A New Peace Pole on Kaua‘i

Hawai‘i Conference
Aug 19
1 min read

Kōloa Union Church dedicated a new peace pole on Sunday, August 2, placed just outside the main sanctuary doors. The words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” are written on the pole in four languages: English, Hawaiian, Japanese and Ilocano (a common Filipino dialect on Kaua‘i). These four languages were spoken by the Protestant churches in Kōloa when Kōloa Union Church was established in 1923. The morning worship service on August 2 focused on world peace, including Scripture, music, message and prayers. Kahu Alan Akana spoke of the importance of imagining peace and then committing to peace within individual lives, communities, and nations. The service concluded with spoken prayers for peace by the Congregation.

Dr. Terry Liu was a guest speaker and musician during the service. Dr. Liu has been active in the World Peace Project since the mid 1980’s. During that time he helped representatives from the World Peace Prayer Society from Japan and California place a peace pole in the Pentagon. He has studied the writings of the philosopher and spiritual teacher, Masahisa Goi (1916-1980), who was an atomic bomb survivor and at the age of 33 initiated the practice of people praying “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Dr. Liu earned degrees in violin performance from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, an M.A. in ethnomusicology from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Kent State University.