A New Pacific Reality

Dear friends,

Cultural realities on the Pacific Rim are changing.  We are all aware of that. Asian born immigrants are changing the make-up of California and other Pacific states as are Latinos. I see this as a good thing, for we are increasing our ethnic diversity. Unlike many other congregations Parkview is keeping pace. We have achieved the kind of diversity that other churches tend to lack.  We have become, in a way, a Hawaiian congregation. Hawaiians have had to deal with a similar ethnic diversity for much longer than any other American place and they had to do so within the confines of several relatively small islands in the Central Pacific.  It has not always been smooth, it still isn’t to this day. The strategic geography of the Hawaiian islands and the economic pressures exerted from within and without make living together there a complicated matter. With the highest average real estate costs in the US and property taxes assessed on value rather than purchase price, many Hawaii natives are moving to the mainland where they can still afford their own homes. At the same time economically successful mainlanders are moving to the islands. It is not rare to go to an arts fair on Maui and notice that most of the artists are European American. Oahu in the mean time is scaling up because they are hosting a new Japanese wedding culture. So two things are happening that have relevance for our congregation: first, we are seeing increased cultural diversity on our side of the Pacific and second, more and more Hawaiians are moving to this area (no wonder there are at least two daily flights from Sacramento to the islands).

So this is what the new Pacific reality means for us: we are becoming more Hawaiian-style diverse as a congregation and this makes us a natural host for “expatriate” Hawaiians.  There are other similarities. For example island culture is not natural soil for “megachurches.” People like a family feel as do we. Also many established congregations there host an –esian first generation immigrant nesting congregation (in their case Melanesian, Micronesian or Polynesian, in our case Indonesian).

College students who were raised at Parkview tell me regularly that they cannot find that Parkview feel near where they go to school. Many Hawaiians have similar sentiments I am sure. Could it be that that Parkview view and that Hawaiian feel aren’t that far apart?

When we instituted our August Hawaiian Sundays, the decision was largely based on temperature: it was hot and we had no air conditioning. We are better equipped now, but the August tradition has persisted. I think one of the reasons is that there are so many family connections with the islands and Parkview. I would like us to deepen and widen that connection by “sprucing” up our celebration: more Hawaiian snacks during August coffee hour, more tropical like flowers during worship and an expanded luau celebration on the final Sunday of August. On my part I plan to do a sermon series based on Hawaiian cultural themes and concepts. We are getting together a group of people in our congregation with close family connections in Hawaii to talk about how we could reach out to the scattered Hawaiian population in our area. I am asking for your help in spreading the word that August could truly be “Hawaiian Sundays.” May God expand and bless our spiritual ohana*. See you in church. Aart

*family