Bible. Sia and Toutai

The name Sia-‘a-toutai was gifted to the college by Queen Salote Tupou III (1900–1965), to express her vision and to invite the commitment of the Methodist Church in Tonga – that sia and toutai are vital for biblical and theological education, for doing church, and for forming and transforming villages and kāinga.

• Sia refers to the weaving of (new) nets (kupenga), for fishing. We will use sia at OBSA 2025 as a metaphor for methods of and processes for reading biblical texts, for doing church, and for forming communities – at home, and in diaspora.
• Toutai is one of the terms for fishing, and it applies to fishing in the deep moana (tahi loloto), in shallow seas (tahi mamaha), and even on (is)lands (fanga, ‘uta). The practice of toutai is not limited to fishy creatures, with or without bones, fins, or scales, but also to pleasant blooms and bodies.

Sia‘atoutai Theological College will host OBSA 2025 and the theme – Bible, Sia and Toutai – affirms that Sia and Toutai are still relevant for biblical and theological studies, and church ministry, in Tonga and Pasifika.

Streams

There will be six (6) streams at OBSA 2025, and we invite presenters to locate their proposal in one of these streams (conceived assertively, to invite creativity):