Our ongoing Outreach Program of providing direct financial assistance to adults and families who lived in the Fire Impact Zone or who lost their livelihood because of the Lahaina firestorm is still going strong. This outreach remains an integral part of the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort.

  Donations
  instructions for making a donation

If you would like to pledge a donation amount then please click the Church's Vanco link here:

Alternatively, you can send a text of your pledge to our parish number at (617) 838-7904 or you can also e-mail your donation pledge to firerelief@mauimission.org. Either way, include your pledge amount and your contact information so that we can correspond with you. Then, please mail your pledge check to the Maui Greek Orthodox Christian Mission and with a designation to the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort. The mission parish address is:

  August 29nd through September 5th (Week Four)
  fourth week of the fire relief effort

The threat of future wildfires on the Island of Maui remains extremely high. Another hurricane firestorm can hit the islands, perhaps as soon as next year. Recently, this year the Greek Islands (for example the Island of Rhodes) and Spain's Canary Islands (for example the Island of Tenerife) experienced wildfires as well. On the Island of Maui, we are currently not prepared for wildfires and firestorms. Yet, it is absolutely possible to prepare ourselves now that we have seen the massive damage they can bring so rapidly.

New fire relief aid has been recently offered to local residents, now also including a massive fire relief effort (for those in Lahaina who have lost their homes) from Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey who together are providing $10 million in direct aid and raising additional funds too. Prior to this massive new effort, over the past couple of weeks, we had been contributing to help families with direct financial needs because of the help we had received from so many around our country. Currently, we are still processing new applications for direct financial aid.

Yet now is the time to go down a new pathway. Now is the time to help the local community in additional ways that will have an enduring impact over a much longer-term time period. After the initial state of the disaster and the immediate evacuees cares and needs have been and are still being met as they have been relocated to hotels, we are now planning for the next and upcoming stage of support where we can help the most.

“You must therefore be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left. You must follow exactly the path that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess.”

The Island of Maui is but a small part of the United States as a whole, yet it is a wonderful microcosm of our nation and it is certainly a very unique place on earth to strive for a garden paradise. What is the path we should take so that together as a community we may live, and that it may go well for us? This is the path that the Maui Mission is keen to find and to follow. We recognize there is much to learn about our life choices. We ask ourselves the fundamental question:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Finally, as a mission parish, we ask for your continued prayers and assistance in this effort whereby our Church can be a light of the world.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

In short, we are planning to better understand hurricane firestorms, and we see this as a way to help prevent any future destruction that would otherwise be wrought by them. As an initial step, with an ecological mindset, we are planning to help teach about efficient modeling of hurricane firestorms as well as building the tools needed to conduct this work. Such work falls within the purview of the Church as a tangible way of caring for and helping to protect people in our community. This is too important a responsibility to leave to the secular world alone.

As His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has explained:

“We are convinced that governments, universities, civil society, people of faith and all people of good will must unite behind science in a determined and harmonious effort to save God's creation from human-induced climate change, which is now threatening the natural world and human livelihoods on an unprecedented scale.”

This kind of united effort is indeed needed for continued “seasonable weather and an abundance of the fruits of the earth.”

Regarding the initial response to hurricane Dora, there was not a viable emergency evacuation plan for a firestorm. There were no evacuation drills conducted nor even community discussions about how to appropriately respond to a firestorm, including for example sounding our massive siren system on Maui as a timely audible warning. Obviously, many state and county officials are rushing to complete such plans. However, they will need the gift of understanding that comes by working through the intricate details of the hurricane firestorms and their consequent fire tornadoes. Very specialized expertise is needed for this particular activity. We plan for the Greek Orthodox Church to stand as a light of the world for all those in need in the community.

So we are planning to better understand hurricane firestorms and to quantify the threat of city-razing combustion events. We hope to offer opportunities to learn valuable twenty-first century skills around which people can build new livelihoods. We are thankful for the opportunity to chart new pathways and to strive to tangibly help our local community.

Please join us in our efforts to enable locals displaced by the Lahaina firestorm to obtain a sustainable life through seeking and applying wisdom. We hope to help rebuild the Island of Maui as it should be rebuilt by applying the wisdom of the ages.

  August 22nd through the 28th (Week Three)
  third week of the fire relief effort

As an overriding goal, bounding any home-rebuilding efforts for Lahaina's local residents would be the reformation of a sustainable and ecologocially sound agricultural and watershed system around Lahaina (and even around other parts of the Island of Maui that can also be impacted by a future hurricane firestorm), which would provide abundant fresh water, sustenance and disaster protection. Hopefully, an ecological mindset will be a reference and standard of all the people of goodwill who have the heart and willingness to help those who lost their loved ones, homes, businesses, and livelihoods because of the hurricane Dora firestorm.

The original Hawaiian name for Lahaina is beautiful: Lahaina i ka malu 'ulu o Lele. In English, this translates to Lahaina lies in the shade of the breadfruit trees of Lele. Hundreds of years ago, there were many large groves of Ulu (breadfruit) trees which fed tens of thousands of people on island. Lahaina had such an abundance of natural wetlands that they not only nourished the Ulu groves but also fed vast terraces of taro plants, and fishponds, which all together provided a natural shelter and defense against a firestorm.

We continue to receive an outpouring of the massive support for the ongoing Fire Relief Effort! Greek Orthodox Churches, including support from the National Philoptochos — Thank you for your support for those in need on the Island of Maui! We hope there will not be a needy person left stranded from the Lahaina firestorm.

Our Outreach Program is currently underway providing direct financial assistance to adults and families who lived in the Fire Impact Zone or who lost their livelihood because of the Lahaina firestorm. This outreach is now an integral part of the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort.

Thank you for all your prayers and support that has made it possible for us to help about a dozen families for up to four months!

  August 15th through the 21st (Week Two)
  second week of the fire relief effort

We continue to receive an outpouring of the loving support and encouragement for the ongoing Fire Relief Effort! We are so very grateful and humbled to witness the support and the absolutely amazing level of assistance we are receiving.

On Saturday morning, August 19th, we celebrated our second Paraklesis service. We also gathered for our first Living the Holy Scriptures fellowship hour. This was a great time for parishioners to catch up, share some food, learn about the historical Orthodox Church and read the Holy Scriptures.

Following our prayer service and during our fellowship hour, we had the honor of meeting two survivers of the Lahaina hurricane firestorm, Aleksandar and Aleksandra, who are shown in the photo below. They were brought to Keawalai Church on Saturday morning by Brana, who is also shown in the photo below, and who is wearing a cap. Brana and his family, who are longtime parishioners of the Maui Mission, lost their Lahaina hat store to the firestorm. Brana and his family have opened their home to house Aleksandar and Aleksandra who lost their own home in the Lahaina firestorm.

Aleksandar and Aleksandra's escape from Lahaina was very difficult that day. They explained that as they evacuated from their home by driving downhill away from the wildfire, they eventually arrived at Front Street. All the cars were at a complete standstill, in a massive traffic jam. Fortunately, they decided to make a right turn and so they headed north. Had they turned left, they would have been unable to escape — it has since been reported that the egress route heading south on Front Street was blocked! To get a sense of their travel experience, please view the short video below which they filmed from within their car.

Aleksandar explained that he tried to stay calm and maneuver around stopped cars. Aleksandra explained that all the while throughout their evacuation, and even more so as the interior of their car became hot and they could hear other cars exploding, she prayed unceasingly and ever more fervently. Fortunately, Aleksandar and Aleksandra are safe and doing well now. They are living with Brana and his family in Wailuku, Maui. Aleksandar, Aleksandra and Brana and his family have been awarded emergency relief through the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort.

  Escaping the hurricane firestorm
  Two evacuees who lost their home and a parishsioner opening his home

Earlier in the week, on Monday, August 14th, we delivered care packages to the evacuee shelter at the Kihei Gymnasium. Evacuees are receiving extremely good care from a host of volunteers, including local medical doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, counselors, faith leaders and so many people helping out and serving.

Kihei Gymnasium Emergency Shelter

Hundreds of evacuees in the shelters are currently being moved to hotel rooms for 30 days through support from Maui County. They have been notified that at the end of their month-long stay that they would be eligible to request a 30 day extension.

Most all of the tourists have already returned home. And there has been essentially complete cancellations of all tourism in the near future. Parishioners whose work involves serving the visting tourists and vacationers have had all future appointments and bookings cancelled all the way through the middle of next year.

Abruptly shutting down all tourism to the Island of Maui may have been an over reaction, including evacuating all the tourists from the island back to the mainland. Thousands of people's vacations were cut short: they were moved to Kahului Airport (as mentioned earlier), and have all left the island with their vacations canceled.

We just learned (Wednesday, August 16th) that this tourism problem is trying to be corrected. Since, for example, South Maui (including the tourist destination of Kihei) was entirely spared from the onslaught of the hurricane firestorm, this part of the island can host vacationers.

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Wainee Street in Lahaina remains intact after the Lahaina firestorm, and this has been reported nationally. Usually hundreds of families who had lived in the area attended Sunday Mass at Maria Lanakila Church. Reverend Monsignor Terrence Watanabe, who is currently the pastor at Saint Anthony Maui Parish, was recently interviewed about Maria Lanakila Church standing amid the onslaught. We are very thankful to the Monsignor: we knew him as Father Terrence when he served as the pastor at Saint Theresa Church in Kihei, before he transferred to Saint Anthony's in 2021. With his blessing, the Maui Mission had begun holding Greek Orthodox Matins and Divine Liturgy Services at Saint Theresa's, now there for over a decade since our first Divine Liturgy service held on Renewal Saturday in April 2012.

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Wainee Street in Lahaina

Many additional helpful services are provided by

• FEMA disaster assistance
• Hawaii Deparment of Human Services
• Maui County Deparment of Health
• Red Cross Shelters
• Housing referral service
• Unemployment insurance

  Sunday, August 13th
  fifth day of the fire relief effort

We continue to receive an outpouring of support and encouragement for our fire relief efforts! The Maui Greek Orthodox Christian Mission's emergency care team members are so very grateful for (and so humbled to see) the absolutely amazing level of assistance we are receiving which is enabling us to help those in great need. We are continually experiencing miracles every day!

We are thankful to have celebrated our first Paraklesis service yesterday -- following which we have received a truly amazing blessing to the mission parish! Our little mission parish is currently being helped by so many genereous and loving Orthodox Christians and people of goodwill from all around the country. Thank you for caring for us so well and providing such protection! Also, thank you for your prayers, warm hearts and your care for the evacuees and for our island community!

It is now reported that the firestorm in Lahaina has caused the loss of life of 93 people. Unfortunately, although the island of Maui has one of the best siren early warning and alert systems in the world, it was reported that no sirens were actually sounded prior to the Lahaina firestorm. The Lahaina wildfire was the worst one in modern US history and its impact is still strongly rippling through our island community.

We have learned that the livelihood of some of the members of the mission parish have been abruptly impacted, essentially cut to zero, as has been the case for most all Maui residents who rely on the tourism industry. About 80% of the people who live on the Island of Maui rely upon tourism for their livelihood. With the damage and destruction caused by the Lahaina firestorm, people have not just lost their homes, but so many more have also lost their only source of income. At present, there are four parish families from the mission parish who have suffered loss of their livelihoods or businesses.

Currently, funds are being used to help evacuees in the local shelters. Moreover, funds will be used to help those displaced by helping them rebuild their lives and livelihoods. In short, we are supporting both immediate needs as well as organizing to help evacuees step back onto a path leading towards their future longer term stability.

  Friday, August 11th
  third day of the fire relief effort

We continue to receive an outpouring of support and encouragement for our fire relief efforts. Thank you for your warm hearts and your care for the evacuees and for our island community!

The roads through Lahaina are still shutdown and the communication lines and power lines are still not operational or lost. The means for employment and the livelihoods of many residents have been suddenly wiped out by the fires. Also, tourism which has been a mainstay of the island's economy, has been abruptly shutdown. We had experienced the loss of the tourism industry on Maui during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet this current shutdown is even more extensive and swift than the last one.

Also, there is a great need to clean up after the Lahaina fire and to start the long process of rebuilding. Yet, there are relatively few building contractors on island in comparison to the size of the rebuilding needs and there is no electricity in Lahaina. There are no generators available for purchase right now.

So, in short, we have learned that many residents of Maui, including parishioners, even though they are currently physically safe and out of harms way, have lost their source of employment. For example, one of our longtime and faithful parishioner families lost their entire store and inventory to the Lahaina fire:

The location of their Lahaina store turned to ashes by the wildfire is circled in yellow:

At this point in time, it appears that the evacuees residing within the emergency shelters have enough supplies and packages for the nearterm. So, as a longer term part of the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort, we are redirecting our focus toward a direction where we can help the most. We are launching a Community Outreach and Rescue Mission to help people who have just lost their source of livelihood from becoming homeless in the coming weeks or months.

More information about our Community Outreach and Rescue Mission will be posted here soon! Thank you for your continued support and prayers. There remains great need in our local island community!

  Thursday, August 10th
  second day of the fire relief effort

We have been receiving an outpouring of support and encouragement for our fire relief efforts. Thank you for your warm hearts and your care for the evacuees!

We delivered care packages to the evacuee shelter at the Maui War Memorial Complex and to travelers sleeping overnight at the Kahului Airport who were awaiting flights to return to the mainland. All tourists have been asked to return home.

We are planning to assemble and deliver more extensive care packages (with food items, water bottles and hygiene items and also now with blankets, pillows, towels, clothes and shoes), and these care packages will cost us about $100 each.

In each care package we include a message of encouragement

Thank you for all your prayers and support that has made it possible for us to make and deliver care packages.

  Wednesday, August 9th
  first day of the fire relief effort

Yesterday, August 8th, because of nearby hurricane Dora running south of the Hawaiian islands, the northeasterly trade winds (normally occurring on island) were multiplied by Dora's strong rotation. This unprecedented metereological event powered the fast onset of the three wild fires that simultaneously swept through three different parts of Maui: Lahaina, Kula and Kihei. The three fires are not yet contained as of Wednesday afternoon.

“I lifted my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. ”

Tonight our mission parish members are putting together care packages to help people who had to evacuate to an emergency shelter — these are people in great need. We will be dropping off our first group of care packages at the Maui War Memorial Complex tomorrow morning, Thursday, August 10th, for these fire evacuees. We have parishioners stocking up on supplies at Costco in Kahului and packaging care packages today.

Each care package (with prepackaged foods, water bottles, and hygiene items for a single person) that we are currently assembling and delivering costs us about $20 each.

  Donations
  instructions for making a donation

If you would like to pledge a donation amount then please click the Church's Vanco link here:

Alternatively, you can send a text of your pledge to our parish number at (617) 838-7904 or you can also e-mail your donation pledge to firerelief@mauimission.org. Either way, include your pledge amount and your contact information so that we can correspond with you. Then, please mail your pledge check to the Maui Greek Orthodox Christian Mission and with a designation to the Maui Mission: Fire Relief Effort. The mission parish address is:

  Emergency Care Teams
  instructions for joining an emergency care team

If you live on the Island of Maui and would like to help out in our Fire Relief Effort by joining a Maui Mission Emergency Care Team, please let us know by either calling (617) 838-7904, e-mailing firerelief@mauimission.org, or checking this webpage for postings of upcoming team events that we will be hosting either at Keawalai Congregational Church in Makena or Saint Theresa Church in Kihei, depending on availability. We are currently working on establishing the upcoming service dates at those venues.

Our first Emergency Care Team service will be held at 9am on Saturday, August 12th, at Keawalai Church.