Healing toward New Life
Lent 2021 at CHA

The season of Lent is upon us with Ash Wednesday on February 17th. This year we will focus on the healing nature of Lent. As we draw close to God and present ourselves to be sanctified through prayer, fasting, and giving, we can be healed in mind, body, and spirit, freed from suffering in the grace of Christ. Let us dedicate Lent 2021 toward healing, healing in ourselves, our families, and our communities, for new life to abound come Easter.

Pray. Fast. Give.
Pray for healing in self, others, and world.
Fast from things that inhibit healing.
Give in action and alms to things that promote healing.

Ash Wednesday
9 a.m. for kupuna and their caregivers in-person
6 p.m. for general attendance in-person with livestream for virtual attendance

Consider participating in the following Lenten ministries for your spiritual enrichment.

God’s peace be with you,
Pastor Katlin

Lenten Prayer & Learning Invitations

“Sounds before the Cross” 
Evening Prayer with Bishop Gillies and Big Island Episcopalians
Wednesdays, February 24 – March 24; 6 p.m. via Zoom

“Baptism and Reaffirmation of Vows” 
Thursdays, February 18, 25, and March 4; 6 p.m. via Zoom

“What does the Bible say about…”
Wednesdays, February 24 – March 24 (omit 3/11); 4 p.m. via Zoom 

“The Sounds before the Cross”
A Hawaiʻi Island Lenten offering of Evening Prayer and Devotion
Wednesdays @ 6 PM 
February 24 – March 24
Via ZOOM

This year our parishʻs Lenten Journey includes our sisters and brothers from our Hawaiʻi Island Episcopal congregations! 

Each week, via ZOOM, Evening Prayer or Evensong will be offered, which will include a devotional talk. Our guest, devotional speaker/leader is the Right Rev. Bob Gillies. He will be join us from his home in St. Andrew’s, Scotland (although it will be 5 AM for him!). The title of his talks is ‘Sounds before the Cross’. In these talks Bishop Gillies will be speaking about various sounds associated with Jesus’ approach to his final days in Jerusalem.

The ZOOM link to join is: HERE 
Meeting ID is 883 0584 9898. 
Passcode is faith.
 
There is no sign up required to attend, but please do download the devotional booklet that Bishop Gillies has created for us. CLICK HERE to download a copy. Of course the Parish Office is glad to print out one for you to pick up.
 
Note that offering of Evening Prayer may vary from week to week with our sister island congregations taking turns officiating the service. Enjoy the blessing of hearing different Island folks lead us in prayer. We will try our best to display the congregational portions on the screen so you may join in. However, as always with such technology, if it doesnʻt go exactly as planned, our hope is that you will allow the liturgy to wash over you and enter into each offering with aloha.

“Baptism and Reaffirmation of Vows”
Thursdays, Feb. 18, 25 and March 4
via Zoom 
6pm

Baptism is a sacrament, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, by which God makes us members of Christ’s Body, the Church, and inheritors of God’s kingdom. It requires that we renounce evil, repent of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Savior. 
 
In the Episcopal Church, we believe in one baptism through which we are marked as Christ’s own forever. There come times in people’s lives when the Holy Spirit calls to them in new and inspiring ways. God occasionally stirs the tide of our lives to bring us closer. There are times when we are moved to recommit ourselves to rediscover and refresh our baptismal covenant with God. For such a time, we gather the people of Christ to witness desiring candidates publicly reaffirm their baptismal vows in Christ. This is a sacramental rite embedded within the liturgy of Baptism and it is officiated by a bishop. 
 
On March 7th, Bishop Bob is scheduled to visit with us at CHA. Are you feeling called to reaffirm your baptism? Or perhaps you have yet to be baptized or confirmed into the faith; even if you’re only interested in the discussion, join us! 

Thursdays via Zoom 6pm:
 
February 18; The Baptismal Covenant
Review and Reflect on Baptismal Covenant and Vows
Homework: Read and reflect on Matthew 3:13-17 (Jesus' Baptism) and Matthew 28:16-20 (Jesus' Great commission).
 
February 25; Jesus is the Word made Flesh
Discuss the scriptures, share reflections; 
Homework: Study catechism; Two sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist tied together, BCP pp. 858-860 
 
March 4; We are the Body of Christ
Catechism and Sacraments as a way of life
 
ZOOM
Topic: Baptism and Us 
Feb 18, 2021 06:00 PM Hawaii
 Feb 25, 2021 06:00 PM
 Mar 4, 2021 06:00 PM
    
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 969 1366 5559
Passcode: 052934

“What does the Bible say about…”
Wednesdays, 4 p.m. 
Feb. 24 – March 24 (omit 3/11)
via Zoom 
Ever wonder what the Bible says about certain topics? We will explore some hot topics and themes and take a look at what scripture says about it. Join us for this exploratory contemporary discussion. 
The Bishop shares a reflection on Ash Wednesday and the practice of celebrating this service during these unusual times. To read his message, click HERE.
A Message from our Family Minister
The first day of Lent is called “Ash Wednesday” from the ceremony of imposing blessed ashes in the form of a cross on the foreheads of everyone who comes to church.  The ashes come from burning the blessed palms of the previous Palm Sunday.  They are also given a special blessing by our priest. But this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not doing that.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

This phrase comes from God’s response to Adam (Genesis 3:19). God reminds Adam of the effects of sin and of humanity’s dependence on God. Read Genesis 2:4–9, and it explains that the breath of God sustains all living things. Adam and Eve turned away from God when they ate from the tree of knowledge. When we mark our foreheads with ashes at the beginning of Lent, we are indicating that we are turning back to God.

“Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Wearing ashes on our foreheads is a tradition of repentance that comes from the Old Testament. There are several stories that mention ashes. When Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh, the king covered himself in sackcloth and ashes and ordered the people to do the same (Jonah 3:6–9). Ashes and scratchy clothes were a way for people to be humble before God and show that they were willing to make a big change in their lives. We are marked with ashes for the same reason: to show that we are willing to change. The physical symbol—ashes—is for our benefit. God knows what is in our hearts; the ashes remind us to turn our hearts toward God.

The Church gives us Lent as a time to change, to become a better version of ourselves, and to become more like Jesus. The ashes we receive on Ash Wednesday remind us of our call to repent and believe in the Gospel. The disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—help us prepare for Christ’s victory on Easter.
Our next Sunday school will be held on:
Sunday, February 21th on Zoom at 10:30am. Email familylife@episcopalchurchhilo.org to join.
​All are invited to participate in the Diocese of Hawai'i's Annual Spring Training on Saturday, March 13, 2021.
 
This year's Spring Training features 15 courses to choose from that cover a broad spectrum of topics including grant writing, human resource issues, youth ministry, and communications. There will also be a number of speakers addressing the issues of our times with race relations, worshiping during a pandemic, faith in our homes, and much more! 

To view course descriptions and register, visit the event webpage through the link above.
For Spiritual Enrichment, consider this...
Review shared by Linda Watson, retired Librarian (SFPL)
"Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others" by Barbara Brown Taylor (Harper, 2019). Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, an emerita Professor of Religion and a bestselling author of many books. Some of her sermons can be found by searching the Internet. I first heard her name during one of Father David's homilies and decided to explore her writings. "Holy Envy" recounts her years as a college professor teaching a course on world religions. She talks about how sharing the differences and similarities of other world faiths helped her and many of her students solidify their own faith. The stories told here are sometimes humorous yet compassionate. This book clears up many of the misunderstandings that people have about religions outside of Christianity. Anyone seeking a basic knowledge about how different faiths can unite us rather than divide us will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this book because it filled me with hope on how we can live more tolerant and Godly lives.  
If you qualify for any of the below groups, please fill out the appropriate form. You must bring your identification and insurance card to your appointment. For essential workers a work ID/work paystub will also be required.
Upon completion of the below forms, your information will be submitted to the CDC. You will receive an email from the CDC within two business days to register for the VAMS website.
After creating your VAMS account, you can schedule an appointment at any available vaccine distribution site. The VAMS user manual can be found by clicking here.
Each recipient MUST have an individual email address to sign up, you cannot have the same email address as any other vaccine recipient, it must be unique to you.
Happy Birthday!!
February 2- Elizabeth Truesdell and Rosemarie Walker
February 13- Melanie Oldfather and Kathy Penny
February 14- Doug Adams
February 18 - Charles Mans
February 19- Dora Kraul
February 21- Ryan Chilson
February 23- Malcolm Kennedy
February 29- Mary Gaddis
Centering Prayer - Prayer as Relationship
Contemplative Outreach of Hawaii: March Newsletter
"Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10

This simple wisdom saying is an invitation given to you by God. It is a call to set aside all activity, rest in silence, and come into an intimate relationship with the Beloved.  

Throughout the ages, most cultures and religions have practiced some form of prayer as a way of relating to God or spirit. In the modern Western world, we tend to think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed through words. Often these prayers become supplications to a God "out there"--a God that we perceive to be somewhere else. Although these prayers are those most commonly practiced, they are not the only expressions of prayer.

In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, the word for prayer is shela. Shela can be interpreted to mean "to open oneself and listen to the Divine Presence." In this sense, prayer is not necessarily words being spoken; rather, it is closer to what, in the Christian tradition, is called contemplation. It is important for you to be open to a new understanding of prayer in the context of the contemplative Christian.

In the contemplative sense, prayer is not something you do, but is instead a relationship between you and the Divine Indwelling. To pray is to accept God's invitation to turn your mind and heart inward and open to the realization that you are not separate from God. God is always with you, whether you know it or not. This understanding of prayer as a relationship with God is a primary foundation of the practice of Centering Prayer. The more you practice silent prayer in the contemplative Christian tradition, the more you come to understand this new paradigm of prayer.

I invite you to spend ten minutes in silence. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and be still so God can use this time. It doesn't matter that odd thoughts will come to mind. When they do just let them go away. At the end of ten minutes, you are done.  

Closing prayer: Thank you, God, that you are right here with me as I wait. Amen. 

from Fr. Thomas Keating,"Centering Prayer"
“Conversation with others across difference is not just a nice thing to do. It is a spiritual practice of love in action.” 
- Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Are you needing assistance? Through the generosity of our congregation, we are able to meet some basic needs for anyone facing critical hardship to purchase groceries, rent, electric, and medicine. When we offer such assistance, it is done in the form of a check or giftcard and bills are paid directly to vendors and landlords. If you are in need of assistance from the church, call the office and leave a message for Pastor Katlin. 808-935-5545
SCAM ALERT!! Please be aware that scammers posing as Bishop Bob or Pastor Katlin have been emailing random congregation members asking for favors. Please DO NOT respond or click on any links. If in question, please call the office at (808) 935-5545. Here is a reference link to the most current scams out there: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts

Please, please do not click on links unless you can verify who the link came from.