View from the Pew Mary Adamski

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Here Comes the King

Megachurch opens in Niu Valley Shopping Center

INVITATIONS to the grand opening of King's Cathedral went out to 300,000 households on Oahu this month.

But the leaders of the new East Honolulu church really do not have any idea how many will arrive for the 11 a.m. service tomorrow. "It would be wonderful to fill all the seats," said the Rev. Anne Fujii, senior pastor.

Dozens of volunteers joined contractors' crews this week to complete the transformation of the 38,000-square-foot space in the Niu Valley Shopping Center formerly occupied by Times Super Market. Inside the nondescript cement-block warehouse, there is now a theaterlike sanctuary with 1,400-person capacity and state-of-the-art sound and lighting technology, and a score of side rooms for children's worship, child care, youth activities, administration offices and prayer.

THE MUSIC of the church's Hoku award-winning group, Na Leo Hoonani, reverberated from the sanctuary throughout the building where paint was being applied and floors mopped by volunteers Thursday.

It is the first Oahu branch of King's Cathedral, which is identified as one of five megachurches in Hawaii by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. About 2,700 worshippers attend the original church in Kahului and other Maui branches, according to the institute's Web page. The other four megachurches are on Oahu.

"I had only intended it to be a church to minister to Maui," said the Rev. James Marocco, who founded King's Cathedral, an Assembly of God church, in 1980. Since then the growing church has been spread to the neighbor islands, three other states, Japan, the Philippines, Chile and French Polynesia. This year, branches will be opened in Tonga, Fiji and Spain, he said.

"I FELT GOD SPOKE to me clearly to minister to Maui County," said Marocco. "As he began to direct us to reaching the rest of Hawaii ... we attempt to be very sensitive to what he wants us to do. People within the church have made specific responses to what the Lord wants them to do. My role is to encourage that to happen."

"I pastor the whole church," said Marocco. Some of the 26 associate pastors on the staff will move to Oahu, with Fujii to serve as senior pastor at Niu Valley.

Church literature describes it as "a personal church and a powerful church."

"We believe everyone should have the privilege of being known, loved, cared for, a chance to be personally ministered to," Marocco said. "The church is not simply the gathered congregation. Jesus said, 'Whenever one or two are gathered in my name, I am with you.'"

That teaching is put into practice with an array of small cell groups; separate ministries for preschoolers, elementary school ages and youths; services in a variety of languages; and a network of people praying daily for all the intentions anybody raised at weekend services or called in to the prayer line.

"We emphasize the presence of the Holy Spirit, his prophetic gifts," said Marocco. "We have a very strong emphasis on the power of prayer."

King's Cathedral members gather daily from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. to pray in the sanctuary.

Fujii said, "This church is built on prayer. We pray regarding all the things that come along." Formerly a teacher in California, Japan and Germany, she returned to Hawaii and joined Marocco and his wife, Coleen, in their ministry 26 years ago.

SHE SAID the Oahu congregation of about 250 people has been meeting for the past several months in a former dance studio at the shopping center, dubbed "The Upper Room."

The invitation in mailboxes was not their first introduction to Oahu.

"At Easter we did three egg hunts at Niu Middle School," said the Rev. Brian Reynolds, associate pastor for administration, also known as the "Go Ministry."

"We gave out candy eggs and shared the gospel. It is our hope to reach out to folks around here." Next on the agenda will be a free carnival on July 4 weekend. The church picks up people, particularly youngsters, in Palolo and Waimanalo for weekend services, and "we hope to add bus routes to other neighborhoods," Reynolds said.

Stashed among the computer and video equipment in the "Kids World" worship room, youth minister Kevin McNamara also has machines to make shave ice and cotton candy. Last weekend, he took them, along with bouncer castles, on the road to Palolo Valley Park for a free fun day.

"It's a day of fun and a seven-minute skit with a message," said McNamara, who has been with Marocco for 24 years. Children enter drawings for toys and gifts. Last week, the top prize was a skateboard; this week, a small electric bicycle will be given away.

"I KNOW how kids tick," said the father of three girls. His preaching style is a "three- to five-minute sermonette and a lot of visuals." His talk is backed up with animated Power Point slides and videos he takes of the children.

Marocco said the church holds an $18.8 million bank note for the purchase and refurbishing of the shopping center. So of course there is a practical reason to bring more contributing members into the fold.

But inviting every household on Oahu to church was an extension of rural Maui hospitality, he said. "On Maui when you do an event, you let everyone know about it. Oahu is so huge, you can be doing something and nobody knows about it.

"We are thankful for all the people who attend church. We know there are people looking for a church, people who are hungry for God. We felt it was important to be certain to tell everyone they are welcome."