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Religion Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff &
Associated Press
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Listings for Easter events sought
Information on sunrise services and other special Easter week events will be published next Saturday in the Star-Bulletin religion section.
Wednesday is the deadline for churches and other groups to provide information for next Saturday's listing. Please provide a telephone number on news releases, which should be sent by fax to 529-4750 or e-mailed to madamski@starbulletin.com. Announcements may also be mailed to Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Waterfront Plaza, Suite 7-210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu 96813.
Musical about Jesus to run during Easter
A musical dramatization of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus will open Thursday for a seven-night run during the Easter season.
Sixty actors, singers and musicians will perform in "The Witness: Rise Again" presented by Pacific Island Praise, a theater arts ministry directed by Kalani Poomaihealani. The play was written by Jimmy and Carol Owens.
The show will be at 7 p.m. nightly Thursday through April 9 at Honolulu Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2313 Nuuanu Ave. Performances will resume April 13 to 15.
The performances are free and open to the public, co-sponsored by the church, Waiola Worship Center and radio station KAIM-FM "the Fish."
Celebration honors birthday of Buddha
The birth of Buddha 2,500 years ago will be commemorated next weekend in the annual celebration sponsored by the Hawaii Buddhist Council.
The program beginning at 9 a.m. April 9 at McKinley High School auditorium will feature a concert by taiko drum groups and a panel discussion on "The Future of Buddhism in Hawaii."
University of Hawaii religion professor George Tanabe will lead the panel discussion about younger generations' declining interest in Buddhism. He will be joined by Bishop Dean Okimura of Shingon Mission, the Rev. Koho Takata of Honpa Hongwanji Mission, Ryan Toyomura of Jodo Mission and Bernice Koike of Soto Mission.
Musicians from Hawaii Matsuri Taiko, Honpa Hongwanji Dharma School Taiko, Pacific Buddhist Academy Taiko, Hawaii Eisa Shinyu Kai and Aiea Taiheiji Matsuri Taiko will perform in the musical program.
Hawaii's Japanese Buddhist temples traditionally celebrate the birth of the Shakyamuni Buddha, the Indian prince who founded the Buddhist philosophy, in April at the time of the Japanese spring flower festival Hanamatsuri. Other branches of Buddhism from China and Southeast Asia celebrate the tradition in May.
Soto Mission of Hawaii is the host of this year's celebration, which is free and open to the public.
2 activists to speak about Mideast work
Two members of the international Christian Peacemaker Team will speak here next week about their work in the West Bank.
Jerry and Sis Levin will talk about their work of witnessing and documenting human-rights violations in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Their appearances, all open to the public, include:
» Wednesday, 7 p.m., Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 780 Keolu Drive, Kailua.
» Thursday, 11:45 a.m., University of Hawaii Kuykendall Auditorium.
» Friday, 3:30 p.m., Hawaii Pacific University, 1166 Fort Street Mall, Room 306.
» Friday, 7 p.m., Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Ave., where their topic will be "Myths, Propaganda, and Annexation in Palestine and Israel."
» April 8, 2 p.m., Harris United Methodist Church, 20 S. Vineyard Blvd.
Jerry Levin was CNN Middle East bureau chief in 1984 when he was kidnapped and held 11 months by extremists. His wife, Sis, is founding director of the Children of Abraham Interfaith Education for Peace Project in Bethlehem.
They work in the same international organization as Tom Fox, whose death in Baghdad earlier this month came three months after he and others were kidnapped by Muslim extremists. The Levins led the Christian Peacemaker Team into Baghdad when the U.S. invasion of Iraq began in 2003. Members of the international organization work in the Middle East as observers of government actions that infringe on human rights of citizens.
They will also speak April 9 at services at 8 a.m. at Aiea United Methodist Church, 99-101 Laulima St., and 10:30 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1716 Komo Mai Drive, Pearl City.
