WORSHIP & DEVOTIONALS
Opening Worship | Sunday, October 4, 2020
DEVOTIONAL • Monday, October 5, 2020
Hawai‘i to UCC General Synod
2019
Every two years, General Synod brings together thousands of faithful members of the United Church of Christ for formal church witness, inspirational worship, and fellowship.
General Synod 2019 will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from June 21-25, 2019.
This year's theme is based on the scripture Matthew 5:16:
"In the same way let your light shine before others . . ."
View our General Synod blog with updates from Hawaii's GS delegates.
Hawaii's General Synod Delegates
Meet our local church folks who have been selected to represent our Conference.
Class of 2019
Isaiah Ka‘auwai
Kaua‘i Association; Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church
Diane Meyer
Tri-Isle Association; Po‘okela Church on Maui
“Attending General Synod in 2017 was a highlight of my year. I experienced highs in worship and lows in touching testimonies. The Exhibits/Marketplace was amazing. Exposure to different cultures was stimulating. This year I look forward to experiencing more spirit-filled worship, learning more about the vast array of outreach programs sponsored by the UCC, sharing fellowship with other delegates, and meeting new people from all over the world.”
Sue Smith
Hawai‘i Island Association; Church of the Holy Cross
Sue is a member of the Justice & Witness Missional Team for the Conference and serves as the secretary of the Hawai‘i Island Association. She is looking forward to attending her second General Synod and to gathering more information, discovering new materials and making contacts to broaden her work for the Justice & Witness Missional Team.
Kristen Young
O‘ahu Association; United Church of Christ—Judd Street
“I am grateful for the opportunity to attend a General Synod! I am most looking forward to gathering with people of all ages and seeing the wider church at work. I hope to witness faith in action, engage my own faith, and return home to share about the collective work that our denomination is doing to create ‘a just world for all.’”
Class of 2021
Kerisa Carmelo
Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches; Lanakila Congregational Church on Hawai‘i Island
Kerisa is the AHEC Pu‘uku (Treasurer) and a representative on the AHEC Committee on Ministry. She is very excited to attend her first General Synod. She has heard so many good things about what goes on and is thankful to be able to participate and experience a gathering such as this.
Florentino “Tino” Cordova
Tri-Isle Association; Iao United Church of Christ on Maui
Tino is the pastor of Iao UCC, an Open and Affirming church for ALL people. “I hope that I will learn the process of how the UCC does Synod and how the delegates can come together to make an informed decision. I am looking forward to this Synod as it will be my first as an Ordained UCC Pastor.”
Linda Ka‘auwai Iwamoto
Kaua‘i Association; Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church
Linda serves on the Kaua‘i Association Committee on Ministry. She is inter ested in learning about what more the General Synod can offer Hawaii’s UCC ministers on each of our islands and how our island churches, and especially our Committees on Ministry, can assist our pastors who are moving toward ordination in the UCC.
Kyle Lovett
O‘ahu Association; Central Union Church
Kyle is an authorized minister of the UCC and is the Chairperson of the O‘ahu Association Committee on Ministry. Thinking of her first Synod representing Hawai‘i, she says she’s “excited to network with other UCC folk who are ‘living into’ the new Manual on Ministry across the settings of the denomination.”
Neal MacPherson
O‘ahu Association; Church of the Crossroads
Neal is a retired UCC pastor, having served churches in Hawai‘i for the past forty years. This is the first Synod he will be attending in nearly twenty years and he is interested in witnessing the changing patterns of the national setting of the church. Knowing that the UCC has been undergoing a diminishment in numbers, he is anxious “to see if the national church is acknowledging this new reality in a theologically sound, realistic, and imaginative way.” He looks forward to being part of the Hawai‘i delegation.
John Narruhn
Hawaii Island Association; Church of the Holy Cross
John is a student attending Wheaton College in Illinois and this is his first General Synod where he is a delegate. He is hoping to have a great time with his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and will let the Spirit lead him through whatever he needs to go through.
Moana Peleiholani-Blankenfeld
Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches; Kalapana Maunakea Congregational Church
Moana is a student at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, getting her BA in both Hawaiian Studies and Anthropology. This will be her first time attending the General Synod. She is looking forward to meeting and worshiping with new friends.
In addition to our official delegates to General Synod 32, the following people from the Hawai‘i Conference will be seen around the plenary floor:
Eric Anderson, Pastor of Church of the Holy Cross in Hilo, will be the Hawai‘i Conference’s General Synod correspondent, providing a daily update on the Synod experience and its decisions. He will also be a writer/ photographer for the United Church News’ Synod coverage.
Eleanore Chong, member of Central Union Church in Honolulu, has been nominated to serve on the UCC Board of Directors. She would serve as an at-large member in the Class of 2025. The slate of nominees will be presented to the General Synod for a vote.
Sharon Lee MacArthur, Interim Minister of Community Church of Honolulu, will be the featured preacher on June 24 at the Monday night prayer service during General Synod.
Caroline Belsom, member of Waiola Church in Lahaina, and Pualani Muraki, member of Lanakila Congregational Church in Kealakekua, both serve on the UCC Board of Directors.