Welcome to Poly Praise! Here, it is all about showcasing the islander's approach to Glorifying God.
Our content will include videos, reviews, interviews, based on Praise-and-Worship Songs, including artists who dedicate their talents to the Lord!
Friday 11, 2014 The first ever graduation ceremony for Tokaikolo Christian Kindergarten took place outside on a remarkable hilltop under a tent with a fantastic view at ‘Ohonua ‘Eua. The venue was on the Tokaikolo Church’s property known as Filatelefia (Philadelphia). The school which has two teachers and 20 students is a part of the Tokaikolo Christian Education System. Those who attended the occasion included guest of honor Setikia Vea (Government Executive Educational Officer for ‘Eua), Pastors, family and friends from the community.
Rev. Salesi Ngahe
The program began with graduate’s grand entrance, followed by a prayer lead by Rev. Salesi Ngahe. The Reverend also gave a brief sermon, in which he stressed the importance of the school’s motto “Mo’ui ‘ia Kalaisi”. He added that the main purpose of the school is leading the children to Christ.
Rev. Salesi Ngahe
Principal Langalotu Taiala
‘Ana Ngahe, one of the two teachers, gave the welcoming speech. Afterwards, Principal Langalotu Taiala gave the annual report. She mentioned that the school, which is only 4 years old began with fewer students this year, it wasn’t until later on throughout the year when the numbers increased, majority of which are members of the Free Church of Tonga and only three from the Tokaikolo Christian Church. The program continued onto special performances by ‘Osai Malupo and Viliami Fe’aomoeata from Christ’s University in the Pacific (C.U.P).
K3 presenting their alphabets
The whole concept of little children wearing graduate gowns and formally entering in a university-like manner is very new to the parents and the rest who attended the occasion. Those who attended were filled with both emotion and excitement as they witnessed the children reciting and even entertaining them with alphabets, numbers, memory verses and Christmas songs. Every performance was done in the English language with the specific use of the phonics system.
Setikia Vea (Guest of Honor)
Rev. Salesi presented the awards to the K3, while Setikia Vea presented the awards to the K4. The presentation was followed by a speech given by Setikia. He thanked the two teachers for the efforts that they invested into the upbringing of the children. He added that he was impressed at how the English language is introduced at a very early age compared to the government schools in which English is not taught until class 3. He encouraged the community to bring their children to this kindergarten. He also made reference to the numbers mentioned on the principals annual report and added that government grants are based on the number of the students at the beginning of the year, implying the importance of bringing the children into the Tokaikolo Christian Kindergarten at the beginning of the year.
Rev. Leilani Fehoko from the Free Church of Tonga, mentioned that he too was very impressed. The majority of the students were members of his congregation. He jokingly continued to mention that his grandson understands English better his wife, but then concluded to say that he will encourage more children from his congregation to attend this kindergarten. Another parent said that the idea of dressing the children in graduation gowns is very inspiring, because it serves as an encouragement to both parents and children as they look forward to the future of their education as they graduate from high school and university.
Setikia presents the awards
The program was concluded by an appreciation speech given by Tupe Fatai, followed by a closing prayer by Rev. Lailani Fehoko. After the program, a feast was prepared by the families of the graduates.
While everyone enjoyed their outdoor and hilltop lunch, a number of appreciation speeches were being said. Overall, every moment thoughout the program was overwhelming as it marked the first time for quite a few things. A first time for a kindergarten to graduate, the first time for parents to witness and experience the warmth of such occasion, and for any of the Tokaikolo’s graduation ceremony to be on a perfect setting on the outdoors of a hilltop especially on the high grounds of the beautiful island of ‘Eua.
Obviously, Hollywood life is different then REAL LIFE, what we see in movies is a world that is scripted, directed, and controlled by man. Real life on the other hand cannot be scripted or controlled in that same manner. Unfortunately, it is ironic that Paul Walker, who reached Hollywood stardom because of his character and role inside a car, died in a car crash!
As a huge fan of the Fast and Furious series its unfortunate that we might not get to see another installment of the series. Meantime, I believe we should all stay focused on what's more important in REAL LIFE. Time waits for NO ONE, Death cannot be faked by a stuntman.
All we can do is have faith and put our trust in the ONE who conquered death, JESUS CHRIST! YES HE IS REAL! And while death is inevitable, we have no fear because we have ETERNAL LIFE!
"though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will FEAR NO EVIL, FOR THOU ART WITH ME" --Psalms 23 'OFA ATU, AND HAPPY SUNDAY!
Sunday, Nov 17. This day marks another historical landmark for the Tokaikolo Christian Church located here in East Palo Alto. As a commemoration of its 35th anniversary, a flag raising ceremony was held in front of the church's office building on Green Street where the flag site is located.
Mayor Abrica and the Tokaikolo Ministers
Apart from the ministers and the congregation who attended the event, the church was honored to have the city of East Palo Alto's Mayor Mr. Ruben Abrica as the guest of honor. The ceremony began with a march led by the church's marching band and the youth members. Rev. Vungakoto Pakola officiated the program with an opening prayer followed by a sequence of scripture readings, hymnal singing and special song performances firstly by the youth choir, and second by the church choir.
The church's secretary Mrs. Tolosi Wick then gave a welcoming speech. Within her speech, she explained the motive for the day's occasion, and also briefed the mayor with the church's history. She also went on to explain the significance that the city of East Palo Alto has on the church. Dating back to the 1980's when the Tokaikolo movement began in Tonga, its membership increased rapidly, and that lead to the formation of the 'Tokaikolo Fellowship' which later on changed into the 'Tokaikolo Christian Church'. When the influence of this Tongan Gospel reached the United States, one of the main priority was to seek ownership of land for the use of fellowship and worship. East Palo Alto provided that platform with an affordable pricing range in the housing market. That piece of land now known as "Hepeloni" (Hebron) was registered in 1985. It includes a residential building, church building and a office complex. Tolosi continued to embrace the church's commitment to working alongside with the city council in matters that would benefit the community. "We pray and hope that this is the beginning of a close relationship between us (Tokaikolo) and your (mayor's) administration, that we can work together to make East Palo Alto the jewel of Northern California in every possible way".
Mayor Abrica was then invited to cut the ribbon preceding the raising of the flags. These flags includes the flag of the United States, Tonga, and the Church's very own. The church's flag consists of a logo that has three flames which signifies the presence of the Holy Trinity, and the motto "Mo'ui 'ia Kalaisi" which translate as "Life in Christ" or "In Him, We live". The first flag to be raised was the United States flag. Pulling on the ropes for the U.S flag was Tuongo Fangaake, and accompanied by the national anthem "Star Spangled Banner" sung by Veili Faulalo. Deacon Senituli Tu'ifua took charge in pulling the ropes for the Tongan flag, accompanied by the Tongan National Anthem "Fasi 'o e Tu'i" which was sung by everyone in attendance. Samiuela Halatoafa then pulled the ropes for the church's flag, accompanied by a fanfare medley played with a trumpet by Viliami Fe'aomoeata. After all three flags were up, the congregation sang the Tongan Song "Fuka 'o e Ikuna" (flag of victory).
U.S flag
Tokaikolo flag
Tongan flag
Afterwards, Mayor Abrica gave his speech. He said his greetings in both Tongan and Spanish, then went on to congratulate the church for 35 years of existence. Most of his speech was based on the connections that he shares with the church. He expressed his understanding of what it's like to be apart of the establishment of a community. An element that both the city and the church have in common. This is because East Palo Alto was also established in the 1980's. Earlier on in the year during the summer, the city commemorated its 30th anniversary. An event that the church was involved in when they built the city's first parading float. He also acknowledged the church's growth, and expressed his happiness in citing that another significance of posting the flags indicates that the church is "here to stay".
Samiuela Halatoafa raising the Tokaikolo flag
Another connection he shared was the fact that he himself is an immigrant, he mentioned that he came to America at the age of fourteen without knowing how to speak in English and that he too had gone through rough times. He also recalled the times he met up with the former superintendent minister Rev. Manatu Ma'umalanga in several meetings they had in 1991. The mayor still acknowledged the good things Ma'umalanga has done that was of benefit to the city.
He concluded his speech by reading a proclamation by the city council. This proclamation acknowledged the church's existence, programs and services, while also thanking the church for their involvement in building the community. "....Now therefore be it resolved, that the city council of the City of East Palo Alto hereby congratulate Tokaikolo Christian Church on its 35th anniversary, congratulates all its current and past ministers, deacons and all members. And be it for the resolve that I Reuben Abrica, mayor and the entire city council of East Palo Alto extend our sincere appreciation on this 17th day of November 2013 to the Tokaikolo Christian Church for its active and compassionate service to the community."
After his speech, Aprica offered a personal donation to the church's youth ministry. This donation was received by the youth leader Lavinia Tui'onetoa.
The current superintendent minister Rev. Nesiasi Kolo summed up the program with a message taken from Colossians 3:1,2. The theme for his message was simple, "Look up". This theme was very proportionate to the significance of the flag raising ceremony. He added that the reason why we raise a flag is not only to present the identity of a country or an organization (church), but more importantly so that we can look up. It is a metaphor to what we as Christians should do every time we struggle with pain and hardships in life. The idea of looking up is not about literally looking at the skies. It is about looking to God for guidance and help.
The program came to an end after hymn, a closing prayer, and finally with the another singing of Tonga's National Anthem.
The biblical story of Noah makes another appeal through the motion picture starring Russel Crowe. Being one of the most popular stories of the Old Testament, the story of Noah has been retold countless times. Growing up in a christian family especially in a church environment, it was manditory for me to learn about Noah's calling, especially about the motive that God had for the destruction of the world.
Perhaps the most popular version to this story is the one that's sugar-coated onto children's books. Although it is a good motive to break down the stories so that children would better digest and understand, it somehow makes us forget sometimes that the Old Testament portrays God's vengeful personality in which differs from the New Testament's portrayal of God's graceful personality.
Almost every story in the Old Testament displays God's wrath towards those who defied His authority.
As a result of disobedience, Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden after they were cursed with many problems and hardships that the human race has inherited even until today. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burned into ashes because of their extensive committing of adultery. Pharaohs disobedience, brought forth the ten plagues that annihilated the nation of Egypt. And speaking of nation, the people of Israel experienced God's punishment several times, despite the fact that they are His chosen people. What was suppose to be a journey of a few days ended up being a wandering of 40 years before they reached Canaan. Israel was once divided, Saul was abandoned by God, Achan was stoned. The list goes on and on, but these are just a few examples of God's judgment towards those who rebelled against Him.
The irony here is that the story of Noah which very much known by its colorful and friendly depiction in children's books, is perhaps the most horrifying story of the Old Testament. This is because God's anger was not only dispersed towards an individual, nor a nation, but this time it was upon every living creature!
Based on watching the movie trailer alone, my expectation towards this movie is very high. For the first time, the storyline in conjunction with the movie production will be the closest ever to the real terror that Noah and his family experienced. In addition, the structure of the Ark seen in the trailer seems more reasonable for Noah's era compared to the refurbished and modern-shaped vessels that were depicted on many versions of this story. I anticipate that this movie will be an ancient version of the global destruction and terror seen on the movie "2012".
This video features students from Lavengamalie Christian College in Tonga as they performed for the school's annual inter-house competition in the year 2012.
The song known as "Shut de do" (shut the door) was originally arranged for an a cappella performance. The title of the song itself says a lot about the arrangement. It has a strong Jamaican vibe that blends really well into anyone with an island background.
Lavengamalie included a pop-reggae instrumental which provided their rendition with a bit more entertaining sound. Nothing much can be said on any details regarding dynamics because the vocals were powerful and balanced from the beginning to the end. The level of determination can be seen on the seriousness of their facial expressions, even so, the audience can still sense the excitement that comes with it. The creativity in the song arrangement prompted interchanges in between female and male vocals, especially in the chorus where the bass vocals would echo the lines of the other vocals. That fact alone brought forth a sense of diversity that obviously kept the audience entertained.
Lavengamalie Form 6, 2011
One of the strengths that can define any group of singers is their ability to work together. Although they may not have to sing in unison, they still have to work in unity. That strength was shown in this performance as all eyes stayed focused on the direction of the conductor despite the choreographed steps that they made.
However, perhaps the main downside to the performance was the presence of the music sheets. Preferably, a perfect performance should include the fact that lyrics should be memorized in order to avoid any interference or distraction caused by the papers. It can hinder the singer's focus on the conductor's direction as it was shown here in several moments throughout the performance, but most importantly, it displays lack of preparation.
Lavengamalie Form 4, 2011
Overall, it was indeed a job well done, not only because of the performance, but also because of the true motive behind the competition. The promotion of the gospel through music is none like other, especially when encouraged in school. Whether or not these students choose to pursue music as their career, they still have a strong foundation in knowing that after school, after their careers, after life, together with the assurance of their salvation in Christ, they will end up back to singing praises, except, by that time it will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. And who knows, if Heaven can take song requests, and as the gates closes in time for the celebration, we can all face the gates and sing it one more time "SHUT DE DO".
Although it was back in 2011, much still has to be said about this performance. The opening event to Tonga's "Heilala Week" known as "One Tonga" brought many musical performances for a night of Praise and Worship.
Among those performances, was the Tupou High School Choir which was accompanied by their brass band. THS performed an arrangement of well-known Tongan Hymns. They began with "Kehe keu ofi pe" and ended with "Kuou tu'u 'i ho matapa"
The normality of hymnals is not for performance purposes as they are usually more popular for congregational praise and worship. With that in mind, there is a potential risk of performing songs that is already known to at least 90% of the audience simply because you leave out an important factor in entertainment which is the element of surprise.
The challenge then lies within the arrangement, delivery, and stage presence. The arrangement in the instrumental composition was indeed phenomenal and the dynamics in both voices and instruments sounded very precise. In terms of delivery, the interchanges between solo, duets, trio were very crucial because it kept audiences such myself often wondering "whats next?" thus aiding the idea of capturing and maintaining the audience's attention from the start to the end. The calmness and confidence within
their stage presence really demanded seriousness to be taken.
The performance itself brought forth both emotions and excitement! There are moments where you cannot help but notice that the impact of their voices exceeds their years as high school students. It brings forth the notion that the best has yet to come and that their future in music can be very promising!
Music in Tonga is not used only as a subject taught in classrooms, nor any other means for recreational activity. It is in fact a tradition that has been divinely embedded into our bloodlines. From "faikava" sessions to church congregations, one should notice that where ever there's a group of Tongans singing, you will find that singing in harmony is something that's natural compared to that of non-Tongan congregations where people normally sing in unison.
Needless it is to say, Tonga throughout the years has seen and adapted to many music styles from the classical period to that of modern society all because of western influence. However, Tupou High School, which is owned and operated by the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga had successfully showcased the church's conservative approach in regards to music and has no doubt put a smile on the faces
of the audience.
