First Unitarian Church of Honolulu
Encyclopedia
The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu is the only Hawaii
-based congregation within the Unitarian Universalist Association
. It is located at 2500 Pali Highway in the Nu'uanu Valley.
The congregation was founded in 1952 as a lay fellowship. The fellowship was unusual for its time because its leadership consisted of women (Rosemary Mattson as chairwoman and Ruth Iams as program director) and because it made efforts to engage in interfaith dialogue with Jewish and Buddhist congregations in Honolulu.
In September 1969, the church made national headlines when it offered refuge to U.S. servicemen protesting the war in Vietnam
. The servicemen were arrested by military police within the church grounds. The resulting action brought about an unsuccessful lawsuit filed by the church against the military - Bridges v. Davis, 443 F.2d 970 (9th Cir., 1971). The private memorial service for Madelyn Dunham
, grandmother of US President Barack Obama
, was held there in December 2008. It is also where President Obama attended Sunday School during his youth.
The Rev. Mike Young was the church’s minister from 1995 until 2009. After his retirement, the church went through a 2-year interim period, first under Rev. Louise Ulrich from 2009-2010, then under Rev. Leland Bond-Upson from 2010-2011.
The Reverend Doctor Jonipher Kwong was called April 10, 2011. He began serving as minister as of August 15, 2011. His official installation service will be November 20th, 2011.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
-based congregation within the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
. It is located at 2500 Pali Highway in the Nu'uanu Valley.
The congregation was founded in 1952 as a lay fellowship. The fellowship was unusual for its time because its leadership consisted of women (Rosemary Mattson as chairwoman and Ruth Iams as program director) and because it made efforts to engage in interfaith dialogue with Jewish and Buddhist congregations in Honolulu.
In September 1969, the church made national headlines when it offered refuge to U.S. servicemen protesting the war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The servicemen were arrested by military police within the church grounds. The resulting action brought about an unsuccessful lawsuit filed by the church against the military - Bridges v. Davis, 443 F.2d 970 (9th Cir., 1971). The private memorial service for Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham was the American maternal grandmother of Barack Obama, the 44th and current President of the United States of America...
, grandmother of US President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, was held there in December 2008. It is also where President Obama attended Sunday School during his youth.
The Rev. Mike Young was the church’s minister from 1995 until 2009. After his retirement, the church went through a 2-year interim period, first under Rev. Louise Ulrich from 2009-2010, then under Rev. Leland Bond-Upson from 2010-2011.
The Reverend Doctor Jonipher Kwong was called April 10, 2011. He began serving as minister as of August 15, 2011. His official installation service will be November 20th, 2011.