I was born in Massachusetts
to parents David and Sandra Hirano. If
that name is familiar that is because the Rev. Dr. David Hirano was a former
interim here at Manoa. I lived in Pennsylvania,
California and grew up in Kailua,
Hawaii. I graduated from Mid-Pacific
Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii
in 1984. I attended Defiance College
in Defiance, Ohio
from 1984-1988. After graduation from Defiance
College, I worked on my Masters of
Divinity Degree at Chicago Theological Seminary, graduating in 1991.
I spent the year from 1991 - 1992 in Japan
at the Asian Rural Institute where I learned about pigs and sustainable
agricultural. I realized that I needed to be a missionary in the local church
to understand better the mission that is overseas. In 1993-1994 I was counselor
and staff member at Silver Lake Conference Center,
Connecticut Conference’s Outdoor Ministry
Camp.
My Local Church
ministry began in 1994 in Fort Branch, Indiana
where I served as Senior pastor for a yoked parish. Many people ask me what
that is. A yoked parish is serving two
parishes in the same town. In this case, I served both St. Lucas and St.
Paul (one mile apart) in Fort
Branch, Indiana. I was ordained
in 1995 from the Chicago Metropolitan Association; Chicago,
Illinois. While in Indiana,
I met the love of my life Sonya Chung who worked for the UCC headquarters in Cleveland
and knew my parents during this time as my father Rev. Dr. David Hirano was the
Executive President of the Common Global Mission Board of the United Church of
Christ and Disciples of Christ.
In 1997 I had a call to serve as senior pastor at Montebello
Plymouth Congregational Church in Montebello, California.
Sonya and I were married there, with my father, Rev. David Hirano officiating.
We spent 6 years together in the ministry of this church. In 2003 I accepted a call to be the senior
pastor of Wheatland United Church of Christ. On December 9, 2004, our daughter, Sofia Hirano was born in Cheyenne,
Wyoming.
On October 2006 our family moved to Hawaii
and currently live with my parents in Kailua.
From September 2007 - August of 2008, I served as a resident chaplain through
the Clinical Pastoral Education of Pacific Health Ministries. I was a Chaplain
at Queens' Medical
Center and Kaiser
Medical Center
during that time.
I look forward to getting to know you as we all have faith
and life stories to share as children, youth, young adults, and family members
in the Body of Christ known as Manoa Valley
Church.
Blessings Always,
Pastor Scott Hirano
Acting Minister for Families and Youth