Posted on: Friday, April 30, 2004

Exhibit honors Makiki church's founder

Advertiser Staff

A free exhibit celebrating the centennial of Makiki Christian Church and the life of its founder will open at noon tomorrow at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i Community Gallery.

The exhibit will focus on Takie Okumura, a Japanese immigrant who arrived in 1894 to be pastor at Japanese Christian Church, and who established Makiki Christian in 1904.

The first service was held in a small rented cottage and within a year the first church was built at the corner of Kina'u and Pensacola streets. The second, modeled after a Japanese castle, was built in 1932 and still stands on the corner of Pensacola and Elm streets.

Before he died in 1951, Okumura's accomplishments also included founding the Okumura Boys and Girls Home, starting the first Japanese-language school and the first AJA baseball league. He also published several newspapers and wrote books.

Admission to the exhibit, titled "Living in the Light with the Hawaii Community," is free, but donations will be accepted. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday through May 29, under the sponsorship of the Hawai'i Community Foundation's Okumura Family Fund. For details, call 945-7633.