Reaching Out to The Philippines:Kokokahi Tropical Mission
BY DENNIS ALGER
Your Central Pacific Conference’s Wider Church Ministries Team has been interested in establishing a partnership between the CPC and a group affiliated with the United Church of Christ in The Philippines (UCCP). We’ve started to connect with the people of the Philippines through the Kokokahi Tropical Mission to the Philippines.
Here’s some background:
The word of the day is Kokokahi;kokokahi is Hawaiian for “one blood.” (Some readers are aware of the hymn in the New Century Hymnal:“God Made from One Blood All the Families of Earth”). I was involved with Kokokahi Church,Kane’ohe,Hawai’i for some years (1970-84). In 1976 the founding pastor,Olin Pendleton,had an idea about an agricultural mission to impoverished areas of the tropical/subtropical regions of the Pacific.
We utilized University of Hawai’i researchers,volunteers from the Mainland and the Islands, and trainees from Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Borneo (no kidding), and The Philippines. These young people left families back home and invested a year “networking” and learning in a multicultural mix. The concept involved having them establish field sites in their home regions where they would train others in some sustainable agricultural practices.
The Hawai’i phase ended when the church lost the lease on the property. However,several former trainees have ongoing projects that have made a difference in their communities – none of which is immune to social unrest, environmental issues, logistical challenges, and grinding poverty. A few paragraphs cannot give much insight;for further information, contact my friend Melinda Ahn, the person keeping it all together these days: melindaahn@hawaii.rr.com).
This is a low budget mission,funded by a few congregations and individuals in many places. After studying a proposal for some work on a farm in Cagayan de Oro,The Philippines,our Team agreed to send $500 as a one-time grant to assist in this development effort. I’ve always been impressed by the ways in which adversity is faced with hope and cooperation.
That dream in 1976 has not died,thanks be to God!
The word of the day is Kokokahi;kokokahi is Hawaiian for “one blood.” (Some readers are aware of the hymn in the New Century Hymnal:“God Made from One Blood All the Families of Earth”)
I was involved withKokokahiChurch,Kane’ohe,Hawai’i,for some years (1970-84). In 1976 the founding pastor,Olin Pendleton had an idea about an agricultural mission to impoverished areas of the tropical/subtropical regions of the Pacific.
We utilized University of Hawai’i researchers,volunteers from the Mainland and the Islands,and trainees from Thailand,Papua New Guinea,Indonesia,Borneo (no kidding),and The Philippines. These young people left families back home and invested a year “networking” and learning in a multicultural mix. The concept involved having them establish field sites in their home regions where they would train others in some sustainable agricultural practices.
TheHawai’iphase ended when the church lost the lease on the property. However,several former trainees have ongoing projects that have made a difference in their communities — none of which is immune to social unrest,environmental issues,logistical challenges,and grinding poverty.
A few paragraphs cannot give much insight;for further information,contact my friend Melinda Ahn,the person keeping it all together these days: melindaahn @ hawaii.rr.com)
This is a low budget mission,funded by a few congregations and individuals in many places. After studying a proposal for some work on a farm in Cagayan de Oro,The Philippines,our Team agreed to send $500 as a one-time grant to assist in this development effort. I’ve always been impressed by the ways in which adversity is faced with hope and cooperation.
That dream in 1976 has not died,thanks be to God!More to come…