“We Can’t Make Up for That With a Bake Sale”: An Iconic Honolulu Church Votes to Lease or Sell Land

• Central Union Church in Honolulu sits on eight acres along South Beretania Street.
• Members voted about 2 to 1 to allow the church council to enter long-term ground leases or sell portions of the land.
• Donations have declined and wedding income, once about 1,300 weddings a year mainly for Japanese tourists, has fallen sharply.
• The church faces mounting repair costs, including spalling concrete and leaks.

One of Honolulu’s best-known churches has taken a step it hoped never to take. Honolulu Civil Beat reported that members of Central Union Church voted to let the church council lease or sell parts of its land.

The Protestant church, with its Colonial Revival architecture and familiar steeple, occupies eight acres along South Beretania Street and has served the community for nearly 100 years. The vote passed by roughly two to one. It gives the council authority to enter long-term ground leases or to sell portions of the land; no specific sale or lease had been announced.

The church’s finances have been squeezed from several sides. Donations have declined. Wedding income, once a mainstay, has dropped sharply: the church once averaged about 1,300 weddings a year, largely for Japanese tourists, and the pandemic hit events hard. Repair bills have mounted, with concrete spalling, leaks and general deterioration. The operating deficit had become too large to close through ordinary fundraising. Council chair Carl Schlack mentioned a “very large” theoretical offer from a developer but stressed that the process was exploratory.

Schlack said: “If we want this church to continue in the future, we need to be very serious about looking at what steps we can take.” Member Dian Cleve put it more bluntly: “We can’t make up for that with a bake sale.”

Central Union’s choice between ground leases and outright sales is one many Jamaican churches with large town sites may face. A ground lease keeps the land in church hands and produces steady income, while a sale brings a lump sum but gives up the asset for good. Both need careful valuation and legal advice. The Honolulu vote also shows the value of acting before a crisis: a church that plans while it still has options can choose the best deal rather than the first one.

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