The Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Afega broke ground on the location for their new Multi-Purpose Hall on Friday afternoon. 

Rev. Luapene Nepo spoke briefly on behalf of the congregation, thanking the construction company for taking on the project. 

‘’On behalf of our church members, I would like to take this great opportunity to say thank you to Mr. Wang Reizheny and Zheng Construction for assisting us."

The church secretary, Fata Talalelei Seuseu told the Samoa Observer that there are approximately 70 families who are members of the church and will benefit from the new multi-purpose hall. He also called for the members' relatives who live overseas to support the efforts of the congregation as they work on the new project. 

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by members of the C.C.C.S. church at Afega. 

A representative of Zheng Construction, Mr. Paul Yue, said his team was raring to go. 

“We have prepared everything, once the church gets the permit then the work will proceed,” he said. 

On Saturday, church secretary Fata confirmed that all the relevant paperwork and permits had been completed and the works will begin next week. 

The project to build the new multi-purpose hall was previously announced for tender, with Zheng construction company emerging as the successful bidder. 

Mr. Yue said their company placed their bid but had to make adjustments due to additional changes to expand the work. 

“Their offer is higher than we expected." 

He confirmed that the timeline for the work to be completed is currently at eight months or less. 

"The plan is that the work starts early, and goes for about 30 weeks, so we're hoping we can finish early, before Christmas.’’ 

The new multi-purpose hall will replace an existing building, and the project is considered a milestone moment for the Afega C.C.C.S., set to cater for approximately 70 families who are members of the congregation. 

Mr. Yue said the total cost for construction is SAT$700,000.