Ka Ipu o Lono shares weekly devotionals to provide spiritual enrichment to members of the Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana. For more inspiration, visit the KS “Our faith” website.
Heluhelu Baibala
Bible reading
E hoʻomanaʻo aku au i nā hana mana a Iēhova: E hoʻomanaʻoʻiʻo nō hoʻi au i nā mea kupanaha āu, i ka wā kahiko. E noʻonoʻo aku au i kāu hana a pau, A e manaʻo nui hoʻi i kāu mau hana mana. – Na Halelū 77:11-12
I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; I will certainly remember Your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all Your work, And on Your deeds with thanksgiving. – Psalm 77:11-12
He manaʻo o ke kahu
KS Maui Kahu Kalani Wong KSK’74
Kawaiahaʻo Church recently celebrated its 201st anniversary. Founded by the first company of missionaries, this hale pule served as the spiritual home for many aliʻi, including our beloved founder Bernice Pauahi Bishop.
What a joyous service with many memories shared about this beloved hale pule, the events planned leading up to their 200th anniversary and how things shifted with the pandemic. It was not just a recollection of times past but a renewed call to make disciples. Such is the role of a church – to train and send, to be God’s ministers to the world.
When I reflect on the churches that I’ve been a part of, I see how God used a few faithful individuals to build the community of believers. I grew up in the pews of First Chinese Church of Christ in Honolulu. They started services in 1879 to minister to the Chinese immigrants.
While in seminary in Southern California, I attended Montebello Plymouth Congregational Church, where a good number of the members had ties to Hawaiʻi. What a great place to feel true aloha. During that time, I also did an internship at Kailua Christian Church, which began in 1956 as a home Bible study group led by two faithful women, who was reaching out to a neighbor going through a difficult time.
My first call to full-time ministry was to Kahului Union Church, founded in 1906, and called the “holoholo church.” There were times that they needed to move the building, so they picked it up and moved it to a new location.
I was the associate pastor at Iao United Church of Christ which was started in 1895 to serve the Japanese plantation workers. As during this pandemic, singing during church services was not initially allowed, but smoking was.
Similar to Kawaiahaʻo, it is good to reflect on the memories of how ke Akua has worked through the body of believers gathered at your church. Doing so will see his faithfulness, to remember his wonders of old. See the way that brothers and sisters can come together in the name of Jesus Christ, be empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share the love of God.
It is in this place that you can be vulnerable and supported. And know the presence of the Lord. May your place of worship, whether gathered or scattered, be blessed during this time and the unity of the Spirit abound.
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