12 May 2011

Churches in Samoa join campaign against alcohol and drug abuse

1:33 pm on 12 May 2011

Churches in Samoa are planning village outreaches, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, to educate youth about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.

The general secretary of Samoa's National Council of Churches, the Reverend Maauga Motu, says alcohol has been a factor in recent killings, including one of a lay preacher over Easter.

He says the preacher's death after an alleged attack by men who had been drinking alcohol, has shocked many family, friends and church members.

"These people who do the killings they are church goers, but it seems that whenever they are under the influence of alcohol their minds are going evil. We can only preach to the people on Sunday, that's our main weapon, is to preach the word of peace from the bible and apply that to the daily life of the people in our villages and in our country as a whole."

The general secretary of Samoa's National Council of Churches, the Reverend Maauga Motu