On Sunday the congregation of the Lahaina United Methodist Church, which was decimated by fire in August, will recite a unison prayer to remember the town’s 101 wildfire victims on the eve of Memorial Day.
But recognition of those lost in the disaster has not been reserved just for the holiday.
“Almost every Sunday we talk about the fire and how it’s changed our lives,” said Pastor John Crewe.
Crewe said most of his 75 members lost their homes but not their lives or anyone in their immediate families, but they still had relatives or friends who died.
The multicultural church, which includes a strong Tongan ministry, has been meeting at the Lahuiokalani Ka‘anapali Congregational Church in Honokowai, about 5 miles from Lahaina. Services are livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page: facebook.com/lahainaumc.
The Memorial Day litany, a call-and-response prayer, includes the lines, “For our friends and loved ones who lost their lives in the fire of Aug. 8, 2023, but will always remain in our hearts in spirit … We hold all those who left an indelible mark on our lives in continual remembrance.”
Most of Crewe’s members are dealing with the hardships of staying in hotels and finding better places to live, or adjusting to changes at work or settling in to new jobs.
“I worry about the stress people are under, running around trying to get housing,” he said. “It’s important to keep this situation in mind, particularly the physical and mental health of the people who are going through it right now.”
In his Sunday messages, usually based on the books of the Gospel, “I talk about how the community has been resilient because of their bravery and the love they show one another … (that) we represent Christ’s love for others. Especially during times like this, just trust that love will triumph through this.”
“I’m constantly amazed of the resilience and goodness of people in my congregation, how they’re able to come together (and enjoy each other’s company) … and continue to do the wonderful things they do despite the stress they’re facing,” he said.
To encourage them, he mentions examples of how different organizations in the community, which include some of his members, are working to clean up and rebuild Lahaina. Donations from other churches, the community and all over the world also keep coming in.
A local family foundation is donating five containers that can be fashioned into a temporary pavilion for worship with a bathroom and small office, he said. Crewe hopes the pavilion gets set up by fall, after permits are obtained and the land is cleared and deemed safe by the county. The foundation will also donate three modular tiny homes, which can be set up on members’ property until they are finished rebuilding.
The church was established in 1896 to serve the first Japanese plantation workers, and the sanctuary building that burned in August was constructed in 1922. Still standing amid the wreckage are the pastor’s residence, though uninhabitable, and a small classroom used by the church’s Children of the Rainbow Preschool.
