ANAHOLA — Koolauhuiia Protestant Church will be hosting a special “Blue Christmas Candle Lighting Service” on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the church. The Blue Christmas Candlelight Service is a special service for anyone needing encouragement and support this holiday
ANAHOLA — Koolauhuiia Protestant Church will be hosting a special “Blue Christmas Candle Lighting Service” on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the church.
The Blue Christmas Candlelight Service is a special service for anyone needing encouragement and support this holiday season. It is open to all members of the community.
“When the holidays approach, it’s difficult to celebrate and be full of joy when one may have experienced loss,” said Kahu Rennie Mau, pastor. “There are other special services during this time of the year which focus on memorials and the lost of loved ones. We are all dealing with some form of loss, uncertainty, grief, lament, broken relationships, divorce, finances and other events — no matter what it is, personally or on a wider scale. The service is a safe place to experience emotions. We invite anyone to come and light a candle of hope and receive the prayers of encouragement from our small little Hawaiian church.”
“The spirit of Christmas is a multi-faceted spirit,” said Luella Lemn, a member and deacon at the church. “It’s a spirit of healing, a spirit of happiness and a spirit of acceptance.”
The service will include music, scripture readings and mediations, candle lighting and an optional anointing of oil. There also will be materials available for those wishing more resources to cope with this time.
“The Blue Christmas service is intended to help folks celebrate wherever they are at,” Mau explained. “It’s OK to not be blissful during the holidays, everyone has trauma at some time or another, and this service is to say its OK to have those times and to acknowledge that you don’t have to pretend to be happy during the holidays if you’re not.”
“I think most people, when they hear about it, think it is going to be about bereavement, but it’s so much more,” Mau added. “There’s a lot of pain and uncertainty in the Christmas story itself, and I think it’s worth acknowledging that.”
Koolauhuiia Protestant Church is located at 4095 Kealia Road in Anahola behind the Kamehameha Pre-School. For more information, visit the church website at www.koolauhuiiachurch.org or call 280-9591.
