"We Are One" New Thought Congress

The Hawaii District of the International New Thought Alliance held its congress at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel from Friday through June 10, 1984, under the theme “We Are One.” The Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s June 2 preview listed Lauren Ekroth among the workshop leaders, identifying him with a dual title: “UH professor of speech and counselor at the Professional Counseling Center.” Alongside him were UH theology professor Mitsuo Aoki, who worked with death and dying; psychologist Joseph Rosenthal, a teacher of Tibetan meditation; and several other personal development practitioners. Wally “Famous Amos” — the cookie entrepreneur — served as workshop leader and master of ceremonies at Saturday night’s banquet.

The dual title confirmed what the 1984 Performax article had implied: by this point, Ekroth was simultaneously a speech professor and a practicing counselor at UH’s Professional Counseling Center. The psychosynthesis training he had undergone in the mid-1970s had become an institutionalized part of his work life. The congress registration fee of $50 covered speeches, workshops, materials, and meals — a professional-grade event, not an academic seminar.

The appearance of Mitsuo Aoki on the same program is notable. Aoki had been the moderator of the Church of the Crossroads during the 1969 sanctuary crisis, an episode in which Ekroth was a vocal participant. Now identified as a UH theology professor, Aoki and Ekroth were presenting together at a New Thought congress — the two men’s paths having crossed again, fifteen years on, in a different spiritual context.