(HYBRID) FOUR PETALS PEACE SERVICE & AFFIRMATIONS

Please join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 25

6:30 PM ~ Church of the Crossroads Sanctuary

The Zoom link for this service is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82645134319?pwd=LytRaG1UOUY3Sml5djhnTnVBUFNwQT09

Meeting ID: 826 4513 4319

Passcode: 590889

Dear Crossroaders,

We hope you were able to participate in several of the events during our Homecoming Weekend. It was amazing to have Louilyn Hargett here, and her children Hester and Darryl, as she recalled husband Jim’s ministry in the mid-50s with Crossroads young adults. Leslie Rayson Amundson and Chris Rayson shared their diverse perspectives as children of Del Rayson and his dynamic ministry in the 60s. Tony and Linda Robinson shared insights of their healing, rebuilding ministry in the 80s. Neal MacPherson, who pastored our congregation for two decades, and Tony had us look at the future of the church and, in worship, reminded us that God anchors and sustains us, despite our assuredness that it is our human accomplishments. Their words will be posted on our website, as well as the words of our theologian in residence, Douglas John Hall:

“When I was lecturing at the famous Chautauqua in Upstate New York one summer a “few” years ago, three splendid women came from Church of the Crossroads (Kikue Takagi, Edith Laeha, & Jean Coffman) in Honolulu to invite me to come there sometime in the future and serve as a THEOLOGIAN IN RESIDENCE.  I did that a couple of years later, and to my surprise I found it one of the most encouraging experiences of my life as a theologian and as a human being. After being at Crossroads for some six weeks, I felt that I had at last discovered. . . . ‘the church’! Then under the leadership of Neal MacPherson, Crossroads was, for me, ‘the real thing!’ It was the church as I had learned to think of it during and beyond my seven years of graduate study at Union Seminary in New York City, the alma mater of your Founder (Galen Weaver) long ago.  The people at Crossroads understood the Biblical and doctrinal language of the ”tradition of Jerusalem”, they tried to be a witnessing community in our increasingly secular and much-threatened world, and they gathered together as companions of memory and hope, prayer and suffering. Then, and in two or three later encounters with Crossroads, my late wife Rhoda and I felt that we had become real members of your historic and exceptional community of faith. We did, in fact, become corresponding (affiliate) members a little later.

               I have such wonderful memories of the Church of the Crossroads that I still, in my ninety-sixth year, consider myself part of your congregation, and I would love to come back one day. But life is a journey, and no matter what may be the specifics of our individual lives, we are all part of the community formed by the grace and love of the Christ. I am full of gratitude for Crossroads, and I wish my old friends and all of you there both joy and thanksgiving as your mark one hundred years of service in that earthly paradise of Hawaii and the beautiful city of Honolulu.”

   ~ Douglas John Hall C.M., Th.D., Professor Emeritus of McGill University,

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

100th Anniversary Items Available for Purchase:

THREE beautiful sets of notecards are available for YOUR notes to friends and family. Keep this tradition of a hand-written note alive in this computer-oriented world. The original sepia drawing of our sanctuary includes 10 notecards for $10.00. The notecards featuring Mimi Demura-Devore’s whimsical drawing of a welcoming place, with hearts flowing towards the sanctuary, and Katherine MacPherson’s beautiful painting of the courtyard, sanctuary and pillars feature 5 full-color cards for $10.00. This is an incredible deal, knowing the cost of store-bought cards these days. These can be made available on Sunday mornings or reserved for you at the office. 

Invitations to the Offering is an amazing book, one that tells Crossroads’ story through the inspirational words of 55 members and their collective 110 reflections. The kind of book that every home needs; a book that can be shared as a family, shared with someone you plan to invite to Sunday worship, or read as a meditation before bedtime.

This 220-page book cost $27 to print. It is being offered for $20. We thank Valerie Wayne and Libby Ryan-Kern for editing this very special book.

Kani Ka ‘Opala is Ben Fairfield’s contribution for our 100^th anniversary. This clever, creative man has amazed us playing his homemade instruments (by turning ‘opala (trash) like an Icee straw or PVC pipe into a flute).

This captivating book is filled with stories, songs, and instructions on making your own recycled instruments. $20 will give you this book, suitable for all ages, and crucial for reducing ‘opala on our fragile island.

At the annual meeting, the congregation approved the PJSC to work on key legislative issues. Here are some updates from PJSC members, Galen Fox and Ellen Carson. 

ALOHA Homes Bill (SB 865)

A stripped-down version of Sen. Chang’s effort to create affordable home ownership on a massive scale has at last gone to the Governor for his signature. Chang has pushed his “Singapore Model” bills since 2019, and Crossroads has supported each one. But all previous efforts never moved beyond the Senate. At the bill’s final Senate-House conference committee this year, Crossroads was the sole organization testifying in support, backed by three Crossroads members. Mahalo to our testifiers!

Senate Bill 865 CD-1 is a shadow of the original: 

• The Hawaii Community Development Authority has only $1.5 million to launch its “for sale 99-year leasehold condominiums” projects on state lands near Oahu rail stations.
• Units are only encouraged to be priced for sale at below $750,000 for a 4-person family.
• Owners no longer must maintain affordability by tying resale to original purchase price.
• Projects themselves are no longer required to be revenue neutral — meaning they can cost more than the money recouped through initial unit sale plus a small profit.

Still, the measure moves forward with a weakened, but key requirement: unit owners and all occupiers should be residents who live in their units and own no other property. The restriction is crafted to discourage ownership by affluent outsiders and residents. We may hope this first step will give birth to larger and more truly affordable projects.

Empty Homes Tax

The Legislature did not pass any empty homes tax/fee this year, but our proposed Empty Homes Tax (Bill 9) is still pending at the Honolulu City Council and an RFP seeking financial consultancy for design and implementation is in progress, so that’s a promising development).

Firearms Bills

We’ve had some major success in gun safety laws this session, following last year’s tragic US Supreme Court decision requiring states to allow public carry of firearms. We would like to have even stronger laws passed but feel fortunate to live in a state that continues to have strong firearms safety laws. Testimony from Crossroads and our members helped gain passage and useful amendments to two bills:

Senate Bill 1230 was passed with a multitude of safety measures, including: 

• Prohibits firearms in 15 categories of Sensitive Places
• Prohibits carrying firearms on private property open to the public without the express consent of the owner/operator
• Firearms permit process is more stringent, regarding mental health background and potential danger to the community
• Strengthens firearms training to include situational awareness, conflict management, suicide prevention and domestic violence
• Expands qualified immunity for health care providers who provide information on firearms applicants

Bill 57: The Honolulu City Council passed this bill, with numerous protections for Oahu (similar to SB 1230). It also prohibits carrying firearms on private property without owner consent & clear and conspicuous signage posted that firearms may be present. 

Thanks to all of you who helped provide testimony in support of above issues. If you have any questions regarding these bills, please contact Ellen Carson (egcarson@icloud.com) for gun safety, and for others, Galen Fox (galenwfox@gmail.com).

Peace, Justice, and Stewardship of Creation committee is a group of people who are interested in exploring social and environmental justice issues. There is no formal membership and everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the monthly online meeting after the service. The schedule for the meeting is in the email blast. If you are interested in getting reminders and news about events, etc., please contact Aya H. Kimura at aya.hirata.kimura@gmail.com.