A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

On Sunday, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the United Church of Christ. I shared with the congregation how I came to the UCC during a time of searching, disappointment with my former denomination, and self-reflection. In the denomination in which I was originally ordained, certain individuals were not welcome…or, shall I say, their welcome was limited. LGBTQ people were told, “You are welcome to worship with us, but you may not hold office or be ordained.” People who held theological viewpoints and opinions that were different from those of the denomination were not allowed in certain positions.

When I first began attending a UCC worship service in Salt Lake City, I heard the words, “No matter who you are or where you have been on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” The people of this church not only said these words, but they meant them. They lived them in their extravagant hospitality and language. I later attended a very large UCC church in Dallas and saw those same words being lived out by the pastors and people who attended. Within a year, I was working as an associate pastor at that church and began the process of transferring my standing (ordination) into the UCC.

Our denomination’s motto is: “That they may all be one.” The idea is that we can be united in our love for God, each other and the world, even amidst our vast differences in lifestyles, beliefs and ways of seeing the world. I shared on Sunday that we may not always do this perfectly, and sometimes we do not feel very united. However, the motto comes from Jesus’ final prayer for his disciples when he was with them at the last supper. In her book, That They May All (Finally!) Be One, Mary Susan Gast (my former Conference Minister), writes, “Jesus’ prayer is an expression of yearning for the continuation…of the community that is one in the love of the Holy.” What she is saying is that Jesus is stating his deepest longing for his disciples and the disciples that would follow, that we would all be united in our love for God and for all that God loves, which includes every person and expands to include all of creation. This too can be our longing and, in fact, is our longing if we are truly followers of Jesus.

May we all long for a world where all are loved and invited to share their love with others!

Aloha nui!