Some landowners who had reclaimed and resettled on land given to the Methodist Church by their elders feel they have been haunted by misfortunes for their actions, says Reverend Epeneri Vakadewavosa.

The Methodist Church general secretary said the claimants, during their traditional apologies, related to the church the misfortunes they have been suffering and how it has affected them seriously.

He was told many of their families suffered unexplained illnesses, their children were not successful in schools, and were continuously facing one problem after another.

“They believed these things were haunting them because they had taken back what their elders had given in good faith to the church; it has what brought them bad luck,” the reverend said.

“Most of them offered their traditional apologies and returned the and during the church’s annual conference – Bose Ko Viti,” he said.

They had asked the church for forgiveness and begged to be freed from such haunts.

Reverend Vakadewavosa said their apologies were accepted and prayers were offered for these families to start afresh.

“These church lands were freely given by these elders in good faith for church use but there were no records about these transactions.”

He said as time went by and the land remained vacant and undeveloped by the church, members of landowning units moved back on the land and occupied it.

Now the church had formed its own Land Register Department with its own chief executive officer (CEO) and they were working  to register and survey all these lands. The church he said had also formed the Lako Yani Vou Company Limited to develop all church lands.

He said the company would work closely with the Methodist Trust Committee.

Edited by Manasa Kalouniviti

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