The President and board members of the Methodist Church Samoa have been reappointed in an election during the annual conference on Tuesday to continue in their current positions for 2024-2025.

President Reverend Faulalo Leti Paaga will remain as president, the Church Secretary, Rev. Dr. Eteuati Epa Tuioti, as well as Rev. Ellice Soliola as the church treasurer.

The election was held behind closed doors on Tuesday during a special ceremony also signalling the first official meeting of the 2023 Methodist Conference at the Faleula Church Compound.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Rev. Tuioti said the conference this year voted for all three members of the board including the president to continue their roles for 2024-2025.

"It's all thanks to the Heavenly Father for guiding everyone safely towards this year's conference, and through this conference, the representatives and church ministers have voted for the board to remain in their current positions for the years 2024 to 2025," he said.

"We, the current board who were also elected from last year's conference in our current positions in the church, will take up our roles for 2023 to 2024 which is the normal procedure of the church."

Meanwhile, this year's conference has been remarkable with the reopening of borders and the church allowing more than two representatives of each church both locally and overseas to participate.

One of the many achievements of the church throughout 2022-2023 according to Rev. Tuioti is the establishment of Methodist church branches mainly overseas.

"We have missionaries serving in overseas countries like New Zealand who serve in this area (establishing new Methodist churches) and that's one of the many achievements for the church this year although the missionaries are yet to submit their reports to the conference," he explained.

Rev. Leti was sworn in as the Church's new President in 2019 with his wife, Fialelei, who also began her term as the new President of the Au Uso Fealofani (Methodist Women's Council).

The current Secretaries for the Methodist Church and Au Uso Fealofani, Rev. Tuioti and wife, Maselina Tuioti will also continue their roles as the church and Au-Uso Fealofani secretaries. They were also ordained in 2019 as new secretaries.

Same goes for the treasurer, Rev. Soliola and his wife, Eileen Soliola.