Church Newsletter for the week of August 29th: Meditations, Thrift Store Update, Teaching Series and more...

Last week we reflected on the deepening mystery of healing as a process of restoration that touches all of God’s creatures, great and small, as well as our habitat.

I remember hiking up a mountain with a friend in Arizona and the two of us pondering whether the rocks all around us were “alive” or not. He declared that they were “inert” and therefore not living, and I asked him to consider as well the scientific doctrine of “Brownian motion”.

Brownian motion is named for the English botanist Robert Brown who first described this molecular motion while looking at pollen through a microscope in 1827. It appears that, as our instrumentation has become more sophisticated since that time, molecular life is in a state of almost constant motion. And if the molecular life of a stone exhibits motion in some regard, can we then say it is “inert”? Is not motion a symptom of life?

The philosophical and scientific question here is not of paramount significance. What is of paramount significance is where, when and how we encounter life on our planet earth (and, as time goes by, elsewhere in the cosmos)? The ways and means for our encounters with life are critically important to the integrity of life as we know it.

I am suggesting that “life” is a force of the Creator that is far more extensive, far more intimate and therefore far more present to us and us to it, than we may have earlier assumed. Our protocol for honoring life when and as we meet a person we do not know, or an animal, is quite different than the protocol for “meeting” a rock or even an insect. My best guess is that all of life is ennobled and honored if/when we take the protocols of respect that we reserve for other humans and apply them to animals, botanicals, and, indeed, all creatures great and small.

This might mean allowing intentionally for healing as well as life in the rest of creation. Can we “pray” for a river, or a tree or a habitat, as we might “pray” for another human being? Can we afford “rights” to other creatures as we ourselves (in our better moments) afford rights to other humans, regardless of national affiliation? These and other questions will emerge ever more forcefully in our communities as our world “shrinks” in size due to travel, technology and population growth.

It is one of the many gifts that faith communities give to the rest of the world that we can ask these questions earlier than other communities might due to our faith and our willingness to live as if there is always more to life than meets the eye. We continue our exploration of healing each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom as accessed on the CMEC

website.

Yours in the Great Physician,

Jon

CONTACT THE REV. JONATHAN COFFEY

NOTE: The Rev. Jonathan has misplaced his cell phone. Until he either finds it or gets a new one, please use *Julie’s* number to reach him.

The Rev. Jonathan Coffey (our current visiting Pastor in Residence) would like to connect with you! Please feel free to reach out via email, phone or mail.

Jonathan B. Coffey

P. O. Box 293

Kilauea, HI 96754

Jon: 904-535-2987

*Julie*: 602-410-4383.

Send Jonathan an email here.

TEACHING SERIES ON HEALING SPACES

Join us for our continued exploration of healing spaces. This online seminar will be led by The Rev. Jonathan Coffey. Read more about Jonathan here.

Join us for a journey into the topic of how a place works towards facilitating healing...

Background on the Book: 'Healing Spaces'

In the 1990’s Dr. Esther Sternberg began testing an intuition most of us share: that beauty facilitates healing of mind, body and spirit. Out of her research came the book “Healing Spaces: The Role of Place and Wellbeing”. Dr. Sternberg has since then joined the faculty at the School for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson where she directs research and chairs the Center for Place, Wellbeing and Performance.

We will read and reflect upon her book and the growth in appreciation for the ideal habitats for healing each Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Join us!

JOIN THE WEEKLY MEETING

TEMPORARY THRIFT STORE CLOSURE

The Bishop's committee has chosen to extend the temporary closure of the Helen Mitsui Shared Blessings Thrift Shop until September 3, 2021

If you know of individuals, families or organizations that have particular needs during our closure that can be met by Shared Blessings, please contact us via email at kilaueachristmemorial@gmail.com, and we will help as we can on a one-to-one basis.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Helen Mitsui Shared Blessings Thrift Shop in Kilauea is seeking Volunteers for 2021.

Each volunteer shift is a 2-4 hour commitment for a minimum of one day per week. Experience in Retail, Customer Service, and/or Retail a plus, but not required.

Volunteers are invaluable to serving our community. Our goal is to reuse, repurpose and recycle goods — keeping as much as possible out of landfill — while providing our community with access to reasonably priced, quality merchandise.

Here are ways you can help:

* Greeters welcome shoppers and monitor our COVID guidelines.

* Customer Care helps shoppers to ensure a pleasant shopping experience.

* Merchandisers organize departments, restock the floor and display retail goods.

* Philanthropy distributes merchandise to organizations in need.

* Donation Intakers receive, sort and process donations.

Work-from-Home volunteers help prepare merchandise for sale. We are especially looking for help in these areas:

* Games: checking games to ensure all components are intact

* Stationery: packaging up cards and envelopes

* Holidays: preparing merchandise for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Valentines, 4th of July, and more

* School, Office, Art Craft Supplies: organizing and packaging materials for reuse

* Toys: sorting, cleaning, and packaging toys

* Hardware: sorting and packaging tools, materials, electronics and appliances

Requirements?

*Team players with a genuine interest in serving the community and contributing to the reuse movement.

* Willingness to support COVID-19 safety measures set by Shared Blessings

* Physically able to lift 50 pounds (Merchandisers and Donation Intakers only)

Benefits?

Serving the community and our environment is rewarding work. We have a lot of fun! New merchandise is donated daily, so the element of surprise and wonder is constant. Get a first peek and more!

Interested?

Click on the reply button here! Let us know 1) your interests, 2) your availability to volunteer and 3) your contact information. Mahalo!

PRAYER REQUESTS THIS WEEK

Healing of body, mind and spirit for:

Our Friends in Hanalei, Shannon, Janice, Marilyn, Sarah and Julie, Tony, Scott, Greg, Webb, Christine, Kathy, Edith, Landrea, Sara, Patrick, Seth, Robin, Tyler, Chip and his wife Carrie, Stacy, Jessica, Lisa, Susan, Auntie Marrie, Molly and Abigail, Issa, Evelyn, Charlene, David, Tessa, Lee, Austin, Shane, Kim, Deanna, Annah, Maggie, Linda, David, Susan, her husband Peter and family, Pam and her family, Kacpo Reynald Kinney for "all of God's creation".

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Our Thrift Shop is

Temporarily Closed

CLOSED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 2:00 - 5:00 pm

Wednesday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Saturday 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

For a safe shopping experience, we can only allow 8 shoppers in the store at any time.

All must wear masks and use hand sanitizer.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Meets in the Parish Hall:

Monday 6:15 - 7:15 pm & 7:30 - 8:30 pm

Tuesday 10:00-11:00 am & 7:30 - 8:30 pm

Wednesday 7:30 - 8:30 pm

Go to www.kauaiaa.org for more info.

THIS IS MY OFFERING

A Prayer:

Magnificent Holy Father.

I stand before you at this altar. So many have given you more.

I may not have much I can offer. Yet what I have is truly yours.

This is my offering, dear Lord.

This is my offering to You, God.

Your offering enables us to maintain worship, prayer and study during this time. Help us continue to provide a beautiful, flourishing, and safe "Sanctuary for the Spirit" at our historic and faithful church on Kaua'i.

Change to Automated Giving: Thank you to those of you who automate your giving and have a plan to support your church. Your consistent, planned generosity makes it possible for us to budget and dream responsibly. Want to change to automated giving? It makes life easy, especially if you travel.

Live off island? If you have a prayer intention or would like to pray for those on our prayer list, email our office. To be part of the church collective means we all share in the cost of being a church. We want our church to have inspiring worship; pastoral care for those in need; beautiful church grounds; programs to learn and grow; and tools to reach out to those who are seeking a closer relationship with God. See the different ways you can share your gifts, on our Giving page HERE.

If you like to give by check, please send to:

Christ Memorial Episcopal Church,

P.O. Box 293, Kilauea, HI 96754

Or consider changing to Automated Giving. It makes life easy. Just click on the button below to make a one-time or recurring donation.

Thank you for your love and care for our Christ Memorial community!

PASSING THE PLATE

PAYPAL

http://www.christmemorialkauai.org/radicalgiving.html

STAY INFORMED

Keep up-to-date with messages from the Bishop. Click on the buttons below to view the Bishop's weekly Monday & Wednesday messages, and find links to online worship in the Diocese.