Posted on: Friday, August 31, 2001

Kawaiaha'o head pastor may resign

By Yasmin Anwar
Advertiser Staff Writer

Trustees at Honolulu's historic Kawaiaha'o Church today are set to discuss the possible resignation of Kahu James Fung, who became head pastor of the 600-member congregation last year at the end of a two-year search.

Fung yesterday said he would not discuss his plans publicly until after he talks to his congregation Sunday. He is scheduled to meet with trustees this afternoon.

Mitsuo Shito, chairman of Kawaiaha'o's nine-member board of trustees, declined to comment except to say that the board would be discussing the matter with Fung this week.

Puanani Caindec, a trustee who has been running the church office since administrator Matsuko Machado resigned this year, said she has "nothing to say."

Fung, a 1965 graduate of Kamehameha Schools, took the helm of "Hawai'i's Westminster Abbey" after 35 years on the Mainland. He was associate pastor at the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Conn., from 1976 to 1991 and senior pastor at the Portage United Church of Christ in Michigan.

When Fung was named kahu, or pastor, Kawaiaha'o Church had been operating without a full-time pastor since the 1997 retirement of the Rev. William Kaina.

The church built by Congregationalists from New England opened its doors to more than 5,000 worshippers in 1842. The bylaws called for the kahu to be of Hawaiian ancestry and to speak Hawaiian. Those rules are in place today, although at times there has been discussion about modifying the requirements to enlarge the pool of candidates for the job.

The largest source of income for Kawaiaha'o is wedding ceremonies, mostly for Japanese nationals. The venture has brought the church more than $1 million a year.

However, the Japanese wedding business led to infighting among leaders. In 1996, the church ended businessman Mack Hamada's exclusive contract to provide deluxe wedding packages at the church. Hamada sued the church and its former board chairman, David Free, for breach of contract and defamation. A confidential agreement settled the suit last December, with the church agreeing to pay Hamada an undisclosed sum.

Earlier this year, Fung said he had pushed for the church to settle with Hamada in a "goal to quietly resolve the dissension" and "move the church into the future."