Lu'au may be chapel's salvation
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
HAU'ULA — For five years the people of Kamalamalama O Keao Church have waged a constant battle to save their landmark chapel from termites.
Terrence Gomes, son-in-law of Kahu Raymond Kalili of Kamalamalama O Keao Church, helps prepare for today's fund-raiser lu'au. The most recent fund-raiser raised $2,400, which was enough for material for a new roof.
They fight with strong backs, hardy spirits — and food.
The church's fund-raising lu'aus are known for their quality and value, and another one will be staged today outside the little green church that survived the tsunami of 1946 and has been declared a historic building.
Yesterday, members of the 40-person congregation were putting the finishing touches on 1,000 pounds of kalua pig that had been cooked in an imu and preparing enough food to fill 300 plates with 11 different items.
The kalua pig in bulk has already sold out, but if you hurry you can still get a Hawaiian plate for $7 that features kalua pig, squid lu'au, poke, crab, lomi 'o'io, 'opihi, long rice, lomi salmon, poi, rice and haupia. Yes, all 11 of them.
The event also includes music, an orchard raffle, shave ice and hot dogs.
It's a lot of hard work for the church, but there is no alternative, said Kahu Raymond Kalili, 62.
Members can't afford an assessment to cover the repair costs, and the church doesn't collect Sunday offerings or fees for services. The most recent fund-raiser in July raised only $2,400, but that was enough to purchase material for the new roof, which church members installed themselves, Kalili said.
Kamalamalama O Keao Church, next to Sacred Falls Park, is the oldest Hawaiian chapel in Windward O'ahu, and its members work hard to maintain it in its original form.
The building appears to be well cared for, with fresh paint, a new roof and a manicured yard. It has a steeplelike tower and a bell that is rung every Sunday. But inside, the pulpit is slowly being eaten away and plywood reinforces the building's single-wall construction, which must eventually be replaced, he said.
"Even where I stand some parts are really soft," Kalili said.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
The restoration would be manageable if church members could use stock materials, but they can't. With the church declared a historic building, the outside lumber must be the same as the original, and wood today is no longer cut in those dimensions, Kalili said.
Granddaughter Haunani Kalili, 15, and Lenny Kalili, wife of Kahu Raymond Kalili, prepare the squid that will go into the squid lu'au dish for today's fund-raiser lu'au at Kamalamalama O Keao Church in Hau'ula. The dish is among 11 items in the Hawaiian plate.
Each board must be specially milled and costs $108 apiece, Kalili said, adding that he would need more than $3,000 just for the lumber. So the congregation throws its food fund-raisers and does the repairs themselves.
For this latest fund-raiser, the church received a hand from its neighbor, Makao Chung.
Chung said he saw the church's sign announcing the lu'au but noted that it was impossible for motorists to read.
"I'm the only one who can read the sign and I feel so bad," Chung said, noting that he isn't a member and doesn't consider himself religious.
He wanted to do something to help the congregation, fearing that without some kind of advance announcement, they wouldn't make much money.
So he contacted the media, noting that the church was built in 1932. He also said that when the 1946 tsunami struck the Islands, water flowed around the church, destroying homes on each side but leaving the building with little damage.
Kalili said Chung is more enthusiastic about the fund-raiser than anyone else. It's as if the church is reaching out to him just as it did to Kalili 12 years ago when he was selected as the church's new kahu, or minister, he said.
What: Restoration fund-raiser When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today Where: Kamalamalama O Keao, 53-842 Kamehameha Highway, Hau'ula Cost: Hawaiian plate $7; kalua pig sold out
Kalili said he told the former kahu that he wasn't interested in the post. He didn't go to church and in his youth he avoided services to tour the Islands with his friends, he said, adding that his father and grandfather were members.
At a glance
When the time came to choose a kahu, all the other candidates failed to show up and Kalili was the only person there. The kahu said the church chose me, Kalili said.
"When I took over, all the members split," he said. "Only had my family for three years. I asked God what I was doing here, nobody stay. He said if you can preach to your family, the rest will come easy."
Today the congregation is made up of people from Honolulu, Wai'anae, Wahiawa, Kailua, Kane'ohe and Hau'ula, Kalili said.
Members of the congregation, helping to prepare the tent for the lu'au, said the church has special meaning to the families in the community and it's not a burden to keep it up.
"We're a small church, but we do wonders for a small church," said Terrence Gomes, 36. "We do it as a family. Everybody is family here."
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
