United Church Really ‘United’ In 50th Year
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The Rev. Darren Galindo talks with the younger
members of his flock at Windward United Church
of Christ in Aikahi. Photo from Lucinda Keller.
Windward United Church of Christ will mark its golden anniversary this Saturday with a little help from the community, including its own medley of a dozen diverse causes - all housed under its wings at the busy crossroads of Aikahi.
The church held its first service on the same date in 1956. The 2006 service begins at 5 p.m. in the sanctuary, with dinner at 6:30 at Kaneohe Yacht Club. The meal costs $35. (For reservations, call 254-3802.)
“For me, (the festivities) are really a celebration of our presence in the community,” said the Rev. Darren Galindo. “We open our doors to all kinds of groups. On a typical Saturday we have over 250 people go through our campus from all the different groups that are here.
“They see us as kind of a hub of this community.”
The church welcomes an impressive variety of weekly community programs - which will be giving the church a big thank you during the celebration. According to church office manager Lucinda Keller, the building is home to 13 recovery groups (including AA), Kalaheo High School Outreach Program, Kamaaina Care Preschool, Weight Watchers, the Samaritan Counseling Centers, Shanti Yoga, Full Circle Martial Arts, Keiki Crescendo and the Giles Group.
The 250-member congregation wants to use the 3 1/2 acre campus to its full potential, Keller added. The building that once housed a preschool, for example, is now being rented out at very reasonable rates on a sliding scale so that the rooms are “affordable according to need and ability.” An exercise program for seniors is given space free of charge.
WUCC’s operates its own thrift shop and hosts weekly gatherings of its sister Samoan congregation. Joining this ohana atmosphere on June 14 is the Healthy Food Distribution Center. It will provide food from 3 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays for low-income families and for the homeless.
The June 10 festivities, meanwhile, give the church a chance to celebrate its long record of caring for the community. “We’ll be celebrating the history and the past,” Galindo said,“but also what we’ve done in the last few years.”
Special guests include 30 of the church’s charter members, along with state Rep. Cynthia Thielen, the Rev. Charles Buck of the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ, Ray Sanborn of Kamaaina Care, Terry Fisher of Good Samaritan Counseling Center, Doug Goodman of Hawaii Community Action Program and Windward Homeless Coalition, a representative from Kalaheo High School, and the Rev. Anka Flohr, Pohai Nani chaplain and Windward Coalition of Churches pastor.
“Pohai Nani has never really had any presence on our campus,” said Keller, adding with a chuckle, “but we’re having more and more people with a presence at Pohai Nani.”
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