Archive for category: Minister Message

June 10 Minister’s Message

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Aloha mai kākou, 

June is a very big month for us, it is  Pride Month, and much is happening- highlights:

6/14 – Sunday service by Pastor Keola “Come Home: A Pride Sermon on the Body as Holy Ground.”

6/19 – Juneteenth – some of us are chatting about an honoring on Friday, as well as at the beginning of our Sunday GA service. Let me know if you are interested.

6/21 UUA GA Sunday service – we will watch together in the Sanctuary, we will honor fathers, and Juneteenth.

6/27 – “How Can Trans Kids Survive Hate and Find Joy” Panel with Nico Lang, Kim Coco Iwamoto, Sandra 

6/28 – Sunday Service – Nico Lang, LGBTQ+ journalist and author of “American Teenagers- How Trans Kids Survive Hate and Find Joy”.

Last laugh… Sunday, we looked at how religions use humor “on us” (to communicate with us). For the last bit of my message, I shared how we can use humor on religion, in other words, I told jokes. You can get right to the jokes by clicking here to be on our YouTube channel at that Sunday service. Scroll to 46  minutes in to just listen to the jokes. Hope you enjoy them!

Mahalo for all you do!

Rev. Deborah

June 4th  Minister’s Message

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Aloha mai kākou,

Seeing more sunlight? It’s June!

And with this June brightness, we have more opportunities to honor, celebrate, study, and support together!

“What’s Laughter Got to Do With It” – This Sunday, we are looking at how humor lifts our spirits and our lives, and considering how religions have employed it from Jesus to Mohammed to Buddha to Ganesh. Come have a hearty (spiritual) laugh with us!

June is National and Hawai‘i State Pride Month
(Here on Oahu, our main celebration and march is in October.) So, we celebrate both and all ways!

On June 14th, Keola will deliver the service: “Come Home: A Pride Sermon on the Body as Holy Ground.”

We have been working with Nico Lang, LGBTQ+ journalist and author of “American Teenager – How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era.” They will be delivering our Sunday service on June 28th, and we have organized a panel discussion and Book Signing for Saturday, June 27th, at 5 pm.

OMG! Our  “Oh My God” service generated interest in more exploration together of meaning, the divine, theology, history– what moves us. So we are going to have a series of meetings, I am calling them “Divine Discussions.” We are thinking this series should be in person and we are considering the day/time that is best for most of us. If you are interested, please email me your available days/times.

More good news…

“SocialJustice@Heart – Interfaith Conversations on Social Justice, Democracy, and Belonging” will meet on the first Tuesday of each month beginning July 7th at 6pm. These are instigated by your Social Justice team, sponsored by The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai‘i, UUHonolulu, and Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network, and facilitated by member John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas.

Click here for more information and to sign up!

Hope to see you in church this Sunday!
Rev. Deborah

May 28th Minister’s Message

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Aloha mai kākou,

The buzz in our sanctuary last Sunday was palpable!
It was delightful to see and hear congregants chatting about concepts of the divine before the service began, listening to the wonderful, unique statements from 14,  continuing in the Gallery, and with some of us in a Talk Story after.

If you missed “Oh, My God” on Sunday, you can watch it on our YouTube Channel.
You can find this service by clicking that link above, or find any service or any of our “reels” (short outtakes from Sunday services and other events) by going to YouTube and typing “UUHonolulu”  or “First Unitarian Church of Honolulu” into the search box.
(You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube in that way.)

Please visit our YouTube channel and click “subscribe.”
It will help us to get more YouTube reach.
We have grown to 115 subscribers in the past few months.
If we can hit 500, a whole host of new communications tools will become available to us.
Below are the specific minutes and seconds for specific members’ statements.
When you get to the “Oh, My God” video, move the scrolling red ball below the video to the minute for the part you want to see. The screenshot shows Jim Wood at 59:12 :)

Call to Worship – 6:30 – 18:46 = 12 min 10 sec
Message Intro – 31:30 – 32:36
Marie – 32:30 – 36:19 = 4 min 11 sec
Catherine – 36:22 – 40:05 = 3 min 43 sec
Rev. Dr. Thomas – 040:18 – 47:27 = 7 min 9 sec
Abby – 47:45 – 51:29
Janice – 51:48 – 56:46
Dan – 56:58 – 59:01
Jim – 59:12 – 1:03:50
Kathryn – 1:04 – 1:08:22
Beth – 1:09:10 – 1:10:52 (video sideways! – sorry!)
Melany – 1:11 – 1:13:10
Francine – 1:13:35 – 1:15:40
Sue – 1:15:25 – 1:19
Zac – 1:19 – 1:21:20
Nancy – 1:21:28 – 1:21: 48
Prayer – 1:22:00 – 1:25:10

Looking forward to seeing you for our new member, John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas’ worship service this Sunday!
Rev. Deborah

Congregant initiatives are growing!

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Aloha mai kākou, 

Congregant initiatives are growing!

Social Justice Learning Circles

In June, new member John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas will begin a series of monthly Zoom Social Justice sessions featuring informative presentations and conversations. Stay tuned for more info on these weekday evening events. Email SocialJustice@unitariansofhi.org if you want to brainstorm topics or be involved.

Lay Pastoral Care

Seeing and hearing each of our lay pastoral care team address describe their approach to deep listening and support was awesome. If you missed it, you can watch them here beginning at 33:51 (33 minutes and 51 seconds into the service). Email Care@unitariansofhi.org to connect with one of our caregivers, Martina, Nancy, Jim or Gabe.

Services to Support our Members

We are looking for volunteers to pick up congregants for church services, drive them home after evening meetings, and, if needed, to appointments. The first volunteer to step up to lead this can name the team– possibly “Holy Drivers”, “Holy Rollers”, “UUber” or ??
I drove one of our volunteers from an appointment last week, and it was delightful to get to know him. Driving another in the car provides such a lovely meeting space and time! Please email me minister@unitariansofhi.org. 

Spaghetti lunch, Pancake Breakfast, Sunday Sliders?

Many of us have talked about how much we enjoyed the Pledge Dinner and how we’d like more opportunities to share a meal with each other. Would you like to share your cooking and hosting with us? We will get a group together to lead this– in the meantime, please email me minister@unitariansofhi.org. 

Summer Services

The worship and RE teams are discussing summer services and programs. We would love your input. Musicians, poets, thinkers, storytellers– please share your ideas or requests! Email any of us!

Outreach to Oahu Military 

Are you interested in spreading the word of our congregation to military personnel? So many wonderful members and friends have joined us in the past while on military duty here. You may know more about the bases and communities than I do. Please share your insights as we prepare to reach out, emailing, calling, and visiting religious centers, chaplains, community and family service offices, and distributing brochures and invitations to our events.

Mahalo for all you do!
Rev. Deborah

P.S. In Sunday’s service, my background slide showed Oberon, the peacock who adopted me, who was taken away, but miraculously found his way back to me. See his picture above and ask me about this amazing true story!

Rev. Deborah minister@unitariansofhi.org 808-367-0710
Office hours: Wednesday, 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Or schedule a meeting for another day and time.

Supporting the Work of Justice

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Aloha mai kākou,

Sunday, we enjoyed a moving, personal, impassioned, rousing service by Zac Fraser – you can see it, and any of our services, on our website or in our YouTube channel. By the way, it would be great if you would go to our UUHonolulu YouTube channel and click “subscribe.” We have 109 subscribers so far.  Please help us expand our reach by subscribing!!

Community Talk Story – We invited leaders of organizations working to help others in critical areas to come and share their organization’s mission, progress, and strategy. Over 30 joined for a lively and highly informative Talk Story – and all the bento boxes were eaten!

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Lynch, president of The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai‘i board, is also a member of our church as are her fellow board members, Rev. Dr. Thomas Lynch, Marie Anne, and me. TIAH leads and supports interfaith events across the state with the support of the Interfaith Alliance national organization, which “educates Americans about the threat of authoritarian theocracy, building interfaith communities who are showing up, and equipping them with the tools to defend our constitutionally-protected freedoms.” See their “Choose Love Not Ice” video here. Contact TIAH here.

Gaye Chan, conceptual artist and community leader introduced us to Oahu Rapid Response Coalition. ORRC educates the public about our rights, operates a hotline to intake and verify ICE sighting, dispatches Rapid Response volunteers to observe and document ICE activities, distributes community alerts and refers victims to support. Gaye gave us a mini demonstration of how to video ICE actions and Gaye will come here to do a 1 hour workshop on easy quick ways for us to use our phones to support due process- email me if you are interested.

Zac Fraser represented the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL Hawaii) and the Democratic Socialists of O’ahu (DSO Insta), and ANSWER which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. This umbrella group consists of many anti-war and civil rights organizations. Follow the links or speak with Zac about how you may join or support these groups.

John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas is the new executive director of Hawai‘i Childrens Action Network. For 30 years, HCAN has led Hawai‘i efforts to support children and families. Their focus now is how to make Hawai‘i the best place in the world for children. And for 30 years John-Paul has led education and civil rights programs across the country and in Latin America. We are so lucky to have him here. Talk to John-Paul or check out HCAN.

I (Rev. Deb, as Catherine likes to call me) spoke for Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i which I co-founded 16 years ago. Today I met with parents at Nanakuli Elementary school on the benefits of our Hawai‘i HĀ program which creates a framework for life in our schools Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Wellbeing and Hawai’i and Social Emotional Learning. PPS-Hawaii advocates for families and schools and delivers family engagement programs across the state. To join (it’s free) or donate just go to ppshi.org.

Francine Less spoke for our UUHonolulu/First Unitarian Honolulu Social Justice Team, chaired by Marie Anne. For years Marie and Francine have led continuous food distribution and support for non-profits serving the houseless and others. John-Paul, Paul Davis, Zac Fraser, Keif Arriola, and I are on the team to expand our policy and partnership efforts. We expect to launch “Social Justice Learning Circles” facilitated by John-Paul very soon. Talk to Francine or Marie or any of us.

There are others who wanted to join us but were booked. We will organize another Social Justice Talk Story soon. Let us know if there are groups you want to hear from. We will have representatives from ACLU and, CAP, Cat Brady’s Community Alliance on Prisons here again soon as we have partnered with both for years.

It is a joy to work with you, mahalo for all you do!

Rev. Deborah
minister@unitariansofhi.org
808-367-0710
office hours: Wednesday 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm schedule a meeting

A Great “Talk Story”!

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Aloha mai kākou,

Our Talk Story after our “Mind, Heart, & Soul Continuum – from Youth to Elder” service was lively and productive! Here are 5 ideas that came from  about 20 of us gathered in the Study, talking about opportunities and acknowledgment we might offer across the age continuum.

In Talk Story:

1) Restoring “singing the children out” in our church services – I will discuss this with the choir today. 🙂
2) Beginning “Story Circles” convened for folks to share personal stories that would deepen understanding of their experiences and intimacy – please email me if you would like to join a monthly “Story Circle” group, noting whether you prefer in-person or Zoom, and day and time best for you.
3) Need for deeper theology and understanding of UU –  We discussed ways adult education may help. We may elicit information to direct the focus via a Sunday service discussion with a survey administered during the service, or through an online survey. Stay tuned and please share your ideas.
4) Collaboration with community groups – This Sunday, our member, Zac Fraser, leads the “Revolutionary Optimism” service.  We have decided to add a bento box lunch and a “Community Talk Story” session, and we are inviting community groups hoping to spur dynamic, positive collaboration. Please tell your friends, all are welcome!
5) Pastoral care and other services that could help our members. This past week we convened our group, including Martina Queenth, Gabe Tiogangco, Nancy Schildt, Jim LoPresti, Lorraine Fay (as senior advisor), and me. We decided to create a church service on May 10th to introduce our members to what pastoral care can be. We are also creating an online resource guide to provide members with easy-to-find information on community services, and we will begin considering services in addition to pastoral care that we hear are needed, such as rides to church services and meetings. Please share your ideas on any of this.

It is a joy to work with you, mahalo for all you do!

Rev. Deborah

Rising Resilient

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Aloha mai kākou,

Just landed last night from Sacramento and environs!

It was an honor, a pleasure, and an opportunity to represent our congregation at the UU Pacific West Regional Assembly “Rising Resilient.”

I wanted to connect with other congregations, meet folks for ideas and mutual support, and especially to learn how they are handling the challenges we face — with resilience! I wanted to feel together with other UUs in our region. All this came true. And I got to stop to see my granddaughter on the way!

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday to explore the richness of living and appreciating the ages —  infancy, youth, adult, and elder.

Rev. Deborah

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A Spring in Our Step

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Aloha mai kākou, 

On the heels of these damaging floods, this past week, our church has been active together and in our larger world in many ways. Spring is here, and we have a spring in our step as we encounter challenges and blessings and seek to care for our church community and beyond.

On our church level, skilled workers came to prune our mighty Monkey Pod tree and began removing the dangerous, overgrown schefflera trees along our Pali Highway border yesterday. You will see wide open space when you next arrive. Greenery will be restored over time, and our church will be more visible to all.

Monkey pod tree being pruned

Caring for our Church Home – pruning our Monkey Pod tree

Zac Fraser at the Capitol “No Dictator’s Day” rally

Zac Fraser at the Capitol “No Dictator’s Day” rally

Rev. Deborah with clergy

Rev. Deborah with clergy

A few of us UUs at the march

A few of us UUs at the march

Over 30 of us gathered in a clergy, youth and more march, partnered with The Interfaith Alliance Hawai‘i, the ACLU, and others. A bomb threat forced us to parade down the sidewalk towards Iolani Palace, delaying arrival at our Capitol until the bomb sweep was complete. Proud aunties, uncles and friends looked on as our member and one of our Social Justice leaders, Zac Fraser, took the stage. It is with genuine respect and mahalo that I opine, Zac delivered the most authentic, caring, insightful speech of the day. I am filled with pride at the value of the activity of this church in protecting and restoring safety and dignity for all.

At the Supreme Court, the ACLU argued for birthright citizenship this week. We can support this critical national work by the ACLU HERE. We support Hawai‘i ACLU, which many of us know was founded at our very church, in partnerships like our shared march on No Dictator’s day, their powerful explication of dangers to immigration rights to over 100 at our church some weeks ago, and daily opportunities to work together to protect our people and the rule of law.

Friday at 4:30 pm, we gather for a magic show by a renowned magician, a gracious meal together, and the opportunity to reflect on the value of our church to consider what we might each contribute to nurture our growth together. I hope to see you there.

For Sunday service, we have a UU Easter, celebrating spring, the flower communion first initiated by Norbert Čapek in Prague, our energy to resist threats to safety and dignity, and of course, an Easter Egg hunt. Please join us! 

Mahalo for all you do,

Rev. Deborah

Living Our Values

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Aloha kākou, beloveds in this time of heavy rains,

Many of us are dealing with flooding, damage, power loss, and disruption, and one family, the Cranfords, has had to leave their flooded home. Our hearts are with everyone impacted, and we’re grateful that all appear to be safe and that so much care is being shared within and beyond our congregation. This Sunday, our Share the Plate will go to our Emergency Fund; please give as you are able so we can respond where help is needed.

Because of dangerous conditions, we postponed Friday’s Hope for Us session, but thanks to Sof Ma’arav canceling their Saturday service, we were able to gather earlier and make good use of the time. Revs. Samantha and Sarah led a powerful exploration of our 73-year history, our roots, and the patterns that have shaped us, with early memories shared by Molly Rowland. Others who have been here since our second and third ministers shared their recollections. I will schedule a Zoom to share more with those who signed up as SUPPORTERS; if you’d like to be included, please sign up and I will send you the invitation.

This work with our history has also deepened our appreciation for our Unitarian Universalist Association and the dedication of Rev. Sarah over seven years and Rev. Samantha since Hope for Us began here. I am now considering attending the UUA Pacific Western Region conference in Sacramento in two weeks. In these troubled times, our church is called both to care for our members and to reach out to protect people and preserve rights, and our wider world needs that same witness at regional and national levels. Our denomination is needed to stand up for our values nationally, and we know those values of justice, pluralism, interdependence, equity, generosity, and transformation, all centered in love, carry greater power when we stand together.

Mahalo for all you do,
Rev. Deborah

Sending Love From California

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‘Aloha from California!

How are you?

As I headed to my ride to HNL on March 12th, a gutter collapsed above my head, and I brought some Kona Lows rain with me to California, soaked as I was. But I  just missed the March 13th record-breaking 5.5 inches of rain in a day record you all have just braved!

Congratulations on making it through the power outages, Internet failures, flooded driveways, closed roads, the need to climb 10 flights of stairs for days (Mary M), helping with Red Cross (Catherine G), and all the other special efforts this storm has required of our community.

In spite of all the wind and rain,  many of you made it to Mary’s wonderful service last Sunday! I heard reports on Mary, Crystal, Noe, Beth, and the choir’s beautiful “The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction” service. How good it is to be together in spite of such challenges.

And now, to our wet world, we welcome Rev. Samantha and Rev. Sarah for our Hope for Us activities and Rev. Sarah’s Sunday service.  She is bringing her family, and I hope they see a bit of blue sky, given predictions of showers through Mon. the 23rd.

I just said goodbye to my son Max, the one in the picture above.  I’ve been here for my granddaughter’s 5th birthday, to help with my daughter’s shingles and sciatica, and other events for my many SF Bay Area relatives. But even leaving my beloved family members, and even knowing the rains continue, I am eager to return to Oahu and you.

Mahalo for all you do,
Rev. Deborah

Staying Active…inside and out!

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Aloha mai kakou!
Early tomorrow morning, I leave for a week in California for time with my family. Preparing for this brief trip, I am reflecting on all that First Unitarian Church of Honolulu members are doing to sustain and grow our church and to reach out and engage with our larger community!

We are active in the larger community!
On Tuesday, our new member, John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas, the new Executive Director of HCAN (Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network), was introduced at a HE‘E (Hui for Excellence in Education) meeting to non-profit member groups. I was there to hear more of his impressive and wide-ranging background and to see the ways he will amplify our engagement with Hawai‘i needs and hopes.

From that meeting, I entered the monthly TIAH meetings (The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai‘i). We UU’s are more than represented on the board– Cynthia Lynch is the president, Marie Anne is the secretary, and Tom Lynch and I are board members! A major focus now is – how can we (FUCH and TIAH) actively engage in the No Dictators march and demonstration on 3/28? Share your ideas, and please join us in the interfaith march starting at 9:30 am. Please let Marie or me know if you will participate in sign-making, marching, and/or demonstrating.

Within our church, it is also bustling!
More Hope convenes Friday 3/19 and we are working to prepare.
More Hope is a path to a deepening experience of each other and the church, expanding our capacity for peaceful, fruitful community. You can still join “More Hope” at this “Invitation to Restorative History Circle” link – but you need to be swift, registration is closing soon!

Here are some notes on what is happening with just a few elements of our church:

Membership – Theresa Mooleghan, Leanne MacIntire, and I are working on membership growth, and we are delighted by a 14% increase over the past few months. More to come! :)
Worship Team– Our music team has been delivering a wide variety of beautiful music, including the interfaith hymns of last month, and working on choral pieces for the upcoming month. Beth Beyers will be leaving for her beloved Bellingham at the end of the month- her generosity and skill are much appreciated and will be missed until she returns.
Pledge Dinner – Irina Martikainen, Mary MacKay, Catherine Graham, Sue Yamane-Carpenter, and I have been abuzz with ideas and deliverables. Irina is an event-planning pro and has devoted her genius to creating this event. Mary’s critical eye and mind make sure all is cooking up a wonderful, fun evening, complete with a UU Magician (scroll down to read more). Catherine is, of course, a planning maestro showing how it will all work and how folks will be fed! Sue and I are along for the ride, LOL.

May you have a marvelous week. I look forward to seeing you after my return March 19th!

Aloha,
Rev. Deborah

Appreciating Our Spiritual Home

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On Sunday, we enjoyed our Spiritual Home together. After hearing more of Dan and other members’ amazing feats in restoring and maintaining our beloved church, our Meditation Walk and Feng Shui Four Corner Blessings, congregants wrote reflections – appreciation, hopes, and suggestions. Honoring and appreciation for our church building, especially for the generosity and capabilities of our members, were palpable and moving, both during and after the service. Here are a few of the notes:

  • “May this old house continue to be a place of refuge, peace, and love for all who enter and for our entire world!” – Sheila O.
  • “For this church and all UU churches to survive, for my generation to raise our children in them.”
  • “I am inspired by the care and effort that has been given by our church ohana to keep this place going! A memory- when my young kiddo discovered how loud the sanctuary floor could be when he stomped loudly on it. And the wonderful aunties who told me not to hush him because he was making a joyful noise! – Laura
  • “Such a large building with lots of character and potential”
  • “Gorgeous building, well-preserved and cared for, upkeep always and ever!”
  • “How the church is becoming a warm home! More Beautiful!” – Keif
  • “I hope membership will grow and we’ll see many new faces.“
  • “This church is truly a remarkable building. Its architecture and design are so unique. There are wonderful details all over it. I am amazed by the paneling and bookshelves. It really makes a special place to worship.” – James Eitel
  • “I wish for the continued preservation of this old building. It would be nice to have more flowers.”
  • “Sharing Love. Spiritual home”
  • “Unitarians are the hands of Social Justice in the U.S. Can we be the heart in Hawai’i?”
  • “I hope the church is able to serve as a refuge to those who want/need it for years to come.”
  • “We prayed for this to be our home.”
  • “Beautiful indoor/outdoor Home. I love the Hawaiian Breeze.”
  • “She’s a grand dame!”
  • “To grow and spread love throughout the community.”
  • “My Vision: that replacements for Julian, Al, Dan, and Pierre will appear soon – Folks who love the building and are capable.”
  • “Provide volunteer-led tours of the property and house, like Liljestrand house. Charge a fee. Check their website. $75-150 pp. 60-90 min. 10-14 ppl max. Reservations required.”
  • “I love this building and accept its history. We have the power of love to transform it and make it a true sanctuary for those who worship and live here.”
  • “Better parking”
  • “1) Bushes too large. 2) Bricks should be power-washed- some of the brickwork could be so lovely. 3) Garden needs to have a mix of practical and beauty.” – Jim LoPresti

Note to Jim: I have a power-washer. Want to volunteer with me?

Mahalo to all, it is an honor to serve you!
Rev. Deborah

We Are One

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Aloha members and friends!

Growing up, my mother told us, “The one true evil is divisiveness.”

Already a good questioning 12-year-old Unitarian (this was before we merged with Universalism), I questioned- how could divisiveness be the ONE true evil?  There are so many evils! But then, like a good 13-year-old Unitarian, I thought about it.

Every evil I could see, once more deeply considered,  boiled down to divisiveness.

And we merged with the Universalists. And this further strengthened the goodness and truth of our unity in faith. We are one.

Now here we are, with divisiveness rampant, it is ever more important that we be united in our love, our empathy, our compassion, and our kuleana for a safe and healthy community.

This morning, the InterFaith Alliance national office reached out to ask me to endorse this statement called the “Love Notice”:  “ICE cruelty is threatening our religious calling to love our neighbors — in our houses of worship and in our communities. As faithful Americans, as an expression of our values, we demand that the federal government stop the attacks on our neighbors and we call on our political and religious leaders to stand in solidarity against their cruelty.”

You can click here to join me and people of faith across the country as we stand for the dignity and worth of each person.

“ICE cruelty is threatening our religious calling to love our neighbors — in our houses of worship and in our communities. As faithful Americans, as an expression of our values, we demand that the federal government stop the attacks on our neighbors, and we call on our political and religious leaders to stand in solidarity against their cruelty.”

Now a question– are you a friend who wishes to join us as a member?

Or, are you a member who has not yet been welcomed in an InGathering?

If so, please email me minister@unitariansofhi.org so we may “gather you in” formally, in celebration, even if long after joining.

Mahalo to each of you for all you do!

Rev. Deborah

A Late Valentine to You!

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What a wonderful week – from meeting with interfaith leaders from across the state, and two from the national InterFaith Alliance, Washington DC office, to our InterFaith service with exquisite music led by our Beth Beyers, and beautifully delivered by our pianist Noe Baladad and by our choir, to our New Member Orientation!

We have nine new members!
We have five new children!
And I think another beloved is joining today!
Our beloved community’s growth is so precious to me.
With each new person in our congregation, we grow stronger in our support of peace and goodness in our world.
Theresa Moorleghen, Leanne MacIntire of our membership team, and Catherine Graham, our VP (and much more), and I met with our wonderful new members over carrot soup lunch. We shared about our faith and our church, and we heard about their experiences with UU and what they seek in our church.

We will formally welcome them at our “InGathering” in our March 1st service.
Please be there to celebrate:

  • Lauren Staiger with children Katherine and Jonathan
  • Zak Fraser, son of Rev Bob Fraser our minister from 1985-95, and son of Catherine Graham!
  • Megan Casey
  • Margaret Foulkes
  • John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas
  • Angelica Cardenas-Chaisson
  • Jaclynn Sebado-Eitel with children Jack, George, and Anna
  • James (Jimbo) Eitel (with those same kids!)

Recent members who will be welcomed in our InGathering:

  • Rick Pittaway
  • James (Jim) LoPresti
  • Diane Divita

Are you a member who has not yet been welcomed in an InGathering?
If so, please email me so we may “gather you in” formally, in celebration, even if long after joining.

Mahalo to each of you for all you do!
Rev. Deborah

It has been a big week for us!

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Our Social Justice Growth
Our incredible, indefatigable, stalwart team of Marie Anne and Francine Less welcomes four new members to support our justice work in our larger community. We are thrilled to welcome Zach Fraser, Keif Ariola, Sorcha McCarrey, and Paul Davis to our expanded Social Justice team. 

Help for Us – Year 2
This windy week brought Rev. Dr. Samantha Wilson, a wonderful Taizé experience Friday night designed and led by Beth Beyers, with Catherine Graham and Karen Fothergill readings. Saturday, our core year 1 (First Hope) and core year 2 (More Hope) teams met at my house to confer and plan.  Rev. Sam is leading our beloved community with love and skill as we take our next steps in deep listening, integrating our history, and freeing our loving energy. The Sunday service was well-received, and our TalkStory in the study was rich. See Rev. Sam’s message for details and to consider how you may engage in the enriching work. 

Our Beautiful Church
While some of us met for spiritual, soulful relational work to support our church, others tackled the tough physical stuff– floors, storage areas, the kitchen, moving the piano (!), and cleaning the windows –  oh my!! Juliet Begley and her friend have cleared our views from the sanctuary and gallery. We are looking better and better!

Our Friend Thomas
Our choir director, Thomas DeLaine, has worked with our choir and pianist to deliver beautiful music, supporting our Sunday services and delighting us. He has accomplished this while suffering from serious neurological issues. We are deeply saddened and concerned to report that Thomas is still suffering through these problems. He has just resigned to focus on his health. We are sad to lose his support of our music program, but we are hopeful that his health will improve. Thomas, Abby, and Benji are beloved in our congregation, and we hope they will stay close.

Please Join Us as a Member!
This Sunday, directly after church, friends who wish to become members will meet with me in the study for an orientation. Grab some refreshments and join us so we may begin soon after 11 am, aiming to conclude by noon. After this orientation session, new members may sign the membership book and make a contribution, and we will induct them as new members during the church service on March 1st.  We will offer optional workshops for new members and any others interested in the next weeks, including  “UU History and Theology” and “How our Church Works.” 

InterFaith Retreat and Sunday Service in Honor of InterFaith Harmony Month
I am writing to you from The InterFaith Hawai‘i retreat in Kona, including two representatives of the International InterFaith Alliance, clergy, religious leaders and activists from diverse faiths across the state. The retreat is produced by the TIAH board members, including our Marie Anne (Secretary) and friends Cynthia (President) and Tom Lynch (Board Member). The presentations and conversations have been stellar. This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to network and to learn – especially as our Sunday worship service is: “Intersecting Faith: InterFaith Harmony Month.”


Mahalo for all you do,
Deborah

Rev. Deborah Bond-Upson, Minister
First Unitarian Church of Honolulu
808-367-0710
2500 Pali Highway, Honolulu, 96817
office hours: Tuesday 10am-2pm, Wednesday 2pm-6pm

Our February 1st Town Hall!

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Sunday we gathered after Keola Whittaker’s moving message “The Thaw” for our first Sunday of the month Town Hall. We had much to discuss. Sue asked me to show the assembled our new website first. Our incredibly skilled office manager, Suzette, manages much! And she managed to do much to help our web developer Naomi Moon and me to rebuild the website— using past content, but creating new, editing and deleting old. This is now live, but it is in progress! Please email suggestions to Suzette or me for changes and additions!

Now it is easy for members to log in to the Member Portal. Use the email this newsletter came to. If you do not remember your password, just click “lost password” and make one up. Here is a quick view of what members can see. Notice the links on the right (also available in the Member Portal dropdown menu above)

Our Town Hall was important and moving. Members can see a summary of the meeting and the slides by clicking here February 1, 2026 TownHall
(You will need to log in. But it is easy, please try it! If you are not a member and want to see the summary, email me.)

  • We explored the new website- first big update since 2017.
  • We reached an important consensus that our Shefflera/Umbrella Tree hedge has exceeded its healthy lifespan, so it must be removed for safety reasons.
  • Sue reported on some of the many building upgrades, alarms, etc. — I witnessed Dan and Pierre on scaffolding, replastering the kitchen ceiling— these guys do not stop!
  • Sanctuary setup was discussed—we are experimenting to continuously improve audio, visibility, and aesthetics, and to make room for our growing numbers—we ran out of Orders of Service for the past two Sundays!
  • We discussed our “Black Lives Matter” banner hanging on our aging sign on Pali Highway. This banner has had to be replaced 17 times due to vandalism. Other churches have supported us in replacing it, as they have valued this expression of support, controversial as it has been. The sign has been a safety concern for some of our residents and neighbors, and we have been very concerned about that. Given all the threats and concerns today, several members have suggested new banners, and some have suggested rotating them. Our resident Kristin Witcher shared her feelings of vulnerability caused by this banner on the highway and offered us an important understanding of Stochastic Terrorism, the interactive process that links public rhetoric to acts of violence. “Safety always comes first.” You may read Kristin’s full presentation to us here—Mahalo to Kristin for sharing this with all of us.

The past two church services have responded to our current, painful, dangerous, and divisive situation. “UU Heroes – Then & Now” and “The Thaw” have both addressed our need to progress as humans, to protect each other, to stand for what is right, and to continuously be of love to each and all, with humility.

Sue summarized this most important movement of congregational shared hearts and minds like this:

We are listening better. At Sunday’s town hall, we finally tackled the issue of the Black Lives Matter banner: some wanted to keep displaying it at the highway, while others wanted to rotate it with other banners more in tune with the current national scene. Folks were patient. Almost everyone spoke. Amazingly, after we heard from church resident Kristin Witcher about her struggle with the banner and her concern for the neighbors, who are not white, privileged folk, the congregation began to understand how our need to take a stance might make the vulnerable, whom we want to support, feel even more vulnerable. Zachary Fraser, told the congregation that when the conversation began, he was all for putting up a banner with the most radical statement he could think of about ICE, but after hearing from Kristin, he found himself siding with Molly Rowland, our oldest congregant, who says take down down the BLM banner and spend our time and resources on fixing the church’s sign that is about to fall over on its face! Amazing! For the most conservative and the most radical to converge!

Our sign on the Pali Highway will be rebuilt. We will move forward together.

February is InterFaith Harmony Month.

The Interfaith Alliance of Hawai’i (TIAH) is leading, coordinating, and supporting activities throughout Hawai’i for the month.
Friends of our church, Cynthia Lynch, president, and Thomas Lynch, board member, are sponsoring an InterFaith retreat of leaders of diverse faiths. Our own Marie Anne, TIAH secretary and leader in our church, and I are participating.

Our February 15th worship service is included in the InterFaith Harmony Month events. We are hoping for others in our larger community to join us as we consider “where we converge.”

Mahalo for all you do,
Deborah

Rev. Deborah Bond-Upson, Minister
First Unitarian Church of Honolulu
808-367-0710
2500 Pali Highway, Honolulu, 96817
office hours: Tuesday 10am-2pm, Wednesday 2pm-6pm

UU in our Larger Community Today

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UU in our Larger Community Today (well, last night in particular)

I hope you will join us on Sunday for “UU Heroes Then & Now.”

Some of our own members and leaders were heroes in my book for bringing the ACLU Resistance Training to our sanctuary last night. It was full with over 100 attending! And it was abuzz with people earnestly seeking to learn how to protect the safety and rights of those at risk, including ourselves.

Board member Juliet Begley made the commitment long ago, and last night our members and leaders snapped to attention to make the crowd welcome – from Marie Anne and Jaron on opening and set up, Catherine on parking, Sue overseeing everything, and many of us in the assembled.

I felt that many of the smart, caring activists gathered would be wonderful new members! I saw this as a marvelous opportunity to reach out to a network of folks from various organizations, and for them to see the congenial, free, and supportive community we are here at UUHonolulu. (I wished I had business cards, but found other ways to connect with some.)

I was eager to learn how best to advance protections as our government grows more authoritarian. The tactics were much like we learned in civil rights and peace marches and Quaker draft counseling in the early 70’s. I was not the only one who was having flashbacks. But the times feel yet more complex now, with some of our human rights norms seeming to erode.

The assembled welcomed the updates and coaching. Here is a digest of our main presenter, senior staff attorney Emily Hills’s “own opinion” on what is required in an effective movement to preserve our democracy:

  1. Unifying and focused vision that transcends party lines.
  2. Sustained widespread participation.
  3. Protection of voting rights to enable mass participation in the next election.
  4. Effective means of combatting disinformation and propaganda.
  5. Judges committed to judicial independence.
  6. Open lines of communication with security forces (local police, military, ICE, National Guard, etc.)

What do you think of these suggestions for human rights protections?

Please join us for the Sunday service and bring your thoughts for TalkStory after!

Mahalo for all you do!
Rev. Deborah

A Challenging Time to Be Us

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We are Unitarian Universalists, guided by love and reason, aiming for peace and happiness – for all.
What a challenging time to be us. To be UUs.  
Are you, like me, wondering how we can:
  • Know enough to achieve deep understanding and considered awareness?
  • Fulfill our role in our current environment of shocking abuses?
  • Strategize effectively in this complex world full of distractions
  • Find the places and times to speak and act, support and help?
  • Live from our own 
I believe we need to research widely and dig deeply into ourselves to avoid knee-jerk responses, discriminate, and show up in meaningful ways in critical situations.
To rise to this challenge, I suggest we follow reliable organizations that share our moral compass. Two of the first I consider are the UUSC and the ACLU.
 
The UUSC — our UU Service Committee – was founded in 1940 to save people from the Nazi’s. Now our service committee is at work on our behalf around the world and at home. We can learn from their research, consider their actions, support, and leverage their strategies locally. They have my attention now.
 
The ACLU has been protecting our precious civil liberties in deep and challenging ways since 1920. And we have an active ACLU chapter here.
Please see what is coming up over the next two weeks for us to join — the 3rd gathering at our own church!
 
“Inequality by Design: Race, Rights, and Justice Systems,” a conversation with ACLU National President Deborah Archer. 
Tuesday, January 13th 5-7 pm @ Richardson School of Law, UH at the University of Hawai’i. 2515 Dole St.
Registration required as space is limited – bit.ly/acluarchertalk
 
“Police Accountability in Hawai’i: Building True and Meaningful Community Safety”
Thursday, January 15, 5:30 – 7:pm @ Central Union Church, Parish Hall, 1660 S. Beretania St.
Registration bit.ly/acluhipolicing
(Training) “Join the Resistance: How to Push Back Against Authoritarianism” 
Tuesday, January 20, 5 – 7pm, First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, 2500 Pali Highway HERE!!!
Registration: bit.ly/acluresistance
 
This Sunday,  January 11th
I hope you will join us this Sunday for Dan Carpenter’s “Traveling- The Journey”!
I look forward to hearing from our beloved Dan, who keeps us strong in both building and spirit!
 
January 18th – Special Visitors!
We will have Éva Patkó, an expert in the Theater of Empowerment, sharing a Transylvanian view.
Her husband, Zsolt Láng, will meet with interested readers and thinkers to discuss one of his prize-winning short stories.
Email me at minister@unitariansofHI.org to receive a PDF. Please join us for the service and the reading/thinking group afterward.
 
Aloha, Rev. Deborah

Gearing Up for the Holidays

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We are gearing up for the holidays!

From the moving Winter Spiral, to UU Yule-Advent candles, to choir singing breathtakingly beautiful carols, to preparations for our “No Rehearsal Nativity Pageant,” the spirit is in the air!

Please contact me if you would you like to help put on the pageant – it is going to be such fun!

We hope you will join us at church or on Zoom for these next services!

  • 12/14 – Nan Kleiber will be leading Kupuna OWL this Sunday and we are all ears!
  • 12/21 – Mary MacKay will be leading “The Miracle of Darkness: A Celebration of Wonder” – her services are always fascinating!
  • 12/24 – Christmas Eve “No Rehearsal Pageant and Caroling” at 6pm – I will be leading with big help from Thomas, Noe and the choir, Sorcha on drama, Laura Goemans on costumes – and we hope you will participate!
  • 12/28 – Burning Bowl – I am leading the service now that I have had a tutorial on the higher fluid etc! Come join us as we drop what needs to go and we start fresh for the new year!
We will offer interesting, deepening, enjoyable seminars in the new year and want your input!
  • Nan will be offering Kupuna OWL–please let her know if you are interested.
  • I will lead any of these are of interest to you:
    •  “UU History 101” – 6 sessions
    • “UU Heroes” 4 sessions + a worship service
    • “Roots” 1 session (on UU History, Theology, and our church)

Please email me with your interest including days and times that would work for you.

I am so grateful for all the openness, help, and support this congregation is giving me, your new minister!

Mahalo nui loa!
Deborah
minister@unitariansofhi.org

A Powerful Celebration of Community

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This past week has been a powerful celebration of community!

From the Nu’uanu Valley Thanksgiving service with record attendance promoted by our own Marie Anne and others, to Thomas, Sorcha and our choir performing beautifully.

To Crystal’s beautiful reading of Rev. Gary Kowalski’s Peace poem that seemed to bring all our faith communities together. I was not the only UUHonolulu member full of joy and pride!

Then we had Thanksgiving at the church orchestrated by Nan Porterfield with 40 wonderful people, elegant tables, fantastic food, live music, UU Quiz winners, and even dancing!

My Sunday service on “Communitarian- It’s a Real Thing” seemed to sum up the week.

A beloved community must be a loving community— and ours feels alive with loving respect and appreciation.

I am so happy to be here serving you.

— Rev. Deborah

P.S. Please come to our Town Hall after church on Sunday,  we seek your views on adult education programs to begin in January and on possible changes in our sanctuary.

First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

2500 Pali Highway
Honolulu, HI 96817

Email:  office@unitariansofhi.org
Tel:  808.595.4047

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