WELCOME to the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu A Unitarian Universalist Congregation
ALOHA ! from the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu. We hope that this brief introduction to our congregation will interest you in exploring further what we are and who we are. -------------------------------------------------------
We are an open and diverse community which seeks to create and nurture a supportive environment that empowers individuals to explore spiritual growth, experience intellectual stimulation and seek justice for all people through principled action. Our commitment is based on love, mutual respect and shared responsibility.
The root of our heritage lies in the insight that authentic religion must come out of our own experience and cannot be coerced. This church is characterized by freedom of belief rather than a creed. Our differing ways of talking about religion arise from the same human experiences. Each may have something to teach us, but none is final for there is yet more to be experienced.
Participation in the life of this religious community is open to all without regard to any of the boundaries that divide us. If the give and take of the adventure of trying to create this kind of community appeals to you, you are invited to join.
We may have been looking for
each other for a long time.
OUR HERITAGEOur earliest ancestors undoubtedly asked, "Who are we ? How did we get here? Where are we going ? Who is running all of this anyway ?"
Despite the achievements of science and civilization, we are still asking the same questions. Our answers may be more sophisticated, but they are no more definitive. The questions still reflect the deepest yearnings and the most central searching of the human heart. The roots of our Unitarian Universalist heritage lie deep in the insight that authentic religion must come out of one's own experience and cannot be coerced by authority. Our religious communities are defined by freedom of religious belief rather than by the boundaries of creeds.
We have some answers. But they are the kind that encourage us to live the questions more deeply, not silence the questioning. Our differing religious languages refer to the same human experiences. We find nurture, inspiration and challenge in the insights and teachings of all the world's great religions. Each may have something to teach us, but none is final or complete for there is yet more to be experienced. Our churches have always been places for wrestling with the deep issues of their day. We understand ourselves to be intimately connected to and part of the larger world in which we live together. We seek ways in which to move that world in directions of justice and equity, compassion and wisdom, on behalf of all persons.
Historically, we came out of the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th Century, the ideas that came to be called Unitarian and Universalist spread to New England, eventually forming the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. The two bodies merged in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association, a voluntary association of independent congregations now 1200 strong. Unitarians in Hawai'i first came together in a lay led fellowship in 1952. The fellowship grew into a congregation that became a church with a minister in 1957. Some of the founders continue their active participation in the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu today. In 1962, the Church purchased and modified a spacious residence in Nu'uanu Valley, an ideal location for an island-wide congregation. It houses our Sunday morning services, adult and children's religious education, offices and meeting rooms. Space is also made available to other religious groups and community organizations for meetings and special events.
It is the Symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Association, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
We offer religious education for all ages, discussion groups, musical events, educational forums, action groups and fellowship events. These are developed and coordinated by committees and task forces. A list of the officers, committees and programs is enclosed. The centerpiece of the church program is the Sunday morning service, which is planned and coordinated by a volunteer committee and the minister. Our worship offers opportunities for intellectual challenge, meditation and reflection. Sharing by the congregation, music and fellowship also play major roles. A coffee hour and 2nd-Sunday-of-the-month lunch follow the service. Children and parents gather before the service on Sunday mornings for Family Chapel. On some Sundays they join the rest of the congregation for the first part of the morning service before gathering in age groups for their own program of classes and activities. Their program guides them to greater self-understanding, to nurture their own religious experience and to knowledge of the rich religious heritage of humanity.
In our tradition, the congregation is the final authority. Leadership is vested in elected officers, trustees and major committee heads. Members serve on the elected bodies and vote on matters brought before the congregation. Other groups and activities are open to friends as well as members. Financial support of the church relies on the pledges and gifts of members and friends, the proceeds of fundraising events and building use contributions. A financial canvass is conducted each year to obtain pledges of support from members and friends to make budgeting and planning possible.
Participation in the life of this religious community is open to all without regard to any of the boundaries that divide us one from another. If the give and take of the adventure of trying to create a community committed to spiritual, intellectual and personal growth appeals to you, you are invited to come, share, become a friend and perhaps join with us. We may have been looking for each other for a long time. Membership is a personal expression of commitment. Those who are in sympathy with the purposes of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu are invited to sign the Register of Members and make a recorded financial contribution.
We communicate with members and friends through our twice monthly newsletter, KUKUI LAMALAMA. Its name means "Light of the Kukui" and its symbol is a flaming kukui nut, source of light for early Hawaiians. More information about the church and denomination is available, as are tapes and reprints of sermons. If you want to know more or wish to be on our mailing list, please call the church between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. during the week.THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF HONOLULU 2500 PALI HIGHWAY HONOLULU, HI 96817 (808) 595-4047 OR Fax (808) 595-4037REV. MIKE YOUNG, MINISTER
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life; Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love; Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbor as ourselves; Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit; Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. To Home Page