ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

Piula-Samoan transliteration of Beulah which in Hebrew means “married”. Isaiah 62:3-4 refers to the land of Israel married to God.

OUR LOCATION

Piula Theological College is a 26 km ride to the East along the northern coastal road from the capital Apia, at Lufilufi village

OUR COMMUNITY

In a world marked by diversity, the phrase “We are a Christian community” carries profound significance of our existence

OUR LECTURERS

We have a total of 10 Lecturers including the principal who play a crucial role in shaping students’ theological education

WHAT WE DO

We at Piula Theological College trains men and women of faith to become agents of change in the lives of the people of God.

BRIEF HISTORY

The Start of the Piula Theological College Journey

George Brown quickly realised the need to establish an Institution for the Training of Pastor – Teachers if the Gospel was to be preached and understood in the village churches. Land was acquired in Satupaitea and in March 1864, the Training Institute was opened with 16 students in residence. There were 11 houses and a classroom on the compound. At the same time, it was reported that land had been bought at Lufilufi for the establishment of a Mission Station. In the next few years Panapasa Ahogalu was the main teacher at the Institution where George Brown introduced subjects such as – Arithmetic, Catechism, Theology, Bible Study and Preaching.In 1868, the Sixth District Meeting was held at Lufilufi where it was reported that Rev. Frank Firth had arranged for the land at Lufilufi to be cleared. Fourteen (14) houses and a weather-board school house were built. The Institute was then shifted to Piula, Lufilufi from its original location at Satupaitea. With its beautiful setting, permanent fresh water in “Fatumea”, Piula Theological College (as it is known today) has trained generations of Pastors and Ministers for the work of the Church at home and abroad. The Centenary of the College was celebrated in 1968 when the President of the Conference, Rev. Taeao Tauanuu opened the new Assembly Hall and students’ Wing. The beautiful College Chapel and Class Rooms is a memorial to the work of Rev. E. G. Neil and the Samoan builders who carried out its creation between 1911 and 1921. The College with all its facilities provides an ideal site for conferences, Youth Groups and meetings of the Society of Piula Old Boys. R. W. Allardice Methodism in Samoa – 1828-1984 Malifa – 1984

The mission theology is that those who are educated at Piula for the ministry of the gospel must experience an intimate relationship with God. The first mention of a training institute by the Wesleyan mission in Samoa is by Martin Dyson in 1859. He wrote of Barnabas (Panapas) Ahogalu, a Tongan teacher who has set up a compound in the village of Satupaitea on Savaii island, with 15 students making up the nucleus of a training institute. It was not until 1864 under the guidance of George Brown that a school was formally established and named the Turner Seminary, or the District Training Institute.

In 1868, the 6th District Meeting was held at Lufilufi and Revd. Frank Firth had arranged for land at Lufilufi to be cleared. It was then decided to relocate the Turner Seminary from Satupaitea to Lufilufi because of political unrest (Warfare between Satupaitea and Palauli), and the fact that Lufilufi was a village of political importance. It is a Tumua meaning ‘head’ or ‘first to stand’ in the political and customary protocols of the Samoan chiefly system.

In 1900, the institute was named Piula to reveal its new centenary image, and was officially named Piula Theological College in 1968 at its 100th anniversary.