What is the preacher’s worst nightmare? I nominate last Mother’s Day at the church of Christ as Pearl Harbor. The plans included flowers for each and every mom and a sumptuous steak feast prepared and served by their loving husbands. And for an added attraction the plans included the installation of two new deacons. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Not a bit of a nightmare in these activities, is there? How about this for a daylight nightmare: No one comes to church. No one! Nada! Not the elders, not the deacons, not the deacons-to-be, not the Mother’s Day cooks, not the mothers, not the children, not the song leader, not the Bible Class teachers; just the preacher, Mrs. Preacher and their ever faithful PD (preacher’s dog). The parking lot was an acre of empty black top. Was the sermon from the week before really that bad?
A phone call by a desperate cook revealed that it wasn’t the sermon. He and everyone else couldn’t get to the church building. In its secular wisdom the Honolulu County traffic deacons decided to close Nimitz Highway for a Triathlon. In other words, other than by helicopter there was no access to the church. Further calls indicated that the road would be opened at noon, 11 am or 10 am. Pick one! The elders set up a conference call and it was decided to conduct the meal at 4:30 pm and services at 6. All the members of the congregation were called and so informed. Apparently, the Highway Department learned of the postponement of the services and, having accomplished their purpose, opened the roads at 9 am. Humph!
The congregation rose to the challenge. The cooks arrived at 3:30. The mom’s arrived at 4:30 and a grand feast celebrated our moms. If you are familiar with the Pearl Harbor family then you know that the level of fellowship is always elevated. However, Mother’s Day proved to be very special. In services, Jesus was remembered, our mom’s were acknowledged and our new deacons were installed. Isn’t that just like our God? Taking the worst moments and turning them in to the best!
It isn’t every congregation of the Lord’s Body that can boast of its
own merry-go-round. Is a merry-go-round even remotely scriptural? It is if we are speaking metaphorically, and that we are. The single negative aspect to this congregation is the constant loss of military members as they move to new commands.
It has been suggested that where the mainland congregations fire their ministers every three 
years the church of Christ at Pearl Harbor fires the congregation. Or, so it seems. With painful regularity we conduct farewell fellowships - many of those at the beach.
May 27th was the date of our most recent goodbye gathering. Our awesome cooks 
provided an abundance of fine fodder. Laughter and tears were common. So was the occasional, if unintentional, “baptism.” Six families are preparing to leave. Each takes a hunk of our hearts and our gratitude.
The redeeming quality of merry-go-rounds is 
that they bring you back to the starting point. And while we bid farewell to some, at least five families have or are returning to us. God’s mercies never cease!
