This page brings together lots of information to make your first visit to LCH as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
Information for Visitors to LCH
Getting to LCH
The church is located in Makiki, on the corner of Dominis and Punahou, across from Punahou School. Here is several choices for information about getting to the church:
- If you will be coming by bus, LCH is located near bus routes 4, 5, and 18. Information about bus routes and nearby bus stops.
- If you are good with maps and want to find your own way, here is a Google Map showing the location of the church.
- If simple directions are enough, the links below will take you to directions from any part of O‘ahu.
Parking
There is limited parking for newcomers in the lot behind the church at the corner of Dominis and Poki.
If the lot behind the church is full, please turn mauka (toward the mountains) on Poki Street and park in the church lot there. It is located just beyond the apartment building on the corner.
LCH extends a warm welcome to those who are not Christian or who are not familiar with “Christian language.” To help our visitors understand unfamiliar words and phrases, we are adding explanations and definitions for those words to this and other pages.
If you see a word or phrase in green type with a dotted green underline, point your cursor to that word. The cursor will change to a ?, and the definition or explanation will appear in a small box near the word or phrase.
If you see a word or phrase with dashed green underline, it is a link to more detailed information on SpiritHome.Com, Wikipedia, or another website. Just click on the link to go to that site. You can also explore the subject index on <www.spirithome.com> to find out more about a wide variety of words, phrases, and concepts on this website.
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Getting around the LCH Campus
Punahou Entrance—The church building is set back a little from Punahou Street and among some mature trees. The steps and walkway to the left of the picture will take you into the courtyard. If steps are a problem, the other entrances are fully accessible.
Parking Lot Entrance—If you park in the small lot behind the church, you can enter the courtyard directly from the parking lot. The entrance is to the right of the red church sign, and there is a designated handicap parking spot in front of the sign and just to the left of the entrance. The white car in the picture is in one of three spots to the left of the entrance that are reserved for visitors on Sunday mornings.
Dominis Entrance—If you park in the Poki Lot, just walk back to the corner of Poki and Dominis and cross the street. You can enter the campus through the gateway to the left of the red church sign. The walkway will take you past the church office and the restrooms, and to your left you’ll find a ramp down into the courtyard.
Hörmann Courtyard—The courtyard is our main social space. Our “regulars” will probably greet you and help you get settled in, and we have some official greeters as well. Between the two morning services and after the second service, feel free to get some coffee or other refreshments from the table and join in the conversation. Worship services take place in the Nave, through the open doors in the picture to the left.
What to Expect in Worship
Times and types of worship—From the first Sunday in June through mid or late August (June 2 through August 25, 2013), we have one morning worship service each Sunday and Evening Prayer on the first and third Sunday of the month. We celebrate Holy Communion at our morning service, which alternates between two worship styles. You can find out more about these two distinctive styles by following the links below to our Worship page.
Times and types of worship—From mid or late August through May, we have two morning worship services and one evening worship service every Sunday. We celebrate Holy Communion at both morning services. Each service has its own distinctive character, and you can find out more by following the links below to our Worship page.
- 8:00 AM—Holy Communion—This service is a little more informal with more contemporary music accompanied by piano, flute, and guitar. Special music is provided by the Eight O’Clock Ensemble. The service includes both holy communion and a sermon, and it lasts about an hour. Take a “virtual tour” of this worship service in the 8:00 Holy Communion Slideshow.
- 10:30 AM—Choral Eucharist—This service is a little more formal with more traditional hymns accompanied by organ. Special music is provided by the LCH Choir. The service includes both holy communion and a sermon, and it usually lasts about 75 minutes. Take a “virtual tour” of this worship service in the 10:30 Choral Eucharist Slideshow.
- 7:30 PM—Evening Prayer (first and third Sunday of each month)—The emphasis of this quiet, meditative services is on Word, reflection, and music. There is no celebration of holy communion.
During the summer months (June 2 through August 25 in 2013) we have one Sunday morning worship service at 9:15 AM. Summer worship styles alternate between the two morning styles.
As you enter Hörmann Courtyard, you will be welcomed by the “regulars,” but you will also usually see members of our Aloha Team in the center of the courtyard. Aloha Team members will give you a hand-made yarn or ribbon lei to welcome you and can answer any questions you have.
Inside the Nave an usher will hand you a bulletin (and perhaps a liturgy booklet) and help you find a seat. The bulletin lists the hymns, lessons, prayers, and special music that change from week to week. There are a couple of hymnals in the pews, and the pastor will identify the book we will use that day at the beginning of worship. We either follow one of the liturgies in the cranberry-colored Evangelical Lutheran Worship or a separate liturgy booklet for that Sunday or season. If you’re not familiar with Lutheran worship, the form is similar to that used in Catholic or Episcopal churches. But don’t worry if it’s all new to you; one of the people sitting near you will be happy to help you follow along.
There are no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere you’d like.
We like to welcome our guests, so the pastor may ask if there are any visitors. Feel free to give your name and tell us where you are from, but if you’re shy, it’s OK to wait until you feel more comfortable. There are visitor cards in the pews and a guest book outside for you to sign if you’d like.
The first half of both morning worship services is centered around readings from the Bible and a sermon.
About the middle of the service, we receive our offering. You don’t have to put anything in the offering plate, though you are certainly welcome to if you would like. Our members and regular attenders freely give to support our ministries.
The rest of the service is devoted to holy communion. All are welcome to come forward to receive communion, whether or not you are a member of our church. An usher will indicate when it is time for people in your area to go to communion. You will have a couple of choices:
- On the organ side of the table, wine is serve in a common cup. If you choose this side, eat the bread first and then drink from the cup.
- On the other side, either wine or grape juice is available in individual cups. As you approach the table, you will be offered a small cup. After you have eaten the bread, your cup will be filled with wine from the larger glass pitcher or grape juice from the smaller metal pitcher.
We usually use home-made communion bread. However, on both sides of the table, gluten-free wafers are availabe upon request. Just ask the person who is distributing the bread.
Children in worship—Nursery care is provided all morning, but LCH is also family friendly, so many parents bring both their older and younger children to worship. We know that God loves each of us the way we are, so we don’t mind a little crying or laughing from our young folks. There is a children’s conversation before the sermon, and some children go out to child care when the children’s conversation is over. Others stay through the whole service. One of the ushers will be happy to help you get to nursery care if you want.
What to Expect from People
People at LCH are very welcoming. Don’t be surprised if you are invited into their conversations.
Some people identify coffee hour as a sacred time for Lutherans, so don’t be surprised if there is a crowd around the coffee pot. Please feel free to get a cup or to have some of the other refreshments or after the 9:15 AM service.
During the summer, there are Christian education activities following morning worship on certain Sundays. Check the announcement sheet during worship or ask an usher. All are welcome to participate.
What if You can’t Visit Right Now...
If you can’t make it now, you’re welcome any time.
Until then, please consider joining us for a special worship service—whether at Christmas, Easter, or another time of the year—or for a concert. These events are listed in advance on our online calendar and on the Home page a week or two in advance.
Also, please feel free to explore the website and find out more about us. The categories at the top of each web page will help you find your way around, or you can search the entire site using our own Google search page or the search box near the bottom of the blue navigation section at the left of every page.
If you have a spiritual question or concern, you are welcome to call the church at 941-2566 and ask to speak to the pastor, or you can email Pastor Jeff Lilley.
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