Worship for October 18, 2026

Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.

Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, October 18, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily. 

Service of Worship October 18, 2026
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.

Prelude: Processional   Kayleen Yuda

Lighting of the Candles

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson

* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 96:1-13)                  Christian Albano

Leader:   Sing to the LORD a new song, all the earth!

People: We will sing to the LORD and bless God’s name!

Leader:   Declare God’s glory among the nations. Let all people hear of God’s marvelous works.

People:  Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised!

Leader:   There are countless idols in the world, worshiped in ignorance by human beings.

People:  The LORD made the universe, and made you and me.

All:           Let us worship God!

* Hymn #565: God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending (v. 1 – 4)

* Invocation (based on Exodus 33:5612-33)                  Christian Albano

Go with us, O God, as we make our way through our time and our place. In your presence, O God, we seek to live in your ways. Be with us now, O God, as we worship your name and give thanks for your grace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Please be seated

WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD

Anthem: On Eagle’s Wings                   Holy Cross Singers

Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Scripture:                           Christian Albano

Isaiah 45:1-7

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
    and to strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
    and the gates shall not be closed:
I will go before you
    and level the mountains;
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron;
I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob
    and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name;
    I give you a title, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    besides me there is no god.
    I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
    I make weal and create woe;
    I the Lord do all these things.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For they report about us what kind of welcome we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Sermon: Imitate Who?  Rev. Eric S. Anderson

WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED

Pastoral Prayer              Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer                     
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

* Hymn #455: I Am Yours, O Lord (v. 1-4)

Call to Offering Christian Albano

Over and over again, God has reached out to human beings, offering them comfort, aid, and grace. Let us imitate our God and reach out to our neighbors with these gifts, and may they be to them comfort, aid, and grace. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.

Offertory: Rondeau        Kayleen Yuda

* Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen

* Offertory Prayer        Christian Albano

We have received from your hand, O God, blessings beyond our description or even awareness. Accept these gifts, O God, and may they bring us closer to you and further open our hearts to our neighbors. Amen.

* Hymn #562: Take My Gifts (v. 1 – 3)

Please be seated

Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson

Postlude: Great God of Glory              Kayleen Yuda

* Please stand if you are able.

PERMISSIONS

Processional
by Jean Phillipe Rameau
Arr. by Allanson Brown
© 1979 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending
Text by Robert L. Edwards, 1961
© 2016 by Hope Publishing Co.
Tune AUSTRIAN HYMN by Franz Joseph Haydn, 1797
Public Domain
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

On Eagle’s Wings
by Michael Joncas, arr. by Craig Kingsbury
© 1979, 1997 OCP
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

I Am Yours, O Lord
Text by Fanny Crosby, 1874
Tune I AM YOURS by William H. Doane, 1874
Public Domain

Rondeau
by J. C. Dechambonnieres
Arr. by Stanley Saxton
© 1980 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Take My Gifts
Text by Shirley Erena Murray, 1991
© 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Tune TALAVERA TERRACE by Colin Gibson, 1991
© 1992 Hope Publishing Company
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

Great God of Glory
by David Paxton
© 1985 Lorenz Publishing Co.
Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890

IMPORTANT DATES

Leading Worship this Morning

Pastor    Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Moderator                         Lorraine Davis
Vice Moderator               Elwood Kita
Lay Reader                        Christian Albano
Chapel Decorations      Shirley Miyake, in memory of Richard Miyake
Organist/Pianist            Kayleen Yuda
Music Director-Accompanist           Bob Grove
Na Kani O Kalani (Bells) Director Evan Montemayor                 
IYAA Choir Director      Stuart Mori
Sunday School Teacher                      Gloria Kobayashi
Sunday School Aide      Johanna Narruhn
Image Artist                      Sue Smith
Live Stream Director    Ruth Niino-DuPonte  
Sound Engineer & Assistant Director                  Ben Yamaki
Videographers                Eric Tanouye, Mace Peng, Bob
                  Smith, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita
Office Manager                Kahealani Mahone-Brooks

Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross

• The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon
•  Rev. Bensis Henry

• Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m.
• Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr.

• The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m.  
• Rev. Edmes Edwin

We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.