HR261

WHEREAS, in 1887, the Bethel Union Church and the Fort Street Church merged to form Central Union Church, with its first sanctuary located in 1892 where the Hawaii State Capitol now stands; and

WHEREAS, evolving from organizations instrumental to the culture, institutions, and history of post-contact Hawaii, Central Union Church is symbolic of Hawaii's spiritual debt to those who came to Hawaii from Boston nearly two hundred years ago; and

WHEREAS, the first services in the church's present location were held on December 4, 1892, with more than one thousand in attendance; and

WHEREAS, an well known and respected American church architect, Ralph Adams Cram, and Honolulu architects Emory and Webb, who also designed significant buildings throughout Honolulu including the Honpa Hongwanji Temple (1918) in Nuuanu, the Hawaii Theatre (1922), and the Hawaii News Building (1929) designed the present Sanctuary Building in a colonial revival style to express the church's New England heritage; the spire not only had the practical value of locating the church to every visitor by land or sea, but also became a sacrament of hope of hope pointing men to Heaven; Cram was noted for the many beautiful churches in the northeastern United States; he was persuaded to make the long trip to Honolulu to create just the right design for the "Church in the Garden"; the design of the Sanctuary Building in a Colonial Revival style was intended to express the New England heritage; and

WHEREAS, dedicated on May 18, 1924, the beautiful sanctuary contains much symbolism, with its ten French doors representing the Ten Commandments and twelve interior columns symbolic of the twelve apostles; Reverend Palmer chose the text "LOVE NEVER FAILETH" to be inscribed in the chancel above the pulpit choir and communion table;

WHEREAS, Central Union Church is commonly referred to as the "Church in the Garden", characterized by large lawns and various trees, the Great Lawn predates the churches acquisition of the property in 1922 from the Dillingham family during its ownership tenure from 1979 to 1922, and

WHEREAS, on October 16, 1928 Central Union Church Preschool opened its doors for the first time with a group of fourteen boys and girls whose parents paid $6.00 a month to cover the cost of supplies; the school was housed in the original Dillingham residence then, and now; Central Union Church's interest in, and support of, early childhood education in Hawaii goes back to the 1980's when the acceptance of the constitution for the Free Kindergarten and Children's Aid Association took place on May 21, 1895, and

WHEREAS, the years the Sanctuary has served many local residents as a place of marriage and bereavement; in the early 1990's the beauty of the Sanctuary attracted Japanese visitors wishing to celebrate a Christian wedding; six hundred Japanese weddings a year are performed at the Church; and

WHEREAS, in the early 1920's Rev. Albert Palmer led the congregation to the present 8.4 acre site which was purchased from the family of one of Bethel's earliest members; it soon became known as the Church of the Garden, for the spacious beauty and serenity of its grounds and buildings; while minister of the Church in the Garden there was a major plantation strike involving the Japanese and Filipino workers on six plantations; Palmer preached to his congregation about the strike proposing that the workers should be respected and receive decent housing; and therefore in 1985 rev. Palmer was named by the Japanese-American community as one of the twenty-three persons worthy of Kansha or enduring gratitude and appreciation, and

WHEREAS, the smaller Atherton Memorial Chapel was also designed in the colonial revival style by Mark Potter of Honolulu and completed in 1949 to provide a smaller, more intimate chapel for services, ceremonies, and functions; and

WHEREAS, after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Central Union Church became a major evacuation center, becoming the temporary source of food and shelter for three hundred people; the vast lawn in front of the Sanctuary Building was converted into victory gardens; and

WHEREAS, over the years through its outreach and services, including the use of church grounds and facilities, Central Union Church has been instrumental in the formation of the Salvation Army, Palama Settlement, Punahou School, Mid-Pacific Institute, Arcadia Retirement Home, La Pietra, Manoa Valley Church, Makiki Church, and the First Chinese Church of Christ, among others; and

WHEREAS, Central Union Church came to the aid of numerous homeless individuals in 2006, who were evicted from Ala Moana Park by providing shelter and hot meals on church grounds; and continues to provide meals, shelter, and clothing to fourteen homeless families in the church's Family Promise program; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that this body recognizes not only the historical and architectural significance of Central Union Church, but also the significant contribution that Central Union Church has made to all residents of the State from the late 1800s through its present day community service programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Senior Interim Minister and the Co-Administrators of Central Union Church.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Central Union Church; recognition of significance

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	261
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII