Tuesday was the first day of engagement for the Emmaus Encounter: Building Community on the Road pilot/planning group. The day included a morning at the Punahou School and an afternoon learning about the last and most beloved Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani. It also involved hearing personal stories about identity, calling, and passion from those who engaged us, as well as from members of the group. The photo here is of our group with Punahou archivist and lover of Hawaii, Kylee Mar. It was taken in front of the school’s first building. To the right of the door is a plaque with the names of the first boys and girls to study there in 1842. To the left of it is a plaque honoring Chinese leader Sun Yat Sen, a graduate.  

Although much was taught, learned, and shared today, what stands out in this moment of early embarkation is this: Hawaii resists oversimplification and false binaries; it’s a land of layers. Hawaii is not a theme park, and it’s not another world. It has a culture and an identity as well as an openness to those who want to share it, though not to poach it. Hawaii offers up no easy answers. It’s becoming clear that Hawaii is rich with resources for those who are teaching and learning about building community in ministry. Loving acceptance and diversity; mutual, respectful appreciation that doesn’t insist upon its own way: these are the ways of the future for ministry, and they are the ways of Hawaii now.