It’s an annual tradition that has endured for more than half a century, a kind of mortar helping to bind a diverse congregation that — like most churches — doesn’t have the membership it once enjoyed. It is also an event that has brought together people of many religions, or none.
And it’s just plain fun.
That’s what draws Tonia Thomas each year to St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church Bazaar in Kapaau — along with the plant table, where she paid a few dollars for a pepper and sweet grass Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the table had been covered with greenery, much of it raised by Kohala resident Naly Nakamura, who moved seven years ago from Laos.
“Everyone cooks, helps plan. All the money is for the church,” Nakamura explained. “I love flowers. All my yard is full of flowers.”
Bazaar chairwoman Kathy Matsuda doesn’t know exactly how many years the event has been raising money for scholarships and other altruism such as food vouchers and the North Kohala Food Basket. Her mother was chairwoman before her. This past week, her own daughter, Melanie Matsuda, 21, began teaching third grade on Oahu, a recipient of one of the church’s scholarships and a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
It’s just one way the bazaar has had an impact on multiple generations.
“A lot of our members have passed on. Some are elderly and sickly,” Kathy Matsuda said. “But their hearts are still in it. We would like to have new generations come, for our church to grow.”
St. Augustine’s minister Bill Rhodes sat happily absorbing the percussion of taiko drums. He said the congregation of 110 is smaller than in years past, but a promising, youthful spirit thrives within the church.
“These drummers and ukulele players are part of the congregation. I think great things are ahead,” he said. “The element that seems to be missing is the middle generation.”
That fewer and fewer people are attending churches nationally is not inherently a negative thing, Rhodes said.
“I think they are finding their own ways of connecting with God, which is good,” he said. “I see much more spirituality here than where I come from in Arizona. Whether churches are full or not, the island seems full of love and faith and spirituality.”
Built in 1884 by English and Scottish Freemasons, the church saw many ethnic waves move into the community, said Bishop’s Warden Robert Morrison. The alter was built of oak from the Loxley Estate in England’s Staffordshire, shipped around the horn and then carried in by horse. The stained glass windows — two of them still showing minor damage from the 2006 earthquake — are inscribed with the names of families of varying ethnicities. One window depicts children of all races.
The rock work out front was done by Portuguese craftsmen, Morrison said. Inscribed near the church’s alter in Mandarin are the words “Keep the Lord close to your heart.”
The bazaar is an expression of solidarity for the community, said Mike Eaton, who helped guide church tours.
“At this point, it’s generational,” Morrison said. “We have people buried here. We bring people up from the care home.”
Down at the end of the path leading to the church, taiko drums, traditional Hawaiian music, hula, belly dancing and Okinawan dance were performed. At the food tables, Filipino pancit sat alongside sweet and sour spare ribs, sushi and nishime, a Japanese chicken and vegetable dish.
The diversity is by design. The church has striven to broaden the appeal of the bazaar, offering a variety of foods, adding musical performances several years ago and the church tour last year. For Saturday’s event, the group reached out to the concierge desks at hotels from Waikoloa to Kona, trying to draw visitors to the church at the northern tip of the island. Fliers advertised the event’s silent auction of donated items, the sales at the church’s thrift store and the musical lineup.
The event raised $10,000 last year. This year’s goal was $12,000, Matsuda said, and attendance appeared to be fairly strong.
Jerome Arellano, now of Waikoloa, grew up coming to the church. Helping out at the plant sale table, he said the sense of community draws him back.
“I always loved this church,” he said. “We never stop. We always wanted to keep it going.”
