By Heeni Collins

A 'great love' for his church as a child became a calling to ministry for Samoan-born, New Zealand raised Rev Talosaga Su'a, also known as Terry.

Talosaga came to New Zealand with his family when he was two years old, and was very involved with a PIC church in Auckland through his childhood. By the time he was a teenager he felt he had developed a "deep and meaningful relationship with God", so he was disturbed when many of his friends left the church, disillusioned and bored.

Training as a minister at Knox College in Dunedin helped him answer some of the questions raised by his friends' departure, for example how the church could better meet the needs of youth and why the church was relevant to him.

His Samoan language and culture were familiar to him, but he was keen to learn more about what it meant to

be a Presbyterian, and how to do ministry well. With this knowledge, he would serve whomever he was called to serve, whether Pacific Islander or palagi, as well as sharing what he learnt with the Pacific Island community.

Hence his first ministry was at St David's parish, in the rural community of Taihape, where he and his wife served for seven years. "Taihape was a ministry that was very different from anything I had experienced, and at first we missed that circle of folk with whom we could express our language and customs," said Talosaga.

Having a Pacific Island minister was also a first for St David's, but Talosaga's commitment to his ministry was strong, and the couple were quickly accepted. "Taihape is a wonderful community - people are very community-minded, very caring, with strong values."

Rev Su'a also worked well with other Christian leaders in Taihape, sometimes organising combined events.

The St James' parish in Wanganui East, where Talosaga and his wife are now based, also has a strong community feeling, he says. Since they arrived in 2000, they have worked to broaden the appeal of the church to wider age-groups. They have employed a part-time youth worker, set up a youth group, and provide regular cafe church services.