Pastor Katrina thanks everyone for their warm welcome to the church, her first post as a pastor, and to the community, which she already loves. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Pastor Katrina’s family flew in from Mesquite, Nevada for the occasion: father Pastor Malakai Pahulu, brother Tau Pahulu, mother Linda Pahulu, and sister Olivia Pahulu, who will become a Patagonia resident. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Katrina’s family introduces themselves at church with father, Pastor Malakai Pahulu of Mesquite UMC in Nevada, at the pulpit, and brother Tau, sister Olivia, and mother Linda. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Katrina’s brother Tau looks over the baked salmon dish prepared by his sister Olivia for the potluck. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Even the little ones are eager to shake hands with Katrina. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Kay Pitt, chair of PCUMC Staff-Parish Relations, welcomes Katrina to her first position as a pastor. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Community volunteer Steve Finch describes to an appreciative Pastor Katrina how he’s going to redo the floors for the PCUMC Thrift Shop in its big spruce-up this month. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Father Simon of St. Therese Catholic Church gives a warm welcome to Pastor Katrina’s mom, Linda, who is returning to Nevada after helping Katrina settle in here. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Father Simon of St. Therese Catholic Church flanked by the Pahulu family: father Pastor Malakai, Pastor Katrina, mother Linda, sister Olivia, and brother Tau. Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
People keep coming in to line up at the back of the hall for the potluck dinner table even as others were already on their way to the desert table! Photo by Linda Jade Fong 
Deserts-a’plenty at the Community Potluck. Photo by Linda Jade Fong
New Patagonia Community United Methodist Church pastor Katrina Pahulu laughed as she announced in church just before the community potluck welcoming her on Aug. 10, “It is said that Methodists grew so fast in the 1800’s partly because we knew how to throw a good potluck!”
This potluck lived up to this billing, with Thurber Hall filled with well-wishers from the area coming to greet Pastor Katrina. As a special bonus, they got to meet her family, who flew in from Mesquite, Nevada and appeared in traditional Tongan dress to celebrate the Hawaii-born Katrina’s first post as a pastor. Katrina’s younger sister, Olivia, will stay here and become a Patagonia resident.
