Folks at the Honolulu Christian Church in Manoa — trying to cope with growing pains and thinking about adding a second sanctuary — thought their prayers had been answered three years ago when the owner of an adjacent property offered to give the church first shot at buying his 11,250-square-foot lot at 2234 University Ave.

"That's what it sounded like to us," said Don Hirata, administrator for the English-speaking programs at the church.

The additional land might be perfect for a small parking lot to handle the overflow of worshippers, church administrators thought. So, the church bought the land for $1.3 million in December 2006 — complete with the quaint, one-story home that sat right in the middle of the property.

After that, things got complicated.

At first, church officials kicked around a number of possible ideas, Hirata said. The house could be simply torn down and paved over, or perhaps the home might be converted into a parsonage for the pastor.

That latter idea was nixed when the pastor said he didn't want to live so close to the church.

Meanwhile, during an Easter 2007 ceremony, the congregation parked on the lawn around the home to accommodate extra Sunday traffic. Nathaniel Ching, 75, a retired surgeon who lives next door, took snapshots of more than a dozen vehicles in the yard.

"They tested the waters," said Ching, who opposes the property being used for parking. "They parked cars there. We want to preserve the residential character of the neighborhood."

Ching complained. He took the matter to the Manoa Neighborhood Board.

Then, on Nov. 9, 2008, the Advertiser ran a story headlined, "Obama slept here," which pointed out for the first time that the home at 2234 University Ave. had been the boyhood home of the newly elected U.S. president, Barack Obama, who lived in the house from 1964 to 1967 with his mother and grandparents.

"And we went, 'Whoa — I guess we can't touch that house now,' " Hirata said. "So we made an alternate plan to use the property as an auxiliary parking lot in case we ever needed it — only when we have something big going on."

Still, rumors circulated that the church might tear the home down — which Hirata described as "crazy talk."

On July 5, the New York Times ran a story headlined, "A Historic Twist Enters a Honolulu Parking Fight," which quoted Hirata as saying, "I don't think anyone in his right mind would break down a house that belonged to one of the presidents."

NEW IDEAS

The church is now considering replacing the lawn around the house with "Grasscrete," which allows grass to be grown through holes in the pavement. If anything, the home's appearance would be enhanced by landscaping, said Hirata.

"You can grow grass on it so it will stay nice and green," said Hirata, who added whatever the church decides will have to be something that doesn't upset the neighborhood. "But you'll have solid surface to drive on. And of course, trees will be planted to keep everything green and keep the look of Manoa."

Last night Ching said he and some other residents aren't buying the Grasscrete idea.

"We don't want a parking lot of any kind," said Ching, who admitted that no vehicles have been parked on the property next to his since Easter 2007.

Hirata said the church is still praying for a miracle. He hopes the nationwide publicity might persuade someone to buy the Obama home so the congregation can use the money to purchase another nearby property for the overflow parking lot.