February 2025 – Reflections from David & Jonathan
- Hawai‘i Conference Office
- Feb 28
- 5 min read
Our Conference Minister, David Popham, and Associate Conference Minister, Jonathan Roach, take turns sharing reflections each week in our Coconut Wireless e-newsletter. Read their reflections for the month of February 2025 here!
The Word of God and a Bunch of Birds
Jonathan Roach, Associate Conference Minister
On Saturday I flew to Maui and after our Conference Council zoom meeting, I grabbed my binoculars and hiked into Hosmer Grove in Haleakalā National Park for some birdwatching. It was incredible for me: a Maui 'alauahio (a first for me), multiple 'i'iwi, multiple 'apapane, multiple 'amakihi, two nēnē, a gray francolin, two ring-necked pheasants who walked across the trail just feet in front of me, two red-crested cardinals, a lace dove, and a whole bunch of house sparrows. And the next day after preaching at Keawala'i Congregational Church on the Gospel of Mark 6:45-56, which was a blessing in itself, I stopped by Kanahā Pond on my way to the airport and saw two 'auku'u, a cattle egret, many graceful long-legged ae'o (one of my favorite birds of all time), and an 'akekeke.
Proclaiming the Word of God and a bunch of birds (and then flighting home to my family)…that makes all the emotionally draining work, all the delayed flights, all the hours…it makes it all worth it. The Word of God and a bunch of birds is therapy for my soul, food for heart, hope for spirit. Here in Hawai'i, we live in the extinction capital of the entire world, and this makes it easy to lose hope, to lose faith, to lose love. But the Word of God, a bunch of birds, and my family are my spiritual anchors who bring me back from tears and despair.
As I still stood near the overlook on the Hosmer Grover trail, an 'i'iwi flew so close to my head that I could hear the rustle of its feathers and feel the movement of the air from its wings. And as I stood in the pulpit of Keawala'i, I proclaimed the gospel (for myself included) to run towards the pain. I thank God for this call to be your Associate Conference Minister and the bonds of this precious 'āina. Mahalo ke Akua.
What It Means to Be Church Inside of and Outside of the Kalaupapa National Park
David K. Popham, Conference Minister
Andy Bunn, Executive Director of the Hawai'i Conference Foundation, and I have been involved in conversations with the National Parks Service to develop a new agreement concerning Kana'ana Hou – Siloama Church on the Kalaupapa Peninsula since the sunset of the former agreement in the end of 2023. As we are near the point of reaching a new agreement, Andy and I are grateful for the help of National Park Service leaders in negotiating the twists and turns of Park Service details and processes.
While the Conference maintains a mission presence at Kana'ana Hou – Siloama through budgetary support for lay leaders, the church is not a regular worshipping congregation. The Conference has been involved with the Wisdom of Kalaupapa and its retreats (suspended due to pandemic restrictions) as the ongoing purpose of the church. However, the National Parks Service defines "church" as a "worshipping community" and “retreats” as vendor activity.
I have been wonderfully pushed to define what constitutes a Christian Church. In my experience there are the three primary undertakings of a church. 1) Sharing the Gospel and faith formation around Jesus as Christ. 2) The support of one another in spiritual and tangible ways. 3) The engagement of the wider community as a neighbor of the community. Within these undertakings we see the delineation of church without which we are something other than a Christian faith community and within which there is room for a wide expression of what church looks and feels like.
Fighting with Ourselves
Jonathan Roach, Associate Conference Minister
Recently one of our ducks, 오리 (Olee), whose name means "duck" in Korean, saw his own reflection in the glass of our front door and attacked it. His wings were beating against his reflection with his bill banging on the glass. It was loud enough to bring me running. Since finding his reflection last week, Olee has returned several times to fight and drive off what he believes is an intruder.
I wish I could help Olee to understand that fighting with himself can seriously injury him and is indeed pointless, but so far I haven't found a way. Like Olee, many of us spend a lot of time fighting with ourselves. Our internal struggles leave us bruised and battered, sometimes limping along with self-inflicted emotional and spiritual wounds, and often with scar tissue that is a daily reminder of our past struggles.
Jesus empowered many people who were fighting with themselves to move into a new reality. From those who didn't know if they really wanted to be healed, to people whose jobs conflicted with their new values like the rich young man or Nicodemus or the tax collectors. If you are struggling with yourself today, remember that you are not alone and there are gentle, caring ears willing to listen. I challenge us all this to seek out the Olees of this world and be ready to listen, and if we are the Olees of this world, I encourage us to seek out help and stop beating our heads against the door.
The Choice is Ours
David K. Popham, Conference Minister
The time has come for us to make a critical choice. In this era of rancor and partisan politics, we must choose between allowing our faith to inform our politics or allowing politics to inform our faith.
In the former, relationships are valued over partisan politics. Compassion, humility, forgiveness, gratitude, justice, and love are prioritized over political agendas. In the latter, political agendas are valued over the riches of faith. Christian Nationalism and the New Apostolic Reformation are but political partisanship dressed up in spiritual guise. The House of Representatives resolution against a sermon about mercy is political partisanship laid bare.
Now we must decide: will we allow our faith to inform our politics, or will we give our political agendas ultimate allegiance? We are a vastly diversified Conference and what holds us together are the riches of our faith not the rancor of politics. Yet, I fear, this rancor is chipping away at our covenant to love each other as we love Ke Akua and are loved by Ke Akua. Already we are witnessing on social media the disruption of our care and compassion for each other. Already we are witnessing threats of secondary church citizenship due to divisive rhetoric.
This is not to say that we should be apolitical. It is to say that our politics and how we engage in political debate should be formed and informed by our faith. In this way the values of relationships, compassion, humility, forgiveness, gratitude, justice, and love are honored and do not become the casualties of political allegiance.
