Church of the Crossroads was formed 100 years ago, by a group of university and high school students of different ethnicities who wanted to worship together in a time when Hawaii’s churches were ethnically segregated. Now 100 years later, Church of the Crossroads remains a vibrant multiethnic worship community.
Throughout our church’s history, we have sought to “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8), and to follow the commandment to love our neighbors. This has often led the church to take actions to promote peace, equality and social justice, as well as to act in care for our community, such as cooking for The Institute for Human Services, hosting Family Promise families, openly welcoming LGBTQ persons into membership, and founding a transition house for victims of domestic violence. Legislative advocacy is another way our church seeks to do justice and extend love for our neighbors.
As we celebrate our centennial, Crossroads has unanimously chosen three areas for legislative advocacy this year. We share these goals in the hope that you will join us in taking action to make our community stronger, more just, and safer for us all. Submitting testimony for legislative advocacy has never been easier (see www.capitol.hawaii.gov).
Here is Church of the Crossroads’ advocacy agenda for 2023:
>> Making affordable housing a reality. Lack of adequate truly affordable housing is hurting us all. Young families are often forced to leave the islands to afford a home. Renters pay ever rising rents that make it difficult to meet their other essential needs. Homelessness remains at crisis levels.
1. Support state Sen. Stanley Chang’s model of high density, low-cost housing built on government lands along mass transit routes, for local residents owning no other real estate. Permanently maintain the housing at an affordable level (Senate Bill 865).
2. Develop at least 10,000 affordable (truly low cost) housing units on the Aloha Stadium site, in a mixed-use development with stores, restaurants, schools and other amenities and permanently maintain the units at affordable cost.
3. Impose an empty homes tax/fee on residences not occupied by a Hawaii resident at least six months a year, with revenues earmarked for affordable housing and homelessness. This will increase available housing without delays or costs of construction, focusing our housing market on local residents’ needs (Bill 9 in Honolulu City Council).
>> Protecting Oahu’s fresh water supply. Our lives depend on having clean, safe water. Repeated fuel and chemical spills endanger our water supply.
Shut down the Red Hill fuel tanks. Require the military to remove all contaminants; pay all fines for its violations; fund an independent laboratory and environmental testing to protect Hawaii residents; publicly release lab and test results.
>> Protecting community via gun safety.
1. Ban assault guns and large capacity magazines for all firearms. Hawaii is the only state in the nation with an assault weapons ban that fails to ban these military-style weapons and magazines.
2. Require thorough background checks for each purchase of a firearm; prohibit the loaning of firearms without background checks and licensure; and establish broad protections for “sensitive places” where firearms cannot be carried in public (HB 912, HB 984 and SB 1230).
We invite you to join us for the many events celebrating our centennial, and to support our legislative agenda.
The Rev. David Baumgart Turner is pastor at Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu; Galen Fox is Crossroads moderator; Linda Rich is co-chair of Peace, Justice, Stewardship of Creation mission team.
