Living God’s Aloha: Our Parish Mission Statement

At our Vestry meeting this past Monday, we took an important step in our parish's ongoing journey of discerning who God is calling us to be. The Vestry unanimously adopted a working mission statement for St. James’ Parish:

Living God’s Aloha

Welcoming Everyone as Christ Would • Building God’s Beloved Community • Serving Others

We began this work back in May when we invited the Rev. Canon Lou Blanchard to spend time with us, helping us reflect on our parish's mission, vision, and future. Through parish gatherings, conversations, and an online survey, we invited our parish ʻohana to share what they believe is at the heart of who we are and what God is calling us to do.

Perhaps the words of our new mission statement come as no surprise. In many ways, the mission was already there, being lived out in our worship, ministries, relationships, and service to the wider community. We simply needed to find the words to express it.

A mission statement is something like a parish's North Star. It helps guide us as we make decisions, consider new opportunities, and discern where to put our time, energy, and resources. When a new idea or ministry opportunity comes before us, we can ask, “Does this fit with how we understand God's calling for our parish?”

That doesn't mean we shouldn't venture into new and unexpected ways of serving Christ. Quite the opposite! A clear sense of mission can give us the confidence to step out in faith, while also helping us recognize that we cannot be all things to all people. But we can seek to be the people God is calling us to be, doing the work God is placing before us.

The Vestry has intentionally adopted this as a working mission statement. Our hope is to live with these words over the next six months, allowing them to shape our conversations, decisions, and ministries. Then we'll revisit them together and ask how well they express who we are becoming and where we sense God leading us.

Our mission begins not with something we do, but with something we are called to live: God's aloha. Everything else flows from there.

As we have said since our parish centennial in 2013, Ke Akua alakaʻi iā kākou. The Lord Leads Us. May we continue to listen, follow, and live God's aloha together.

*adopted as our parish’s “working” mission statement by your vestry, October 2026.