Church lu'au nets $3,100 for repairs
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
Support for a little Hawaiian church in Hau'ula that was infested with termites hasn't stopped coming since the congregation raised $3,100 at fund-raiser lu'au nearly two weeks ago.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Aloha Termite & Pest Control is the latest donor to step up, tenting the church building and treating the grounds for free, an estimated $2,000 value and a major advance in the fight the small congregation has waged against termites for years.
Kahu Raymond Kalili and his wife, Lenny, wait for the termite exterminators to return and unlock the doors to the little Kamalamalama O Keao Church.
Company owner Shawn Murray said he was inspired to lend a hand after reading an Advertiser story about the plight of Kamalamalama O Keao Church and its effort to raise money to fix the building.
He hopped into his truck the morning of the lu'au and drove from Mapunapuna to Hau'ula to offer his company's help.
"I read the part that said they're putting on a fund-raiser to buy wood to fix the termite damage, and I thought what's the point if you're not going to kill the termites," Murray said. "It's a losing battle."
Murray treated the church Tuesday and will return in a few days to treat the grounds.
Kahu Raymond Kalili said the whole congregation of the Protestant church has been overwhelmed by the generosity of people who learned about the fund-raiser and offered money, labor and services to help restore the 80 seat chapel.
To make a donation, call the church at 293-5411.
The Nov. 8 fund-raiser was a huge success, with food running out at about 1 p.m., Kalili said. The first person to arrive for the lu'au rolled in at 7:30 a.m. from Kaimuki. She turned out to be an old family friend who recognized Kalili's name in the newspaper article.
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Residents came from all over, Kapolei, 'Aiea, Pearl City and Wahiawa, Kalili said. Even visitors from the Mainland came to the lu'au after reading the article about the congregation's struggle and their Hawaiian plate featuring 11 items for $7.
"They ate everything on the plate," Kalili said. "I was shocked."
The church has never been able to afford a professional assessment of all that the building needs, but Kalili noted that every dollar helps.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The fund-raiser netted $3,100 from the sale of kalua pig, lu'au plates, shave ice, hot dogs and cotton candy. An additional $334 was raised from 1,000 orchid plants donated by Olomana Orchids. Raffle tickets were sold for the flowers, but everyone who came took at least one home, he said.
The pews at the church were food for termites. An exterminator was among the people who donated services to help the congregation.
A former church member donated $1,000. "He said he was sorry he walked away from the church for a reason he no can explain," Kalili said.
A carpenter stopped by and said he would repair the outside of the church if the 40 person congregation supplied the material, and a Kalili family friend offered to treat the building's mildew problems.
Gima Termite Control Inc. also offered its services.
The green and white church building was built in 1932 and survived the 1946 tidal wave that destroyed buildings surrounding it.
Kamalamalama O Keao Church, next to Sacred Falls Park, is the oldest Hawaiian chapel in Windward O'ahu.
The chapel is a registered historic building. Consequently, any repairs must use lumber and other materials that match the original pieces. This makes repairs more expensive because lumber is no longer cut to the same sizes and any new wood must be ordered from the Mainland.
The building has termite damage throughout, but members had hoped to raise enough money to address problems in the interior, Kalili said. The church is being allowed to use available material for that work.
"Sooner or later we have to change the outside, but right now we only worry about the inside," Kalili said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
