"It Is Right to Give God Thanks and Praise"

 

Aloha All Saints' 'Ohana,

It is my honor to serve as the Stewardship and Development Minister at All Saints' Episcopal Church and Preschool. In this role, I have the pleasure of seeing the many ways that All Saints' touches the lives of our Church 'Ohana and the community at large. From nurturing our keiki to serving those in need, All Saints' is actively pursuing our vision "to be a cathedral for the people of Kaua'i--a center for worship, education, outreach, and the arts."

On Sunday, October 16, we will kick off our 2016-2017 stewardship campaign: "It Is Right to Give God Thanks and Praise." In the weeks that follow, we will celebrate the ministries of All Saints', learn more about the opportunities that will emerge in the coming year, and explore together how we can live more generously and thankfully as individuals and as a community of faith.

Giving God thanks and praise is more than what we do with our financial resources-although that is important. We are also called to be open to new ideas, to welcome the stranger, to volunteer often, and to forgive those who have offended us. Your generosity, in response to the abundance in your life, will fund the mission, vision, and ministries of All Saints' and will transform lives.

Here is our roadmap for this year's financial pledge campaign portion of our stewardship program:

• Beginning Sunday, October 16, and continuing through All Saints' Day, November 6, we will reflect on why it is right to give God thanks and praise, while exploring the nature of stewardship and faithful giving.
   
• By October 21, you will receive a 2017 pledge card along with a letter from Father Ryan talking about our yearlong stewardship program and specifically the financial pledge campaign aspect of the program.
   
• On November 6, we will celebrate All Saints' Day and Commitment Sunday-the culmination of our exploration, when pledges will be offered in thanksgiving for all that God has provided to us.
   
• To celebrate God, All Saints', and all the blessings of this life, we invite you on Sunday, November 6 at 8:00am to join us for a breakfast gathering with live entertainment and plenty of time to talk story. The celebratory event (food, entertainment, and tent) have been underwritten by a group of generous donors. Official invitations will soon be mailed to you. (See additional information below in The Epistle)

 
William Caldwell

Stewardship and Development Minister

All Saints' Day Stewardship Breakfast Celebration

 

On November 6, we will celebrate All Saints' Day and Commitment Sunday. The Stewardship Committee invites you to a special breakfast event featuring great food, live entertainment, and plenty of time to talk story.

The catered breakfast will begin at 8:00AM under the tent on the Church lawn. Thanks to a generous group of donors, the entire celebration has been underwritten.

To assist with the planning process, an RSVP is kindly requested and can be done on the sign-up sheet at the Church entrance or on the All Saints' website. Official invitations will be mailed home this week. All are welcome!

Click here to RSVP

Hale Lani Break In

 

Each week, The Epistle will highlight the upcoming Sunday School lesson from "Weaving God's Promises."

October 16: Stories of Elijah
 

This Sunday, students will have an opportunity to hear a series of stories from the life of Elijah, one of Israel's greatest prophets. He lived during the time that Israel was falling apart and abandoning God.

Elijah, a prophet in the northern kingdom of the divided monarchy (in the years 873-843 B.C.) was a very holy man, who was called to bring the faithless people back to God. Sometimes he was all alone in his faithfulness to God, but he never gave up. The many miracles that he accomplished were proof of his goodness and his favor with God.

The Elijah stories record the battle in the northern kingdom for the survival of the rule of God against the many other gods in the region. Elijah was what we call an ethical prophet, and he ushers in of a full and rich era of ethical prophecy in Israel's history. It is the prophets of this era who help the people stay faithful to God in what will be devastating times in their history.

 

Elijah's time is a very sad time in Israel's history, a time when her people continue, over and over again, to turn away from God. It reminds us of our own times of faithlessness, when we choose popularity or material things or hatred and resentments instead of following the commandments to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." It is so easy to go in the wrong direction-this is our own Fall, continued. Later, though we cannot seem to help ourselves, we will find that God both forgives us for our faithlessness and gives us the way to remain God's chosen people by sending us God's only Son to reconcile us with God.

Sunday School Team (10/16): Team A.

In Memoriam: The Rev. Charles Crane

 

On Wednesday, October 19th at 10:00AM, All Saints' will host a Celebration of Life for The Reverend Charles Crane.

Father Crane died on December 7, 2015 in Sedona, Arizona, where he was living in retirement.   A memorial service was held December 15, 2015 at Christ Lutheran ELCA Church in Sedona, Arizona.

Fr. Crane served on the staff of the Cathedral of St. Andrew's (Honolulu) from 1957 to 1959. He was Rector of All Saints' from 1959 to 1966. In 1962, All Saints' achieved parish status under the leadership of Fr. Crane.  He then served as the Rector of the Church of the Holy Nativity, Aina Haina, from 1966 until his retirement in 1988.

Compline to be Offered Friday, October 21

 

Focus on Formation: What is this Episcopal Thing?

 

Sunday, October 30th: Kuilau Ridge Trail

 

Making an Impact at 30,000 Feet

 

All Saints'  Wayne Doliente  and Laundry Love Kauai are featured in this month's  Island Air  Magazine, Kikaha. 

"Wayne is a tremendous selfless, servant leader," said Father Ryan. "His dedication to the patrons of Laundry Love and the success of the ministry is evident every session he serves. Whether it is at work, at Church, or in his various community roles, Wayne embodies the love of the Christ."

A copy of the issue will be available Sunday at the entrance of the Church.

Mahalo to David Crocker for quickly replacing the Hale Lani door! At the speed of light David made a trip to Home Depot to get a replacement door and began immediately installing the new door and locks. 

William Brown and David Murray are in the Orlando area (Florida) for a family birthday celebration . . . and guess who they got to reconnect with . . . Janet Wilson.