence against children and women
- Businesses: Provide jobs, not just profits.
- Believers: Pray with your feet moving and your hands working by giving up some time to support the work of SVSG.
And to SVSG:
Congratulations on 20 years of outstanding service.
May the next 20 be even more powerful, more healing, and more filled with the justice of God.
In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit +++
Amen.
The Venerable Father Leatuao Larry
Toleafoa Tuala Tuilimu Lotumali’i Tupa’i-Lavea
SVSG Ambassador for Children’s Rights of Samoa
Toleafoa Tuala Tuilimu Lotumali’i Tupa’i-Lavea
An ordained non-stipendiary Anglican priest of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Secretary, Mafutaga So’ofa’atasi o Faife’au Samoa i Aukilani (MSFS)
Ecumenical Association of Ordained Samoan Clergy in Auckland.
Lauga: Akitiakono Le Atua Leatuao Larry Tupa‘i-Lavea
27 Iuni 2025 – SVSG Human Rights Forum
“E tele mea e nonofo ai i le Maota o lo’u Tama…..Ou te alu e sauni se mea e nonofo ai outou.” — Ioane 14:2
“Se a foi se mea e finagalo ai le Alii ia te oe? Ia fai le amiotonu, ia naunau i le alofa, ma ia feoai ma lou Atua ma le loto faamaulalo.” — Mika 6:8
O lenei aso, ua tatou potopoto mai e le gata ina ia tatou manatunatu, a ia tatou tali atu ma fai se galuega.
Ua folafolaina mai e Iesu, o lo’o i ai nofoaga mo agaga uma lava.
O loo a’oa’o mai foi Mika, ina ia fausia se nofoaga i le amiotonu, alofa, ma le loto faamaulalo.
Ua o se tali faamomoiloto lea i fevaevaeaiga faaleagaga ma faapolokiki ua matauina.
O le Malo o le Atua i le lalolagi, e afua i lo tatou tausia lelei o i latou ua sili ona mafatia.
Manatu 1: O le Finagalo o le Atua, o se Nofoaga mo ē ua Faagaloina
Saunoa Iesu i ona soo ina ua fefefe ma atuatuvale, ma ia faapea atu:
“Aua le atuatuvale outou loto, ou te alu ma sauni se mea e nonofo ai outou.”
E le na o le lagi o loo faatatau i ai lea saunoaga, a’o le aumau i le lalolagi nei ma le taimi nei.
I totonu o Samoa, o lo’o tele fanau ma tina:
- Ua leai ni mea e nonofo ai
- Ua leai se saogalemu
- Ua leai foi se faamoemoe
- O nisi ua afaina i sauaga mamafa
- O nisi ua taotaomia ona o le maasiasi
- O nisi ua le mafai ona maua i ni polokalame e puipuia ai
Ae fetalai Iesu:
“E tele mea e nonofo ai outou i le Maota o lo’u Tama.”
Afai o lo’o tele nofoaga i le lagi, e tatau foi ona tele i le lalolagi:
I totonu o Ekalesia, i totonu o tatou aiga, ma totonu o tatou loto.
Manatu 2: O le Amiotonu o le Ala i lena Nofoaga
Fetalai Iesu:
“O A’u nei le Ala, Upu Moni, ma le Ola.”
Fai mai Mika:
“Ia fai le amiotonu, ia naunau i le alofa, savali ma le lotomaulalo.”
E le o le foai na’o mea ua maua — o le amiotonu o le faia lea o suiga moni.
Fai mai se faaamanatu a le Tamā, Fr. Greg Boyle:
“E te le alu i le tuaoi e fai se eseesega. Ae e te alu i ai ina ia suia oe e i latou o loo i le tuaoi.”
Ua tatau ona tatou fa’aaogaina se auala e taula’i i tagata ua a’afia — e muamua manaoga, leo, ma le fa’amalologa o ē na a’afia.
- Faalogo ao le’i tautala
- Toe fa’afo’i ao le’i lavea’i
- Fa’amalosia nai lo le pulea
Manatu 3: O le Ekalesia e tatau ona avea ma Fale e Tele Potu
Afai o lo’o saunia e Iesu se nofoaga mo i tatou, e tatau foi ona tatou saunia se nofoaga mo isi.
Se’i ou fa’aali manino:
Ae fa’afefea pe afai e avea Ekalesia uma i Samoa ma “potu” i le Fale o le Tama?
- O se potu mo se tamaitiiti ua sauaina
- O se potu mo se tina nofo toatasi
- O se potu mo ē ua faagaloina
E le o le foai mai le tele o mea.
O le amiotonu o le toe fuafuaina o o tatou olaga ina ia mafai ona ola isi.
Manatu 4: SVSG – 20 Tausaga o le Fausiaina o le Malo
O le aso lenei, matou te faapea atu:
Fa’afetai tele lava, SVSG.
Mo le 20 tausaga, sa outou faatinoina le misiona:
“O se Samoa saogalemu, ma saoloto mai i le soliga o aiā tatau a tagata.”
Ua outou:
- Fa’amalumalu i ē ua sauaina
- A’oa’oina i latou ua fa’agaloina
- Fausia se maota i luga o le 2.5 eka o le alofa, saogalemu ma le fa’amalologa
Ma i paaga uma — faava-o-malo, matagaluega, nu’u, faalapotopotoga faalelotu, pisinisi — fa’afetai.
Ua le gata ina foai — ae ua outou tu i le va.
Manatu 5: Lu’itau Faa-Perofeta i le Ekalesia ma le Malo
Ae le’i ma’ea le galuega.
I le Campus of Hope, e maua ai e fanau le saogalemu ma le alofa.
Ae a oo ina 17 tausaga — e tatau ona tuua le nofoaga.
Ua latou alu ese mai:
- Le puipuiga
- Le aiga fou
- Le nofoaga na toafilemu ai
O ai o le a latou mauaina? O ai o le a ta’iala i latou?
O le la’u lu’itau lea i Ekalesia uma i Samoa:
- Faa-muta ona toe fausia nisi falesa
- Amata ona fausia nofoaga e suia ai tagata
- Ia avea lau taulaga e fai ai aoga e fesoasoani i le ola o isi
A’oa’o i latou e:
- Kukaina mea’ai
- Paketi
- Tausia o latou lava tagata
- Ola ma le tausaafia se’ia aulia le 21 tausaga
O le lu’itau mo le Malo o Samoa:
- Tapena ni tulafono e puipui ai Tina, Fanau, ma tagata ese-ese o manaomia fesoasoani
- Faa-avanoa tupe e fa’alautele ai galuega a le SVSG
- Fa’agatā fememea’i ma finauga i mea laiti
O le lu’itau mo Pisinisi uma:
- Tatala faitoto’a
- Ofo galuega
- A’oa’oina le taua o le galue ma le ola tu ma le mamalu
Fa’ai’uga
Fetalai Iesu:
“Ou te toe sau, ou te talia foi outou ia fa’atasi ma a’u.”
O lo’o toe afio mai o Ia — e le gata e ave i tatou i lona Maota, ae e silasila mai foi po’o le ā le tulaga o le fale sa tuuina mai i tatou e tausi ai.
Aua tatou fa’atali i le lagi e fausia ai ni fale.
Tatou fausia nei i le lalolagi — e pei ona faia i le lagi.
Ia avea i tatou ma tupulaga e tautino atu:
- E leai se tamaitiiti e toe tu’ulafoa’i i le auala
- E leai se tina e toe tu’ua e aunoa ma se aiga
- E leai se tagata e fa’agaloina
Vala’auga mo Galuega Faatino
- Ekalesia: Fausia ni nofoaga e suia ai olaga, ae le o isi falesa
- Malo: Fausia faiga-faavae e taofia ai sauaga i Tina ma Fanau
- Pisinisi: Ofo galuega, ae le na o tupe
- Tagata Talitonu: Tatalo ma fai galuega — fesoasoani i le SVSG
Fa’afetai i le SVSG
Fa’afetai ma fa’amalo i le 20 tausaga o le tautua uiga ese.
Ia fa’aauau pea i le 20 tausaga fou — ia sili atu ona malosi, fa’amalologa, ma tumu i le amiotonu a le Atua.
I le Suafa o le Atua le Tama, le Alo, ma le Agaga Paia +++
Amene.
Akitiakono Le Atua Leatuao Larry
Toleafoa Tuala Tuilimu Lotumali’i Tupa’i-Lavea
SVSG Amepasa mo Alo ma Fanau o Samoa
