Volume 5, Issue 7

February 14, 2020

THIS SUNDAY: February 16, 2020

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Matthew 5:21-37

Psalm 119:1-8

8:00AM

Cami Pascua (EM)

Jeff Albao (U)

Marge Akana (AG)

9:30AM

David Murray (EM)

Collin Darrell, CeCe Caldwell (R)

David Crocker, Linda Crocker (U)

Janis Wright (AG)

Paxton, Harper (A)

Mabel Antonio, Nelson Secretario (HP)

UPCOMING EVENTS

Preschool Closed

Friday, February 14 ^th

Teacher Institute Day

Monday, February 17 ^th

Presidents' Day

One O`hana Habitat for Humanity

Saturday, February 15 ^th

7:30AM - Carpool from All Saints'

7:45AM - Meet at Jobsite

Holoikalapa St, Anahola

Laundry Love - Team C

Wednesday, February 19 ^th

5:00 - 8:30PM

Kapaa Laundromat

Baldovino and Pascua Wedding

Saturday, February 22 ^nd

2:00 - 3:00PM

Church

Vestry Meeting

Monday, February 24 ^th

6:30 - 8:00PM

Rectory

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Tuesday, February 25 ^th

6:00 - 8:00PM

Rectory

Ash Wednesday Services

Wednesday, February 26 ^th

9:00 - 10:00AM

Church

Ashes-To-Go

9:00 - 11:00AM

4:00 - 6:00PM

Parking Lot

Church Service

6:30 - 7:30PM

Church

Daughters of the King

Thursday, February 27 ^th

7:00 - 8:00PM

Memorial Hall

RECURRING EVENTS

Sunday School

Every Sunday, 9:30 - 10:15AM

Memorial Hall

Aloha Hour

Every Sunday, 10:45AM - 12:00PM

Under the big tree

Monday Crew

Every Monday, 8:00AM

Church Office

Laundry Love

1 ^st & 3 ^rd Wednesday, 5:00PM

Kapa`a Laundromat

McMaster Slack Key Guitar and Ukulele Concert

Every Wednesday, 6:00PM

Church

Daughters of the King

2 ^nd & 4 ^th Thursday, 7:00 - 8:00PM

Memorial Hall

Choir Practice

Every Thursday, 6:00PM

Choir Room

An Update on Father Ryan Newman

News and Prayers

Aloha ‘oukou,

 

Many of you will have heard this already, but I wanted to make sure you were aware and that you hold Fr. Ryan and Dr. Erin in your prayers. Erin reported on FaceBook that Fr. Ryan had been admitted to hospital this past Saturday with heart palpitations. This was a result of getting a common cold virus that affected the heart muscle, causing it to swell (myocarditis) and thus to affect the heart’s operation. As a result, Fr. Ryan suffered a heart attack, but the good news is that his heart is independently pumping blood as it should. Dr. Erin said that there remains a high risk of heart failure in the meantime. He was released from the hospital Wednesday. Fr. Ryan will be taking it easy for 4-6 weeks as he rests and recuperates. Please hold up Fr. Ryan in your prayers. They are not in a position to respond individually to communications from us, but be assured that Dr. Erin is aware of our feelings and prayers.

 

Akua i ka Lani, we lift up Fr. Ryan to your heavenly care. We pray for a complete and speedy recovery, and that in the meantime you would grant his body, soul, and mind your comfort and grace. Be also with Dr. Erin and their whole family and circle of friends, assuring them of your comforting presence and also of our aloha and malama from Kauai. All this we pray in your holy Name, Amene.

 

-Kahu Kawika+

ALL SAINTS' VIRTUAL SWAP MEET

A Service of the Environmental Stewardship Ministry on behalf of the All Saints' `Ohana

From time-to-time certain items like furniture, appliances, or other items of value become surplus and we need to repurpose them but we don't have the time, knowledge, or energy to do that work. Fortunately, the  All Saints' Virtual Swap Meet  is here to help. If you have items you would like to see in a new home or if you need items to repurpose, turn to your  Epistle  and we will publicize your need. As items are requested from, or contributed to, the  Virtual Swap Meet , we will keep you informed.

Please contact us at  [email protected] .

This week's entry is displayed below.

MUSIC MINISTRY NEEDS YOUR HELP

Asking For iPad Donation

All Saint’s is looking for the donation of an Ipad model 4 (2013) or newer. It is needed to remotely control the mixer on our church sound system. If you have one that is gathering dust in your desk drawer, please contact Ron Morinishi at (808) 482-4509 or

[email protected]  

Mahalo.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WORK DAY

DHHL Anahola Jobsite

One `Ohana Team,

Please join us on Saturday, Feb 15 at the Anahola worksite (on Holoikalapa St). Last month we started on interior painting, so we may finish painting this month. We are getting close to completion of these three homes that we started last year. As usual, we will only be working half day and having lunch onsite at noon.

For those that want to carpool, we plan on leaving All Saints' parking lot at 7:30AM. Otherwise just meet us at the job site at 7:45AM. Please let me know if you can join us, so Habitat can plan accordingly.

-Ron Morinishi



[email protected]

Kahu Kawika and Muriel have graciously offered the use of the rectory for our Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 25 ^th from 6:00PM until 8:00PM.

Geoff and Kim Shields will be the King and Queen of Pancakes once again this year. Mahalo nui loa to both.

Bring a dish and/or beverage to share if you are able and come and spend time with good friends, good food and beverages suitable for all ages.

So, put it on your calendar. A time to celebrate before we get into Lent and head off to Easter.

Look forward to seeing you.

With best wishes and warmest aloha,

-David Murray

Senior Warden

Lenten Series 2020

"Walking Through Holy Week With Jesus"

Please Join Kahu Kawika Mondays, 6:30 - 8:00PM in the Rectory

Drinks provided

EPISCOPAL YOUTH EVENT 2020 (EYE20)

July 7-11, 2020

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

​(Followed by mission tentatively set for July 11-15, Hawai`i Delegation Only)

Theme: Unite! ¡Unámanos!

​

Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.

​ – Matthew 11:28-30, Common English Bible (CEB)

Hello Everyone! 

 

Please see below for info about the upcoming EYE20 Event.

 

For those interested in attending the Camp at Mokuleia retreat please let me know. We have scholarships and discounts from various sources and can appeal for Youth Funds to cover the costs. We can make it happen! 

 

More info coming soon for all our upcoming events. Stay tuned.

 

Thanks!

Dominique Cami Pascua

Church Admin & Youth Minister

All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Preschool

[email protected]

(808) 822-4267

Get Ready for EYE20!

 

The triennial Episcopal Youth Event 2020 at the University of Maryland is only five months away! The Hawaiʻi Youth Delegation is officially registered and we are currently securing group airline reservations, ground transportation, and post-EYE20 accommodations. We are also making arrangements with organizations for our mission portion of the trip.

 

In the meantime, take time to reflect on the following Scripture that inspired the theme for this yearʻs event, Unite!

 

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29, Common English Bible (CEB)

 

Here is Your EYE20 Hawai`i Delegation

 

We are thrilled to have an amazing and diverse representation of our Diocese and the State of Hawai`i! It is also one of the largest groups we have taken to EYE with 24 youth and 4 chaperones!

 

O`AHU

Cathedral of St. Andrew: Emily Jackson

Emmanuel: Isaiah Krueger

​Epiphany: Jaeden Hanohano, Joseph Hanohano

Halau Wa'a: Arwyn St. John

St. Elizabeth's: Kanoelani Alfapada, Pious Casiano, Yenchy Ieichy, Cherish Langi, Kaleihua Langi, Versace Langi, K-O Muludy, Nathan Neeto, Glory Ann Tokomaata

​St. Peter's: Sela Kimura, Jenna Matsumoto

 

KAUA`I

​All Saints': Raiden Kurisu, Braden Tabura

 

MAUI

St. John's: Lauren Guard, Caroline Turner (Alternate: Maile Crowe)

​

BIG ISLAND

St. Augustine's: Mark Sahagun, Mark Salvador

St. James': Sarah Newcomb, Joanna "Joey" Pascual

 

CHAPERONES

Sybil Nishioka (Registrar), Melanie Langi, Mosese Langi, James Fitzpatrick (Alternates: Julia Jackson, Melanie Sahagun, Cami Pascua)

 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Sybil Nishioka, the registrar and organizer for our delegation. (See Contact below).

 

Camp Mokuleʻia Youth Retreat in March

Special Discount for EYE Delegates!  

Register Today!!!

Camp Mokuleʻ will be holding a youth retreat for all middle school and high school youth, March 20-22, 2020. Delegates are encouraged to attend and get to know your fellow peers while enjoying a weekend of fun, adventure and fellowship! The $99 registration fee is being discounted for EYE20 delegates only at the special rate of just $49!!! For more information and to register, click  HERE .

As noted on the event page, send an e-mail to  [email protected]  to receive the discount.

 

Fundraising  

T-Shirt Fundraiser Coming Soon!

We will be holding our first Diocesan-wide fundraiser during March with an online shirt campaign. Weʻll share the link when it begins so you can share it far and wide! These shirts will also serve as our uniforms during the trip, so you donʻt have to purchase shirts for yourself.

We hope that each delegate and church is also actively fundraising. Please send me information for your fundraisers so that it can be published in the  Diocesan News  and  Facebook page  for more exposure. Coming up end of March, St. Augustineʻs will be holding a Hawaiian Plate fundraiser for their youth, Mark Sahagun and Mark Salvador. You can read more  HERE . (Scroll down to Big Island.)

 

In the past, delegates held concerts (share your talents!), dinners, and tons of car washes and bake sales. Donʻt forget to share your pictures too. Please e-mail ( [email protected] ), text (808) 651-7773, or post on the Diocesan Instagram page #Episcopal_HI.

 

Helpful Links to Stay Informed

DIOCESAN EYE20 WEBPAGE

EYE20 OFFICIAL WEBSITE

EYE20 FACEBOOK PAGE

 

CONTACT

Sybil S. Nishioka, EYE20 Hawai`i Registrar

Communications Contractor

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai`i

229 Queen Emma Square, Honolulu, HI 96813

E-mail:  [email protected]

Mobile: (808) 651-7773

THE REV. JAN CHARLES RUDINOFF

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

The Reverend Jan Charles Rudinoff died on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, after a short illness. 

Jan was born in Philadelphia on March 31, 1942. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and the Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the Diaconate by Bishop Robert Hall of the Diocese of Virginia on March 10, 1972, and to the Priesthood in May 29, 1973, by Bishop Joseph Harte of the Diocese of Arizona. He was an assistant at St. Philip’s in the Hills, Tucson, Arizona (1972-1974). From 1974 until his retirement in 2004, he served St. Michael and All Angels, Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi (as the Vicar and first Rector). He also served as the Vicar of St. Thomas, Hanalei (1974-1982), and the Vicar of Christ Memorial, Kīlauea (1982-1984). After retirement, Jan served Anglican congregations in Canada.

Jan is survived by his wife, Paula, children and grandchildren.

Jan's service will be on February 22, 2020, at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Lihue, at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jan's memory to St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church or Kauaʻi Hospice. The address for St. Michael and All Angels is: 4364 Hardy Street, Lihue, HI 96766.

ALMIGHTY AND ETERNAL GOD, to whom there is never any prayer made without hope of mercy, be merciful to the soul of your faithful servant, Jan, being departed from this world in the confession of your Holy Name that he and all the departed may be welcomed into the company of thy saints, through Christ our Lord. Amen.   

Rest eternal grant him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick

Bishop Diocesan 

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i

Bishop-in-Charge

The Episcopal Church in Micronesia

RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION IN THE AGE OF THE "CORONA VIRUS" AND DURING THE FLU SEASON

A Message from the Bishop

Aloha,

Receiving Holy Communion by intinction is a common practice in the Diocese of Hawaiʻi. The following is from the Diocesan Customary on receiving Holy Communion in this Diocese:

"Likewise, a person may choose to receive by intinction. This is particularly true when one is sick and chooses not to take the host alone. Please note that it is preferable to receive in this manner when a wafer host is used rather than loaf bread to prevent crumbs from accumulating in the bottom of the chalice.

There are two practices of intinction:

(A) In some congregations, intinction is when one dips a small corner of the host in the wine and then places the slightly moistened host into one's own mouth. Please note that if this is practiced, the person needs to be careful not to put fingers into the wine or touch the inside of the chalice, and to only dip a very small portion of the host in the wine. One should avoid placing the whole host into the wine or allowing the wine to soak the host. 

B) It should be noted that some congregations practice a form of intinction in which the communicant holds the host in the palm of the hand and the Eucharistic Minister takes the host, dips it slightly in the wine and then places it on the person's tongue. Either (A) or (B) is acceptable in this Diocese and should be determined by the congregation's priest with appropriate direction and teaching. When young children (under the age of five) receive by intinction, they should have the assistance of an adult and form (B) is often preferable. For the Bishop and many in the Episcopal Church, intinction is considered to be an exceptional practice and not normative.

While the normative practice in the Episcopal Church is to consume the bread and then to share the wine from a common cup, a person may receive the sacrament in one kind (just the bread or, more rarely, just the wine) when necessary for reasons of personal health or wellbeing, or because of personal piety and practice. Typically, this is practiced by taking the bread alone and then crossing one's arms over the chest when the wine is offered.  

 

Those who are not baptized, or who though baptized decide not to receive the sacrament for personal or spiritual reasons, are invited and encouraged to come for a blessing, indicated by placing crossed hands over the chest.” 

As Bishop, I am increasingly concerned that receiving the Sacrament by intinction when the communicant dips the bread themselves into the cup of wine, is the least sanitary means of receiving Holy Communion. I think we should begin stopping the practice of option (A) for sanitary reasons. In the age of the “Coronavirus” and the flu season, I urge clergy and parishioners to rethink intinction by parishioners themselves. Our hands are often very unclean and many hands dipping into a common cup is less sanitary than a simple sip from a common cup. 

What do I suggest?

Again, as often noted in the news, our hands are the likely means of sharing most contagions. Watching multiple fingers dipping into the Chalice (sometimes up to the knuckle) has convinced me that intinction by the congregants themselves is unsanitary. I will continue to drink from the Chalice. If I am ill, I will forgo the cup altogether. Likewise, if I am in a congregation where everyone practices intinction for themselves, I will likely just start taking the bread alone. It is up to the Clergy-in-charge of each congregation to set and publicly state the standard in that church. 

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

+Bob

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick

Bishop Diocesan 

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai`i

Lent 2020: A Call to Prayer, Fasting, and Repentance Leading to Action

An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Curry to Turn and Pray on Behalf our Nation

As the season of Lent approaches, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites Episcopalians and people of faith to turn and pray on behalf of our nation:

“In times of great national concern and urgency, people of faith have returned to ancient practices of repentance, prayer and fasting as ways of interceding with God on behalf of their nation and the world. This is such a moment for us in the United States.

“On Ash Wednesday I will join with other Christian leaders observing this Lent as a season of prayer, fasting and repentance on behalf of our nation, with continued fasting each Wednesday until the Wednesday before Advent begins.

“Our appeal comes during a time of profound division and genuine crisis of national character. This is not a matter of party or partisanship, but of deep concern for the soul of America.

“The group of religious “Elders” who share this commitment – the same group that over a year ago published the “Reclaiming Jesus” statement – includes Evangelical, Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant leaders. While we hold diverse political affiliations and positions on many issues facing our country, we find common ground in two shared convictions:

“For me, this call is rooted in my personal commitment to practice Jesus’s Way of Love, by which I turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go and rest in the way of our savior. Especially now, drawn together by love, hope and concern, and recalling the wisdom of our ancient traditions, I am grateful to join others in the spiritual practice of prayer, fasting and repentance for our nation. If you feel called to join us in this practice, the invitation is attached. The full text, together with the “Reclaiming Jesus” document can be found on the  Reclaiming Jesus website .”

Let us pray.

Almighty God … We humbly pray that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Your brother,



The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry

Presiding Bishop and Primate

The Episcopal Church

FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÉ

Choosing Life

February 13, 2020

Leslie Scoopmire

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

 

For the first 14 years of my teaching career, I taught middle school, and I actually loved much of it—even the dreaded “advisement” or “homeroom” class. One year, our seventh grade teacher cohort designed some modules that taught logic and ethics, and those modules generated some of the best discussions I ever had outside of a reading class with that age of students. 

 

I still remember this discussion we once after one of the kids asked whether, if you were forced to choose only one, you would rather be really kind or really intelligent. It was a great discussion—one that actually lasted most of the week. I was surprised that most of my students chose being really kind over having “high intelligence.” The consensus eventually was that you can overcome having high academic aptitude by hard work, but there was no shortcut to kindness. One of my students put it this way: If one life is all we get, then we should live it in a way that our consciences are clean and we have the comfort of knowing we are trying to be good people who don’t hurt anyone. Even if other people who are jerks seem to get away with murder, the fact is that there is almost always a lot of hurt behind their meanness, and that’s the real waste of a life.

 

One of the things we talked about in helping kids to feel responsible and empowered was the fact that we may not be able to choose how people treat us, but we do have choices in how we respond, and that in fact that power to choose is a much bigger power than the power of those who try to hurt us. This was a powerful realization to young adolescents. When we were children, our choices were limited, but as we grew in knowledge and wisdom, we earned more freedom and had more options placed before us. 

 

In our reading from Deuteronomy this Sunday, Moses is making plain the importance of choices and understanding the consequences of our decisions to the Israelites. Here, Moses reminds the Israelites, as they are ready to enter into the Promised Land, that they have a very important choice: obedience to God, or disobedience. The Israelites have entered into a covenantal relationship with God, and that entails blessings for obedience, but curses for faithlessness. 

 

This section of Deuteronomy is from the conclusion of Moses’s “valedictory” address—a farewell address at the end of his life and ministry. The verses we see here sum up the Deuteronomic theology. Here are juxtaposed blessing and curse, as Israel chooses by its faithfulness- or lack thereof. God is the constant in this covenant—if the covenant is broken, it will be broken through human stubbornness and lack of faithfulness. 

 

The choice before all of us, as our reading makes clear, is that between embracing hopelessness and therefore death, and or hopefulness and therefore life. This can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In the hands of preachers of my youth, this was part of what was known as “retribution theology,” where sin led inevitably to hell after death. Our relationship with God was based on a simple sort of justice: do good- receive heaven; do bad-receive hell. What happened after one died was emphasized—heaven, or hell? Then there would inevitably lead to a long list of “don’ts”—don’t drink, smoke, swear, fornicate, wear slacks (for the ladies), read  Catcher in the Rye , watch  The Life of Brian —all would lead to damnation. Punishment awaited the slightest misstep. Yet misstep we did. The problem is that this system is simple, and God is not simple. This system has no place for grace. None of us are worthy— yet God loves us anyway.

 

It would be nice if everything was as easy as Deuteronomy suggests though—the faithful get rewarded, the wicked get punished; those who keep their word are blessed, and those who deal falsely with God or their neighbors get cursed. Yet even children know that that is not how the world works, and elsewhere in the Bible this reality is confirmed, such as in the Book of Job.

 

Instead, as mature persons of faith, we are invited into the reality that being a faithful person is worthwhile even if hard times befall you, because being a faithful person who lives a compassionate, open-hearted life is in itself a reward. In Deuteronomy this Sunday, that compassionate, open hearted life rests upon three pillars: love God, walk in God’s ways, observe God’s commandments. These three things really boil down to the same thing: faithfulness. We are reminded to choose life and choose blessing by holding on to our faith even if it is only by a hair. I am not sure that engaging in disobedience and faithlessness to God is actually choosing death—it seems more like refusing to live into love, and refusing to accept the promise of God’s unending love to us.

 

Choose life. Choose kindness. Choose love.

The Rev. Leslie Scoopmire is a retired teacher and a priest in the Diocese of Missouri. She is priest-in-charge of  St. Martin’s Episcopal Church  in Ellisville, MO. She posts daily prayers at her blog  Abiding In Hope , and collects spiritual writings and images at  Poems, Psalms, and Prayers .

FROM THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

Featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

For Social Justice



Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer (or BCP) is the Episcopal Church’s resource for our life together. Descended from the Church of England’s text of the same name, the book is a hallmark of Anglican worship and spirituality, containing a treasure trove of prayers for groups and individuals, ceremonies, worship services (or rites), psalms, historical documents of the Church, and much more, in both contemporary and traditional language. It is the source of our Sunday worship, our daily prayers, our calendar, and our catechism, all of which point us in unity toward the worship of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God, who has “bound us together in a common life” (BCP, p. 824).

For more information and to read from the Book of Common Prayer, please visit  here .

From time to time your  Epistle  Staff will bring you words from our Book Of Common Prayer as read by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. If you have prayers or topics you would like to see, please send your suggestions to the  Epistle Staff .

Ash Wednesday

The First Day of Lent

February 26, 2020

Ash Wednesday is the first of the forty days of Lent, named for the custom of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers at Ash Wednesday services. The ashes are a sign of penitence and a reminder of mortality, and may be imposed with the sign of the cross.

Ash Wednesday is observed as a fast in the church year of the Episcopal Church. The Ash Wednesday service is one of the Proper Liturgies for Special Days in the BCP (p. 264). Imposition of ashes at the Ash Wednesday service is optional.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Communion

It goes by several names: Holy Communion, the Eucharist (which literally means "thanksgiving"), the Lord’s Supper, the Mass. But whatever its formal name, this is the family meal for Christians and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. As such, all persons who have been baptized, and are therefore part of the extended family that is the Church, are welcome to receive the bread and wine, and be in communion with God and each other.

Before we come to take Communion together, “we should examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 859).

https://episcopalchurch.org/communion

 THE EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE

With weekly feast, Hawai`i church feeds community’s body and soul

Mary Frances Schjonberg

Posted Feb 10, 2020

Members of a local Girl Scouts troop flash the shaka sign of aloha during a break from serving dinner at a recent Waimea Community Meal at St. James Episcopal Church in Waimea, Hawaii. Photo: Jeanne Savage

[Episcopal News Service] It can be lonely in paradise.

The Big Island of Hawaii is a stunning combination of deep tropical canyons, wind-scrubbed hills, occasionally snow-capped mountains, high surf and active volcanoes, but it can be hard to live there.

Some of the 186,000 people who call the 4,000-square-mile island home live in multimillion-dollar houses. Others pitch tents on beaches. In a tourism-based economy, many residents work more than one job to make ends  meet . Groceries cost 60 percent more than the national  average .

Every Thursday evening a group of staunch volunteers and one part-time paid coordinator use donations of food and money from Waimea-area businesses, farms and other organizations to feed the bellies and souls of more than 350 people in 90 minutes at  St. James Episcopal Church . Diners eat together at long tables in the open-air Savanack Pavilion on the church grounds while volunteers deliver meals to home-bound people.

The team’s work and the parish’s commitment to the ministry is getting a major boost. One of St. James’ mainland visitors who considers the parish to be their second church home has pledged $1 million toward the planning and construction of a gathering space to house the weekly meal and other ministries. The donation will allow St. James to go into the next phase of planning and preparing drawings for bids and permits.

“We are very grateful to the Lematta Foundation of Vancouver, Washington, for their trust in the Waimea Community Meal and their support of our dream,” Junior Warden Tim Bostock told Episcopal News Service.

When the Waimea Community Meal began in December 2016, organizers wanted to help those who were physically hungry, the Rev. David Stout, rector of St. James, said in a recent interview.



Soon, however, larger needs became apparent.

Meal organizers realized that people in and around town “were not only hungry in belly but hungry in heart and soul,” Stout said. “There is a lot of lonely eating on the island.”

He invoked Mother Teresa, who once said that loneliness is the West’s greatest  disease .



“We decided very early on that we were not going to advertise this as a homeless meal and that we weren’t going to emphasize the St. James Church thing,” Jane Sherwood, who co-chairs the ministry with Bostock, said in an interview. “So, we are the Community Meal at St. James. While we are church-sponsored, we are not Bible-thumping. We’re trying to live by example; our actions are louder than our words.”

Co-chairs Tim Bostock and Jane Sherwood, center, partner each week with Community Meal ministry coordinator Sue DeleCruz, right, and a number of volunteers to bring the weekly meal to the table. Jaisy Jardine, left, is a frequent volunteer. Photo: Jeanne Savage

Community Meal ministry coordinator Sue DeleCruz says the meal is a sermon preached by doing.

Each Thursday evening, one of the three clergy associated with St. James — either Stout, the Rev. Marnie Keator or the Rev. Linda Lundgren — gathers in a circle the people who are present at 4:30 p.m. for a prayer. They are always there and “collared up,” as Sherwood put it, so that people know who they are when they make the rounds.

The weekly gathering does not offer a bare-bones soup kitchen sort of meal. Think of it as more like a luau with an ever-changing variety of food, entertainment, social services and pastoral care. One night it’s enchiladas with all the trimmings plus hula music. Another week it might be the Hawaiian dish called shoyu chicken served with broccoli soup, roasted carrot and celery salad, and folk music.

Some nights, diners can get their blood pressure checked or take a hot shower.

Shower bus. Clean Body. Fresh Start

At every meal people from different backgrounds settle in for the Hawaiian tradition known as talking story, taking as much time as needed to discuss both the mundane and the profound. One recent night a Tesla-driving man talked story with another man who rode in on a rickety bicycle. Meanwhile, kids played outside and families visited the church’s  thrift shop .

“It brings us together even if it’s for one night,” DeleCruz told ENS. The meal’s slogan is “building community one meal at a time.” Every week, she said, the regulars show up and often there are new people.

On Tuesday, a large sign inviting everyone to the meal gets hung up near the entrance to St. James on busy Kawaihae Road. Wednesday is food delivery day. Those deliveries include a weekly donation of expired but still-usable food from the island’s only Costco.

As DeleCruz spoke to ENS recently, a new donor dropped off some microgreens. DeleCruz said she is “on 24 hours a day” connecting with people in her broad network of contacts, which she built while previously working for social service agencies across the island.

Early Thursday morning DeleCruz is in the commercial kitchen at the back of the St. James sanctuary, setting up equipment and writing instructions for the day on a whiteboard. Soon the vegetable washing crew shows up, followed by the veggie and meat chopping crews. The afternoon is spent cooking, cleaning up, packing up meals for delivery and getting the pavilion ready for the 4:30-6 p.m. meal.

The effort takes about 50 volunteers. “We always seem to get the right number” of volunteers, Bostock said, calling it a weekly miracle.

The youngest volunteer is a 7-year-old boy who often delivers meals with his grandmother and older brother, Bostock said. The oldest is Harry, a 93-year-old dish dryer. Community-building happens among the volunteers, not just the diners.

“The wonderful thing about these chop crews, as we call them, is that the conversations and the friendships that have developed around our tables is remarkable,” Sherwood said. “They are people who are not church members for the most part but who want to be part of this group, who just come and have fun and chat, and know that they’re part of the big community here in Waimea.”

– The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg retired in July 2019 as the Episcopal News Service’s senior editor and reporter.

Excerpted from the Episcopal News Service. To read the entire story, please click here .

HALE HO`OMALU FEBRUARY COLLECTION

Toiletries: Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Deodorant

Place your donations in the red wagon by the door to the sanctuary on Sundays. Hale Ho`omalu also needs and appreciates monetary donations as well as gift-in-kind items.



Please note, we do not accept food items that are not mentioned on the monthly list and we do not accept clothing, toys or similar items unless a specific plea for such items is published in the  Epistle . Your  Epistle  Staff will inform you of any special requests for donations.

The Church of England’s General Synod has set new targets for all parts of the church to work to become carbon ‘net zero’ by 2030



Posted February 12, 2020

At its February 2020 meeting, members voted in favour of a revised date encouraging all parts of the Church of England to take action and ramp-up efforts to reduce emissions. 

A motion approved today called for urgent steps to examine requirements to reach the new target, and draw up an action plan.

An amendment by Canon Prof Martin Gainsborough (Bristol) introduced a more ambitious target date of 2030, fifteen years ahead of the original proposal.

The motion follows the launch of the Church of England’s  first ever Green Lent (#LiveLent) campaign  for 2020, featuring 40 days of prayers and actions to encourage care for God’s Creation.

The Church of England has also announced an  energy footprinting tool  for parishes to calculate their carbon footprint. 

Following the debate, the Bishop of Salisbury, Nick Holtam, the Church of England's lead bishop on Environmental Affairs said:

“Synod has set an ambitious target for the whole Church of England to respond to the urgency of the Climate Crisis. 

“To reach Synod’s target of 2030 will not be easy, and requires each of us to hear this as an urgent call to action. 

“But this is a clear statement of intent across the Church and to wider society about our determination to safeguard God’s creation.

“This is a social justice issue, which affects the world’s poorest soonest and most severely, and if the Church is to hold others to account, we have to get our own house in order.

“There is no serious doubt that climate change is happening, and that people are causing it, so it is very encouraging that Synod is grappling with one of the most urgent issues of our time.”

“We will now need to work out a plan to ensure we do everything possible to meet this target.” 

The final motion approved was as follows:

That this Synod, recognising that the global climate emergency is a crisis for God’s creation, and a fundamental injustice, and following the call of the Anglican Communion in ACC Resolutions A17.05 and A17.06;

(a) call upon all parts of the Church of England, including parishes, BMOs [Bishop Mission Orders], education institutions, dioceses, cathedrals, and the NCIs [National Church Institutions], to work to achieve year-on-year reductions in emissions and urgently examine what would be required to reach net zero emissions by 2030 in order that a plan of action can be drawn up to achieve that target;

(b) request reports on progress from the Environment Working Group and the NCI’s every three years beginning in 2022 and;

(c) call on each Diocesan Synod, and cathedral Chapter, to address progress toward net zero emissions every three years.

SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS WEEK

Jesus Heals the Sick (Part 2)

In chapters 8 and 9 in the Gospel of Matthew, we hear many stories of Jesus healing people:

Both Jewish (Talmudic) and early Christian sources agree that Jesus performed

miracles and healing during his lifetime.

In Matthew, Jesus’ healing ministry follows his preaching of the Sermon on the Mount in which he proclaims the kingdom of God. Then he brings the kingdom to earth by bringing people to wholeness, which is the beginning of bringing all of creation to wholeness. Having shown Jesus as Messiah of the  word,  Matthew now presents Jesus as the Messiah of the  deed .

Jesus’ healing power does not prove that he is the Son of God. He is not the Son of God because he healed the sick. Rather, his healing is a sign of God’s presence in him, God working in him as in no other person. The healings are a sign that God, through Jesus, is healing God’s creation, which God promised to do in the fullness of time.



Jesus is  God with us.  Remember, in the Old Testament, we learned that God stays with us  no matter what . Here, Jesus shows himself as the abiding presence of God, making us whole.

IN BRIEF . . .

These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"

Please submit your story ideas to the Epistle Staff at [email protected] .

ALL SAINTS' SERVICE BULLETINS AVAILABLE ONLINE

Go to allsaintskauai.org, the last time under "Worship Services" is "Download E-Programs". Click on that link to download the current service bulletin.

RIDES OFFERED TO BOTH SUNDAY SERVICES

If you need a ride to and from church call Chris Wataya at 808-652-0230.



ALL SAINTS' WISH LIST

If any ministry has an unmet need, reach out to put it on the All Saints' Wish List and it will be published in the Epistle . Contact Bill Caldwell at [email protected] .

LAUNDRY LOVE VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS

For more information go to Laundry Love Kaua`i or contact Geoff Shields at [email protected] or Bill Caldwell at [email protected] .

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 [email protected] .

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.

HOME COMMUNION FOR SICK AND SHUT-INS

All Saints' Eucharistic Visitors are available each Sunday (pending availability) to bring Communion to those who are sick or shut-in. Requests for a Eucharistic visitation can be made by calling the Church Office at (808) 822-4267 or emailing [email protected] .

QUICK LINKS

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DIOCESE OF HAWAI'I LINKS

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Christ Memorial  (Kilauea)

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