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WHEREAS, Kawaiaha‘o Church, also known as "the Stone Church" and the "Westminster Abbey of the Pacific", has served at the forefront of Hawai‘i's history, serving the royal family in the days of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and offering spiritual leadership and guidance to its people; and

WHEREAS, as the mother church in the State of Hawai‘i, Kawaiaha‘o has served as a place of refuge and prayer, hosting the many who mourned after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor; and

WHEREAS, those in the position of Kahu, or shepherd, of Kawaiaha‘o church, have held great influence in Hawai‘i's history, such as Hiram Bingham, Akaiko Akana, and Abraham Akaka; and

WHEREAS, Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna answered the call to service to this great church and was installed as senior pastor on September 1, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna, a 1973 graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master's Degree in Youth Ministry, founded the Hawai‘i chapter of Young Life, a ministry organization dedicated to introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith; and

WHEREAS, Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna also served the students of Kamehameha Schools for over 30 years, beginning as an intermediate dormitory advisor, and becoming a sports chaplain, assistant campus chaplain at the Kapālama campus, and eventually serving as senior chaplain at the Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i campus; and

WHEREAS, throughout his career, Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna has touched countless lives of Hawai‘i's people, teaching them to love God, their neighbors, and to build honorable character; and

WHEREAS, on August 27, 2017, after 13 years of serving the congregation at Kawaiaha‘o, Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna retired honorably after over 50 years of service in the ministry both in Hawai‘i and across the globe; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that this body hereby commends Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna for his years of honorable service to Kawaiaha‘o Church and people of Hawai‘i, and extends its sincerest aloha, warmest mahalo and best wishes in all future endeavors.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Commending Kahu Curtis Pa‘alua Kekuna

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	228
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII