Facing the Calendar Change in Samoa
The reckoning of days has changed in Samoa. On Thursday night, December 29 2011, when the new day began, it was Saturday the 31st, not Friday the 30th. Legislation by the Samoan government altered the position of the dateline and subsequently the reckoning of days.
This makes it interesting – to say the least – for Seventh-day Adventists. What would be the seventh day be after that? Would Adventists just go with the change or would they maintain the seven-day cycle that they have always honoured? They decided to do the latter.
There are a number of documents here for you to peruse. The list is roughly chronological with the latest documents at the top and earlier discussions further down. The first documents respond to ongoing discussions, followed by the action voted by the Adventist church in the South Pacific recently when the church in Tonga wrestled with the issue. Finally there is a paper based on a training workshop conducted for the church elders in Samoa Oct 17 to 20, 2011.
These papers are not exhaustive, but provide some direction for the church in adjusting to a new challenge.
Enjoy!
Dateline Newsletter I - by Dr David Tasker
The IDL Shift in Samoa and the Unchangeable Nature of the Seventh-day Sabbath - by Dr. Limoni Manu O’Uiha
Answers to Concerns
Samoa and the Dateline
The Change of Day in Samoa - by Pr David Hay
BRC Statement on Tonga.pdf