STAY FAITHFUL, STAY CONNECTED,
STAY COMMUNITY!
STAY COMMUNITY!
THE HONORABLE PAUL TAKEO MURAKAMI
HONORING HIS RETIREMENT
AS A
FULL-TIME STATE JUDGE
by Rachel Murakami
Paul’s first job was a trimmer at
Del Monte Cannery during the summer of 1970. In the following years he worked
at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor, King-McKinley Cleaning and Maintenance, and
Nautilus Fitness Center as a side hustle while he clerked at the Hawaii State
Legislature. He began his legal career at the William S. Richardson School of
Law where he spent his summers at Legal Aid and the Honorable Bertram T.
Kanbara’s chambers. Upon graduation, he secured a clerkship with Judge Kanbara.
After a couple years, he began litigating as a Deputy Public Defender for a few
years before he opened his own practice. While maintaining his private
practice, Paul was sworn in as a Per Diem Family Court Judge in June 1995. He then
closed his practice and sat on the bench full-time six years later. *
At the time of his retirement last
month, May 2020, Paul had served as a Family Court Judge for three full 6-year terms.
Throughout his career, he took on many leadership positions such as acting as
the lead Judge for the three different divisions in the Family Court: Domestic
(divorces), Juvenile (child abuse/neglect, juvenile delinquency), and Special
(domestic violence, paternities, adoptions, guardianships, civil commitments of
mentally ill persons). Paul was also routinely tapped to substitute for the
circuit court judge in the Family Court jury trials in adult criminal
cases.
 |
| Paul, in the lower right hand corner picture, is standing with four Family Court Senior Judges (administrative judge). So, there's me (Frances) and Judge Betty Vitousek (our legendary mentor and my predecessor) to my right. To Paul's left is Judge Tina Kuriyama, the current senior judge (Paul's current boss), and standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders is Judge Mark Browning, my successor and the current Chief Judge of the First Circuit. |
He participated in various committees including the planning committee for Ohana is Forever Conference and Family Finding Conference, various Supreme Court Committees for education and professionalism, as well as the Hawaii Supreme Court Standing Committee on Children. He was also a member of the Hawaii State Trial Judges Association. More notably, he was interested in improving community-based services and served in state-based projects such as the Juvenile Justice Information Committee (JJIC), which coordinated and regulated sharing of data and information system, and the Hawaii Juvenile Justice Working Group, which coordinated juvenile system improvement and reform. He was the inaugural judge for Imua Kakou, a program to help young adults build a successful future after exiting foster care. Most recently, he spearheaded the establishment of Zero to Three Court which is a specialty court for infants and toddlers ages 0-3 requiring child welfare services.
His favorite parts about being a
Family Court Judge are healing families and working with kids. Aside from serving
on these various committees and his regular court cases, he particularly
enjoyed presiding over adoptions. He
kept a stash of stuffed animals and toys to give to kids when they sat in his courtroom.**
Additionally, he spent many of his weekends officiating weddings; his favorites include those of his friends and family. Paul’s strong sense of empathy and compassion for people motivated his legal career. Amongst attorneys, he had a reputation of being fair, humble and a good listener. He embodied what it meant to truly love your job. His passion for his work inspired others to pursue a career in law, including my own. He continues to give back to the community by sitting on the bench as a per diem (part-time) judge and he continues to represent the family court at the State Legislature.
We are all very proud of his hard
work over the years—for his family, the Judiciary, and CCH.
*Editor’s note: For judges, “bench”
just means Paul’s courtroom; it’s not that he wasn’t allowed to play.
**That’s why he bought all those
animals and toys at the CCH Youth Mission Group Garage Sales! You know how meticulous Paul is, right? Well, he knew every animal in his courtroom and
exactly where they lived. I suspect he has named them all.
 |
| Paul's Drive By Retirement Celebration at Family Court in Kapolei |
 |
| Many of the current Family Court Judges celebrating with Paul |
ANNOUNCEMENT
CCH’S RETIREMENT CELEBRATION FOR PAUL
SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020
12:00 TO 1:00
CCH PARKING TURNAROUND
Drive through the turnaround any time
between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. Please
remain in your cars! You will be able to give your blessings and best wishes to Paul through your car windows and people will be there to accept anything that
you might want to give Paul (but, please, gifts or lei are not expected—we just
want to see each other, even without the hugs!).
The smokers of CCH, under the expert
direction of Pit Master Ryan Urabe, will supply take out lunches to every guest,
which will be brought out to your car.
Remember—please remain in our cars.
More details will come later but mark your calendars now.
Owl City -- Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Filmed at the shop of Randy Young in Owatonna, MN
Written, Performed, and Recorded by Adam Young
"Some folks don’t believe in heroes
Cause they haven’t met my dad."
Editor’s note on watching
videos: Click once, another arrow might appear in the middle. Click that arrow. Click on the broken square on bottom right
side for a larger picture. Get rid of
pop up ads by carefully clicking on the “x” on the upper right side of the ad.
CCH IPT WEDNESDAY (INTENTIONAL PRAYER TIME)
by Kathy Young
by Kathy Young
While staying at home and avoiding
exposure to the Coronavirus, we worry about the spread of the virus, health and
safety of our loved ones, racial injustice across our nation, our uncertain
future, and the future of Community Church.
Stewardship started IPT Wednesdays to
focus weekly prayer time on CCH. We
continue to pray for God's body and church.
However, we now include prayers about problems and issues within our
community, nation, and around the world.
Have you thought to yourself, "We should pray
about ________"? "We should pray for ________"?
Share your thoughts. If you have
any ideas for our "Intentional Prayers", please send them to me via:
email--kayoung@hawaii.edu, text--(808) 388-9512 (c) or phone--(808) 623-0483
(h).
Almighty God, we pray:
• that
you continue to protect each person now praying, his/her family members and
loved ones (by name), and those who need special prayers (by name).
• for your church's future direction and vitality. Prepare us for Envisioning II's new calling.
• to support our Council leaders as they decide on important issues on Saturday, June 27.
• prayers of thanksgiving for Pastor Holly, Pastor Frances, Hari, Ardis, Glenn, and those working hard "behind the scenes" (Vernon, Ron, and helpers) for God and CCH!
• about the frightening spread of COVID-19, due to relaxed restrictions and increased public gatherings.
• that you help Hawaii recover from its crippled economy and restore jobs. Provide a light of hope for those who face uncertain employment futures, dear Lord.
• in support of the Honolulu Star Advertiser, its staff, and its future.
• for
Ku'ulei Williams, as she recovers from successful knee replacement
surgery. Prayers, also, for those who
are sick, require medical procedures, or are also recovering.
• sending
our love and support to those who have lost loved ones recently, especially the
families of Sau Chun Wong Chun, Kee Fun Lee, Alice Urabe, Clifford Chong, and
Suelynn Tune. [Name others you know]
• for
other issues or people in your heart.
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE CCH COUNCIL MEETING VIA ZOOM
Gwen
Murakami is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic:
CCH Council Meeting
Time:
Jun 27, 2020 09:00 AM Hawaii
Join
Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88938295219?pwd=eTlLUWNsVklMM0ZGVWFQZkFSNWJiUT09
Meeting
ID: 889 3829 5219
Password:
182919
One
tap mobile
+16699009128,88938295219#,,,,0#,,182919#
US (San Jose)
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US (Tacoma)
Dial
by your location
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Password:
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Find
your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbhspGlL4S
BOOKS
FROM THE PASTOR’S OFFICE
A
NOTICE FROM PASTOR FRANCES
Even
though the CCH campus is closed, the CIP and Grounds/Maintenance men of the church
continue their tasks of caring for the physical church campus (thank you SO much). Recently, the church office has been spruced
up with new flooring, new paint, and new drapes!
The
bookcases in the Pastor’s office contained books from at least three pastorates. Because of mold, all of
the books have been boxed and placed in a covered corner of the lanai outside
of the kitchen and the Leigh Hooley room.
If
you think that this collection may include books that you or your family have
donated to a minister and would like to retrieve the donation, please follow these
guidelines.
The books will be available for review until the end of this month. After that, a decision will be made about
disposing them. Please make an
appointment with Ardis by calling the church office. Only one person at a time will be allowed to
look through the boxes. If you think you
might need help moving the boxes around, please tell Ardis and she will check
to see if Ron Yamauchi is available to help you. However, it would be best if someone from
your own family (your own “shelter-in-place” household) could provide the help
so we can adhere to Covid guidelines as much as possible.
You
must wear a mask the entire time you are on campus.
You
must take the chosen books with you. All
books not taken must be replaced in the boxes.
Please make a list for Ardis (just slip it under the office door) of
what you have taken (title and author) or take pictures of each book (cover and
the title page) and email them to Ardis by the following day. We need to keep track in case of disputes.
Please
note that, once you take a book, we will not accept them back.
Let
me repeat what I said earlier. These
books have varying degrees of mold. You
will be responsible to deal with that at your discretion. CCH cannot be responsible for your handling
of the books or physical reactions by anyone who comes in contact with the mold or mold transfer to your
belongings.
Thank
you so much for your understanding and your cooperation.
INTERISLAND
TRAVEL UPDATE
FROM THE DISEASE OUTBREAK CONTROL DIVISION OF HAWAII
Interisland
travel without the 14-day quarantine begins on June 16, 2020. Passengers on
flights between the islands are now required to complete a new form before they
board a plane for an interisland flight.
We
ask for your help in providing complete answers. The health information may be
filled in ahead of flight time, but no more than 24 hours in advance. The more
current the information, the more useful it is.
[Click
here to get the travel form:]
RAISE OUR CHRISTIAN VOICES
Editor’s
note: We’ve recently seen elected officials and others claim they are Christian
but preach hate and violence. We who
believe that Jesus’ path is one of love, compassion, and justice must raise our
voices. Without our voices, people who
do not yet know Christ will assume that the ones with the loudest
voices represent all Christians (similar to how some believe that “all” Muslims
are terrorists). We will especially continue
to lose the younger generations. At the
same time, we are swimming against the current of the media’s need for
sensational speech and outrageous acts.
Here is an excerpt from a recent statement from leaders of seminaries, theological
schools, and higher education. It is a great example of a Christian academic voice. But, we have our own authentic voices and we must raise them.~~Pastor
Frances
A
STATEMENT FROM BLACK PRESIDENTS AND DEANS SCHOOLS & DEPARTMENTS OF THEOLOGY
& RELIGION
We
are Black Presidents and Deans serving at schools of theology, departments of
religion and African American Studies across the nation. Our co-signers include
but are not limited to Black faculty and administrators who comprise the Black
theological and religious intellectual thought-group of our time. We were
raised and nurtured by Black men and women who had an unquenchable thirst for
justice and liberation. Their ancestors bore on their shoulders the weight of
oppression and carried in their hearts the hope of better lives for their
progeny. This was a communal work. We understood – and even now understand –
ourselves as members of a huge tribe of people who cared for our journey
through this life. The survival and thriving of Black people in this nation and
globally is our unapologetic commitment.
Black
people are three times more likely to be killed by officers than are White
people. In less than one month, our nation has been shaken by reports of the
murders of three unarmed Black citizens of this country: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud
Arbery and George Floyd [editor’s note: in the short time between this
letter and the present, more Black people have been killed]. We mourn their
deaths and the murders of so many more whose names we have uttered and those
whose names we have not known to call. History has shown us that the rule of
law is a luxury to white America and an ever-moving goalpost for Black and
Brown people. This must end. Those of us who are committed to the Kin-dom of
God and to the creation and thriving of the Beloved Community know that this
reality cannot come to fruition in the absence of justice for Black people in
the United States and around the world.
We
cannot and will not be silent while threats are continuously uttered by the
highest political leadership in our country, nor will we watch the ongoing
murders of Black people by police officers whose chief duty is meant to be “to
protect and serve.”
.
. .
We
believe that government energies currently being spent on illegitimate
surveillance of Black protesters would be better spent on the investigation of
those entities currently employed in highjacking a legitimate movement for
change in the nature of policing in the United States. These entities include
accelerationist white supremacist individuals and organizations who are
infiltrating these protests with the express intent of inciting violence and,
ultimately, a race war that they believe it is possible to win.
The
sight of US military forces stationed in front of American citizens engaged in
peaceful protest has let us know that this government plans a hardcore law and
order response. We fear this will only make matters worse and that many lives
may be lost in the quest for justice. Instead, we hope our local governments
will see the benefit of negotiating with community leaders who are known for
their work for the liberation of Black lives and economic justice. To that end,
we make the following demands:
[this
statement includes specific public policies, recommendations to the American
Academy of Religion/ Society of Biblical Literature, and to the Association of
Theological Schools]
During
our lifetimes, we have placed our credentials and often our very bodies on the
line doing the work of justice-making for our communities. Now is no different.
In the days to come, we will do all in our power to resist the evils of racism
in the many forms it presents itself, especially in our political systems and
schools of higher education. We will not allow the violence directed at Black
people and US citizens protesting against police violence to be baptized in
religious symbolism as if to say that is the way that our faith, any faith,
that follows the way of love and justice demands we obey. Instead, we join
the collective response to those who seek justice, liberation and the end of
white supremacy. (emphasis added)
NO
MORE.
(accessed:
June 16, 2020)
BLACK
VOICES IN OUR OWN BACKYARD
“The
Pōpolo Project
is a Hawai‘i-based nonprofit organization that redefines what it means to be
Black in Hawai‘i and in the world through cultivating radical reconnection to
ourselves, our community, our ancestors, and the land, changing what we
commonly think of as Local and highlighting the vivid, complex diversity of
Blackness.”
[Editor’s
note: I take African Dance class with some of the folks in this project!]
WHAT
IS JUNETEENTH?
(excerpts
from a New York Times article by Derrick Bryson Taylor)
On
June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee
surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston,
Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and that the Civil
War had ended. General Granger’s
announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been
issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President
Abraham Lincoln.
The
holiday received its name by combining June and 19. The day is also sometimes
called “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.”
The
day was celebrated by praying and bringing families together. In some
celebrations on this day, men and women who had been enslaved, and their
descendants, made an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.
Today,
while some celebrations take place among families in backyards where food is an
integral element, some cities, like Atlanta and Washington, hold larger events,
like parades and festivals with residents, local businesses and more.
[What
is the significance of Juneteenth in Tulsa?] [On June 19] 1921, the city was the site of
one of country’s worst episodes of racist violence, when white mobs attacked a
wealthy black business district known as Black Wall Street. The mobs destroyed
more than 1,200 homes and killed as many as 300 people.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-is-juneteenth-day/ar-BB15qcKw?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
(accessed:
June 13, 2020)
 |
THE
BLACK ANTHEM
LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
Today
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is one of the most cherished songs of the African
American Civil Rights Movement and is often referred to as the Black National
Anthem.
Melba
Moore's 1990 modern rendition of James Weldon Johnson and brother John Rosamond
Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (first a poem by James and then
set to music by John in 1900), with friends Louis Gossett, Jr., Dionne Warwick,
Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, Stephanie Mills, Take 6, Karen Clark Sheard,
Jacky Clark Chisholm, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Freddie Jackson, Bobby Brown, Howard
Hewett, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Terri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Albright and Norm
Nixon, directed by Debbie Allen.
Lift Every Voice and Sing
By James Weldon Johnson
By James Weldon Johnson
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our God,
True to our native land.
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our God,
True to our native land.
Still
I Rise
by Maya Angelou
AND STILL I RISE Mashup (Maya Angelou / Serena Williams / Nicki Manaj / Alicia Keys)
Maya Angelou, a child of the Jim Crow South who rose to international prominence as a writer known for her frank chronicles of personal history and a performer instantly identified by her regal presence and rich, honeyed voice . . . . She established her literary reputation in 1970 with “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a memoir detailing the racism and abuse she endured during her harrowing childhood.
From
her desperate early years, Ms. Angelou gradually moved into nightclub dancing
and from there began a career in the arts that spanned more than 60 years. She
sang cabaret and calypso, danced with Alvin Ailey, acted on Broadway, directed
for film and television and wrote more than 30 books, including poetry, essays
and, responding to the public's appetite for her life story, six
autobiographies.
“See
me now, black, female, American and Southern,” she said in a 1990 speech to
students at Centenary College in Louisiana. “See me and see yourselves. What
can’t you do?”
POPE FRANCIS PRAYS FOR GEORGE FLOYD
AND ALL VICTIMS OF RACISM
Editor’s
note on watching videos: Click once, another arrow might appear in the middle. Click that arrow. Click on the broken square on bottom right
side for a larger picture. Get rid of
pop up ads by carefully clicking on the “x” on the upper right side of the ad.
By the way,
if you want to, you can hard copy these pages by highlighting what you want
(including photos), click "copy", and then paste in something like a
Word document. You can save it as well as print it.
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