THIS SUNDAY: May 23, 2021
Pentacost Sunday
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Using the imagery of resurrection, the prophet predicts when the Jewish exiles in Babylon would one day be restored to their own land with a resurrected culture and faith.
Psalm 104:25-35, 37
Praise to the God of creation for the wonders of the natural world.
Acts 2:1-21
The Story of Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church. Jesus' disciples receive the Holy Spirit.
John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit will come upon his disciples after Jesus ascends into heaven.
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ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICE
WITH COMMUNION
8:00AM
Joe Adorno (EM)*
Judy Saronitman (U)
Lorna Nishi (AG)
Muriel Jackson (DM)
9:30AM
Linda Crocker (EM)
David Crocker U)
Joan Roughgarden (LR)
Jan Hashizume (AG)
Mabel Antonio, Vikki Secretario (HP)
Jan Hashizume, Carolyn Morinishi (DM)
Live Stream
9:00AM on our home page, YouTube, or Facebook accounts
@allsaintskauai
* EM - Eucharistic Minister; U - Usher; LR - Lay Reader; AG - Altar Guild; HP - Healing Prayers; DM - Digital Ministry; SS - Sunday School
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Daughters of the King
Thursday, May 27th
7:00 - 8:00PM
Zoom meeting
Contact Mabel Antonio for login info.
Ministry Council Meeting
Saturday, June 12th
9:00 - 10:00AM
Zoom meeting
Contact Jan Hashizume for login info.
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Sunday School
First Sunday of the month, 9:30 - 10:15AM
Memorial Hall
Aloha Hour
Every Sunday, 10:45AM - 12:00PM
Under lanai tent
Monday/Friday Crew
Every Monday/Friday, 8:00AM
Church Office
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Ke Akua Youth Group Meeting
1st and 3rd Wednesday, 5:00 - 6:00PM
Zoom
Laundry Love
1st & 3rd Wednesday, 5:00PM
Kapa`a Laundromat
Daughters of the King
2nd & 4th Thursday, 7:00 - 8:00PM
Zoom
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A Weekend of Celebration
Confirmations, Receptions, Keiki Dances and Organ Concerts
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All Saints' was full of celebration and praise last weekend. Saturday evening a cake and champagne reception preceded the first organ concert on the Sloggett/Wilcox `Ohana Organ. It was thrilling to hear a world-class organist perform on our remarkable, and truly unique organ. Dr. Adam Pajan demonstrated the depth and range of this amazing instrument to exquisite perfection.
Sunday morning Dr. Pajan played the organ for both services. To have such wonderful music for the celebration of welcoming our new members in Christ through confirmation and a reception was a blessing. Bishop Bob also commissioned and blessed the organ during both services. We also had two adorable keiki dance performances during the service.
After the 9:30AM service All Saints' had a wonderful potluck to celebrate the eventful services. The crowd enjoyed Wayne Doliente's delicious grilling skills as well as sides, desserts, and beverages. It was a joyous celebration!
At 2:00PM Sunday Dr. Pajan presented an organ concert for the general public. He once again played to a (socially distanced) packed house. This concert was again a superb demonstration of the depth and range of our amazing organ. The audience was wowed and showed their appreciation.
Many thanks to Morris, Kevin, and Adam who took the time to give us background on the Rosales Organ Workshop, Adam's resume, the music we heard, and to answer all of our questions.
Mahalo nui loa to the All Saints' photographers who documented the events. Marge Akana, Bill Caldwell, CeCe Caldwell, and Joan Roughgarden, thank you on behalf of the All Saints' `Ohana.
Enjoy the slide shows from our different events by clicking below.
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Sloggett/Wilcox `Ohana Organ Commissioning
Celebrate the Moment!
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First Services with Rosales Opus 41 Pipe Organ
Confirmation, Reception, and Joyous Noice
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Potluck Celebration New Pipe Organ
May 16, 2021
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For the sick and suffering in body, mind, and spirit, especially Those affected by the Pandemic,Those affected by racial violence, Willy, Donna, Bob, Heather, Glen, Garrett and those we name silently or aloud, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For those saints who have gone before us in the Grander Life, especially those affected by the COVID-19 virus, Paul, Donald, Uncle Fran, Donna B., Yumi and those we name silently or aloud, in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Amen.
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Sloggett Center Solar and Roofing Project
An Environmental Initiative
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All Saints’ Church and Preschool is beginning an exciting new project that will improve our current physical plant and provide for All Saints’ future in an environmentally sustainable way. The Sloggett Center will be getting a long needed new roof and a solar panel system will be installed to meet a good deal of our church’s electrical needs. The entire solar panel system has been funded by a private donation from a church `Ohana family. The fundraising effort for the new roof is off to a good start.
A gift of stock was made to All Saints’ by the private donor for the solar project, the sale of which netted $161,758. The solar panel project, to be executed by Nathan Wood’s Renewable Energy Technologies, will cost $150.591 leaving a balance of $11,167 to use toward the cost of the roof replacement.
Ohana Construction will be replacing the current tile roof on the Sloggett Center with an asphalt shingle roof at a cost of $123,657. This project will include reroofing the entire Sloggett Center, prepping and painting the high part of the exterior wall of Sloggett, and fascia and gutter repair and replacement. The roofing tiles will be removed and crushed for use on the church campus where gravel type fill is needed thereby keeping the construction rubble from Kaua`i’s landfill.
By providing solar energy for All Saints’, this project fulfills the donor’s wish to help All Saints’ become a more conscientious steward of God’s creation. The reuse of the roofing tile is another way All Saints’ is able to be environmentally responsible.
Now is the time for everyone to step up and make a contribution toward completing the funding for the roofing project. There will be a donation link on the All Saints’ website for the roofing project. Follow the soon-to-be debuted funding goal thermometer to see how our fundraising efforts are going.
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Many thanks to our illustrious Junior Warden, Ron Morinishi, head of the Buildings and Grounds Ministry. Ron contacted and scheduled many solar and roofing contractors for estimates, waded through mounds of diocesan paperwork to get our Sloggett Center Solar and Roofing Project approved, kept the Vestry updated with all the information gleaned from his efforts, and was the point man to answer questions from all these different groups. Mahalo nui loa to Ron for his tireless efforts to get these projects off the ground. |
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Aid to a Grieving Family
The Father of an All Saints' Preschool Student Has Passed
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All Saints' Church and Preschool and the community will be working together to help provide meals for the family of one our preschool students whose father has passed. Click here to sign up: Meal Train. Grubhub gift certificates are also available on the Meal Train website.
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Zonta Scholarships Available to Kaua`i Girls and Women
Get Your Application in Now
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The Zonta Club of Kaua`i is offering college scholarships to Kaua`i high school senior girls and to women returning to Kaua`i Community College. The application deadline is May 28th. Click here: Zonta Scholarships to access the applications.
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St. Andrew's Schools
Celebrating May Day
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From the Queen's bust, Cathedral steps, breezeway and school campus, students from St. Andrew's Schools celebrated May Day with full smiles shining through clear face masks! Under the direction of Kumu Hula Hiwa Vaughan, a crew of professional videographers captured the students' beautiful May Day performances on film in five episodes, and will be posted on YouTube. To view the first two episodes, click on these links: EPISODE 1 EPISODE 2
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“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above...”
– James 1:17 NRSV
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What is the best gift you have ever received?
I have been asked this question throughout my life by many people in different contexts. Possible answers to a parent or a teacher could be a new walkie-talkie set (these were the Seventies), a bike, a horseback ride with my grandmother, or when I was a teenager, a jeep in the driveway with a big red bow on it. Later it could have been my education, a chance to study abroad, canoeing with my dad on a quiet river, making Christmas cookies with my mom.
Every Perfect Gift
What did these perfect gifts give me, aside from the pleasure of the possession? They each taught me about living in the moment, appreciating what I had - whether it was long afternoons playing “secret agent” in the backyard with my best friend and our walkie- talkies, or singular moments like listening to the sound of the current of a river on a quiet summer afternoon with my father. They also taught me generosity, for the delight I had in experiencing the gifts called me to share such moments and experiences with others. This is the relationship between receiving and generosity, and it’s a pattern, that, once it takes root in us, continues in perpetuity.
The more we practice generosity, the more abundance we recognize around us.
Every Generous Act
In many congregations it is the practice to sing the Doxology as our gifts — the elements of the Eucharist and our offerings — are brought to the altar for blessing. “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,” it begins; and these words remind us of the font from which springs all generosity, all love, all gift. We are called in that moment to reflect on this cycle of abundance sparked with the first light and made manifest in the Creation, in the calling of prophets, and in the gift of God’s own son on Earth. As we share our gifts through the Eucharist and through our service to the world, we participate in the ongoing creation of abundance and generosity.
What is the best gift you have ever received?
The theme and image for Every Perfect Gift are wrapped in the metaphor of the butterfly and chrysalis. Of all the metaphors of gift that could be used, why did we decide on this one?
To the ancient Greeks, the butterfly represented the image of rebirth and freedom. The word they used for butterfly was psyche, and if you are thinking that sounds familiar, you are correct! It also means spirit. The humble and beautiful butterfly contains the philosophical and spiritual idea of the soul breaking free from its shell — free to discover, to inspire,
to create, to communicate, to share.
These are also spiritual gifts, gifts that when we free ourselves to serve in the world, we need and share with others; and they are gifts of our stewardship. As we share our time, talent, and treasure with our church and with the world, we unleash those same gifts in our communities: discovery, inspiration, creativity, communication, sharing. Through the ministries that are enabled by our gifts, the inspiration we show to our neighbors to unlock their generosity in the world, and the stories we tell about ourselves and our experiences, we participate with God in an abundant vision for the world. Every perfect gift comes from God above.
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Day of Pentecost
May 23, 2021
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Today we mark Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit among the apostles and followers of Jesus. Celebrated 50 days after Easter (including the day of Easter itself), the name of the holiday comes from the Greek Pentēkostē, which literally means “the 50th day.”
The events of the day are foretold by Jesus in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, just before his Ascension. While his followers were with the risen Christ, he tells them, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5, NRSV). He goes on to say to them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The followers would not wait long for the promised Spirit. The author of Acts, traditionally believed to be Luke, recounts:
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each” (Acts 2:1-6).
We celebrate Pentecost as the inauguration of the Church’s mission in the world. Empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are to go out into our neighborhoods and the wider world—to Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth—witnessing to the risen Christ.
The Day of Pentecost is identified by the Book of Common Prayer as one of the feast days “especially appropriate” for baptism (Book of Common Prayer, p. 312). Because of this, Pentecost is also known as “Whitsun” or “Whitsunday” (“White Sunday”), a term used to describe the white baptismal garments worn by those who were baptized at the Vigil of Pentecost and then worn to church on the Day of Pentecost.
Collect for Pentecost
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Book of Common Prayer, p. 227).
Published by the Office of Formation of The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017
© 2021 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
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Harvard Chaplaincy’s ‘Liturgy of the Absurd’ Performance Art Invites New Perspectives on the Eucharist
Egan Millard
May 20,2021
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The “prayer tent” in the backyard of the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard University is decorated for a performance of “LadyMass” in May 2020. Photo: Meredith Wade
[Episcopal News Service – Cambridge, Massachusetts] If you walked past the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard University on a recent evening, you might have heard chanting, music and bells, smelled incense and gotten a glimpse of robed figures. There was a liturgy going on in the backyard of the chaplaincy’s stately colonial building, but not one of the Eucharistic rites found in the Book of Common Prayer. It was a chaplaincy-staged experimental performance art piece that deconstructs and reassembles the Eucharist through a feminine lens.
“LadyMass: Rites of the Emerald Table,” performed over the past two weekends, is a walk-through experience with multiple stations, each with a performer the audience can interact with. Over the course of about a half-hour, audience members meet several recognizable, yet twisted characters that incorporate aspects of Christianity and pop culture. And though it may not be apparent at first, the basic elements of the Eucharist are there: the Word and the offering of food and drink.
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The Rev. Rita Powell, who organized the collaborative project, began envisioning something like it when she became Harvard’s Episcopal chaplain two years ago. Powell hired Meredith Wade as the chaplaincy’s Kellogg Fellow in part because of their shared interest in art as ministry.
“We wanted to use the creative arts to reach out beyond what the borders of the church are,” Powell told Episcopal News Service. “We didn’t just want to be a place that welcomed people who already knew they wanted to be Episcopalian, but we wanted to actually be a presence on campus in a visible and not entirely churchy way.”
Powell and Wade enlisted Kirsten Cairns, the founder and artistic director of Enigma Chamber Opera, to develop their ideas into a production. In her previous position at Trinity Church in Boston, Powell had worked with Cairns, who brought her extensive theater experience to projects like a dramatized Good Friday service.
“One of the elements that was important to me is just thinking about how to make the arts accessible and how to help people engage their creative selves, even if that’s not what they do for a living or if it’s not what they’re formally trained in,” Wade said.
The three women drew inspiration from “Sleep No More,” an adaptation of “Macbeth” in which audience members walk through a hotel and learn parts of the story from performers throughout the building.
Their ideas centered around staging something like the Eucharist, but infused with elements that churches don’t usually associate with it, like femininity and spectacle. Cairns looked to the medieval church’s mystery and morality plays for ideas.
“The church has a tradition of playing with revelry, pageantry, the absurd, in order to communicate and teach lessons, especially when you go back to a time where most people didn’t read and the mysteries of the actual Eucharist were not for most people to see, so in some ways we’re just going back to our roots here,” Cairns told ENS.
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“LadyMass” was set up in the backyard of the Episcopal Chaplaincy at Harvard. Photo: Kirsten Cairns
Powell, Cairns and Wade all performed in the show, along with Powell’s daughter and several students, one of whom plays a character based on the White Rabbit from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Students also created the sound effects for another station, at which a dark, robed figure appears to worship a toy Elmo that speaks various excerpts from the writings of Evagrius, the fourth century Christian mystic, newly translated by a Harvard Divinity School professor.
Cairns emphasized that the discomfort audience members may feel at some of the imagery is meant to be thought-provoking, not disrespectful.
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A cloaked performer venerates Elmo during
“LadyMass.” Photo: Meredith Wade
“When you say that you’re being absurd in the liturgy, people might have an initial reaction of ‘That’s sacrilegious,’ ‘That’s irreverent, ‘That’s offensive,’ ‘You’re mocking the church,’ which is absolutely not what we were doing,” she said. “In many ways, I think there’s a greater reverence in saying, ‘These are profound mysteries that we cannot possibly understand.’”
Cairns wanted to unsettle the audience’s ideas about what the Eucharist is and who can participate in it, “playing with what is being offered, who is offering it and what is being consumed.” To that end, there are three simultaneous “altars” with performers evoking aspects of mythical feminine energy not typically considered appropriate for church, such as eroticism and anger.
“We’re harkening back to the time when the church was more comfortable with embracing the feminine strength and power within it,” she said.
“We have three very different celebrants at these three altars, and none of their gender is simple, but all of them are in some kind of feminine register,” Powell explained. Two performers – one male and one female – are dressed as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” but with very different takes on the female archetype. While one happily offers up sparkling wine and chocolate to the viewer in a consecration-like ritual, the other malevolently thrusts wrappers or other food-related trash into the viewer’s hand, symbolizing the opposite of the Eucharist: an empty vessel.
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A performer dances in the tent during “LadyMass.” Photo: Meredith Wade
At another station, the audience is invited into a tent, where a woman dancing seductively exchanges the trash for a piece of paper with a spiritual quote written on it. The exchange, Cairns said, makes the audience member an active participant rather than a spectator.
“For a lot of churchgoers I think that the Eucharist is very passive, that the priest is the one doing the work, all I do is receive and walk away,” Cairns said. “What if it’s more about what you bring to the table what you give? I hope and believe that what we’ve done over the last two weekends has given a lot to people, but I know for sure that they have given a lot to us.”
Using a grant from the Diocese of Massachusetts’ young adult ministry network, Powell commissioned composer Adam Jacob Simon to write original music, including a Mass setting, that reflected the progression through the space and added an overall atmospheric tone.
You can hear this beautiful, celebratory music by clicking on the image below. It will take you to SOUNDCLOUD where you can select from several pieces.
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The Rev. Rita Powell celebrates the Eucharist in the “prayer tent.” Photo: Shikun Zhu
“It was very fortuitous that this piece was ready for the situation of the world,” Cairns said. “It was one of the few art projects that didn’t get canceled when the pandemic came along.”
After the performance, attendees were invited to rest in the garden and write down reflections in a book. The creative team was surprised by the variety of responses, including many that expressed discomfort or confusion but also insight. They also heard from attendees that they were simply excited that something like this was being offered. People walking by were even lured in by the smells and sounds, Cairns said.
“It seems like folks were ready for some type of artistic experience, some type of embodied experience that was COVID-conscious and accessible to them,” Wade told ENS.
Though this round of performances is over, “LadyMass” is not, the team said.
“We had a filmmaker come and work with us on filming it and she’s working on putting something together over the summer that Rita and Kirsten will take on the road in the fall, so that folks who weren’t able to come experience it in person have still some way to access the experience,” Wade said.
“The piece isn’t over,” Cairns said. “Like an insect, it’s gone through one stage of its form and now it’s going to transform into something else.”
– Egan Millard is an assistant editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at emillard@episcopalchurch.org.
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In These Uncertain Times – Streaming from Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral
Kory Caudill, Wordsmith
May 22, 2021, 6:00PM EST
Streaming Online
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Join pianist and musical director Kory Caudill and Baltimore-based hip-hop artist Wordsmith for a journey through the human experience – a musical commentary on this time of social unrest in the United States and a pandemic that has touched every corner of the world.
Filmed live at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, “In These Uncertain Times…” is the first in a series of virtual concerts featuring original works designed to bring the audience into moments of time and glimpses of the artists’ perspectives, as well as an invitation to find your own place in the whole human family.
Don’t miss your first chance to be a part of this entirely new expression of the intersection between sacred space and live experience – and to enjoy the world-class musicianship and artistry on display as this moment is brought to life.
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We are delighted to offer this concert experience free of charge, but if you wish to support events like this and more, donations can be made to The Episcopal Church’s Campaign for Sharing the Way of Love. Sharing the Way of Love welcomes a worldwide audience into the good news of the gospel, encourages people everywhere to adopt practices for a Jesus-centered life, and aims to share the life-giving love of Christ through music, video, podcasts, resources, and events. To learn more, and to make a donation to Sharing the Way of Love visit here or text IGIVELOVE to 41444
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JUST ANNOUNCED: Concert attendees will have the opportunity to join an exclusive live conversation with Kory Caudill and Wordsmith, hosted by The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. The event will be streamed via Zoom, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask their questions to the concert creators and Bishop Curry. A private link to this post-concert event will be sent to registrants’ email addresses and will be available during the concert livestream.
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Welsh Bishops Welcome Proposed Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy
May 14, 2021
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[Church in Wales] The Bench of Bishops in the Church in Wales welcomes the announcement in the Queen’s Speech that the United Kingdom Government will ban gay conversion therapy.
We believe that human sexuality is a gift of God to be cherished and honored. It is an intrinsic part of who we are as human beings and an expression of God’s glorious diversity in creation.
Anything which seeks to suggest that there is something inherently wrong or sinful in those who are non-heterosexual or which seeks to force people to try and change their sexuality is, we believe, wrong. It is both abusive and traumatizing; as those who have experienced such “therapy” can testify.
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Jerusalem Archbishop Issues Statement on Violence in Holy Land
May 17, 2021
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[Anglican Communion] Diocese of Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum released the following statement on May 17 in response to the the violence that has broken out this month in Israel and Gaza.
“Over the past week, we have seen the rapid escalation of violence throughout the Holy Land: in the air attacks launched against Gaza and Central Israel, in the rioting between extremists in ethnically mixed cities, and in the continuing conflicts between protesters and police over the pending evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, of which Saint George’s Cathedral is a part. It is particularly disheartening that this violence erupted out of police disrespect of Muslim sacred sites and traditions in Jerusalem during the various religious feasts.
“We know from sad experience that violence and hatred will never lead to solutions to the deep ethnic and religious divisions that have afflicted this region now for a century. We therefore call upon the authorities on both sides to agree to an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza conflict in order to end the rain of death and destruction that has had tragic consequences for thousands of individuals and families.
“We also call on Israeli authorities to restore order and calm within the ethnically mixed cities where rioting has broken out, so that the human and civil rights of all are protected equally.
“Finally, we call upon the United Nations and the international community to work with all parties to seriously address the underlying injustices and grievances that have led to this latest unrest in a recurring cycle of violence, working for a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis that incorporates a viable Two-State Solution.
“In the meantime, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is continuing its Christian mission of bringing healing to the wounded, relief to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and comfort to those who mourn the loss of loved ones. Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza has been on the frontlines of these relief efforts, becoming a beacon of hope to those trying to remain alive under such dire circumstances.
“But they are overwhelmed and in desperate need of upwards of 1.6 million USD to obtain fuel for hospital generators, and to purchase emergency medicine and medical supplies so that the doctors and nurses who are working around the clock can meet the crushing flow of injured and traumatized victims in this conflict.
“I therefore issue an appeal to our international partners and all people of goodwill to support this humanitarian mission through their generous contributions to Al Ahli Hospital, enabling them to show forth the compassionate love of Christ in real and tangible ways in these desperate circumstances.
“Last of all, I ask those within the Anglican Communion and all of Christendom to join with us in offering the following prayer:
“Almighty and Everlasting God: Our days are in your hands; we lift up all those in the Holy Land who are victims of violence and injustice, that you might empower your Church to bring healing to the wounded, relief to the suffering, and comfort to those who mourn; we pray also that you would soften the hearts of all those involved in the recent conflicts, that they would be led to work for justice and lasting peace in the land where your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ first came to bring hope and abundant life to all people; these things we ask in his Holy Name. Amen.”
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Raw Earth
Rob Gieselmann
May 12, 2021
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Back in the 60’s, give or take, a developer subdivided a rough lava field on the southwestern slope of Mauna Loa (Big Island, Hawaii). Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world and earth’s tallest mountain, at over 32,000 feet from ocean bottom to top. The developer marketed these “parcels of paradise” to mainlanders, I am told, by late night television. Many parcels were sold sight-unseen to people who dreamt of cashing it all in or perhaps retiring in the Hawaiian isles. Only, most parcels are jumbles of lava rock requiring extensive bulldozing in order to build – almost impossible. Sure, you might enjoy a distant view of the ocean, but there is no real beach access and certainly no palm trees. The only way to provide water is either by catchment – rainwater – or, for those who cannot afford to install a catchment system, by filling large jugs at the local Ace Hardware store.
Many of those early purchasers abandoned their dreams of a tropical retirement when they came to check out their parcels. Some purchasers built anyway, but because of the terrain, property values have remained perennially depressed. This is not a wealthy or fancy part of Hawaii. Nonetheless, St. Jude’s Episcopal Mission thrives
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St. Jude’s thrives because it exists for a purpose. Not only does St. Jude’s offer Sunday services to the community, it offers weekly showers to those who cannot afford the catchment water system and have no reasonable means to bathe. Each Saturday, church members staff the showers where people line-up next to the church building to enjoy a warm shower, receive a clean white towel, plus soap and shampoo. Following showers, St. Jude’s feeds families a Saturday lunch for free. (The showers closed during Covid, but are set to reopen in June.)
In addition to showers, St. Jude’s organizes health screenings, offers free haircuts once a month, and provides regular veterinarian services to help with pets.
St. Jude’s is a mission that cannot afford to pay for clergy. Years ago, one parishioner willed St. Jude’s her Ocean View house as a rectory. St. Jude’s sold the house to fund construction of a rectory adjacent to the church itself. Clergy are invited to stay in the house for a month in exchange for celebrating Sunday eucharists. I am doing exactly that right now for the second time. St. Jude’s welcomes its “flavor of the month” (their phrase, referring to clergy) with songs and leis.
The other night, two stalwart parishioners, Karen and Anna, invited me to dinner. All three of us are vaccinated. Karen and Anna live down the lava field from the church, meaning that I had to drive down along the Mauna Loa slope towards the ocean several miles to their house. A rain shower happened to be passing through to my left while the sun was sinking towards the western horizon off my right. An enormous arch of a full rainbow presented itself in front of the rain, so I watched the rainbow’s end dance along the surface of the rough-hewn lava rock down the slope with me as as I drove.
These lava fields – so much like Craters of the Moon in Idaho and elsewhere scattered across the earth – appear barren. So much so that I wonder at the apparent ugliness of it all, a refraction of the ugliness of poverty extant many places along these rocks. Yet, there the rainbow fell, in juxtaposition to the ugliness, as if to object, No. What you see is not what is. To God, the rainbow’s gold is right here, in that place you least expect it. Indeed, The earth is the Lord’s and all that is therein … the earth underneath me, primitive, created a mere century ago, give or take. Likewise, each soul, the light of Christ.
Not far from here on the another side of Mauna Loa you can find Kiluia, so very active with its molten lava bubbling orange. New earth, like John’s Revelation, a new heaven and a new earth … raw and untamed, and perhaps John noticed beauty in the rough rock on Patmos. Or the beauty of rough humanity. Rainbow’s gold.
Which leads me back to St. Jude’s and the little pieces of grace it offers to those most in need: turning raw earth into garden, a reminder that Eden, too, was formed from raw earth.
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IN BRIEF . . .
These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"
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HALE HO`OMALU ACCEPTING DONATIONS
There is an on-going need for travel sized toiletries and canned goods so these items will be accepted every week. As always, monetary donations are gratefully accepted. Leave them in the red wagon outside the sanctuary
KUPUNA SHOPPING ASSISTANCE MINISTRY
Any of our All Saints' kupuna who need assistance with grocery shopping can contact Carolyn Morinishi at church@allsaintskauai.org to set up a delivery.
ALL SAINTS' VIRTUAL SWAP MEET
If any ministry has an unmet need, reach out to put it in the All Saints' Virtual Swap Meet and it will be published in the Epistle. Contact Bill Caldwell at news@allsaintskauai.org.
PASTORAL CARE CONTACT INFORMATION
Whenever you have a need for support, please call (650) 691-8104 and leave a voice mail. The system will immediately forward the information to the Pastoral Care Committee who will respond to each request. If you prefer, you may send an electronic pastoral care request via email to pastoralcare@allsaintskauai.org.
PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Individuals who want to participate in the Prayer Chain Ministry must re-enroll to continue receiving the email communications. To re-enroll, please visit the newly established Pastoral Care web page or contact the Church Office at (808) 822-4267.
SUBMITTING A PRAYER REQUEST
Prayer requests will now be submitted online or by contacting the Church Office at (808) 822-4267.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Names can be added to the Prayers of the People petitions by using the Prayer Chain Request form or by contacting the Church Office at (808) 822-4267. Names will remain in the Prayers of the People for a maximum of four Sundays before a name must be resubmitted.
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