Aloha in Action | UCC Hawai'i Flooding 2026 Appeal

Via the Coconut Wireless, March 25, 2026

Our Associate Conference Minister Shares Reflection

I love to read and re-read the stories from Acts and the various Epistles about the birthing and formation of the early church as tongues of fire were transformed into acts of love. Right from the beginning, even while the church was being persecuted and believers were being killed for their faith, followers of Jesus were focusing on the widows, orphans, and the daily distribution of food (see Acts 6 as one example).

Right from our start, the church has been dedicated to the love of God and the love of neighbor through the collection of offerings for the care of the most vulnerable of that day and age, the widows and the orphans. And right down through the centuries, we the church have remained dedicated to putting love into action. From these stories in the New Testament through the collections of monetary donations for those held in Kalaupapa down to today, we work to help and love our neighbors who have been impacted by the destruction of the back-to-back Kona lows.

A new fund has been set up through the National Offices of the United Church of Church to collect and distribute monetary donations to support congregations and individuals impacted by these back-to-back Kona lows. And just as it was in Acts, right now monetary donations are the best and most impactful way for many of us to put our aloha into action. I invite you and our congregations to join Jihey, Gracie, and me and make a donation to the Hawai'i Flooding 2026 Appeal. 

Jonathan Roach, Associate Conference Minister

READ MORE: UCC issues appeal to support relief efforts as historic flooding continues to impact Hawaii