Volume 4, Issue 37
September 13, 2019
THIS SUNDAY: September 15, 2019
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

8:00AM
Joe Adorno (EM)
Jeff Albao (U)
Lorna Nishi (AG)

9:30AM
David Murray (EM)
Chris Kostka, Daileen Barton (R)
Bara Sargent, David Crocker (U)
Jan Hashizume (AG)
Daileen, Noah (A)
Mabel Antonio, Vikki Secretario (HP)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Laundry Love - Team C
Wednesday, September 18 th
5:15 - 8:30PM
Kapaa Laundromat

Movie Night on the Lawn
Saturday, September 21 st
6:00PM
Front Lawn

Electronic Waste/Dead Battery Collection
Sunday, September 22 nd
8:00AM - noon
Gym parking area

Himalayas Travelogue and Potluck
Friday, September 27 th
6:30PM
Memorial Hall


RECURRING EVENTS
Adult Bible Study on Weekly Gospel
Every Sunday, 9:00 - 9:30AM
Under the big tree

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
'TIS THE SEASON!
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT??
As you may remember, twenty members of the All Saints’ `Ohana attended the Invite Welcome Connect workshop presented by Mary Parmer on August 31 st . One of the things we learned was the importance of connecting with people using technology. Specifically, we learned about QR Codes and how to use them.

What the heck is a QR Code anyway? 

QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code ) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed in 1994 for the automotive industry in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. In practice, QR codes often contain data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website or application. A QR code uses four standardized encoding modes (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and kanji) to store data efficiently; extensions may also be used.

The QR code system was invented by the Japanese company Denso Wave. Its purpose was to track vehicles during manufacturing; it was designed to allow high-speed component scanning. QR codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile-phone users (termed mobile tagging). QR codes may be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user's device, to open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), to connect to a wireless network, or to compose an email or text message. There are a great many QR code generators available as software or as online tools. The QR code has become one of the most-used types of two-dimensional code. (Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code )

Here are a couple of examples of QR Codes that you will be seeing a lot.
This QR Code links to the All Saints’ homepage.  
This QR Code links to the All Saints’ Preschool homepage.
Can you spot the difference? Your smartphone can! Just use your phone to take a picture of the QR Code and let the magic happen.

How will All Saints’ use QR Codes?

All church-related hand-outs, flyers, business cards, bulletins, newsletters, and letters can carry specific All Saints’ QR Codes. Individual Ministry Leaders, the Vestry, and the Rector will determine how and when to use QR Codes for church communications and materials.

Expect to see them soon.

If you have any questions or recommendations, please feel free to contact Bill Caldwell, David Murray, or any member of the Vestry.
ALL SAINTS' WISH LIST
Help Us Display Our Icon for All to See
All Saints’ is looking for a craftsperson to create a locking shadow box for the icon gifted to us by the family of the late Rev. Malcom Chun (see the Epistle, 4). Commercially available shadow boxes aren’t the right size for our icon. The icon, in its shadow box, will be on display in the Queen’s Chapel. The shadow box can be opened for veneration of the icon by members of the congregation. 

If you, or anyone you know, would be willing to take on this project, please contact CeCe Caldwell.
MOVIE NIGHTS AT SUNSET RETURN
Ke Akua Youth Invite You to Enjoy a Night Out
Saturday, 9/21/19: A Dog’s Way Home and What Men Want

Saturday, 10/5/19 Aladdin and Avengers: End Game
We need your help. Please consider volunteering in support of our keiki. Supporters and parents, please let Cami know if you are able to volunteer at the food stand, kitchen, or donate supplies.

Setup is at 4:00PM.

Kitchen crew arrives by 3:00PM to start cooking.

Items needed:
Drinks, ice, coolers, food to sell, plates/bowls, napkins, utensils, coffee, creamer/sugar, cocoa, whipped cream
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS - SAVE THE DATES!
EYE20 DATES & LOCATION SET
The next triennial Episcopal Youth Event (EYE20) will be taking place at Howard University in Washington, D.C., July 7-11, 2020. 

There are plans for the Hawai`i delegation to participate in mission and community service in the area for a few days following the event. More information will be coming out in the fall, and applications will be accepted at that time. 

The delegation is limited to 24 high school youth plus chaperones, and we anticipate that this EYE event will be more costly than in previous years due to logistics.
Search Committee Update

This past Sunday, 9/8/19, the Search Committee met with Canon Sandy and were very pleased to receive news that 9 applicants passed the initial screening from the Office of the Bishop. Canon Sandy presented the committee with the names of the potential candidates along with their resumes and relevant material. 

Within the next 2 weeks, the Search Committee will be reading and reviewing this material and will narrow down the list to a workable 6 candidates.  

On September 22 nd , Canon Sandy will return to assist the Committee with the next steps in the process which involve video interviews, reference checks and/or any other issues that may arise with the potential candidates. 

We ask for your continued patience and prayers as we begin this next phase of the Search process.
Search Committee Prayer

Almighty and gracious God, be with us and guide us; open our minds and teach us; open our hearts and surround us with your love that we may feel your presence in all our works. Imbue us with wisdom and awareness of your vision as we seek a new rector and spiritual leader. Grant us an adventurous spirit, willing to attempt new tasks and face new ways, ever mindful of the need to listen more to your still, small voice than to our own fancies and desires.

Grant continued grace and commitment to those who have been called to serve as members of the Search Committee that they may become faithful companions to each other, to the Vestry and to this Parish.

We ask all this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Adapted from the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, NJ


If you have any questions or comments for the Search Committee, please contact them by clicking HERE .

All Saints’ Search Committee

  • Linda Crocker
  • Collin Darrell 
  • Victor Punua Jr. 
  • Diane Sato
  • Vikki Secretario
  • Curtis Shiramizu
  • Dianne Tabura
KALAUPAPA FALL SERVICE RETREAT
St. Michael and All Angel's ReSource for Christian Spirituality
St. Michael and All Angel's ReSource for Christian Spirituality is getting ready for another service retreat in Kalaupapa, Moloka`i, October 23-27, 2019. Along with learning about the history, culture and the people of Kalaupapa, they will also be volunteering to clean, paint, and tend to the historic buildings and grounds there. For more information, visit their website HERE or contact the Rev. Phyllis Meighen (UCC) at (808) 647-4346 or e-mail [email protected].
PLEASE OPEN YOUR HEART AND YOUR CHECKBOOK NOW
Response to Hurricane Dorian
The following message comes from Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick:

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, see Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD): “Give to our Hurricane Relief Fund and help affected communities in the US and the Caribbean devastated after hurricanes and tropical storms. Your donation will help meet urgent needs after major storms like Hurricane Dorian by providing critical supplies such as food, water and other basics and offering long-term assistance as needed."

Continue to pray for all those affected by this devastating natural disaster.
Episcopal Relief & Development Provides Emergency Assistance After Hurricane Dorian
Posted Sep 10, 2019

Episcopal Relief & Development is working with Church partners to provide critical support to the most vulnerable communities impacted by Hurricane Dorian.

In partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, and the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, Episcopal Relief & Development is giving assistance such as food, water, clothing, shelter and other emergency supplies to individuals and families affected by the storm. The organization is also working through the Anglican Alliance to provide support to the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos as they continue to assess the needs of communities.

Since late August, Episcopal Relief & Development staff has been in regular contact with Episcopal dioceses and other Church partners in the path of Hurricane Dorian to support both preparedness and relief efforts. The slow-moving storm passed through Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and up the eastern coast of the United States over Labor Day weekend and the first week in September. Hurricane Dorian slammed into the northern Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, devastating Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands with torrential winds, rains and a storm surge of up to 25 feet. More than 70,000 were affected and the full extent of the destruction is yet to be determined.

Working through the Anglican Alliance, Episcopal Relief & Development is providing support as the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas & the Turks and Caicos conducts needs assessments of the island communities. Led by the Rt. Rev. Laish Z. Boyd, diocesan staff and clergy, many of whom themselves have been impacted by the storm, are working to identify unmet needs of the most vulnerable communities. It is in these gaps that the Church can play a unique role, both in immediate relief and in long-term recovery.

In Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, coastal areas were evacuated in advance of Hurricane Dorian, leaving many restaurant and farmworkers without a source of income as their places of employment shut down. The Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the Diocese of Georgia, as well as the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, stepped in by providing gas, food, water, clothing and other emergency supplies.

With the support of Episcopal Relief & Development, the Diocese of Central Florida provided non-perishable food and drinking water, emergency shelter and hurricane preparedness kits ahead of the storm to vulnerable communities including those who are homeless and people displaced from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

“After disasters, underserved and marginalized populations will likely be impacted whether the storm causes extensive physical damage or not,” said Katie Mears, Senior Director for Episcopal Relief & Development’s US Disaster Program. “Evacuations can be expensive both in terms of the costs to evacuate and in the lost wages from the displacement. We commend our Church partners who have targeted overlooked families and individuals to meet needs after a disaster in non-traditional ways.”

Episcopal Relief & Development’s  US Disaster Program  works in areas across the United States that have been affected by disasters such as hurricanes. The organization’s Disaster Preparedness Initiative equips Episcopal dioceses to prepare for and respond to crises. By offering resources and training and providing emergency support, the program helps vulnerable groups of people to make a full and sustained recovery and helps them to develop resiliency against future disasters. Many of the dioceses impacted by Hurricane Dorian have been working to develop this resilience and were ready to respond as needed.

To learn more about building a Season of Resilience and to download disaster preparedness resources, visit  episcopalrelief.org/resilience .

Donations to the  Hurricane Relief Fund  will help Episcopal Relief & Development’s partners respond to the storm in the most efficient way possible. Many partners are not in a position to receive, store or distribute donations of physical goods or effectively use volunteer assistance at this time.

Please continue to  pray  for the individuals and families affected by Hurricane Dorian as well as the first-responders providing emergency assistance.
I have many fond memories of my visits to the Abacos. The only thing better than the fishing is the hospitality of the residents. They are a wonderful, generous, family-oriented, and deeply spiritual people. I implore you to help fellow islanders in need. Do you remember Iniki?

Bill Caldwell
Episcopal Relief & Development is working closely with dioceses impacted by Hurricane Dorian. You can help provide affected communities with immediate and long-term support. Please contribute to our Hurricane Relief Fund at  support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief
The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry
Podcast Season 2 Coming Soon
[September 12, 2019] Season 2 of The Episcopal Church’s podcast The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry , returns September 17. These weekly conversations, featuring Bishop Curry, podcast hosts Kyle Oliver and Sandy Milien, and a variety of guests, explore living a life committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial and redemptive love.
 
Each episode of Season 2 focuses on one of the seven Way of Love Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life : turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, and rest, with a focus on living these practices every day. Listeners will first hear from Bishop Curry, usually in conversation with a colleague. Then faith leaders from around the country will consider how each of the Way of Love practices takes on a distinctive character in a particular setting that might not look like Sunday morning "business as usual," exploring questions about faith practices outside of church and some questions raised by following Jesus in a diverse and increasingly secular culture.
 
Season 2 guests include:


New episodes air every Tuesday through November 5.
 
Reflection guides and related resources will be available with each episode.

The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry , is available on all podcast apps and at episcopalchurch.org . Visit the Way of Love podcast webpage  to subscribe to the podcast through Apple iTunes, Google Play or Spotify and to sign up for notifications of new seasons as well as additional featured content.

On the web:

LAUNDRY LOVE KAU`I
Mahalo Nui Loa to the Hashisaka Family
The All Saints' Kaua`i Laundry Love Ministry recently received a donation of $300 from Kaua`i Coinmatic doing business as Kaua`i Laundromat. The Laundromat makes a number of donations to Laundry Love every year. Mahalo nui loa to the Hashisaka family who operate the laundromat and support this valuable outreach program to our local community. With their support we are able to wash, dry and fold as many as 80 loads of laundry per session – a total of nearly 2,000 loads per year. 

However, none of this would be possible without all of the volunteers who turn out to help on the 1 st and 3 rd Wednesdays of every month and many others who donate money, detergent, dryer sheets and other supplies in support of the program. Mahalo nui loa to all of you. Your generous donations of “ Time, Talent and Treasure ” make a positive difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our community and are very much appreciated.

The Laundry Love Ministry is always looking for new volunteers to help support this important outreach to our local community. If you have never participated, I urge you to come along and offer your support. Seeing a smile on the face of someone who is so thankful to be getting a bag of clean, folded laundry is such a blessing.

Please contact me or Geoff Shields if you would like to join one of the three Laundry Love teams, volunteer on an “as needed” basis as a member of our back-up team, or just want more information on the Ministry.

Try it – you might like it!

David Murray 
Senior Warden - and proud member of Laundry Love Team B!
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, September 27 th  at 6:30PM
Himalayan Foothills Through the Eyes of Joan Roughgarden
Please plan to attend the next installment of the All Saints’ travelogue and potluck dinner series on Friday, September 27 th  in Memorial Hall. Dinner will start at 6:30PM with the slideshow starting at 7:00PM.

Come and see some of the best photographs ever! You will not be disappointed.
Joan took this photo from a Buddhist monastery at 13,500 feet showing the Spiti Valley where the Pin River and Spiti River meet (see right side of the slide).
The food theme for the potluck dinner is Indian or Tibetan cuisine .


Muktha, the ball is in your court!!
THANKSGIVING, TRUST, AND TRANSFORMATION
The Three T's of Stewardshi p
We were talking about Stewardship and Tom O'Brien suggested it was time to replace the classic three "T's" of Time, Talent and Treasure with categories that would be more helpful in growing stewards. His suggestion was that we would be better served by three new "Stewardship T's" of Thanksgiving, Trust and Transformation. I have revisited the conversation with Tom many times and I believe we are well served by interpreting Time, Talent and Treasure through the lens of Thanksgiving, Trust and Transformation.

THANKSGIVING for Time, Talent and Treasure begins with the acknowledgement that all three are God's gift and are not ours to possess.

Thanksgiving begins with the notion that God is the subject of the active verbs and we are not. Thanksgiving invites us to take a good look at the time that has been given to us as we search for ways to use time wisely because it is such a precious, God-given gift. Thanksgiving changes the way we do the offering on Sunday as we offer up the time we've spent with our children and grandchildren or the talents we have used in pursuing the gifts of vocation. Thanksgiving can't wait to tell God what we've done with the treasure we have received and thanksgiving invites us to offer it all back to God as gift with a clear understanding of where it came from and what, in Gods name, it is intended to do.

TRUST is another rich faith-word that defines biblical stewardship.

God has given time, talent and treasure as a Trust which we manage with Jesus Christ at the center. The Trust is something that God gives to us again and again and again. It involves all the material we will need to create community; to heal what is broken and to bring hope where there is despair. We affirm, in faith, that God's promises are true and we can trust them. Trust may even change the way we receive the offering on Sunday. We can say, "Thank you for trusting us with these gifts of time, talent and treasure and we offer ourselves to you, O Lord, because your trust has given us eternal confidence to live in this world you so love."

TRANSFORMATION is something that doesn't happen accidentally but because in Thanksgiving we have trusted God with our lives and it has changed everything.

God has transformed the way we look at time, every precious day, and the way we look at the gifts we have received as talents with the affirmation that no one has been short-changed. Our relationship to our treasure is transformed because we now see it through God's eyes. Transformation will change the way we do the offering on Sunday. We may honestly believe and trust as true the words of Paul in Romans 12: "Do not be conformed to the world but rather transformed by the renewing of your minds that you may know what it is good and acceptable and perfect." Thanksgiving, Trust and Transformation are three good words for Stewardship.

By Glenn Taibl
Co-Director
Center for Stewardship Leaders
Luther Seminary
HOLY CROSS DAY
September 14, 2019
On September 14, the church celebrates Holy Cross Day in honor of Christ’s self-offering on the cross for our salvation. This feast day is also known in some churches as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. It was one of the 12 great feasts in the Byzantine liturgy and remains a major feast day for the Episcopal Church.
The celebration of the Holy Cross occurs on September 14 to commemorate the consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on that day in 335 by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine’s mother, Saint Helena, is said to have discovered the True Cross during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site of her discovery. A portion of the Cross is said to have been placed inside the church.
The legend also tells of Persians carrying away that portion of the cross in 614 and that it remained missing until 628, when the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recaptured it and returned it to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

As “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church” (Church Publishing, 2000) points out, “Although the authenticity of alleged relics of the cross may be questionable, Holy Cross Day provides an opportunity for a joyous celebration of Christ’s redeeming death on a cross.”

Collect for Holy Cross Day

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, p. 244

Published by the Office of Communication of The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017
© 2019 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
United Thank Offering 2020 Annual Grants 
Application Deadline March 6, 2020
Informational webinars offered October 15 & January 14
[September 10, 2019] The United Thank Offering (UTO) board of directors is pleased to announce the availability of their 2020 United Thank Offering Annual Grants. These grants are awarded for projects in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion, each year with a different focus. For 2020, the focus is Bless: Share faith, practice generosity and compassion, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ with hope and humility. 
 
The United Thank Offering was founded to support innovative mission and ministry in The Episcopal Church and to promote thankfulness and mission in the whole Church. 100% of thank offerings given to UTO are granted the following year. These awards have supported everything from staff positions, conferences, creation of educational resources, and contributing to building projects.
 
The application process opened September 6, 2019; application information and forms are available here . The deadline for submitting a grant application is March 6, 2020 at 5:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm Central / 3:00 pm Mountain / 2:00 pm Pacific / 1:00 pm Alaska / 12:00 pm Hawaii time.
 
The following criteria apply to UTO’s Annual Grants:

  • Grant applications representing start-up costs of a new ministry.
  • Grant applications for seed money for start-up positions.
  • United Thank Offering will not fund the continuation of ongoing ministries.
  • One grant application per diocese within The Episcopal Church and one per province of the Anglican Communion.
  • One additional application for a companion/partnership grant from a diocese of The Episcopal Church. 

Learn more about project eligibility, as well as the types of projects which are not eligible here ; “United Thank Offering 2020 Grant Focus & Criteria”.

Potential applicants are invited to participate in an informational webinar offered by the UTO board on October 15, 2019 at noon and 8:00 pm Eastern and again on January 14, 2020 at the same times. More information available here ; “Helpful Hints For Applying For A UTO Grant”. Or, contact the Rev. Canon Heather Melton, staff officer for the United Thank Offering, [email protected] , with questions.

UTO highly recommends submitting your application to your diocesan office at least two weeks prior to this date to allow time for your bishop to read your application, offer comments, and sign it. Early submission of applications via Formstack provides UTO Staff Officer, the Rev. Canon Heather Melton, an opportunity to scan it for missing documents or signatures in advance of the deadline.
 
Please note the following for dioceses of The Episcopal Church: Applicant understands that should its local diocese fail to pay its assessment in full or to apply for and receive a waiver, the diocese and the applicant shall be ineligible to receive grants or loans from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society unless approved by Executive Council. In accordance with Canon I.4.6, (select the applicable response): The diocese pays its full assessment; The diocese has been granted a waiver for years (list); The diocese has made application for a waiver but has not been advised regarding a determination.

On the web:
“WHY NOTS" AND SECOND THOUGHTS

September 10, 2019
By: Katelyn Kenney
I like to think God calls to us in second thoughts.

You know, that moment of consideration you give to an idea you have previously put on the back burner. Maybe it didn’t seem like the right fit at the time, but then you figure, “Why not?” I think God whispers “why not” to our hearts, and the past two years as the Julia Chester Emery Intern are what taught me to believe that to be true. Let me explain.

When I was a senior at the University of Houston, I was in a near-constant state of anxiety. I was graduating in three years instead of four, due to my accumulation of Advanced Placement credits in high school, with a BA in print journalism and a minor in leadership studies from the Honors College. It was an amazing feat on paper, but I felt like a full-on mess. On the one hand, I was interested in the possibility of doing a service year with the Episcopal Service Corps as a means to buy some time in the “real world” to figure out what career suited my skill set. On the other hand – the “society” hand – I thought that if I didn’t have a full-time job arranged out the gate, all of my hard work from the past seven years would be a waste and I would look like a total burnout. Clearly, I was not enjoying my last semester. I say all this because it was around this time that I received an email from our campus missioner that included an application for the United Thank Offering internship with Missional Voices. I’ll admit, I had no idea what either of those entities was, but the work description seemed to be something I could manage. But the “society” hand won out, and I pressed on worrying about finding what I considered a “job” job.

Graduation rolled around, and nothing had panned out for me in terms of jobs. Granted, I think I spent more time languishing over finding a job than I did actually applying and taking interviews. I wasn’t inspired, and I felt completely lost. Two weeks of waiting tables at a local restaurant went by, and that’s when my first “why not” moment of the summer happened: Camp Allen, the summer camp where I had served on the college staff the two summers prior and in other positions a couple of times, was in need of a videographer due to a last-minute change with the person hired. Here I was – after constantly reminding my dad I can’t just “go back to camp” and do what I’ve done before – eating my words and realizing that I had a fair amount of video experience. I called in and said yes, and it changed my life.

Now, this is a lot of history to contextualize my point, but you have to understand the place I was in to understand the place I’m in now. Going back to Camp Allen for the summer was so significant because, in that time, I applied and interviewed for a communications job in my hometown (didn’t get it), and I learned that 1) the Episcopal Service Corps in Houston was still accepting applications, and 2) the UTO position hadn’t been filled yet and housing the intern in Houston was a possibility. This was the second “why not” moment, and if you’ve been paying attention, you know it’s paid off tremendously.

I could spend this reflection describing all the incredible experiences and opportunities from these past two years. (Now that I think about it, I do have a tendency to write more thematically rather than anecdotally. I hope y’all haven’t minded; not only do I naturally find myself gravitating to more “big picture” stories, but I also unfortunately have a poor memory.) If you’re a die-hard UTO fan, you already know I helped organize the 2018 Missional Voices gathering and attended multiple other conferences and events; you already know I got to visit Navajoland and see the beauty of the sacred desert for the first time; you already know I got to march with the Poor People’s Campaign and eventually move to D.C. to continue my advocacy work with the Office of Government Relations; you already know I got to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women twice; and you already know I traveled to Spain and Palestine to meet other Christians and UTO partners and expand my horizons to include the stories of people in circumstances I could never imagine. We all know this now, but I never could’ve imagined that any of this could ever be my real life. I never thought I’d travel to different states for work, let alone different countries. I never saw myself at the UN, or now on Capitol Hill, or moving to South Carolina. I had no conception of the possibilities ahead of me.

But God knew. God knows each of our stories.

No, He doesn’t conveniently send us a detailed itinerary for our life choices or send angels down to tell us what’s happening next. But He urges us in whispers to think again about those things we once discarded. He gently guides us on our path by asking us to reconsider what we thought was possible, to trust His inspiration, to say, “why not” and just be grateful for the ride.
NOT IN A HURRY

Posted September 11, 2019
In 2015, I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Knoxville, Tennessee, both for work and to be closer to family. (I recently moved to Idaho.) I found riding a bicycle on Tennessee roads to be challenging. Some of the roads are clearly-marked with bicycle lanes, but cars barely notice. Most roads do not offer bicycle lanes and many cars zoom past cyclists on the upside of blind hills, barely missing oncoming cars. As a cyclist in Tennessee, I would avoid such roads whenever possible, and when a car would approach me from behind, I would pull over so that car could pass me safely. I’d rather not be responsible for a head-on collision, just like I’d rather not get run over by a car. Seems like cars and cyclists ought to work in concert, rather than oppositionally. 
 
In the Bay Area, more people bike to work than they do in Knoxville, but – at least when I lived there – California drivers and cyclists were equally disgruntled one with the other. I recall antagonistic letters published in the San Francisco Chronicle by cyclists and drivers, each complaining bitterly about the other. One driver wrote that she was sick and tired of cyclists running stop signs and ignoring other traffic laws. Another complained about cyclists taking-up an entire road, two and three bicycles deep, just so cars could not pass. Cyclists, for their part, complained that cars passed them without adequate clearance, jeopardizing safety and forcing many of them off the road. One cyclist described a car that cut her off by turning right directly in front of her – without signaling or yielding the right of way, as required.
 
A cyclist thinks like a cyclist and a driver thinks like a driver, each dualistically and somewhat exclusively, but perhaps you can see the irony and pitfalls of such either-or thinking. Some of us happen to be both cyclists and drivers. We ride for pleasure and drive for work, or drive for family and bike to work. I ride my bike in early mornings for exercise, but many days I drive to meetings and hospitals. I know fathers who drop their kids off at school and then take a bike ride for solitude. One friend rides her bike to work, and drives home at the end of the day, only to reverse the process the following day. In other words, so very many cyclists are drivers, and many drivers are or have been cyclists. Wasn’t it Pogo who said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”? 
 
American politics and American religion are equally dualistic. You are either Republican or Democrat. You are either conservative or liberal. You are either Catholic or Protestant, evangelical or progressive. Politics and religion treat life as oppositional, about the opinions a person holds, the beliefs held. But as my favorite bumper sticker warns, “Don’t believe everything you think.” 
 
Does dualistic thinking make one a better Christian, or worse? I am convinced that God cares far less about any particular position I hold than about the way I engage the people around me. Indeed, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for adopting a right and wrong (dualistic) approach to religion. Love God, Jesus confounded them. He never said, be right, but rather, love your neighbor. Paul observed that being Christian is about one’s approach to people first: Love does not insist upon its own way. For James, pure and undefiled religion was active: to care for orphans and widows (those in need) and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 
 
Pope Francis visited the United States three or four years ago, and both Democrats and Republicans clamored for his attention. I suppose each party assumed the Pope would like theirs better. Or, their positions. (pro-life, against capital punishment, etc.) Yet, the Pope seemed to understand that a faithful life is not first about correct positions. As one politician correctly anticipated, “I’m sure the pope will make everyone very uncomfortable. There will be some things that Democrats may not like to hear, and there will certainly be some things, I think, the Republicans will not like to hear.” Sounds like the Jesus I know. He rides a bicycle to preach and drives a car to synagogue. 
 
I find myself driving a car and needing to turn right. There is no bike path, yet a cyclist is riding alongside to my right. Do I have the moral right to turn into her just because I have the legal right to do so? That question, though, shows how faulty questions can be. The better question is, What would love do? I’m not in a hurry, and they are enjoying the open-air breeze. Think I’ll slow down to share my right-of-way with them. 
SEASON OF CREATION 2019
Protecting the Web of Life
All Saints’ Environmental Stewardship Ministry will celebrate Season of Creation 2019 in September. 

September 22 nd - Electronic waste and dead battery pickup at All Saints’. 
HALE HO`OMALU SEPTEMBER COLLECTION
Mother's gift package: baby lotion, shampoo, wash cloths, baby wipes


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.
SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS WEEK
The Tower of Babel
People decide that they want to reach heaven by building a tower so high that it touches heaven. God sees their foolish desires and messes up their act by bringing them different languages so that they cannot understand each other. In frustration at not being able to communicate, the people abandon their work on the tower and scatter over the earth. 

Here is another story of our continuing fall from God. This time we try to reach heaven by our own efforts! Instead of serving and worshiping God, we try to invade God. For this act of arrogance, the Lord scatters the people all over the earth, with different languages so they cannot understand one another.
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' 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] .

ALL SAINTS' KĀHILI PROJECT
Donations to purchase materials for the kāhili can be to the church office. Contact Carolyn Morinishi , Ron Morinishi or CeCe Caldwell for more information.

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] .