Who We Are
THE VINE is the downtown campus (in Kaka‘ako) of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko‘olau.
Sunday worship at THE VINE has a casual, “come-as-you-are” vibe. We sit around tables, not in rows because discussion in small groups after the Sunday sermon is part of the service.
THE VINE is housed in the Halekauwila Plaza building, which sits in the area where Christianity took root in Hawaii. These grounds empower and inspire us to continue declaring our faith in Jesus Christ, the only one who can truly transform us to be individuals committed to transforming our city.
A perfect church we are not. We make mistakes; we doubt; we ask questions––just like everybody else. We are imperfect people, but we do try our best to follow Jesus and live out our faith. And so to all the other imperfect people out there, whether or not you have faith in God, we say:
“Welcome to THE VINE!”
MISSION STATEMENT
Love God, love people, and reach the world for Jesus Christ.
CORE VALUES: PATHS
Presence
We desire to continually see and be aware of the Presence of God in our daily lives. We worship Him in community and individually not to perform, but to be in His presence. In every day activities we look for the Holy Spirit. We want to hear His voice and gain His wisdom. We like St. Ignatius’ Daily Examen which we try to GRAFT in our everyday prayers to God: Give thanks, Review the day hour by hour, Apologize, Forgive, and Take all our concerns to God.
Authenticity
We are a hospital of sinners, not a museum of saints. We want to feel free to share our weaknesses and true selves. Whether it’s about our depression, divorce, addiction, lack of faith, or difficulty in following Jesus, it is welcomed and not judged. We also celebrate the true joys in our lives. We desire to be a community of authentic, genuine, really fun, and sometimes funny people.
Thoughtfulness
We strive to be thoughtful in integrating biblical wisdom with everyday living. We want to be wise in holding in tension the absolutes given by God with life’s difficult situations that might seem to be in conflict. We see nuances, but still firmly believe in the biblical commandments. We understand the complexities of issues, but we are guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. In our teaching we want to hear from the sages of old who have lessons for us today, such as C.S. Lewis, St. Ignatius, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Augustine, and Mother Teresa, as well as contemporary thought-leaders as N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, and Francis Chan.
Humility
We hope to be a humble community where we want to learn, listen, and know that much of what we may believe and do needs to be transformed and shaped by the Lord. We want to listen to the Holy Spirit. The strongest statement we can say in fellowship is, “I am probably right but I might be wrong.” We know that with more eyes we have clearer vision. We want to be life-long learners and listen more than talk and be willing to say “I’m sorry. Got it wrong.” We try not to take ourselves too seriously. We make fun of ourselves, wear Mickey Mouse watches, and know we have many faults and failures.
Service
With no outward journey, we become insular and provincial. Service reflects real faith. Our church strives to hold three aspects in tension – spiritual, social, and service. If we neglect any of the three, we would be a fourth “S” – sick. We desire to be all-in when following Jesus. We remember how the Bible tells us that we need to always have a heart for the poor, the imprisoned, the houseless, the stranger in the neighborhood, the widow, the unchurched. We are always reminded that our humble Lord Jesus is the one who washed people’s feet. We are to be community–centered. It’s not all about us. We know that the community is a large place that goes beyond Hawaii, and so we will travel to other countries to serve those in need.