Lee Cataluna: Church hui produces inspirational song for the times

The congregation made a donation of hundreds of gloves to Castle Medical Center.

They offered their church as an emergency field hospital.

They have done food distribution events and have offered to do more. But beyond all these tangible donations and serv­ices, Pastor Dan Chun of First Presbyterian Church wanted to offer the community some encouragement.

“We wanted to say that the Lord is with this but not say it in a preachy way,” Chun said. “Even if you have a lot of doubt and fear, He is with us.”

Inspired by a gospel song he heard on social media — a song with soaring vocals and the use of repetition that serves as a spiritual pep rally of sorts — Chun thought about recording the lyrics with Hawaiian instruments and Hawaii voices.

“I called my friends, and they said, ‘Shoots, let’s do it!’” Chun said.

The resulting project, called “Hawaii Blessing,” is being released this week. It involved 25 churches of different denominations — including Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Baptist, Nazarene, United Church of Christ and the Salvation Army — joining together in a virtual choir.

One of the participants, Mokuaikaua Church in Kona, is the oldest Christian church in Hawaii. Another, Molokai Nazarene, just started last year.

The churches are connected through Hawaiian Islands Ministries, which is producing the video. The singers include multiple Hoku Award winner Ken Makuakane from Kawaiaha‘o Church and members of a parish so small that they hold services in a garage.

The first step was to secure the rights to record the song. Once the legal obligations were fulfilled, the churches were sent the audio track and asked to shoot video of church members singing along while listening to the music though earphones.

Most shot their video at home, alone. Then all those tracks were sent to musician Imua Garza, who had to mix all the individual voices into a unified sound.

Video editors Dave and Shayna Kusumoto and Ka­wika Lopez of 9th Avenue Studios (known for its popular HiSessions videos), then followed Garza’s music track.

There have been many at-home montage music videos released in the last couple of months, but this one is different from most. It is less entertainment and more an offering, like a blanket held out to storm victims or a hot meal given to a weary traveler.

The lyrics are a blessing from the Old Testament:

May His favor be upon you

And a thousand generations

And your family and your children

And their children, and their children

In the morning, in the evening

In your coming, and your going

In your weeping, and rejoicing

He is for you, He is for you

“I wanted a song that was truly for people, that was about blessing people rather than telling them they gotta do something,” Chun said.

The music video has the now ubiquitous “Brady Bunch” grid of faces interspersed with drone shots of the islands as they look right now, quiet and empty. The drone flies over over residential areas where people are inside their homes, and though you can’t see anyone, the effect is somehow a feeling of connection.

The plan is to release the video this evening on social media. As the recording came together, the churches decided they should share the audio version of the song for free if people ask for a download, but then suggest a donation of $5 to the Hawaii Foodbank. “That way, those who are blessed by the song can bless others in a concrete way,” Chun said.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.