Category Archives: Congregational Life

New Mural to Tell the Story of LCH

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How would you describe Lutheran Church of Honolulu—its community, its mission and ministry—through images? What colors do you see when you think of LCH? How do we communicate God’s mission and ministry at LCH on an outside church wall in pictures? What does a passersby see/feel when they look at the outside mural? Will they be able to get a glimpse of who we truly are as they look at the mural? These are all important questions that we will consider as we begin the visioning process for the creation of the LCH Mural by Estria Miyashiro of the Estria Foundation (estria.org). In this mural, we become visual storytellers, expressing our heritage and mission to the community.

In preparation for the wall mural painting, there will be a workday on Saturday, April 18, to prepare the wall facing Punahou Street for the mural. Here are a few things that need to be done:

  • Bushes will come out
  • New lights will be installed beforehand
  • Church name letters will be removed
  • Wall will be pressure-washed (1–2 days before priming) to remove mold, dirt, and oils. This will probably happen on Monday, April 27, during the day (pending appropriate weather)
  • Priming on Tuesday or Wednesday, April 28 or 29

Visioning Process for the Mural Design—We hope everyone who wishes will come and participate in the visioning process for the design of the mural. The visioning process is guided by our belief that “God works in mysterious ways.” Experience has shown that the same idea will come out on different days, in different settings, and with different people; so we will have multiple sessions, and all are welcome to come to any and all visioning sessions. New ideas will come out at each session, and then be woven together in the final design. In these sessions, participants are encouraged to:

  • Lead through meditation and prayer
  • Connect with the Divine
  • Talk through the exploration of our ideas
  • Leave space for silence and thought
  • Write ideas on a large paper, taking notes
  • Connect the right and left sides of the brain
  • Recognize the significance when two or more people receive the same picture, message, or thought

There will be three different visioning sessions of 30–45 minutes:

  • Blessing and Session #1—Sunday, April 26, around 11:10 am
  • Session #2—Monday, April 27 at 6:00 pm
  • Session #3 – Tuesday, April 28 at 10:00 am

Sketch Approval—On May 3, the congregation will be presented with the mural design during regular 10:00 am worship and be able to see how it visually articulates our faith community to our neighbors. The presentation will take place during the sermon time (approximately 10:30). and tThe Council will meet briefly after the service (approximately 11:10) to approve the design. The congregation is welcome to share their thoughts with council members before the council’s meeting after worship.

Painting—After the sketch approval, Estria will be begin outlining the mural at 6:00 in the evening on Monday, May 4. Everyone, including youth, are invited to join in the painting. There will be sign-up sheets for 2-hour blocks. Each block will accommodate a maximum on 20 volunteer painters and 4–6 helper volunteers. Painting is scheduled for:

  • Tuesday, May 5, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
  • Wednesday, May 6, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Blessing and Unveiling will take place during worship on Sunday, May 10, at about 11:30 am.

As you can see by all of the details described above, this is a very important piece of the legacy of Lutheran Church of Honolulu as we share with the community the story of God’s work, with our hands at LCH. We hope you will participate in telling our story to the community and beyond. If you have any questions about this project, please reach out to Keane Ishii at 808-352-5135. Mahalo.

Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Lesley

Celebrate Earth Day • Sunday, April 19

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Marlise and Liane swap some herbs on Earth Day Sunday.Marlise and Liane swap some herbs on Earth Day Sunday.

On April 19, we will celebrate Earth Day, and, as has become our custom at LCH, we will once again have tables set up for the sharing of “gifts from nature.” If you grow flowers, herbs, or any other type of plants, you could share those or some cuttings/seeds. If you have chickens, you could bring eggs. If you are crafty and have made something out of natural materials, you could share that. It’s also fine to pick up some fruits, nuts, etc. at the store if you live in an apartment and don’t grow anything.

At 9:00 am, Barbara Natale will lead the Adult Forum in the Boardroom. She holds a master’s degree from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). She is currently a senior associate/planner at Group 70 International (G70), a local planning and design firm that does consulting work in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere. She has contributed to land-use and community-based planning in Hawaiʻi for over 20 years. Her work involves ahupuaʻa and watershed management and the integration of traditional Hawaiian stewardship principles with contemporary planning and environmental analysis. She was recently selected by Pacific Business News (March 13–19, 2026, edition) as one of “40 women who mean business.”

Worship at 10:00 am, will use a special Earth Day liturgy.

Easter Sunday Potluck Brunch • Sun., Apr. 5 at 8:30 am

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Brunch is ready!Join in the fellowship and celebration of Easter at our potluck brunch before the 10:00 worship service. The early start time is to allow the choir to eat before their pre-service rehearsal. Please understand that we will end the buffet at 9:30 so cleanup can be done before worship.

We welcome your favorite breakfast casserole, salad, fruit, or baked goods to the buffet table. We greatly appreciate it if you’d bring your items ready to serve—pre-cooked hot dishes as well as pre-cut fruit, breads, baked goods, or any other item that needs to be cut.

Come celebrate, as we say, “Christ is Risen. Christ is Risen indeed. Alleluia.”

Mid-Week Lenten Evenings • Wednesdays, February 25 through March 25

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Continuing long-standing tradition, members of the LCH ‘ohana will gather on Wednesday evenings during Lent for prayer, fellowship, and worship. Please join us.

Midweek Lenten Prayer Times at 5:00 pm

Each week, before we gather for soup and salad suppers and worship, members of the LCH ‘ohana are invited to spend time in prayer and discernment from 5:00 to 5:30 pm, related to the focus questions above. During supper, you will be invited to write down your thoughts and perceptions and discuss them with your table in response to our questions. Pr. Phyllis and Pr. Lesley will be guiding you through these exercises. The information will be collected to help prepare for the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis

  • February 25—Standing at the Fish Gate, looking across the street to Punahou School
  • March 4—Standing in the Poki lot, looking towards both Poki Street and Punahou Street
  • March 11—Standing at the corner of Poki and Wilder, by Fernhurst, looking down the street toward LCH
  • March 18—Standing in the church parking lot, looking at our neighbors
  • March 25—Standing anywhere you choose within the boundaries of our property
Soup’s on! Filling our bowls before filling out hearts at the Wednesday Lenten service.

Soup and Salad Suppers at 5:45 pm

Please join in this wonderful time of fellowship and prayer, beginning each Wednesday of Lent with a simple soup and salad supper. Suppers are served at 5:45 pm, prior to 7:00 pm Lenten services .

Signup sheets for each week’s contributions to the meal, as well as set-up and clean-up, will be in the courtyard. We ask that your food offering will serve 18–20 people and that you bring them by 5:30 pm. This will allow time to visit with each other during the supper and clean up before sharing our space with the Hanbit Presbyterian Church. Contact Jeanne Castello for more information.

Mid-Week Lenten Services at 7:00 pm

Randy Castello and Carrie Staiger, lighting the way this Lenten season.

We will gather in the Nave on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm for Holden Evening Prayer beginning February 25 and ending March 25. Our reflection theme this year is: Conversations with Jesus: Services of Word and Healing.

The Sunday lectionary for Lent in year A reveals Jesus in conversation with both friends and adversaries. Lent’s first Sunday finds him confronting God’s ancient adversary in Matthew’s account of the temptation. The second Sunday presents Jesus’ interaction with the seeker, Nicodemus, who is perhaps not ready to make a commitment to following this new teacher. The third, fourth, and fifth Sundays are full of intriguing conversation partners for Jesus: the Samaritan woman at the well, the man who received his sight, and Martha and Mary after the death of their brother Lazarus. (These last stories were used in some ancient churches as part of baptismal preparation, essential to the Lenten season in the early church.)

During these five midweek reflections, the congregation will join the conversation between Jesus and his partners from the previous Sunday’s gospel reading. How does each character inform a contemporary life of discipleship? How might Jesus respond now to our own questions, confusions, and need for healing? Extended moments of silence allow people to take time to participate in the holy conversations of Lent (adapted from Sundays and Seasons 2026).

Thank you to our Writers’ Workshop, the Stewardship Team, and others who will lead us through our reflection time this Lenten season.

Volunteers Needed for Punahou Carnival Fundraiser • Fri. and Sat., Feb. 6–7

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Rudy Riingen and Billie Jean Ries happily volunteering at our annual Punahou Carnival youth fundraiser!Each year, the LCH youth request your help with their Punahou Carnival parking fundraiser. The carnival begins each year on the first Friday of February and lasts for two days. We need adult and youth volunteers for three-hour shifts during the carnival on both days.

Event coordinators provide snacks and drinks, flashlights, and safety vests, and you provide the fellowship!

Sign-up sheets are available in the Hörmann Courtyard after worship services. Volunteer shifts on both Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7, are: 10:30 am–1:30 pm, 1:30–4:30 pm, 4:30–7:30 pm, and 7:30–10:30 pm. Thank you!

Annual Congregational Meeting, Part 2 • Sun., Jan. 25, at 11:20 am

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photo from congregational meetingPart 2 of the Annual Meeting is scheduled for January 26. The main business includes approval of a final budget for the new year. The proposed budget will be distributed the morning of the meeting, and there will time during the meeting to ask questions before the vote is taken.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the annual meeting, but only members in good standing may vote. Please plan to attend!

New Beginnings Retreat • Sat., Jan. 24 • 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

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Growing Our Community graphicAll are encouraged to join us on Saturday, January 24, as we seek to understand the new thing God is doing among us and grow our community. Get to know the people of our community while participating in a variety of activities.

10:00 am Refreshments and time to mingle
10:15 am Team scavenger hunt (exploring our campus and learning our history)
11:00 am Choose from a range of activities
noon Lunch (with many options, including vegetarian and gluten-free)
1:00 pm Make your own kokedama (Japanese for “moss ball”)

This retreat welcomes everyone in the LCH ‘ohana—young and old, someone who has been a member for decades or who just started coming to worship. Sign up at church on January 11 or 18, or contact the church office (808-941-2566 or LCH@LCHwelcome.org).

Blue Christmas Evening Prayer Service • Sun., Dec. 21, 7:00 pm

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Holidays can be a time of celebration and joy. They can be an occasion for gathering with loved ones and celebrating the gifts of the season and of each other. For some of us, they can also be a time of grief— remembering and longing for loved ones that are no longer with us, those that have been lost during these holiday times, or praying for people who may be grieving around the world.

All are welcome to a Sunday evening prayer service on the winter solstice, the darkest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, to grieve the losses that are closer to our hearts during this time of year. Come for prayer, song, and lighting candles during this service that offers space for grief amidst the holidays.

The Blue Christmas service will be in-person only.

Join Us for Thanksgiving Dinner • Thurs., Nov. 27, at 3:00 pm

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dinner graphicThanksgiving is right around the corner, so consider joining the LCH ‘ohana for Thanksgiving dDinner. Sign up after church on Sunday so we know how much turkey to get. The turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and gravy will be provided. Bring a favorite side dish or dessert or food item that meets your dietary needs.

We welcome help to set up at 3:00 pm. The meal will be at 4:00 pm And a crew will need to stay and clean up afterwards.

Let’s celebrate and give thanks to God for all that God has done for us.