chapel groundbreaking
Killeen , TEXAS — In true island fashion, hundreds of colorfully dressed local residents of Samoan ancestry held a groundbreaking ceremony that included a roasted pig and luau. The Samoan Congregational Church of Killeen; aka Samoa-i-Texas (Samoans in Texas), officially kicked off their new...

![Mother and daughter Ivona and Puni Silivelio turn dirt at the ground breaking last Saturday, April 24, 2021, for the new Samoa i Texas Church that started out in 1993 holding services in Army chapels. Of the new building, project leader Deacon Sivia Sasa said, “We want to create a safe haven for both military and nonmilitary families who want to worship in the Samoan language and for our evening English services.” [courtesy photo] Mother and daughter Ivona and Puni Silivelio](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/candid_shot_ivona_and_puni_silivelio_mother_and_daughter.jpg?itok=24cu2Iuk)