WORSHIP & DEVOTIONALS
Opening Worship | Sunday, October 4, 2020
DEVOTIONAL • Monday, October 5, 2020
‘AHA PAE‘ĀINA 2022 WORKSHOPS
Mahalo to our various presenters and participants throughout the week!
View recordings of the workshops offered as part of the 200th ‘Aha Pae‘āina.
WORKSHOP 1
Affirming Licensed and Commissioned Ministers
VIEW RECORDING
Background: The ‘Aha O Nā Mokupuni ‘O Maui, Moloka‘i, A Me Lāna‘i is bringing a resolution to the 200th ‘Aha Pae‘āina for adoption and support for action at the 34th General Synod. There will be a formal motion to adopt this resolution and forward it to the General Synod. The ‘Aha O Nā Mokupuni ’O Maui, Moloka‘i, A Me Lāna‘i asks the delegates of the 200th ‘Aha Makua to adopt this formal motion by consensus. This motion will be part of the Aha Makua agenda for decision.
The church has not always taken the forms that we are most familiar with today. Historically, the churches went from being a persecuted minority meeting in homes with fledgling leadership to being the official religion of the Roman Empire. Each generation has responded to the mission and ministry of the church by authorizing some for special ministry. As we move into an uncertain future and seek the guidance of the next generations, we can be reasonably sure that both the shape of ministry and the local church will change and require a variety of authorized ministers.
Purpose and Objective
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To affirm the valuable ministry of licensed and commissioned ministers in the HCUCC and the entire UCC
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To present practical and theological rationales for continuing the varieties of authorized ministers in the UCC
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To put authorized ministry into the context of the HCUCC’s and the UCC’s commitment to the priesthood of all believers
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To inform delegates of the process used by the General Synod for formal motions and the support required for those proposing and endorsing specific formal motions
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To challenge the delegates and members of the HCUCC to provide leadership for the UCC that will create opportunities and authorization of such ministers
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To accept and act on our responsibility as a Conference of the UCC to bring pressing issues to General Synod
PRESENTERS:
The Rev. Elizabeth Dilley is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Ordained in 2003, she served a small, progressive congregation in Red Oak, Iowa for nine years before moving to Cleveland to work in the UCC's national offices in 2012. In her work in the national setting, she serves as the Minister and Team Leader for the Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) ministry team, building support for the vision that all ministry settings deserve gifted, supported, accountable, and transformational pastoral leadership, and creating and curating resources to equip the church for this vision. Rev. Dilley lives in Cleveland with her spouse, Paul Richardson, their child, and a rowdy dog.
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Fong
Tri-Isle Committee on Ministry
Rev. Kyle Lovett
O‘ahu Committee on Ministry
Kahu Wayne Higa
AHEC Committee on Ministry
Rev. Jack Belsom
Author of resolution
WORKSHOP 2
Bylaws of the Hawai‘i Conference
VIEW RECORDING
In this year’s proposed bylaw amendments, the vast majority of proposed HCUCC bylaw amendments consist of addressing inconsistencies in terminology (ie. “Church and Ministry” changed to “Committee on Ministry,” and other current terminology in the national UCC setting). Minor corrections to punctuation and grammar along with added diacritical marks will be made. New to this set of bylaws is an additional line about online meetings.
These proposed bylaw amendments also address bringing the Conference and Foundation bylaws into alignment in terms of the purpose of the Foundation and how the Conference goes about electing members to the Foundation Board of Directors.
Join Council Chair Eric Anderson and Administration Missional Team Chair Elwood Kita as they present an overview of the proposed HCUCC bylaw amendments.
PRESENTERS:
Eric Anderson, Conference Council Chair
Elwood Kita, Administration Missional Team Chair
Resources:
HCUCC 2022 Bylaws Revision Notes
HCUCC 2009 Bylaws with 2022 Proposed Revisions
Presentation slides:
2022 Foundation Bylaws (from Andy Bunn)
Roadmap of Narratives (from David Popham)
More:
WORKSHOP 3
Training Leaders for an Uncertain Future
VIEW RECORDING
How do we equip people for leadership in the church when constant change is challenging and the way we have done things in the past no longer seems to work? What kind of training and support can we offer those we are recruiting for leadership?
Purpose and Objective
- To share and celebrate the experience of HCUCC participants in the Theological Education for Leadership (TEL) program
- To explore TEL as a way to train HCUCC members for leadership in their local churches, in their Associations, and in the Conference
- To challenge local churches and associations to encourage and support equipping members for leadership in ways that are culturally sensitive, theologically sound, and pragmatic
Strategic Initiatives
This workshop addresses training and spiritual formation: provide paths for leadership development, theological education and spiritual growth that include all cultures and generations. Because the forms of the church are changing, this workshop also addresses the expansive concept of Church: Actively support new or different ways of “being church.” It could very well address through different courses the gifts and wisdom of the next generation: ensure that people under 40 are welcomed, inspired and free to give full expression of their faith (even if it looks different).
Relevance
Local churches (not to mention associations and the conference) often struggle to find people willing to serve as leaders. Just as often, those who are willing feel that they are not well-equipped to serve. Finding training and resources is challenging and expensive at times. A Hawai‘i Cohort of the TEL program could be the best choice for a local church for the formation of leaders in the church.
'Aha Theme
How will the church pass on the faith we share from generation to generation? What kind of leaders are needed to reach various generations?
Presenters
From Pacific School of Religion:
Dr. Joyce Del Rosario
Rev. Tana Roseboro-Marsh
Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy
From the inaugural Hawai‘i cohort of graduates of the Certificate in Theological Education for Leadership (CTEL) program:
Caroline Belsom
Linda Ka‘auwai-Iwamoto
Tiffany Marotte
Learn more about the TEL program:
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Dr. Joyce del Rosario is currently an assistant Professor on the Practice of Ministry at Pacific School of Religion. Her research is focused on Mary mother of Jesus and how she impacts new models for mission with marginalized groups like teen moms as well as Filipino American theology. Previously, Joyce ran youth programs in various cultural and economic communities for over 20 years. She was the Executive Director of New Creation Home Ministries, a residential and outreach program for teen moms and has also served as an Area Director for Young Life. Joyce also has a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a ThM from Fuller Seminary. She has also served on the board of directors of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Her favorite activity is sharing delicious food with friends and family. (More: joycedelrosario.com)
Rev. Tana Roseboro-Marsh serves as the Theological Education for Leadership (TEL) Program Coordinator at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. Tana is an educator whose specialties include Students with Disabilities and Reading Instruction. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a Master of Art in Teaching degree, both from Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. She received her Master of Divinity degree from the prestigious Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, May 2018. Currently, she is working on her Ph.D. in religion and philosophy with a concentration in Women’s Spirituality.Rev. Roseboro-Marsh accepted her call to ministry in 2007, was licensed May 2014, and ordained May 2018 by Rivers of Living Water New York UCC. Tana continues to serve as a member and minister at Rivers, holds dual membership with City of Refuge UCC, and has standing in The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. She also has standing in the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church).Rev. Tana is committed to working on issues affecting the LGBTQIA community and underserved youth. She volunteers as an assistant to parents of special needs students in the public school system, coaching them to advocate for their children. Tana’s passion is doing work in the area of Spirituality and Women of Southern African American descent in her new ministry, Healing the WOMBman.Rev. Tana is married to Rev. Dr. Katrina Marsh and is the dog mom of Xola Darling.
Caroline Peters Belsom (member of Wailuku Union Church) is an attorney in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, where she is in the process of retiring from her “preventative lawyering” practice. She is a solo practitioner focusing on the needs of non-profit organizations and a volunteer helping persons who represent themselves in civil matters. Caroline is licensed to practice law in both Iowa and Hawaii. Since 1982 she has held positions as a federal prosecutor in Iowa, a civil litigator and litigation partner in two Hawaii law firms, and general counsel for a Hawaii resort development corporation. As foundation for her work as an attorney, Caroline has the training and experience of a scientist and as a teacher. Born and raised on the island of Oahu, Caroline is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, St. Olaf College in Minnesota (BS Physics, Mathematics magna cum laude), Iowa State University (MS Physics), and the University of Connecticut School of Law (JD). She recently completed the Theological Education for Leadership program at Pacific School of Religion. Caroline has always been active in her various home and work communities. She has served on non-profit boards and county commissions, volunteered her legal expertise for the judiciary and served her local church, state conference and national United Church of Christ organizations. Her various positions include Chair of the Maui County Board of Ethics, Chair of the Ke Ali’i Pauahi Foundation, Assistant Moderator for the UCC General Synod, member of the UCC Board of Directors, and moderator of the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ.
Linda Ka‘auwai-Iwamoto, is a Mother of three, Mama of six, Tutu of five; a member of Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church on Kaua‘i with connections to Kawaiaha‘o Church on O‘ahu; a chairman on the Board of Trustees for the Hawai‘i Conference Foundation; a graduate of Kapa‘a High & Elementary School, Graduate of Canon Business School and Pacific School of Religion's TEL program. Linda retired from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and is a member of the Kaua‘i County Fire Department Commission and Hale O Nā Ali‘i's, Hālau O Kapi‘olani 3.
Tiffany Marotte
Member of Kōloa Union Church on Kaua‘i
Installation Service of Jonathan Roach
Since October 2021, Jonathan Roach has served as our part-time Associate Conference Minister deployed to Hawaiʻi Island where he lives with his wife and daughter. On June 14, 2022, Jonathan was installed as Associate Conference Minister by the Hawai‘i Island Association at Church of The Holy Cross in Hilo. (view more)
In his annual report, Jonathan shares, "This call has been nine months of joys and challenges, but I feel blessed to be called to this ministry. And as I enter my fourth year of living on Hawaiʻi Island, I continue to grow in my love for this ‘āina and the people who call it home."
Read Jonathan's full report on Pages R22-R25 of the 'Annual Reports' section of the ‘Aha Makua handbook.
Follow along with the Order of Worship
Hosted by Church of the Holy Cross
WORKSHOP 4
Hawai‘i Conference Foundation Update
VIEW RECORDING
Executive Director Andy Bunn will share updates from the Foundation which is dedicated to promoting the interests and welfare of the Hawai‘i Conference of the United Church of Christ, its member churches and affiliates, continuing the first Christian work started in Hawai‘i in 1820.
OVERVIEW:
Brief Introduction to the HCF
Current Assets & Holdings
Current Issues
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Expenses & Draws on Investments
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Craigside
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1848 Nu‘uanu Office Building
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Understanding What We Have
Some Properties
Questions
Presenter:
Andy Bunn, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Conference Foundation
WORKSHOP 5
Justice: Living the Gospel of Love
VIEW RECORDING
An interactive workshop to explore the role of justice in our Christian faith and to share what it means to fully engage in living the gospel of love, treating justice work as a spiritual practice.
Justice and injustice are multigenerational issues. What we and the Church do or donʻt do will affect future generations, and we are still affected by injustices of the past that need healing. Join members of the HCUCC’s Justice & Witness Missional Team (one of the Conference’s five missional teams) to draw out the justice movement inherent in the Gospel and to consider what “Love your neighbor as yourself” means in our contemporary context.
This workshop will highlight the work and spiritual motivation of the Justice and Witness Missional Team and invite others into that ministry. Participants will expand their understanding of what it means to love our neighbors and to live out the Gospel message by reviewing Biblical foundations of justice work as central to our faith and learning of various means of engagement in justice work in its broadest meaning.
Strategic Initiatives:
(1) Training and spiritual formation
(3) Expansive concept of church
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Linda Rich, Chairperson of the Justice and Witness Missional Team, will moderate the panel discussion. "Church of the Crossroads has been my community of faith since 1979. I have served on its Peace, Justice, and Stewardship of Creation Mission Team for many years, as well as the Worship Committee and the Churchʻs Coordinating Council. I find great joy in singing in the choir. I am a retired social worker and addictions counselor.
If there ever has been a time that urgently called for Christians to proclaim Jesusʻ Way of justice, reconciliation and peace, and the kindom of God, it is now. Here at home, on the Continent, and across the world, the pandemic has exposed inequities in access to health care, growing poverty and hunger, and racism. Our Hawaiian brothers and sisters in Christ continue to seek justice. We see gun violence in our daily news, and hateful speech and violent actions magnifying political divisions. Sadly, Christianity also is deeply divided. The amazing creation placed in our care breathed a sigh of relief and began to heal while we have been forced to slow our travel and other polluting activities and has shown us that our behavior can restore or destroy the creation that supports all life. I look to Micahʻs admonition that we are called to DO justice, act kindly, and walk humbly with God, and to Matthew 25:34-45. I believe that we are called, in the UCC, to act and witness for justice. Your HCUCC Justice and Witness Missional Team is here to facilitate our churches and members answering that call."
PANELISTS:
Pastor MacArthur Flournoy serves as Chaplain for the Institute of Human Services, the largest organization serving people who are impacted by homelessness in the state of Hawai‘i, MacArthur was awarded his Master's of Divinity in May 2011, from Pacific School of Religion. He is currently a Member in Discernment with the O‘ahu Association, UCC. MacArthur formerly served as the Director of Faith Partnerships & Mobilization with a Human Rights Campaign based in Washington DC. MacArthur is a member of the "All Are Welcome at the Table Working group, of the Justice and Witness Ministry Team.
Ronald Fujiyoshi
Education: University of Hawai‘i, Chicago Theological Seminary
Work: Urban-Industrial Mission, Urban-Rural Mission, Community Organizing under the United Church of Christ 1970-1999, Pastor Ola‘a First Hawaiian Church 1992-1999, part-time farmer 1999-present
Present involvement: Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches, ‘Ohana Ho‘opakele, Micronesian Committee of the HCUCC, One Stop Center for Micronesians on Hawai‘i Island, Mauna Kea.
Wayne Higa, a licensed pastor through the Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches is the kahu of Ka‘ahumanu Church in Wailuku, Maui where he was born and raised. He is a graduate of the Henry ‘Ōpukaha‘ia Center. Wayne serves as a member of HCUCC's Reconciliation Working Group & Formation Missional Team.
Cassie Chee (she/her) calls Korea, Okinawa, China, Hawai'i, and the Pacific Northwest home. Her Father grew up in Pearl City and her Mother was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Los Angeles. Cassie was raised in Kirkland, Washington (Duwamish land) and went to the University of Washington where she began to feel a call to ministry. She recently graduated from Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Master's of Divinity in hopes of doing ministry alongside those most vulnerable in our community. She currently works as a Community Organizer at Faith Action for Community Equity and is a Member in Discernment at Pearl City Community Church. Cassie is passionate about co-creating and building power locally to imagine more loving and just worlds.
WORKSHOP 6
Mission-Focused Measures: Developing New Metrics for a New Church
VIEW RECORDING
This workshop will provoke participants to begin to think about how their congregations evaluate and celebrate ministry. Many congregations measure the success of their ministry by the number of individuals in the pews on Sunday and the amount of money that supports the congregation. While these metrics are valuable, they are not the only way to measure the efficacy and thriving of a congregation. In fact by over-focusing on these two metrics, we can miss the subtle movings of the Spirit to lead our ministries into the future Church.
The HCUCC strategic plan has a stated initiative of an “Expansive Concept of Church.” This workshop will encourage participants to envision how their congregations can develop localized metrics that evaluate how the Spirit is leading them into the future.
The ongoing work of this metric development will be one of the initiatives of the new Innovation and Engagement Mission Team. This workshop will serve as an introduction to this Missional Team and set a public vision for its work.
Materials:
Description of proposed Innovation and Engagement Missional Team
Presenters:
Innovation & Engagement Committee
Valerie Ross, Associate Conference Minister on Kaua‘i
Heather Barfield, Associate Pastor, United Church of Christ Judd Street
Ben Sheets, Senior Pastor, Lāna‘i Union Church
Josh Hayashi, Chaplain, Punahou School; Hoku‘iwa LLC
Manu Nae‘ole, Chaplain at Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama; Kahu of Kalihi and Moanalua Church
Rob Bork, Senior Pastor, Kapa‘a UCC
WORKSHOP 7
Part 1 - Hawai‘i Conference FY2023 Budget
VIEW RECORDING
Woody Kita, Administration Missional Team Chair, will give a report on the finances and budget of the Conference for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
Part 2 - On Becoming a Church Against Gun Violence: A Resolution of Witness
VIEW RECORDING
Over the past two years, gun violence and mass shootings have skyrocketed in the United States. Our faith compels us to speak out about this bloodshed and to let our prayers move us to action. After prayerful discernment, Central Union Church has crafted a resolution of witness, inviting the Hawai‘i Conference and its members to become churches against gun violence. This resolution was among the items voted on by delegates in the ‘Aha Makua business session.
Presenters:
Rev. Brandon Durán, Acting Senior Minister, Central Union Church
Rev. Mary Herbig, Minister of Congregational Life, Central Union Church
Martha Balkin, member of Central Union Church
Greg Sato, member of Central Union Church Martha
Note: Due to the time this 'emergency' resolution was submitted, it has been added on to an existing workshop.
WORKSHOP 8
In Their Hearts Was Aroused a Hope: Justice and Healing at Kalaupapa
VIEW RECORDING
A narrated slide show of historical and modern-day photos that shows how the people of Kalaupapa and their families have sought justice since the first people were forcibly isolated there in 1866 because they had been diagnosed with leprosy, now also called Hansen’s disease.
The presentation focuses on three of these efforts: the founding of Siloama Church by the early residents and how faith gave them hope and strength, the work of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa in helping descendants reconnect to their Kalaupapa ancestors, and plans to establish The Kalaupapa Memorial that will display the names of each of the nearly 8,000 people who were sent to the peninsula.
Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization organized in 2003 at the request of the Kalaupapa residents, family members and friends to advocate for the community, develop educational programs and preserve this important history. For more information: www.kalaupapaohana.org
Presenter:
Valerie Monson is an award-winning journalist who began visiting Kalaupapa in 1989 and has been interviewing the people of Kalaupapa and writing about them ever since. She is a founding member of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa and serves as Executive Director.
The book Adjourned With A Prayer, which chronicles the Siloama and Kana‘ana Hou Church’s history through meeting minutes taken from 1866 to 1928, is available through the Hawai‘i Conference office for $20 plus shipping fees. To purchase a copy, contact the Conference office: 808-537-9516 or hcucc@hcucc.org.
KEYNOTE
The Religion of the Hawaiian Chiefs: Ali‘i, Missionaries, and Religion in Early 19th Century Hawai‘i
VIEW RECORDING
The years 1819 to 1820 marked a watershed in the history of the Hawaiian Islands. With the passing of King Kamehameha I in 1819, the Kapu System was abolished, setting off a catalyst for change in the systems of faith, government, and society. A major agent of change was the missionaries who came to Hawai‘i in April 1820 to spread the Gospel, and in the process, the islands were forever changed.
Nearly everyone who spends much time in Hawai‘i soon forms an opinion about “the missionaries” who, as many accounts have it, cajoled, browbeat, and, eventually, converted an entire “heathen” nation to Protestant Christianity. But how could a handful of overdressed New Englanders who, when they first arrived, did not know the native language or culture, convince an entire nation to put on more clothes, adopt western views of sin and sexuality, and replace their traditional Polynesian religion for that of Boston? Could there be more to the story?