KIC received a message from Reverend Masanori Takeuchi, Head Minister of Konko Church of Chicago, USA. He shares his impression about his trip to Hawaii for the KCNA-KMH Joint Conference with us.
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This summer the Konko Churches of North America and the Konko Missions in Hawaii held their joint conference at the Camp Erdman, the northwest corner of Oahu Island.
Because this year is my 30th wedding (Pearl) anniversary I really wanted my wife Kanako to be with me for this important conference. It allowed us a chance to achieve a new spiritual investment in each other and renew many friendships with church members both in Hawaii and North America together.
Besides our anniversary, 2010 also marks the 65th anniversary of the end of WWII, which began on Sunday, Dec. 7th, 39 years before we were married. Kanako and I visited the Pearl Harbor to pray for the Mitama spirits of all who died in that the terrible war. We visited the Punchbowl to pay our respects to our late members who died in Chicago and were buried at the National Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu.
On Aug. 13 we joined the KCNA-KMH Joint Conference. It was wonderfully organized. Everyone enjoyed the perfect weather for three days and accumulated a great “spiritual investment.” We had many chances to talk with the members in Hawaii. Two guest speakers were particularly good. Rev. Mitsutoshi Horio, Head Minister of the Konko Church of Hita, Japan, spoke about true and sincere faith in Japanese. He said that everyone had the spirit of Kami. And once it started working, it would guide us in the right way by referring to the teachings and his own experiences. His dynamic speech impressed the participants a lot. It was translated into English especially for the younger listeners.
One interesting sidelight, Camp Erdman is the location for the TV drama “Lost.” The natural beauty there is indescribable. At the sunrise services we enjoyed a fantastic sunrise each day. As for the sunset, I almost missed it. But nature called and I went down from the second floor. I saw Kanako and she told me the sun would be setting right away. I rushed to the beach and there was a sunset, amazing beyond description.
Our trip to Hawaii was filled with Kami’s awesome fulfillment, which we will never forget, nor adequately express our gratitude for. Thank you!

From August 13 (Friday) to 15（Sunday）, 2010, the 7th KCNA-KMH Joint Conference was held at the YMCA Camp H.R. Erdman in Waialua on Oahu, Hawaii. 122 people gathered from continental U.S.A., Canada, Hawaii, and Japan. The goals of the conference were creating an opportunity for Konko Faith to be conveyed in English to younger and future generations, and providing an opportunity for believers of churches scattered throughout the region to meet and share religious experiences. The theme of the 2010 Conference was “Spiritual Investment.” The participants were helped “to understand ‘Spiritual Investment’ during this conference,” and “to assess how each participant has been practicing faith and moving forward with his/her own faith.”

On May 31, KIC staff members met with Ms. Pauline Chakmakjian during her visit to Japan. Ms. Chakmakjian is a researcher of Freemason, Japanese Culture, and Japanese New Religions. She has a strong interest in Konkokyo and participated in the Pan-European Konkokyo Conference this past February.

She spoke with KIC staff about Konkokyo activities, its current state of affairs, and its future activities in London. Afterwards, she and KIC staff visited Konko Church of Shiba (Minato-Ward, Tokyo), and met with Head Minister Reverend Akemi Utsugi. With deep fascination, Ms. Chakmakjian asked Reverend Utsugi about the structure of the worship hall and altar, Sacred Mediation, and church activities.
Ms. Chakmakjian also visited Konko Church of Karasuma (Chuo-Ward, Kyoto) on May 24. She spoke with Reverend Yoshiteru Takahashi, the head minister, and toured the church facilities.

After meeting us, she left by saying that since she was coming to Japan again next year, she would love to come meet the members of Konkokyo again!

On June 25, Reverend Hiromichi Maehara visited KIC and told our staff about social conditions and Konkokyo activities in Paraguay. Konkokyo activities have been managed by a staff member of Asuncion Activity Center and Reverend Maehara has been supporting these efforts. He expressed with delight that the younger generation are gradually taking an interest in Konkokyo.