After 40-Year Search, Honolulu Family Learning Center Opens

Contributed by Mi Young Eaton

On the evening of January 18, the Honolulu Family Church celebrated the grand opening and dedication of a new church in Honolulu.

Unificationists in Honolulu have been looking for a church center they could call home for nearly 40 years. Reflecting on the conclusion of this long search, Rev. Kazuo Takami, state and district pastor of Hawaii, commented, “I was so overwhelmed, but at the same time, this is a great blessing for us. For the Honolulu community, this is a dream come true. We feel that this is our town to make True Parents’ dream real in Hawaii.”

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chairman of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) North America, offered a dedication prayer and congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony, explaining True Mother’s vision for the new church, to be called, the “Honolulu Family Learning Center”:

“We need, 24 hours a day, your support, your prayer, your efforts to clearly make this house a family center and a CARP student center. I hope that what True Mother is thinking about and expecting from this center can be achieved: education, every day and every night, workshops and seminars.”

The grand opening was attended by an audience of over 100 Unification community members, local pastors, guests, and friends, including longtime Honolulu pastor Chuck Frumin, Bruce Brown, an early Unification missionary to Hawaii in the 1970s, Rev. Chee of the Ohana Family of the Living God, and Senator Mike Gabbard and his wife Carol, finalists for the 2016 National Parents of the Year award. Senator and Mrs. Gabbard brought with them a special certificate of congratulations for the opening of the church center, signed by 17 members of the Hawai’i State Senate.

Dr. Michael Balcomb, President of FFWPU USA, also attended the opening ceremony, and expressed gratitude to True Mother on behalf of the Hawaiian and American movements for her support in acquiring the new facility. “True Mother is behind this initiative. She said Hawaii is heaven on earth. We’re really so grateful to her for providing the main sponsorship for this Hawaii center.”

With this new base for fellowship and outreach, the Honolulu Family Church looks forward to developing and expanding their community in the months and years ahead. Unificationists across America and abroad are encouraged to visit the Honolulu Family Learning Center to support Hawaii outreach initiatives and enjoy the natural beauty of Hawaii, one of True Parents’ most beloved places.