Shinto shrine hosts free festival

Izumo Taisha Mission will hold its annual Thanksgiving Festival tomorrow.

Services will begin at 2 p.m. at the Shinto shrine at its grounds at 215 N. Kukui St. in downtown Honolulu. The Omatsuri service expresses gratitude for blessing bestowed on families, businesses and the nation.

A 3:30 p.m. program will include performances by the Hawaii Matsuri Taiko Group, Mochimaki, Nakasone Dance Academy and an Okinawan lion dance and karaoke singing by John Sakai Music Studio.

A free fellowship dinner will be served at 4 p.m. The event is open to the public.

Oahu churches holding fundraisers

It is fall fundraising fair time in churches around Oahu.

» Today: Korean and Samoan food items are a highlight of the bazaar at Olive United Methodist Church, 108 California Ave., Wahiawa. The sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. will also offer baked goods, plants, handmade crafts and a rummage sale.

» Next Saturday: Liliuokalani Protestant Church in Haleiwa, famous for its annual luau, gives fans another chance for Hawaiian food at the Harvest Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the church grounds. Hawaiian plate lunches, laulau and kulolo will be sold as well as homemade baked goods, jams and jellies, pickled items and fresh produce. The Royal Hawaiian Band and other musicians will entertain, and there will be arts and crafts vendors and children's activities.

» Next Saturday: Makiki Community of Christ, 1666 Mott-Smith Drive, will sell arts, crafts, food and white-elephant items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

» Next Saturday: First Christian Church of Honolulu, 1516 Kewalo St., will offer clothes, housewares and other items at its monthly swap meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Event to feature world missionaries

Christian missionaries who carry out evangelizing ministries in several countries will be the speakers at a weeklong conference opening today at the International Baptist Church, 20 Dowsett Ave.

The conference is free and open to the public.

The Rev. James Cook, founder of the Nuuanu church, will headline the speakers at the “;Leaving a Leadership Legacy”; conference. He will speak tomorrow at the 10:30 a.m. worship service and at 6:30 p.m.

There will be evening sessions at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and at 7 p.m. Friday, and a workshop from 9 a.m. to noon next Saturday. Reservations must be made for a women's luncheon talk at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and the conference banquet next Saturday evening. For information call the church office, 595-6352, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The speakers will also include:

» The Rev. John Dekle and his wife, Di, of Child Evangelism Fellowship Hawaii on Oahu.

» Tim Dekle of Child Evangelism Fellowship Hawaii on Maui.

» The Rev. Andrew Meeko of Campus Crusade for Christ in Japan.

» The Rev. John Cook of Indigenous Ministries International in India and the Middle East.

» The Rev. Dougg Custer of Worldventure in Europe.

» The Rev. Rick Griffith and wife Susan of Worldventure in Singapore.

» Michele Jang of Christar in Hong Kong.