Services mark Christian church’s birth

The events celebrating Pentecost will be held in three churches

A trio of revival services next weekend will celebrate Pentecost, the birth of the Christian church.

The biblical account tells of the followers of Jesus beginning to preach after being filled with the Holy Spirit, which was seen as tongues of fire descending on them.

"Light the Fire Again" is the theme of the revival services to be held in three United Methodist churches. The Rev. Cavalain Hawkins of Wesley United Methodist Church in Los Angeles will be the keynote speaker at the events on the following dates:

» Friday, 7 p.m. Kailua United Methodist Church, 1110 Kailua Road.

» Next Saturday, 7 p.m. Harris United Methodist Church, 20 S. Vineyard Blvd.*

» Next Sunday, 7 p.m., Aiea United Methodist Church, 99-101 Laulima St.*

"When the Holy Spirit came to the disciples, it changed people's lives," said the Rev. Son Hye Kim, associate pastor at Harris Church. "They became bold, they began to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to have that kind of boldness. We are asking God to empower us."

Kim said it is a custom in Korean Methodist congregations to hold an "intense revival" that lasts three or four days. "We had this tradition before in Methodist churches in America; we had camp meetings, something more than just Sundays. Somewhere along the line, we have lost it."

There are nine Korean-language congregations in the United Methodist Church here, and Korean immigrants make up about 20 percent of the denomination's members in Hawaii, according to church records.

The Olive United Methodist Church praise team will lead the music. Several pastors will be in attendance for personal counseling and prayer.

The revival theme was planned this year by the denomination's Hawaii District to mark the centennial of the Azusa Street Revival, which began in Los Angeles in 1906 and is considered the root of the Pentecostal and charismatic Christian movements in America.