2009 February Message

Change is Chance
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　On January 20, Mr. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Let us extend our congratulation to him, the first Hawaii -born and African-American President in history. He described how much he loves Hawaii and how Hawaii made him what he is today in the January 3rd issue of "The Honolulu Advertiser."

　　　No place else could have provided me with the environment, the climate, in which I could not only grow but also get a sense of being loved. There is no doubt that the residue of Hawaii will always stay with me, and that it is a part of my core, and that what's best in me, and what's best in my message, is consistent with the tradition of Hawaii.

　　　Some of the major factors contributing his land-slide victory were said to be as follows: He realized what is necessary in this day and age, promised ways to meet those expectations, clearly expressing them in concise and inspiring words, and made use of cutting-edge technologies, and encouraged great interest in the election. His key word was, is, and probably will be "change."

　　　We should not apply all those factors to the world of religion, although some of them might be helpful to our movement. It is a fact that there is unchangeable truth in religion. "Man is a child of God" is the absolute truth that should not or can not be changed no matter how many years pass since the founding. And the truth should be unshakable and eternal not only in the U.S. but also in South America, Europe, China, and North Korea. This is what the central part of religious truth is.

　　　On the contrary, the way to express our reverence to God and memorialize our ancestors, and the clothing worn at those ceremonies should be changed in accordance with people, time, and the place. From this respect, we changed the way to worship God since last June. The two-bows, two-handclaps, and halfway-bow style was replaced with a brief prayer to worship God. I think it is not easy to change a traditional way, but thanks to your understanding and cooperation, we haven't had any major problems or confusion along with this change. I appreciate you for that from the bottom of my heart.

　　　Following this, change will be made in the manual for Ancestor Memorial Service from this January. Some may feel uncomfortable when a familiar style is changed, however, it is inevitable in order for the SNI teachings including Ancestor Memorial Service, which is unfamiliar in Christian culture, to be accepted in a natural way by the average American. This will definitely help contribute to the development of our movement. Your continuous support and understanding are highly appreciated. I gave a detail explanation on it at the memorial service on Sunday, January 4, and I will put a draft of this lecture on my own blog, http://make-peace-by-faith.blogspot.com/. Upon request, I can mail you.

　　　We have two other major changes in Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii. One is our officers. We elected 2009-2010 officers in November and the installation ceremony will be conducted on January 25. I extend my sincere gratitude to all of the 2007-2008 officers and hope the new officers will fulfill their mission in accordance with the will of God.

　　　Another change is the Newsletter editing staff. Rev. and Mrs. Leslie Iwatani, who have been editing our Newsletter for 16 years, have retired and it was decided that I take over assisted by Mr. Clifford Nishimura. Mrs. Shirley Iwatani will continue to edit my article as she has done. I extend my sincere gratitude to Rev. and Mrs. Iwatani for their long dedication and I would like to make this Newsletter more widely read and loved by our members. Thank you very much.