Dr. Monalisa Siofele Lolohea is site pastor for Inglewood First UMC, effective July 1, 2024! Pastor Monalisa was born and raised in the beautiful islands of Hawai’i. As a young Samoan-American woman, she knew God was calling her to serve, but she did not know where God was calling her to. And so, after graduating from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA as a Bishops Scholar, she returned home to Honolulu, HI to teach at her high school alma mater, Waipahu High.During her tenure there, she earned her Master of Arts in Education and was selected as one of the first group of educators to participate and spread love for education and compassion for humanity in the Freedom Writers Foundation: whose mission is to provide educators with tools to empower all students to succeed. All the while, Monalisa served as the Youth Director at her local church, under the leadership of her parents, Pastor Joe & Su’e Siofele. She also served in various capacities in the Hawai’i District, Conference Council on Youth & Young Adult Ministries and multiple non-profit organizations. In 2007, she took a position as a Program Manager and Family Teacher with the About Face Family of Programs who worked in collaboration with the Hawai’i Department of Defense.
All these secular work experiences enabled Monalisa to travel with her youth and young adult group to places where they shared their Samoan cultural practices, dances, and songs. She also served as the Samoan Club Advisor, teaching language, culture, and art. These life-experiences finally led her to embrace her call to attend seminary and marry the love of her life, Langi K. Lolohea. Together they journeyed to Claremont, CA where they lived for three years until being appointed to her first church, West Kaua’i UMC on her now home island, Kaua’i, Hawai’i, in 2014. She was appointed to Trinity UMC in Pomona from 2017-2022.
In 2022, Pastor Monalisa was appointed to serve as Program Manager of Young People’s Ministries of Cal-Pac. Her passion is helping to equip young people to bridge the gap between home, school, community, and faith. She taught the youth course at Mission U several times and is grateful to once again build-up the kin-dom of God while doing kingdom work later this summer.
She and her husband, Pastor Langi Lolohea believe in supporting one another wholly: body, mind, soul, and spirit. Their motto is: “Be still and know that I am God. The God who supplies, comforts, heals, and empowers.” Her greatest blessing is being mother to their five year old daughter, Fai’ana Su’esolo, and love to spend time together as an ohana (family). Whether it’s attending multiple church functions, worship, singing in the car, praying for loved ones, they find joy in all they do, for it is to honor and glorify He who is able to supply our every need: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
May God’s amazing grace guide us through this transition and help us to remember that together, we can do more than ever imaginable. With Christ at the center, and His abiding Spirit leading us, all things are possible.
Peace and Aloha.
