STAY FAITHFUL, STAY CONNECTED, STAY COMMUNITY!
(Editor: Pastor Frances. Masthead: David Taba)
PASTOR HOLLY’S PALM SUNDAY SERVICE
In case you missed it, the CCH Palm Sunday Service link is:
As of 6:00pm Sunday afternoon, there were 148 views of this video! Be counted, too!
At the end of her sermon, Pastor Holly asked us: Instead of cheering for Jesus as someone who will topple the empire by force,
“Would we be overwhelmed with belief that peace was finally at hand? Would we be excited to reunite with the rest of humanity? Would we hear his message and walk with him to that beautiful, beautiful City of God? Friends: On this Palm Sunday, as we wave our palms, let us wave them as signs of peace and not war. Let us fold these palms into something more powerful than that. Let us fold them into crosses. Let us strip the violence away and allow Christ’s eternal and all-encompassing love in our hearts so that one day, one day, it will rule everywhere as well. So, join me, and let us prepare ye the way of the Lord. Amen.”
Let Us Join Together This Holy Week to Prepare the Way of The Lord
Virtual Holy Week
April 8th
12:30pm: Lunch with Pastor Holly LIVE on Facebook
1:00pm: Zoom Lunch with Pastor Holly – look for the link in email and on
Facebook
April 9th
6:00pm: Maundy Thursday worship available – look for the link
April 10th
6:00pm: Good Friday worship – look for the link
April 12th
6:00am: Easter Sunrise Celebration – look for the link
6:30am: Virtual Easter Fellowship – LIVE on Facebook
9:00am: Easter Worship! – look for the link
10:00am: Zoom Easter Fellowship – look for the link
We are all trying to get the hang of our virtual community. If you have any questions about the worship or fellowship opportunities, please reach out to Pastor Holly for help: Call or Text: 808-371-4701 -OR- Email: hollynorwick@gmail.com
Palm Sunday Communion Experience
Pastor Holly’s instructed us to prepare for Communion on Palm Sunday by gathering greens and making/gathering our own "bread and wine." Here are some examples from the Mew Family and Pastor Frances!
(gingerbread cookies)
FROM THE MODERATOR’S i-PAD
Hope everyone is keeping Safe and Well. In keeping with the National, State, and City and County directives, the CCH Campus is closed at this time. Please do not go to the office because it is now considered to be closed. If you have any business or questions regarding CCH, please call during regular business hours. Ardis can answer the call because she still has access, but for all intents and purposes she is working from home. If we can help with anything, please do ask, but please be understanding that it may take just a little bit longer under the circumstances.
For all of you who were able, Pastor Holly’s Palm Sunday Service over YouTube was fantastic, and her Zoom Aloha time on Sunday is growing. Pastor Holly and Hari gave a beautiful and timely message with music. Everyone should have access with the links listed in the Newsletter for this week and the weeks to follow. Thanks to Pastor Frances, Ann and Martha, Kathy Young and a host of others who are working hard and being innovative to keep us connected to each other in amazing ways.
Unfortunately, Easter and April 12th will come and pass without us being in the Sanctuary physically, but for now, and until further notice our Spirit will continue to fill CCH. Your Executive Committee is currently considering conducting our General Council Meeting electronically on Saturday April 25th. We are still working out the bugs, but you will be notified by David Taba with enough time to learn and prepare to be electronically connected.
Please continue to be Faithful, be Safe and be Well.
Your Brother in Christ,
Paul Murakami
KATHY'S PRAYER CORNER by Kathy Young
Lord, we pray for:
- our remembering the significance of this Holy Week...the last week in the life of our Savior. Jesus' triumphant ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Last Supper then time in Gethsemane on Maundy Thursday, His trial and death on Good Friday, and His triumphant Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Hallelujah!!
- our families and loved ones. We pray passionately and with unceasing fervor that God keep our loved ones safe.
- our state, nation, and the world. Grant all leaders supreme wisdom and strength of purpose to make the decisions that will ultimately save lives as this deadly COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
- for eradication of this virus, for regaining a sense of normalcy, for peace. God is in charge, and He offers us HOPE.
- our scientists. May they unify efforts to discover ground-breaking treatments, vaccines, and protection against this deadly disease.
- our front-line medical and emergency teams. Bolster their immune systems so that they can be strong and resist infection. Grant them the supplies and equipment they need to effectively perform their duties, while unselfishly caring for our sick.
- our Community Church of Honolulu 'ohana. Bless each one and keep them safe, as they continue to share and spread your loving Spirit.
- those who are sick, mourning, alone, depressed, or frightened. Enfold them in your loving arms, Jesus. Remind them of your presence and love.
- those we have been praying for and those in your heart.
God bless you and keep you safe!
Kathy
YOUTHFUL VOICES
Before school started again, the children and youth of CCH took part in the home church school. A project they will all be nurturing during school is an Easter Resurrection Garden. They were delivered their garden kit, a kit to make 3 crosses, and a filled Easter carrot bag under strict physical distancing rules!
The home church school wants to acknowledge the generosity and creativity of Sharlene and Ron Yamauchi who supplied the potting soil, grass seeds, and 17 little terra cotta flower pots; Kathy and Vernon Chock who hacked down a patch of their bamboo to get to the greenest branches for a kit to make 3 crosses (Kathy wrote by hand 17 sets of instructions because her printer was down!); and, Gwen Murakami who sewed the most adorable carrot bags.
Here are some gardens that will be faithfully watered daily to be ready for Easter Sunday!
(Lauren and Kevin)
THE PARTY LINE
FRIENDS: this is YOUR column. Send in announcements, joys, concerns, whatevers to the church. Email: ardisg@cchonolulu.org Phone number: (808) 595-7541. Mail: 2345 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Received via email:
As Christians, our mission is to live this poster’s truth under lockdown and beyond, as instructed by Paul.
Philippians 2:5-8
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
SPECIAL COLUMN CONTRIBUTED BY WOODY CHOCK
of the Endowment Committee
Coming Home to the Community Church of Honolulu
by Woody Chock
"If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” Psalms 139:9-10
Leaving and coming back home after several years can be tough at times.
I had been a member of the Community Church of Honolulu (CCH) for years as a teenage student in the 50’s. Following graduation from the U of H, I left home for Univ. of San Francisco Law School and to serve in the U.S. Air Force. Five years later after discharge in 1969, I returned home as a civilian to a changed Hawaii. I rejoined the CCH choir and soon afterwards left to concentrate on raising 4 children and managing several retail stores. Four years ago, I came back to rejoin the CCH Choir, soon to be immersed in the Music and Endowment programs. I have committed myself to the renewal, reconnections, and regeneration of an aging CCH. Now I’m often asked “What was the CCH like when you first left?” and “Where are the youths who you grew up with today? Why haven’t they returned?"
During the 1950-1960’s, the CCH@Queen Emma became a robust and exciting place to worship just over 25 years from its founding. Several Charter members had become prominent leaders throughout the state: business owners and executives, doctors, lawyers, educators, and heads of government agencies. It was largely through their influence that their children, friends, and others from the larger community were attracted to worship and socialize at the CCH. The Rev. Richard Wong was pastor at the time.
The CCH@Queen Emma experienced several Sundays of filled pews. I recall at times “standing room only” attendance. There was an influx of youths and a host of supportive teachers, two vibrant choirs including one for youth, plus talented musicians. It was a happy time for us all as social activities made church a good place to be. We met and made friends. As a public-school student, I got to know kids from Punahou, Iolani and other private schools. A benefit for all was the creation of lifelong friendships and connections who have now come full circle from CCH@Queen Emma’s past to meet us today with surprising stories.
I believe it was destiny, not chance - that brought me to reconnect with such a friend from those days, - Denis Leong, fellow Sunday school student at CCH in the 50’s. After years apart, we have come together twice recently, while seated nearby, in two different restaurants. Denis' father Sun Leong was one of the major “Pillars” of CCH@Queen Emma. He was the leading fundraiser for CCH’s new building program and his influence was compelling. Owner of the former Oahu Furniture Co., he wielded considerable power through business leverage and he was also blessed with a charismatic presence. [*According to former Pastor Wally Fukunaga, Sun Leong’s dynamic effort to solicit funds for the new CCH campus buildings finally enabled construction to go forward at a critical point. He was one of the key donors at the time, a giant among CCH peers who is remembered to this day.]
DENIS C.H. LEONG’S INSPIRING STORY
“He was not timid about seeking money for CCH,” Denis remembers. “There were a number of big donors who joined in to make the back building a reality. My father Sun Leong was a devoted and Charter member of CCH,” recalls Denis, his second son, proudly recalls. "He made us go to church. We did not do so voluntarily. Like most things, my father made the decision that we all attend church services on Sundays, and my mother made sure we went. I guess that was a good thing since we seemed to have turned out OK.”
Denis graduated from Oregon State Univ. (Captain of the Rugby Team), and George Washington Univ. Law School in ’66. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in ’69, became Deputy Corp. Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu (’67-’68), and then was State Deputy Attorney General for Hawaii. In 1967 he married Diantha “Cookie” Lam, a fellow Punahou and a Vassar College graduate. “We met in D.C. by accident while she was visiting her uncle in Congress, U.S. Senator Hiram Fong. This was a life changer for me; being fortunate enough to marry Cookie was the best thing by far that happened to me.” Several years later, Denis became a partner with the law firm of Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert where he practiced business law, real estate law, and some litigation. He served as long-term President and Managing Partner/Office Administrator, overseeing his law firm of 60 lawyers and support staff. In 2008 he left full time practice but he remains associated with the firm “of counsel” who is consulted as a trusted and reliable asset to his former colleagues.
Today, Denis will speak out - not of his privileged education or of his high standing as president of a prestigious law firm or as former President of the renowned Waialae Country Club. The true wonders of his life, other than his beloved family is an amazing journey of survival. He is an extraordinary man who has been confronted with his own mortality a dozen or more times. At 78, Denis is a humble witness who revealed how several large and small miracles have kept him alive on a day by day basis to today.
On a Pennsylvania Highway,1966: Law student Denis, driving his wife-to-be Cookie and close friend Michael Hong, nearly died in a winter snow storm in Pennsylvania. Denis was driving everyone to Washington D.C. on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Record snow drifts covered the highway; nearly out of gas, they headed for the nearest gas station. Finally reaching one, they joined 40 others already crowded into the small office for warmth to escape from freezing, with more arriving to spend the night. The next morning it was discovered that several cars skidded into those huge snow drifts, passengers found frozen. Denis exclaims, “What did we know about snow storms? That could have been us. We survived only because we needed gas, it wasn't that we tried to avoid the snow and danger.”
Fast forward to 2014: Denis traveled to Utah to join resident Harlan Cadinha and three other Punahou classmates on a golfing vacation. The friends all noticed Denis wasn’t behaving normally, walking slowly, feeling exhausted. He insisted he was only suffering from “old age” -- nothing serious. Arriving home, his eldest son Evan insisted he see a doctor “Immediately!” Noticing his dad’s swollen feet, Evan had mistakenly assumed he was suffering from “congestive heart failure,” and took Denis to a doctor where a blood test showed a white blood cell count many times normal. The doctor warned Denis, “You’re in trouble,” the diagnosis: “You have leukemia. You’re going directly to Queen’s Hospital.” The next day he was admitted with "Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia" and began chemotherapy for advanced blood cancer.
“I was told that if I didn’t get emergency chemo treatment starting right then and there, I would have been dead in ten days!” Denis recalls. This prospect has echoed many times since living a nightmare that was not to end. After a month’s chemotherapy in Hawaii, he was told to get an advanced treatment in Seattle, a risky bone marrow transplant.
Angels were close by. Denis finally decided to undergo the bone marrow transplant at Fred Hutch, a highly reputed leukemia medical facility in Seattle which was affiliated with the Univ. of Washington Med school. Denis was apprehensive: “By pure chance I got a phone call from an out of state member of the Waialae Country Club. Mike Post, a successful composer- arranger living in Burbank CA. He says, 'I heard you need some help so I’m going to send my private jet to pick you up and take you anywhere you want to go for treatment!,'” His offer was one Denis couldn’t refuse, knowing he wouldn’t have to hassle with flight schedules, long airport lines and TSA. He took Post’s generous offer and left Honolulu in time to make an important blood test and other protocols required by Queen’s prior to arriving at Fred Hutch. Traveling by private jet made the transition to Seattle with ease, a priceless favor paid by his friend from Burbank.
Denis’ younger brother Alex was waiting in Seattle to donate the bone marrow to him; it would be the last gift he would give Denis. “We were all very sad that my bone marrow donor, brother Alex, was stricken with stage 4 lung cancer soon after the donation that saved my life. Sadly, Alex passed away later that same year. "I will forever be grateful to Alex and everyone who has kept me alive this long. Unlike many others, I survived the treatment at Fred Hutch.” Denis spoke haltingly while remembering his benefactors. Ten months passed in Seattle as Denis and Cookie watched the passing seasons; and when they saw the leaves turn from orange to brown, they returned home to a still uncertain future.
In July 2016 his cancer returned and his prognosis was “No hope” but Denis underwent a risky immunotherapy treatment which required extraction of his blood which would be converted into “killer” cells and reinjected into his blood stream to fight off the cancer. In effect the “killer blood” would be creating a battle within his body. A fever came over Denis and he reentered the hospital. “One night I almost died,” Cookie had informed him. Denis had to endure another treatment, which exceeded a million dollars.
Four months later he suffered another relapse and at the time all options had run to zero. As a last resort, the Seattle doctors finally settled on giving Denis a “miracle” pill, called Ponatinib, which cost $500 each. He had to take two, for a total of $1,000 each day. He has been taking the pills for the past three years, now down to just one. In Feb., 2019 he suffered 3 minor strokes (TIAs) and must take blood thinner and is required to take blood tests frequently to monitor the possible side effects of blood clots. Denis, who was a champion athlete, the captain of his college rugby team, must make frequent visits to an oncologist and faces serious life-threatening side effects.
“There’s no way to predict when my cancer will return. Day-to-day, that is how I live life- blood test to blood test. And I must remove red blood cells periodically,” he says, without complaint. "What pulled me through this far was the support of close friends and my family, especially Cookie who was at my bedside constantly telling me what I needed to do, providing me with correct medicine. Cookie has always had the knack of telling me what to do, and I am a good and wise listener. That is why I am alive today.”
Reflecting on the future, he says “You survive somehow, and there is no question that I believe in a Higher Being. We are guided through life, NOT by our hands, as we don’t control anything! Time is short, each day is unpredictable and one must approach each day one day at a time with kindness and generosity, always attempting to make the world better for the next person and to cherish and be grateful for each new day. Our best shot now is to continue to improve this community and world through our children, grandchildren and others whom we leave behind. My father Sun Leong and mother Irene were devoted to CCH. Late in life my mother decided to be baptized at CCH when she was 85 so that she could be sure to join my father in his religion, presumably in Heaven. For most of her life she was unsure of adopting one religion or another."
The Sun Leong family legacy continues with his remaining family still strongly connected through son Denis, who says “I am a product of CCH in more than one way.” Though he hasn’t attended services, he is considering “how to do a little part, focusing on the Endowment Fund to assist CCH. Successful organizations cannot have enough money.” Denis’ personal wish is “to somehow leave this earth improved from where it stood during my lifetime. I hope when we leave this earth, who we leave behind will remember us for providing them with some degree of comfort, joy, happiness and love, and they will appreciate and miss us. Yet there is more good we can still contribute.”
Please join in praying for Denis C.H. Leong’s continued journey to full recovery and good health!
Note from the Endowment Committee:
Be a part of "Continuing the Legacy" as a Distinguished Honoree; donate to the Community Church of Honolulu. Everyone who donates from now until the Sep. 19th “CCH 2020 Continue the Legacy Gala” will be recognized accordingly.
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