Kawaiaha‘o
pastor believes
God wants him
elsewhere

The Rev. James Fung
is resigning and will work
in Connecticut

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

JUST 18 MONTHS after historic Kawaiaha'o Church chose the Rev. James Fung as its new pastor, he has told them he feels God is "now calling me somewhere else."

Kawaiaha'o's board of trustees unanimously accepted Fung's resignation as the church's kahu Friday night and he plans to announce his decision to the congregation at this morning's services, said trustee Puanani Caindec.

His last sermon will be delivered Nov. 25 and he will start work as senior pastor at the Center Congregational Church in Torrington, Conn., on Dec. 1, Fung said in an Aug. 28 letter to "Dear Members and Friends of our Kawaiaha'o Ohana".

"When I began here, 15 months ago, I really believed that I would grow old and die here," Fung wrote in the letter. "But, I have come to the conclusion that the God who called me here to make a contribution to this church is now calling me somewhere else."

"People will ask why I am leaving. To put it simply, the match between a pastor and congregation needs to be a really good fit -- in order for the church to move forward in a spirit of unity to do God's work," he wrote. "I've come to the realization that my gifts for ministry and Kawaiaha'o Church's dreams don't seem to be a close enough match."

Fung could not be reached for further comment.

The trustees chose Fung as its kahu in February 2000 and he started a few months later.

Before returning to his boyhood home of Hawaii for the Kawaiaha'o job, Fung served more than 25 years at churches in Connecticut and Michigan. His background as a childhood member of Kawaiaha'o and as a Kamehameha Schools graduate seemed to make him ideal for the job, church member Violet Akaka said yesterday.

"I am very surprised he is planning to leave, to resign," Akaka said. "We thought by him accepting the head position, it would help us to grow. He has been a very inspiring leader."

Fung came to the church after it searched for three years for a replacement for its former pastor, the Rev. William Kaina, who retired.

"When we found the kahu we were awfully glad he was coming back to Hawaii," church member Brickwood Galuteria said of Fung.

Galuteria says he was taken by surprise by Fung's decision to leave. He praised Fung as a "fine man" who will "bring so much to the table wherever he goes."

Galuteria said he credits Fung with taking an active role in settling a legal dispute related to "royal weddings" for Japanese couples at the church from 1983-96.

"He brought to an end a very long, arduous legal problem. He got the parties involved to reach an amicable settlement," Galuteria said.

"His influence has been very strong. He has managed to pull us together after three years with no kahu," added Caindec. "It does show -- we're paddling in the right direction. We've had new members come and some old members come back."

When Fung told the trustees of his decision, Caindec said, "We asked him, 'Kahu, is there anything that has happened that might have made you make this decision?' He said, 'No, I cannot identify any one thing or two things or three things.' The main thing is he feels the call. We are very happy for him and respect his decision."

Galuteria is convinced the next search for a pastor will not take as long, because candidates from the last search can be contacted again. Church bylaws require a national search for someone who is Hawaiian, speaks Hawaiian, and can handle the political limelight of a pulpit within sight of the state Legislature and Honolulu Hale.

"We had hoped (Fung's arrival) would be the beginning of a new chapter," Galuteria said. "Now we have to start a whole other chapter."