113th Annual Honolulu Easter Sunrise Service given by Bishop Stephen

National Cemetery of the Pacific - Puowaina

Bishop Stephen Randolph Sykes, IOC Orthodox Bishop of Hawai'i gave the invocation at the 113th Annual Honolulu Easter Sunrise Service held April 20, 2014, at Puowaina - The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Several hundred attended services despite a morning downpour followed by intermittent sunshine. Bishop Sykes, who also serves as President of the Interfaith Alliance - Hawaii, lead recitation of Psalm 118. The Royal Hawaiian Band provided music throughout the service and Kahu Kekapa Lee gave the opening Hawaiian Oli.

The Queen's Prayer "Ke Aloha A Ke Akua" composed and written lyrics by Hawaii's last monarch, Queen Liliu'okalani, was sung by the assembled inter-faith clergy and congregation. The Easter message and main address "Our Loving Redeemer is Risen and We are Glad!" was preached by Rev. Father Anastasi St. Antony, Hegumen, Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church of Honolulu followed. Rev. Samuel Domingo, Pastor of Kilohana United Methodist Church was Coordinator of the Easter Sunrise Service.

                                Orthodox Bishop of Hawai'i Stephen

First Hierarch meets with Hawai’i's Governor

A statement concerning support for the passage of HB 444 was given on May 25, 2010, to State of Hawai'i Governor Linda Lingle in the State Capital Executive Chambers by Most Rev. Daniel J. Dahl, DD, Archbishop and First Hierarch of the Inclusive Orthodox Church, and in association with the Interfaith Alliance Hawaii Board of Directors, of which he is Assistant Secretary, as follows:

The Inclusive Orthodox Church is proud to support HB444 on compassionate grounds to assist all the people of the State of Hawaii in the strengthening of their ‘ohana ties and the practice of aloha in our great State.

We see no threat to traditional marriage but rather the opportunity to offer ‘ohana rights to many people now deprived of them in many different kinds of union. We are pleased that HB444 discriminates against no one and is blind to gender and sexuality. We hope that it may lower the divorce rate in the State of Hawaii and serve as a step to more stable unions for all ‘ohana.

Our Church firmly upholds the separation of church and state guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. No one’s civil rights should be limited by another’s religious beliefs or prejudices. We see HB444 as an important step in Hawaii’s pursuit of equal rights and the pursuit of happiness for everyone equally, whatever the composition of ‘ohana, and we support your endorsement of it, Governor Lingle. Let Hawaii be known as the State of Aloha.

It is noteworthy that HB 444 is the first "Civil Union" legislation in the USA proposed which does not specify sexual orientation or the gender of "Partners," and specifically defines itself as "not being a substitute for traditional marriage." By including heterosexual couples in HB 444, the Archbishop elaborated that, "civil unions" may lower the divorce rate among traditional married couples, which was at 41% in the USA during 2009. A preponderance of first divorces take place among traditional married couples ages 20 to 25 years of age.

['ohana is a Hawaiian word for "family" and is used in Hawai'i even today with local English dialect.]

IOC Bishops attend Hawaii Ecumenical Service

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - Ecumenical Vespers


Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Andrew

Honolulu, Hawaii

January 20, 2010, Wed, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

(L) The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick

Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Hawaii

(R) The Most Reverend Clarence (Larry) Silva

Bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Honolulu

IOC First Hierarch, Most Rev. Daniel J. Dahl and Most Rev. Stephen Randolph Sykes, IOC Orthodox Bishop of Hawaii attended an ecumenical service celebrating the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" at the invitation of Bishop Robert L. Fitzpatrick of the Episcopal Church in Hawaii. The event was held in the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Andrew where an Ecumenical Vespers and Evensong were conducted with many Oahu Christian leaders, numerous clergy and several hundred persons in attendance. The theme for this year's ecumenical week was "You are Witnesses of These Things," (Luke 24:48) and was celebrated with prayer in most Christian churches throughout Hawaii.

The Rev. Charles Buck, Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ in Hawaii gave a thought provoking sermon based on the year's theme of "Witness." There were also prayers for and a special collection taken up among all the attending clergy and faithfull to benefit the Haitian people who are suffering from the recent Great Haiti Earthquake.

Immediately following vespers a paina reception was held in the Cathedral's annex hall. IOC Archbishop Daniel was honored to meet and speak with the Most Rev. Clarence (Larry) Silva, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Their cordial conversation centered around ecumenical relations between the Honolulu Roman Catholic Diocese and the Inclusive Orthodox Church in Hawaii.

The IOC Bishops were also pleased to meet with the Rev. Murray D. Finck, Bishop of the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Rev. Dr. Woong-Min Kim, Hawaii Superintendent for the Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church's Very Rev. Timothy W. Sexton, Saint Andrew's Cathedral Provost, the Rev. Canon Liz Beasley, Episcopal Diocese Canon for Ministry Development, and the Rev. William Kunisch, Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Father Kunisch kindly extended invitations to the IOC Bishops to attend the Annual "Red Mass" for the opening of the 2010 State of Hawaii Legislative Session.