Peacemaker Rooted Deep In Kahaluu
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Rev. Bob Nakata
When the Church of the Crossroads bestowed its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award for 2008, it picked a man who has been behind many of Oahu’s least-peaceful struggles for social justice.
Humble and soft-spoken, the Rev. Bob Nakata has a resume that puts him at the heart of rallies, protests and prolonged hearings on behalf of the downtrodden, the homeless, displaced farmers, immigrants and native Hawaiians.
“Peacemakers may appear to be mild, gentle people, but they’re not,” said Nakata, a former lawmaker, citing Rev. King and Jesus Christ as examples. “They stir up a lot of controversy.”
Church of the Crossroads pastor Neal MacPherson calls him “a lifelong advocate for peace and justice in the spirit of Dr. King. Deeply influenced by the events and leaders of the civil rights movement, he has worked for decades to make a difference in Hawaii on issues that have united people across ethnic and class lines to challenge unjust political and economic power structures.”
These clashes include the Waiahole-Waikane land fight, Kukui Gardens low-income homes, Turtle Bay development, the building of H-3 and Kahaluu’s stand against crystal meth dealers, a movement that caught on statewide.
Nakata points out that the coalition of churches leading the “ice-breaking” wedge on his home ground - at KEY Project - was remarkable in itself for the way they all got along. As pastor of Kahaluu United Methodist Church, he believes it’s rare for main-line and evangelical churches to team up as these did, and still do.
“We have a level of trust that really works,” he said, “and we’ve agreed to put our doctrinal differences aside when we work on community issues.”
Nakata also is the incoming president for FACE (Face Action for Community Equity), where he will push for affordable housing and health care. His church also participates in the Ohana Food Surplus Distribution (at KEY Project, across the street from his home) and Family Promise, a largely Windward effort of churches to shelter and support homeless families.
“We’re all children of God, and everybody’s got to work together,” added Hawaii’s newest Peacemaker.
“If not, we will drastically change civilization or blow each other up.”
Amen.
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