21st Century Molokai Connects Online

Five years ago this would have been noteworthy. Ten years ago this would have been fascinating. Fifteen years ago this would have been unthinkable.

Today, it's just normal.

A Molokai church pastor participates on a web message board, strikes up a friendship with a pastor in York, PA, and a year later, they're serving Kalua Pig, Poi, and Haupia at a luau on the churchgrounds in York.

Rev. Lon Rycraft is the pastor of a Kaluapapa Peninsula church on Molokai known as the Kana'ana Hou-Siloama United Church of Christ (link goes to a 2001 story about efforts to preserve the church, and includes a nice photo).

Rev. Elmer Scofield is pastor of St. Stephen’s Chuch in York, PA. They decided for their churches to become ""sister churches" a year ago. Just this past weekend, they celebrated the one-year anniversary with a luau at the York church, and the York Dispatch was there for the story:

The 30 or so people who gathered at St. Stephen's United Church of Christ in West York did just that, partaking in a luau, or Hawaiian feast.

Wearing leis -- flowered necklaces -- they ate Hawaiian dishes such as poi, a mashed potato-like food from the taro plant; haupia, gelatinous squares made from coconut milk, and imu, roast pork.

Someone might want to let the York Dispatch know that imu is the in-ground oven where the Kalua Pig is cooked -- it isn't the pork itself. :-)

Posted by brian at July 30, 2003 06:16 AM