Bishop William Barber and Rev. Dr. Della Owens-Barber preach at O‘ahu Churches

Hawai‘i Conference
Mar 3
3 min read

Updated: Mar 9

Via the Coconut Wireless, March 4, 2026.

On Sunday, March 1, Kawaiaha'o Church and Central Union Church on O'ahu had the honor of hosting Rev. Dr. William Barber II and his wife, Rev. Dr. Della Owens-Barber during morning worship services. Preaching in a tag-team style, Barber and Owens-Barber delivered a rousing sermon, "In Need of a Return to Love and Life," based on Mark 15:39.

In their sermon at Kawaiaha'o Church, Owens-Barber reminded us that "the way things are is not the way they have to be." Barber spoke about "crises of conversion," times when an encounter with God forces you to clearly decide where you stand, times that will change your life forever. When one experiences such a crisis of conversion, if, after the fact, it produces a "quarrel with the world," and you realize you can no longer go along with the meanness of the world, only then do you become a spiritual witness.

Barber went on to say that at this point in time, the church cannot quarantine herself within the sanctuary. We much go beyond the four walls of the church building, for the walls are not the church; we are the church, and we need to be witnesses, we must choose the love of God and follow Jesus. He spoke of Kawaiaha'o Church and Rev. Abraham Akaka, who was a personal friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the ongoing fight for justice, Akaka traveled to Selma, Alabama in 1965 and brought lei made by members of Kawaiaha'o Church to King and his advisors. Barber stated, "You chose to participate in suffering, you chose the life and the love and the way of God. And we came to tell you that it's time to do it again."

"If the church wants to know what it ought to be doing now, we ought to grab the love and the life of Jesus, the Son of God, and show the world what it looks like, like never before. Because it's the only way out of the hatred and the meanness that we see now."

William Barber is a well-known and respected speaker and activist who serves as the President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach. He is a Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. He is the co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.

Della Owens-Barber is the Senior Pastor of Saint James Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Wilson, North Carolina and has over 26 years of experience in congregational leadership. She is a social activist whose ministry goal is "to allow the Holy Spirit to teach the great truths of Christ that will allow others the working ideology of discipleship."

Watch a recording of their sermon at Kawaiaha'o Church HERE. View photos from their visits to the two churches HERE.

We extend our thanks to Richie Sánchez, Regional Minister of the Pacific Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), for giving our churches the opportunity to host these inspiring preachers.