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Church's gift has native congregation rejoicing

By Tom Finnegan

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 07, 2008

WAIMEA, Kauai » The Hawaii United Church of Christ gave two tracts of land to a Niihau church Saturday to redress its missionaries' part in the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893.

The land, which included the plot under the Waimea Hawaiian Church and an empty lot on Kaumualii Highway, is the last in a line of properties turned over to native Hawaiian churches as part of the United Church of Christ's plan to make reparations to Hawaiians.

"It's exhilarating," said Ilei Benjamina, a member of the Niihau church, in a news release. "It's been 20-plus years that we've been waiting for this."

Members of Ohana Waimea o Niihau, all originally from Nii- hau, have been worshiping in Hawaiian every Sunday for 35 years. About half of the members of the congregation came to Kauai in the 1970s to work on the Gay & Robinson sugar plantation.

But they did not have their own church until 1995, when the Waimea Hawaiian Church was rebuilt after Hurricane Iniki. That congregation had combined with others in the town to form the new Waimea United Church of Christ following Iniki and moved to a different church.

"I've always loved this church since I started coming here with my mom and dad," said Kahu Dana Kaohelaulii, of Ohana Waimea o Niihau.

Now it is their own.

WAIMEA, Kauai » The Hawaii United Church of Christ gave two tracts of land to a Niihau church Saturday to redress its missionaries' part in the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893.

The land, which included the plot under the Waimea Hawaiian Church and an empty lot on Kaumualii Highway, is the last in a line of properties turned over to native Hawaiian churches as part of the United Church of Christ's plan to make reparations to Hawaiians.

"It's exhilarating," said Ilei Benjamina, a member of the Niihau church, in a news release. "It's been 20-plus years that we've been waiting for this."

Members of Ohana Waimea o Niihau, all originally from Nii- hau, have been worshiping in Hawaiian every Sunday for 35 years. About half of the members of the congregation came to Kauai in the 1970s to work on the Gay & Robinson sugar plantation.

But they did not have their own church until 1995, when the Waimea Hawaiian Church was rebuilt after Hurricane Iniki. That congregation had combined with others in the town to form the new Waimea United Church of Christ following Iniki and moved to a different church.

"I've always loved this church since I started coming here with my mom and dad," said Kahu Dana Kaohelaulii, of Ohana Waimea o Niihau.

Now it is their own.


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