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Dear St. Augustine's 'ohana,
In this season of Epiphany we pray: God of Divine revealing, may we open our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts to you. Amen.
Good stories, like those in the Bible, persist for thousands of years because they continue to be relevant — like our gospel story this Sunday, which tells of how Jesus met the first disciples and called them to follow.
The story
Standing on the lake shore after fishing all day, fishermen join a crown who have gathered to hear Jesus speak. As the crowd presses forward, Jesus gets into one of the boats to finish speaking.
Afterward, he asks a fisherman named Simon to row out again, saying, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." After a long day with no fish to show for it, a weary Simon protests but complies with Jesus' request.
Soon their nets are bulging with fish! As the fishermen regard their bountiful catch, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
The message
As followers of Jesus' Way of Love, we are called to "cast our nets" to connect with our community. People are longing for connection, for a sense of belonging, for meaningful conversation. Some may long for spiritual community.
Our "nets" are our warm smiles, our gentle eyes, and our loving words. Our "nets" embrace others with quiet invitations to gather with us for a meal and a chat over a cup of coffee. People who gather at our Thrift Shop find more than clothing and household goods. They find community. People who come for food to sustain them find their spirits are fed as well. People who come for music find respite from noisy news feeds, calmed by a language beyond words that speaks to the heart.
The relevance today
In a world that feels like it's cracking open, St. Augustine's is called to tend to those who feel their lives are splintering into isolation or despair. This is why we cast our nets, welcoming all! This is the reason we respond like Isaiah: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"
Let us cast our nets again and again. Cast them even when you are weary. Cast the nets when you doubt you'll catch anything. Cast them wide and without hesitation.
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Putting our call into action
In keeping with our call to cast our nets, I am pleased to announce a new initiative that continues our long-standing focus to serve the North Kohala community.
Noting unmet needs in Kohala, the Bishop's Committee has approved a new and exciting role for Kathy Matsuda, who now serves as the Family & Community Network Coordinator for St. Augustine's.
Several factors have contributed to creating this new focus for St. Augustine's. Families work harder than ever to make ends meet, often holding multiple jobs that include Sunday hours. To boost family participation, St. Augustine's must pivot to redefine our outreach efforts. And in our neighborhoods, families of all types face challenges.
Meeting the needs of our community depends on our ability to cast our nets wide to embrace a more inclusive definition of family: multi-generational, single parents, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and more. This new position plays a vital role in fulfilling the shared ministry of all St. Augustine's members to be an inclusive gathering place for all community members as “a place to be the love of God and to feel the love of God.”
This role is integral to serving the North Kohala community outside the church walls by building partnerships to address issues such as loneliness, food insecurity, lack of health care, environmental sustainability, and economic challenges. In her new role, Kathy will help St. Augustine’s focus on loving our neighbors as ourselves with events and activities that enrich intergenerational “family” life — ‘ohana by birth and by friendship.
She won't be doing this work alone. Consistent with our shared ministry model, Kathy will collaborate with teams inside and outside the church, working with others to seek and create opportunities to serve families and celebrate the intersection of various age groups, cultures, and life experiences represented in the community.
This is an exciting direction for St. Augustine's. While Kathy works to enhance our outreach efforts, she will also keep an eye on our youth. When the time is right, we hope to hire a youth coordinator, whose role will be shaped by what we learn about Kohala families of all kinds.
In the meantime, we're re-envisioning our Godly Play offerings. Our plan is to host Godly Play sessions on Wednesdays during Thrift Shop hours, inviting keiki in our community to hear a story, share a snack, and engage in "Godly Play" by exploring the stories through crafts and singing. We'll share more about this soon, so please stay tuned!
Blessings,
Vicar Jennifer
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