The Worship Centre has been operating for 15 years. It has about 1500 members.

Justice Pierre Slicer is heading a Tribunal hearing of an appeal by the Manager of Hotel Millennia, Tuala Oli Ah Him against the Worship Centre Church.

The appeal is on "technical matters" in relation to a decision made against the Church in 2009.

Tuala took legal action against the Worship centre in 2009 "noise pollution". He claimed that they had lost many guests as a result of the noise made by members of the church during their services.

The ruling in 2009 ordered the church to hold off on Sunday services until parishioners are able to limit the noise to below 55 decibels.

Before the 2009 decision by the court authorities measured the noise to be at 83 decibels, the equivalent of an alarm clock sounding a metre from the human ear.

According to Tuala, this was not done.

At the time, the church was held in open-air tents.

In July last year, the Worship Centre hosted a ground-breaking ceremony on the current site of the church at Sogi, next to the Millennia Hotel.

But the construction of the church building is on hold until the Tribunal makes a decision.

Source

• The Samoa Observer
• Image: FaithfullyDangerous