When the Rev. O.W. Efurd gave the homily at the October funeral of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, he did not use that moment in the national news spotlight to focus attention to himself or the church he leads in Hawaii.
The Rev. “Dub” Efurd has helped
Southern Baptists flourish in HawaiiBy Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.comIn a homespun message of comfort to the mourners, the soft-spoken preacher demonstrated what he says about himself: "Basically, I'm a pastor at heart."
"Dub" Efurd has served as executive director of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention for the past 14 years. He will retire at the end of the month after 40 years of ministry in Hawaii, which included being first pastor of churches in Kailua-Kona and Mililani. Efurd retains an accent that reflects his Oklahoma childhood. He is married to the former Grace Agena, whom he met when both attended the South Western Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
George Iwahiro, past president of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, said Efurd was instrumental in the growth of the Southern Baptist denomination here to 117 congregations from 82 with more than 20,000 members.
"He brought stability and calmness to our convention," said Iwahiro. He said one of the veteran minister's initiatives was creation of a conflict resolution team, which mediates when dissension arises in congregations or between members and pastors.
The new wave of nondenominational churches have drawn from the Bible-based teaching, exuberant style of worship and concept of being "born again" in Christ that identifies the Baptist denomination, whose history in America dates back to the 1600s. There are at least 30 kinds of Baptists; the "Southern" title reflects a Civil War division.
"Evangelicals are people who believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and Jesus is the savior and the way to God. The main distinction is the strong belief in a personal experience with God, a personal invitation to bring Christ into your life," said Efurd. "It's more of a heart experience than a head experience."
He came to an interview last week with a New York Times clipping about a December Gallup poll in which 46 percent of Americans described themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians.
Seeing themselves as missionaries is fundamental to Southern Baptist identity, and their assertive conversion approach has ruffled the feathers of fellow Christians and non-Christians elsewhere. They characterized a 1998 national convention in Salt Lake City as a "divine appointment" to preach to Mormons.
At last year's national convention, Florida preacher Jerry Vines set off international repercussions with his speech that Mohammed was evil and so is Islam. Delegates to a recent Hawaii conference targeted Japanese tourists in a leaflet distribution in Waikiki. A mission magazine in the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention offices with pictures from Asian missions describes "Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists ... facing eternity without Jesus Christ."
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Rev. O.W. Efurd, here at the International Baptist Center, is retiring after 40 years of ministry in Hawaii.
In a gentle response to questions about aggressive tactics, Efurd points out that the church's founder in America, Roger Williams, came to escape intolerance. "We were persecuted in the early days, so religious freedom is important to us, the right of everyone to worship according their conscience.
"Jesus gave us two commands. One was to love God with your whole heart and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.
"The other was to go out to all the world, making disciples of all people, baptizing them ... and teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. That's the motivation for everything we do."
There are Baptist missionaries from Hawaii out in the field in Africa, Japan, the Philippines and Australia.
One of the local missionary initiatives that has thrived during Efurd's tenure is the church's outreach to University of Hawaii students, particularly from foreign countries.
The practical project starts with airport pickup when students arrive in Hawaii. It continues through the year with English language classes for students and their spouses taught at the International Student Center on University Avenue, while volunteers offer child care. The refurbished old home with a clubhouse feeling is open to visitors for Bible study classes on Sunday nights. Tuesday night worship services at a UH campus auditorium feature lively and loud praise band music that attracts young listeners.
As many as 200 college students show up at the center each Thursday for the free lunch provided by Oahu congregations. "It's not like a rescue mission where you have to listen to the talk before you eat," Efurd says with a laugh. But volunteers are on hand to share information and beliefs and, well, be missionaries.
One place where Baptists line up with other local church folks is in the Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. "We take a strong stance against gambling on moral grounds, against the philosophy of getting something for nothing," said Efurd.
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