Free Church of Tonga

The Church was established in 1885 by King George Tupou I and his government at Lifuka, Ha'apai, as a nationalist reaction to attempts at colonising the Friendly Isles (as Tonga was known at the time).

In May of that year, the Church's Annual General Conference was convened by command of the Queen at the Royal Chapel in Nuku'alofa, where she handed Watkin his letter of dismissal.

A moving conclusion to the General Conference was its united thanksgiving evensong, where key figures from both churches stood up to deliver their apologies for past hostilities and to offer forgiveness for all personal and public slights.

Watkin died in 1925, one year before the Privy Council's decisive ruling, and with the loss of all material ties to the old Church by 1926, his colleagues resolved to put their past allegiances to mainline Methodism behind them.

Eventually falling out with the membership of the Free Church, Gordon-Kirgan retired to New Zealand, being replaced by the aforementioned Paula Fonua, with whose descendants the presidency has since remained.

To date, the continuing Free Church of Tonga has districts and congregations both at home and abroad, including countries like New Zealand, Australia, USA, Fiji and American Samoa.