- Hawai‘i Conference
Local ONA Churches Participate in Kaua‘i Pride Parade
June is Pride Month, dedicated to celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and supporting LGBTQ rights. In the United Church of Christ, the growing "Open and Affirming" (ONA) movement of more than 1,500 churches and other ministries welcomes LGBTQ members and commits their members to welcome LGBTQ seekers, support their relationships, and advocate for their basic rights. While many other churches without the official ONA designation also welcome LGBTQ members, ONA churches have gone through a time of study, dialogue and prayer, and adoption of an Open and Affirming covenant.
In the Hawai‘i Conference, six churches are currently Open and Affirming:
Church of the Crossroads (O‘ahu)
Hanapepe UCC (Kaua‘i)
Hokuloa UCC (Hawai‘i Island)
‘Īao UCC (Maui)
Kana‘ana Hou-Siloama UCC (Kalaupapa, Moloka‘i)
Kōloa Union Church (Kaua‘i)
Hanapepe United Church of Christ and Kōloa Union Church participated in the Kaua‘i Pride Parade on June 5, 2021.
Rev. Dr. Alan Akana, pastor of Kōloa Union Church, shared in a Facebook post:
Kōloa Union Church was at Kaua‘i Pride Parade in Lihu‘e on Saturday— actually, a “reverse parade“ where participants are assigned a space along the side of the street for floats and vehicles, and spectators drive by to see! So happy to see such a large turnout to celebrate diversity and acceptance of all people!
