The Church Died In That Town

 Oh yeah, I was the driver yesterday…on the Road to Hana. I capitalize the word Road because it’s not just a road, but an adventure that is known as an attraction on Maui. This is a Road where even the driver can get carsick. But it is beauty unsurpassed. The jungle of the rainy side of Maui holds hundreds of breathtaking scenes of the coastline, and numerous tropical flowers, trees, vines, ferns (think Jurassic Park), and great road-side stands selling homemade banana bread and delicious smoothies made with fresh sugar cane juice. (otherwise known as sugar-water).

At one point we departed from the Road, turning left to descend into a valley that took us right to the water’s edge into the village of Ke’anae. There were some old Hawaiian style houses, tarot fields, a soft ball field, a community center, and a Congregational church built in 1860 out of lava rock. The church was open, as most Hawaiian churches are, and we were able to go in and take a few pictures. We felt the presence of the Lord in there, even though there had been no church services in decades. I prayed for God to once again use the church to His Glory.

Outside, a Hawaiian woman who was around 40 years old, had a table set up under a shady gazebo, and she was selling homemade Macadamia Nut Brittle. (Yes, I bought a little bag, $4). Yummy. I asked her about the church’s congregation. This is how I found out there WAS NO congregation. She said that the people of the church grew old and died off just a couple of decades ago, and the children didn’t follow after God and keep the church going. (She described herself as Catholic.) I was heartbroken that a church that was alive for over a hundred years would die in our lifetime. (Perhaps a microcosm picture of what is going on in our country?)

As I walked away after that conversation, the gravity and the importance of reaching our children, and other’s children with the Good News of Jesus Christ, and how critical this is, weighed upon me. I love how we do everything we can to reach the kids through VBS and other kid programs, including Sunday School. But I believe that’s not enough. Each one of us must find and disciple some kids, inside and outside the church…making it a personal project to reach them and mentor them in the love and power of God.  We start with our kids, and include other people's kids.  Otherwise, our town may have an extinct church in a generation or two, like in Ke’anae.