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Worship

Graduate Recognition Sunday

"Pippin: The Search for Meaning"

7 AM: Atherton Memorial Chapel

8:45 AM – Gift of Music

9 AM: Sanctuary

View service live/later on YouTube

11 AM: Parish Hall

View the worship bulletin

CHILDREN & YOUTH



Nursery

A staffed Nursery is available during the 9 and 11 AM worship service.

Children, from birth through 3 years old, may be left in the Nursery with our caregivers during the service.



Sunday School

We offer a Sunday School program for children, ages 3 through 5th grade, during the 9 and 11 AM worship service. Children participate in the first part of the service and will leave for Sunday School following the Time for Keiki.

Contact: cayanna-herrera@centralunionchurch.org

Youth Group

Our Youth Group is for young people in grades 6 through 12.

This Sunday, they will meet following the 11 AM worship service.

Contact: melissa-thach@centralunionchurch.org

CUC Flower Committee Members Imagine That!

Over the past weekend, The Garden Club of Honolulu held their triennial flower show at the Honolulu Museum of Art with the theme "Imagine That!" The show included award-winning works from CUC members Dona Hanaike and Gail Atwater who are part of our Flower Committee. Dona's arrangement (photo 1) won first place in the floral entries and also the Sandra Baylor Novice Floral Design Award from The Garden Club of America. Gail Atwater's photography (photo 2) won "Best in Show". Flower Committee members Susie Field, Kaoru Nambu, and Shirley Tom (photo 3) attended the show and can be seen with Dona's Pōhinahina plant which won the Jean Thomas Horticulture Novice Award for an outstanding first-place entry and the Louise Agee Wrinkle Horticulture Propagation Award. We celebrate their beautiful work which reflects the brilliance of our Creator and we also give thanks for their sharing of gifts with our church!

Donation Drive for Hawaiian Humane Society

A local sixth-grader will be holding a donation drive on our campus to collect needed supplies for the animals at the Hawaiian Humane Society which is recovering from the Kona Low storms.

If you'd like to contribute, you may drop off requested supplies on Sunday, May 17 or 24, between 7-10 AM on the Ewa lawn. View the requested supplies here.

You can also help by shopping online from their Amazon wish list.

New Hours for Thrift Shop

Our Honolulu Thrift Shop will reopen starting this Saturday, May 16, with new hours going forward. Shop on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM (instead of 3 PM). These new hours of operation also reflect the current hours at our Windward Thrift Shop (at the Central Union Windward campus).

Hours may be further modified on certain dates in the summer depending on volunteer capacity.

If you're interested in volunteering at the Thrift Shop, please contact:

cuc@centralunionchurch.org.

This Friday: Community Dinner & Film Screening

Did you know the U.S. incarcerates more people than any other nation? In the United Church of Christ, we are called to address criminal justice and the reality of mass incarceration. Attend a free community dinner and film screening on Friday, May 15, 6-9 PM in the Central Union Parish Hall to watch the documentary 13th, which explores the history and ongoing realities of the U.S. criminal legal system. This learning opportunity is open to the wider community and is co-sponsored by Faith Action. Learn more HERE.

This Saturday: Community Vigil for Peace

Join us for a Community Vigil for Peace on Saturday, May 16, 3-6 PM in the Sanctuary. This interfaith service, in partnership with the wider community, will include a speaking of the names of people who have been killed in Gaza, interspersed with prayers and readings by representatives of various faith traditions. Come and leave as needed. People of all faiths and backgrounds are invited to come together in prayer, reflection, and collective mourning as we affirm our shared commitment to peace, justice, and the dignity of every human life.

Pentecost Sunday: May 24



This Pentecost Sunday, May 24, we will have just ONE combined worship service at 10 AM in the Sanctuary. We'll celebrate Pentecost—God's promised Holy Spirit, present and active in our lives—also known as the birthday of the Church.

To symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit, it is custom to wear red. We invite you to come and wear your best Sunday RED to celebrate!

Donate to Easter Project

Each year, our Children's Ministry does a Lenten/Easter project to bless the wider community. This year our donation drive is focused close to home, supporting flood relief efforts here in Hawai‘i through the Lāhui Foundation. We will be fundraising through Eastertide which concludes on Pentecost Sunday (May 24). Children's Ministry started us off with the Easter Eggstravaganza and a $2,000 donation! Help us eggceed eggspectations!

To contribute to our Lenten and Easter flood relief project, click the "Give" button here or on centralunionchurch.org and select “Children Ministry - Lenten/ Easter Project” in the drop-down menu. Or send a check to the church with “CM Easter project” in the memo line. Mahalo!

Registration Open for Compassion Camp

Looking for summer plans for keiki? Kids ages 3–11 are invited to Compassion Camp, hosted by our Children's Ministry, from July 20–24, 8 AM to 12 PM each day. Suggested donation is $65. Space is limited! Learn more and register online at bit.ly/cuc2026compassion.

Say It with Flowers!

Got a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion coming up? Commemorate it with flowers at a Sunday worship service!

Our Flower Committee creates floral arrangements for our worship spaces each week. You can give flowers in honor of someone with a printed dedication in the worship bulletin.

Email:

flowers@centralunionchurch.org

Church Council

Next meeting: May 28

In 2026, Church Council meetings will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 5:00 PM in the Rewick Board Room in the Church Admin Building. These regular monthly meetings are open to all CUC members who wish to attend as an observer.

Contact the Church Council: council@centralunionchurch.org

Pause on Donations

The Thrift Shop (Honolulu campus) will NOT be accepting any more donations until further notice. Many items have been donated around the turn of the year, but we don't have enough volunteers and space right now to sort and store all the donations. Please hold your donation items or offer them to another organization. Mahalo for remembering the Central Union Thrift Shop! We look forward to accepting more donations in the future.

Sermon Series

Experience the good news in a fresh way through The Gospel According to Broadway: The Musicals of Stephen Schwartz. Drawing on beloved Broadway shows, this series explores how faith, grace, justice, and purpose are revealed through modern storytelling and song. Rooted in the United Church of Christ’s belief that God is Still Speaking, this series echoes Pastor John Robinson’s reminder to the Pilgrims that “the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from his holy Word.” We listen for God’s voice not only in Scripture, but also in the culture and stories that surround us today.

Join us as we discover how God continues to speak—on the stage, in community, and in our lives!

April 19, 2026 – Godspell: The Gospel in Community

April 26, 2026 – Children of Eden: Creation, Freedom, and Forgiveness

May 3, 2026 – Wicked: Grace, Friendship, and the Cost of Discipleship

May 10, 2026 – The Prince of Egypt: Deliverance and Divine Calling

May 17, 2026 – Pippin: The Search for Meaning

Click to view The Spire for May 2026

Pray for the various community events that will take place on our campus this weekend. May it strengthen our connections to the wider community and beyond.

Pray for the graduates, for all they've accomplished and all they set out to do.

Give thanks for all the talents and time shared with our church.

HCUCC NEWS

The Coconut Wireless is a weekly e-newsletter of what is happening in and around the Hawai‘i Conference United Church of Christ. Get word on the latest news, events, learning opportunities, and more. Connect, share news and resources with sister churches.

Volunteer at the CUC Thrift Shop

Wednesdays and Saturdays, between 9 AM - 1 PM

Contact Joanne Matsumoto thriftshop@centralunionchurch.org

Volunteer with the Flower Committee

Fridays or Saturday mornings

Contact flowers@centralunionchurch.org for more info

Volunteer at Serving Aloha

Wednesdays, 10 AM - 1:30 PM; check in at the Women's Building

NEED FOOD? Walk-in: 11 AM - 12 PM; Drive-through: 12-1 PM

Volunteer with the Garden Club

Thursdays, 9 AM - 11 AM; Help keep our campus looking beautiful!

Questions? Contact: troy-tomita@centralunionchurch.org

Read in the Sunday worship service!

Sundays at 7 AM / 9 AM / 11 AM

Worship is one of the heartbeats of our church – it is the work of the whole church community in praising God, hearing God's word to us and responding in faith. One way to help each other in our worship is by reading scripture and other parts of our service. It enhances our experience of worship when we can have different faces and voices leading worship. If you are willing to read in a worship service, please join our pool of readers! Learn more and sign up by clicking HERE.

Volunteer with Community Ministry Next: June 9

Every second Tuesday, our small but dedicated team of volunteers prepares a hot meal to be delivered to shelters in the community. They are in need of extra help! If you're available around 2:00 – 4:30 to help cook, or a bit later to deliver in Waikiki, your support would be greatly appreciated! If you're available for any of the Tuesdays and would like to volunteer, let us know how/when you can help. Sharing the responsibilities will allow volunteers to take breaks.

Online Zoom Fellowship

Are you interested in helping folks stay connected with the CUC ‘ohana? Are you unable to come to the church campus but want to connect? Join this casual time of virtual fellowship via Zoom on Sundays at 11 AM. Just drop in whenever! It's a great way to meet and keep in touch with people, especially those who may be homebound.

Click to join on Zoom

Meeting ID: 810 1050 2863

Passcode: cuc

Online Zoom Fellowship

Sundays around 11 AM

JOIN ON ZOOM (Meeting ID: 810 1050 2863; Passcode: cuc)

Or call by phone: +1 669 900 6833, Passcode: 976725)

Contemplative Prayer Meditation

Wednesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 PM • Rewick Board Room (Honolulu campus)

Mindfulness Meditation with Marion

Mondays, 5 PM • JOIN ON ZOOM

Mindful Movement with Bamboo Sticks

Tuesdays, 2 PM • Women's Building (Honolulu Campus) OR JOIN ON ZOOM

For Young(ish) Adults

Did you know that we have a Young(ish) Adult ministry here at CUC for generations X, Y, Z? We gather monthly for breakfast and fellowship after worship and we also have a special monthly event. For more information email youngish@centralunionchurch.org.

We’d love to connect with you!

HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?

We welcome relevant news and events to share in our publications. Please submit items to news@centralunionchurch.org by Wednesday to be published in the following days.

CUC History Website

Fun discoveries await you at cuchistory.org, Central Union’s history website and digital archive!

The latest addition is from the 18-year tenure of CUC's 19th Senior Minister, The Reverend Thomas Leroy Crosby who served from 1952-1970, and can be found under “Central Union Ministers”.

Contact CUC Historian, Karl Hedberg: historian@centralunionchurch.org

Looking for a venue? Our church's range of facilities can accommodate all kinds of events! By renting out our spaces, we can provide a gathering place for the community and generate revenue for ministry. Learn more about our venues and consider hosting your next event at Central Union. (Members receive a discount!)

Beware of Email Scams!

Scams come in many forms, whether it's someone impersonating church staff or even a member, or a stranger seeming to have a good deal for you on a special product or service. Please be cautious when checking emails! Know that church staff will never ask you to purchase something or give personal information by email. Often you can identify an email's authenticity by verifying the sender’s email address (CUC staff emails end with @centralunionchurch.org), but it's also possible for scammers to mimic email addresses. So if you receive any strange message at all and are ever in doubt, just delete it, don't reply or click on any links. You may call the church office (808-941-0957) to confirm.