What We Believe

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22:37-40 CEB

The Streams of Our Faith

Our congregation affirms that the "ocean" of our collective faith and tradition is fed by the waters of five "streams" of theology, history, and culture: Christian, Reformed, Congregational, Evangelical, and Hawaiian. Immersed in this sacred waters, we are refreshed and renewed as our ancestors were while acknowledging with thanksgiving the many sources of living water that flow around us and make their way to us.

We declare ourselves to be a part of the Body of Christ, continuing the witness of the early disciples to the reality and power of the risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.
We confess the authority of God, the primacy of the Scriptures, justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and Christian freedom.
We affirm the autonomy of the local church as inviolable but seek trustful covenantal relationships that bring the wider United Church of Christ into being.
We proclaim in word and deed the Gospel revealed in Jesus Christ to individual people and society in gathering for the worship of God and engaging in the service of humankind.
We celebrate and perpetuate the language, history, traditions, values, and principles of our kupuna through whom we have received the heritage of faith.

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You call us into your church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.

An excerpt from THE STATEMENT OF FAITH OF

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Our Core Beliefs

True to our Congregational Christian heritage, our church welcomes, encourages, and uplifts each members freedom to express their own beliefs about God and faith according to their own experience and understanding. In light of this commitment to the principle of Christian freedom, we have chosen to express some core beliefs as a testimony, not test, of our shared faith.

Centered in Christ.

We believe Jesus brings us face to face with the love of God. In his life, death, and resurrection, we encounter a love that forgives, heals, challenges, and makes all things new. The risen Christ leads our church and calls us beyond admiration into discipleship. We seek to follow his way in our worship, our relationships, and our everyday choices. Jesus is the center of our shared life, and love is the measure of our faithfulness.

Grounded in Grace.

We believe grace makes room for us before we have everything figured out. God’s love is not something we earn through certainty, achievement, or respectability. It meets us in our humanity and opens the possibility of a new beginning. We celebrate this gift in baptism and at Christ’s Table, and seek to extend it in our life together. Our welcome includes the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people. No one’s identity makes them less worthy of love, belonging, or a place in ministry.

Called to Justice.

We believe the good news of Jesus is meant to be shared in both words and deeds. It offers hope to individual lives and calls for the healing of the world we share. We speak of God’s love, serve our neighbors, stand with people pushed to the margins, and challenge the conditions that deny their dignity. We seek peace through nonviolence and reconciliation. Our church exists not simply to gather people in, but to send love out.

Shaped by Scripture.

We believe the Bible is a sacred meeting place between God’s inspiration and the voices of people across generations. We receive it as a guide for faith, not a transcript dictated from heaven. Its stories, prayers, wisdom, and struggles direct us toward Jesus, the living Word at the heart of our reading. We study Scripture with care for its context, openness to questions, and attention to the Spirit. We listen for a word that helps us live more faithfully and love more deeply.

Open to Renewal.

We believe faithfulness includes a willingness to grow. The Spirit who has guided the church through generations continues to unsettle our assumptions, deepen our understanding, and call us into new possibilities. We receive our traditions with gratitude without treating any generation’s understanding as complete. When our habits or teachings cause harm, we seek the courage to acknowledge it and change. We honor our inheritance best when we allow God to renew it.

Free to Question.

We believe loving God includes using our minds and being honest about what we do not know. Questions, doubts, scientific discovery, and thoughtful disagreement belong within a life of faith. Each person is free to discern and interpret Christian faith through a conscience attentive to the Holy Spirit. We learn from one another without demanding the same conclusions or surrendering our own integrity. We seek understanding together, trusting that conviction and curiosity can share the same table.

Bound in Covenant.

We believe the love of the triune God draws us into relationship, not a solitary faith. The Creator who gives us life, Christ who gathers us, and the Spirit who moves among us call us to belong to one another. Ministry is our common kuleana, shared by the whole congregation rather than reserved for a few. We listen, discern, and serve together, honoring each person’s gifts. Our congregation guides its own life while walking in mutual care and accountability with the wider United Church of Christ.

Rooted in Hawaiʻi.

We believe our faith is lived here, in relationship with Hawaiʻi’s people, language, history, and ʻāina. Our heritage is not simply something we preserve; it continues to shape how we pray, understand God, care for one another, and welcome our neighbors. We honor the faith, wisdom, and resilience of our kūpuna while telling the truth about the historical wounds we carry. Through aloha, laulima, and mālama ʻāina, we seek healing, share the work, and care for land and ocean for generations to come.