Don’t Mix Church And Politics: Former Church Minister Tells

The church and politics must not go together.

This was the statement made by the oldest retired Methodist Church Minister, 92-year-old Reverend Pauliasi Vatanitawake.

Reverend Vatanitawake said church ministers’ needs to be apolitical.

“As a minister, we have to give importance to the Bible and worshiping of God in church, but not politics,” he said.

“When some ministers go together with politics, they cannot work well. They are not good Pastors.

“They are not good church ministers because politics comes in.”

Reverend Pauliasi recalled the days when he had to walk to do God’s work because he did not have a car and identified some of the changes he had seen over the past years.

“There were only Methodist and a few churches that worked together. But now there are many churches and sometimes we are united and want to work together, but sometimes some do not want to work together.

“In the olden days, we received our salary after every three months, but now the ministers receive it every two weeks.

“Before there were less ministers and we did not have cars and good houses, but this time they have cars, good houses, televisions and good wages.”

Reverend Vatanitawake had been a pastor for 50 years and contributed towards the church for 20 years in different ways.

Today, at the age of 92, he walks without a walking stick and says his goal was to inspire youths to be involved in the church.

“I became a pastor when I was about 24-years-old,” Reverend Vatanitawake said.

“Although being retired, I still work with the church to encourage youths and other Pastors to continue God’s work.”

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