In this issue:
- A Message from Pastor Jeff
- Council Highlights
- Stewardship Corner
- Summer Schedules
- Committee/Interest Group Chairs
- Godly Play/a>
- Join LCH for the 2015 Gay Pride Parade
- Holoholo Pick-Up
- Office Closed
- Process Thought
- Food for Thought
- Good Gifts Benefit Concert Update
- Wounded Warriors Request
- Tami Brauer Retirement
- Mahalo from Michael Burnett
- Buy Your Patch of Shade in the Hörmann Courtyard
- Aloha and Mahalo Jeremy M. Wong!
- HeartBeat Deadline
- Electronic Funds Transfers for March
- Attendance and Offerings for April
- Prayer Requests
- June Birthdays
- LCH Worship Participants (9:15 am)
- Calendar: June 2014
A Message from Pastor Jeff
An Analog Faith—Riding the Wave
Last month we explored together the notion of analog faith. I posited the idea that humans are analog beings and that our faith has been historically steeped in all things analog. Second, I shared the idea that while we live in an increasingly digital world, our faith may be better expressed in analog terms rather than digital terms. This article hopes to explore how the idea of an analog faith might be enfleshed in daily life.
First, I am aware of the irony that I am writing this article about an analog faith on a digital computer, and that with few exceptions, you have received it digitally and are reading it on your computer screen. The page has turned on digital publishing, and we will never return to stylus and sheets of lead or vellum and quill pens—nor should we. Digital tools are simply wonderful. The idea of an analog faith is not a pining for a nostalgic time when everyone just knew they should come to church because it is good for them or because it is the right thing to do. Nor is it a wistful desire for the good old days when neighbors sat on the porch eating pie and singing folk tunes. Analog faith is about waves.
Remember our little science lesson? Analog signals look like little waves that march across the screen. Digital signals are like little upside down “U’s” signaling “on-off-on-off.” What if we begin to think about our faith as part of a wave of God’s deep and abiding love? What if we understand our religious and faith history as something less about a string of historical events marching toward culmination in some vast and unknowable plan and more as a wonderfully complex weaving of stories about how God has related herself to us and how we, as God’s people, relate to one another?
For example, we can look at the story of Jacob as a powerful recounting of how the tribe of Israel entered into the historical context or as a riveting tale of broken, struggling, treacherous, and joyful relationships. Jacob, favored by his mother, steals his brother’s inheritance, runs scared, wrestles with an angel until sunrise, and eventually comes to lead his people. From beginning to end, Jacob’s adventure is about relationships. This is true throughout scripture. We see wave after wave of God’s people interacting with God and the world in sometimes faithful and sometimes awful waves.
So, isn’t it interesting that so much of modern ministry seems to focus on programs rather than on fostering and tending to deep relationships between persons, God, community, and environment? Dr. Andrew Root, in his book The Relational Pastor, wonders if the siren call to programmatic church is rooted as much in marketing as in ministry. Programs can be easily tailored to a particular demographic and can address a specific need, niche, or purpose (sort of digital). It is not surprising that churches are drawn into providing endless opportunities for self-improvement, spiritual therapy, and activities catering to individual needs and wants. But such programs sometimes fail to address the deepest longings of the soul: connecting as persons—broken, joyful, afraid, lonely, uncertain, brash, energetic, and exhausted persons. Too often programs address our immediate wants and ignore our deepest needs. What we need, Dr. Root suggests, is person-to-person relationships (sort of analog).
So, how can we imagine ministry that might better reflect our deepest needs? Let’s go back to the wave-form. In real life, unlike on TV, relationships wax and wane, intensify and slacken, form and dissolve like waves. Persons who were incredibly important in our childhood may or may not remain important to us as we grow older. But we also form new and important relationships that are precious to us as we move in space and time. The same is true for our life in Christian community. Yet, we often choose our church by what programs are offered, the location, availability of childcare, and even occasionally, denomination. But these factors by themselves, while important, are not why people stay in a particular Christian community. They stay because they find themselves caught up in the wave of relationship between God, God’s people, and the world.
Folks can put up with marginal preaching, crummy buildings, and lackluster music, but they won’t stay in a community for long if they don’t “connect” authentically with other persons. That connection happens when we tend to the basics of relationships, including sharing, listening, engaging, encouraging, and inviting. The ministry bears fruit not by trying to “recruit” or “attract” members but in engaging each other and our neighbors in relationships and sharing with one another in an honest, authentic manner.
Like Jacob, we may find ourselves surfing through difficult waters together. But riding the waves of Christian life together seems more interesting than tending to individual wants and preferences or catering to an increasingly market-driven religious organizational model. I wish there were an easy how-to paragraph to share that would provide a clear, measureable set of instructions for how this should all happen. But it wouldn’t help. For me, it begins by ending the search for the next digital miracle that will save our church and instead concentrating on Bishop Eaton’s call to simply “be the church.”
Next time: Riding the digital wave in an analog faith.
Council Highlights
- Scott Fikse of Seattle, Washington, has been offered the position of director of music and liturgy.
- Naomi Castro has been filling in as interim choir director for the 8:00 am service, and we are most grateful for her leadership. Mark Wong has been the piano accompanist for the service and we very much appreciate his willingness to assume this added responsibility as well.
- The Honolulu Chorale has been offered a renewal of their lease to hold their Tuesday evening rehearsals in the LCH nave from August 25, 2015, through May 31, 2016.
- Council approved awarding of scholarships to multiple applicants for a total of $2,750.
- A new Mac laptop computer was purchased for Pastor Jeff’s use after the demise of his old one.
- Roy Helms donated and installed a dehumidifier for the nave to assist with climate control for our keyboard instruments. Mahalo!
- Stanford Ornellas was hired as our part time grounds-keeper.
- Coverall Cleaning Service was contracted to clean all interior spaces each Friday. We will also hire them, under separate arrangement, to strip and wax the floors in the kitchen and Isenberg Hall this summer.
- Church service in the courtyard, followed by picnic on the lawn, is being planned for July 5.
Stewardship of Family and Friends
Last month Bill wrote about work and careers as a focus of stewardship, and this month we turn to family and friends.
While jobs and family/friends seem to be a fairly unrelated pairs of concepts, there are some intriguing similarities. Almost all of us have or had both a job and family/friends, and it can be hard to decide whether we think of them as blessings or curses. In addition, viewed through the lens of stewardship, both the world of work and the world of friends/family can be seen as arenas for us to serve God by serving others.
In our relationships with our family and our friends, the opportunities for service are practically limitless, but let’s concentrate of two kinds of interaction—spending time together and supporting each other.
In our busy modern world with multiple competing demands for our time and attention, simply spending time with friends and family members can seem like a priceless gift. It should be easy to give this gift, but we all know how tempting it can be to turn on the TV, answer the phone, respond to a text, or choose work over time with others. As a start, how about committing to dinner one night a week with the entire family at the table and all the electronics turned off? Or maybe you can make a pact with your friends that when you go out to eat, everyone will put their phones in a pile in the middle of the table with the ringers off so that no one even knows if a call or text came in.
We had a wonderful example of supporting our friends during May when Michael Burnett, a member and former officer living temporarily in Thailand, returned to Honolulu for what he hoped would be fairly minor surgery. Unfortunately, what they thought was a benign lump turned out to be malignant, and a two-week stay stretched into a month as the medical bills mounted up. Then a current member—and most of all, a friend—stepped up to organize a potluck party and auction to raise funds to help Michael. In one evening more than $5,500 was raised, but something else even more important happened. The experience of being loved and supported turned this former member from despair and resignation to hope and the courage to fight on.
When we spend time with our family and friends, when we support them in times of need, we serve our neighbors (fellow creatures) and honor God. And that makes us good stewards.
Your Stewardship Committee
Peggy Anderson, Gary Bauer, Pam Buckley, and Bill Potter
Committee/Interest Group Chairs
| Committee/Group | Leader |
|---|---|
| Archive: | Jim Cartwright |
| Audit: | Randy Castello |
| Concert: | Jedremy M. Wong |
| Communications: | Carol Langner |
| Council: | April Smith |
| Exploring Boundaries: | Carol Langner |
| Fellowship: | Jeanne Castello & Mary-Jo Estes |
| Finance: | Gary Brauer |
| Food for Thought: | Kathryn Klingebiel |
| In Stitches: | Linda Miller |
| Lay Ministers: | Carolyn Koehler |
| Learning Ministry: | Fred Benco |
| Mary Magdalene Society: | Robert Zimmer & Francisco Barajas |
| Process Theology: | Fritz Fritschel |
| Property: | Jean-Paul Klingebiel & April Smith |
| Scholarship: | Fred Benco |
| Social Ministry: | Jean Lilley |
| Stewardship: | Pam Buckley |
| Sunday School: | Laurie Leach |
| Worship & Music: | Linda Miller |
| Writers’ Workshop: | Kathryn Klingebiel |
| Youth: | Pr. Jeff Lilley |
Summer Schedules
As June approaches, please keep in mind that LCH changes our Sunday service time to the summer schedule for June, July, and August. There will be one worship service on Sundays, at 9:15 am. This is a communion service. There will be no Evening Prayer during the summer months. Evening Prayer resumes on the first Sunday of September.
Other programs, such as Exploring Boundaries, O‘ahu Youth Gathering, Poetry Group, Process Thought, and Writers’ Workshop will break for the summer as well. Check the LCH calendar on-line, or The HeartBeat and weekly LCH News calendars for scheduling information.
Godly Play
There are no Sunday school classes during the summer months, June through August. However, saint stories in the Godly Play style will be featured occasionally to appeal to all ages.
If you are interested in helping with the Godly Play program, beginning in September, please contact Linda Miller for information.
Join LCH for the 2015 Gay Pride Parade
Saturday, June 6, meet at 9:00 am
Come share your “Welcoming to All” spirit at the Honolulu Gay Pride Parade in Waikīkī. The parade begins promptly at 10:00 am at Magic Island and should conclude no later than 12:00 noon, at Kapi‘olani Park. Pastor Jeff will be in the line-up by 9:00 am with the LCH banner and possibly a car. We would love to have a crowd join the parade to share our aloha. If you would like to participate, please contact Pastor Jeff at pr.jeff@lchwelcome.org.
Holoholo Pick-Up
Thursday, June 9 & 23, 2:00–4:00 pmin the LCH Boardroom
The Holoholo General Store is a Community Supported Agriculture organization, or csa, that works with the Lutheran Church to bring you fresh produce from multiple local farms. Want to join? Just check out their website and sign up; bi-weekly prices range from $25 on up, and LCH is a convenient pick-up location. Visit www.holoholostore.com.
OFFICE CLOSED
King Kamehameha Day—Thursday, June 11
Process Thought
Saturday, June 13, 9:30−11:00 am at LCH
Aloha process people! We have time for one more session before our summer break. The featured topic will plunk into the middle of the question of naturalism, naturally. A provocative YouTube is included in the article which may be found on the Jesus, Jazz and Buddhism website, using the title of the article, “Are the Laws of Nature Evolving?” by Lee Smolin. As always, newcomers are welcome.
Food for Thought
Saturday, June 13, 5:30−8:00 pm
A meeting of Food for Thought has been scheduled at the home of Irmgard and David Hörmann. Please note the early hour, much appreciated by Irmgard and David. All are welcome for potluck supper, video, and discussion. For information, please call the LCH office at 808-941-2566.
Tami Brauer Retirement
With mixed feelings but always rejoicing in God’s grace, Tami and Gary Brauer are celebrating Tami’s retirement from the Air Force after 28.5 years of service. If you would like to attend the retirement ceremony, June 12, or the dinner in her honor, June 11, please let either of them know.
Tami and Gary are sad about leaving this ‘ohana of faith, but know that we’ll all run across each other again sometime, if not on this earth, then in the heavenly kingdom. Their next adventures involve a 5th wheel RV and big truck. They will be gallivanting around the US mainland for the next year, relaxing and visiting family and grandkids, and having some nice couple time. Stay tuned for travel blog info.
“We will always cherish our time at LCH, a congregation with an amazingly rich diversity of people, thought, and talent. As we continue our faith journey, we carry with us the light and love of the Holy Spirit that we’ve found here and continue to radiate that among ourselves, our congregation, our community, and our world.
Mahalo nui loa, your friends in faith,
Tami and Gary Brauer”
Good Gifts Benefit Concert Update
The children would like to thank everyone who contributed to the 2015 Good Gifts Benefit Concert. Over $3,000 was raised!
Last Sunday the children discussed how they would like to distribute the funds through the ELCA’s Good Gifts program. They were presented with three options: Family Farming Animals, a Healthcare Package, and an Education/Women’s Business Loan Package. After a discussion, it was decided to combine options from all three to provide something in each area. We will be giving a cow, a water well for safe and clean drinking water, school supplies for five children, and one micro loan for woman to begin a business. We are sending in an order request this week. It was uplifting to see how excited the children were to give gifts to those in need.
If you would like to learn more about the Good Gifts program and the options the children chose to support, please view the Good Gifts website: www.elca.org/goodgifts. Thank you again for supporting the children’s endeavors here at LCH!
Wounded Warriors Request
Pastor Steven Jensen performed and coordinated admirably to provide care and assistance to the survivors of the recent Osprey aircraft crash at Bellow’s Air Force Base. Pastor Jensen’s invaluable work with Wounded Warriors, especially right after the Osprey crash, provides much needed help to the military personnel involved.
After that recent unfortunate incident, Pastor Jensen realized that the survivors were in need of various types of cellular phone chargers to enable them to charge their phones and contact family members and friends. In response to this need, Pastor Jensen will begin collecting cell phone chargers to satisfy similar needs in the future.
If you have extra cell phone chargers lying around, for a cell phone you’ve replaced, you can put it to good use! Please bring them to the LCH office. We will collect them and Pastor Jensen will distribute them, as needed. Thank you for supporting Windward Wounded Warriors!
Mahalo from Michael Burnett
Michael is back in Thailand and continues on his road to recoverys, but he has not been making as much progress on thanking everyone for the generous contributions to his medical expenses. The fact that he tires easily, the summer heat in Pattaya, and preparations for follow-up medical work are slowing him down, but he vows to respond to each one who gave. In the meantime, he writes, “I want all to know how grateful I am.”
Buy Your Patch of Shade in the Hörmann Courtyard
Collecting $20 donations—Goal of $10,000 by end summer
Want to buy your own piece of shade? We’re launching a final fundraising campaign for the wonderful Hörmann Courtyard Eco-Shade cover. We’ve already raised more than $30,000 for the cover, but need one last push to take care of all the costs. We’re going to raise the money one $20 pledge at a time. Carol Langner has agreed to post one of her fabulous bulletin boards for the summer so we can mark off donations as they are received.
To contribute, please make checks payable to LCH, and note Hörmann Courtyard on the memo line. We’ve kept the donation request amounts small to enable greater participation and allow more people to take ownership of the project. Thanks for helping the Lutheran Church of Honolulu to be an even cooler place!
Aloha and Mahalo Jeremy M. Wong!
After Sunday, May 31, Jeremy will no longer be serving as interim LCH Choir director at LCH! We bid aloha and say mahalo to Jeremy for his contributions to our congregation over the last several months.
Jeremy serves on the lecturer faculty at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Kapi‘olani Community College, where he teaches courses in voice and choir, respectively. He is also music director of the Honolulu Chorale, one of the state’s longest-performing community choruses, which will contract to use LCH facilities again for their 2015/2016 rehearsal season. Prior to his interim appointment, Jeremy sang in the LCH Choir, beginning in 2012, and has grown to love the music, the congregation, and all that the church has to offer. We hope to continue seeing Jeremy on a regular basis at LCH.
| Offering Fund | Amount | Offering Fund | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offering | $6,824 | Mission Campaign | $50 |
| Music Fund/Instruments | $160 | Wounded Warriors | $25 |
HeartBeat Deadline
Tuesday, June 16, 9:00 am
 |
||
| Cheri | Gene | Kent |
| Dan | Gianna | Matthew Michael |
| Denise | Irmgard | Quentin |
| Diane | Jennie | Sandi |
| Karen | ||
| Day | Date | Event and Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | June 4 | 10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly staff meeting |
| Saturday | June 6 | 10:00 am, Gay Pride Parade |
| Sunday | June 7 | Angel Network In-Gathering 9:15 am, Worship |
| Tuesday | June 9 | 9:30 am, Hukilau Pastors’ Meeting 2:00 pm, Holoholo pick-up |
| Thursday | June 11 | Kamehameha Day—Office Closed 10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting |
| Saturday | June 13 | 9:30 am, Process Thought Forum 5:30 pm, Food for Thought |
| Sunday | June 14 | 9:15 am, Worship |
| Tuesday | June 16 | Heartbeat Deadline! 12:30 pm, Finance Committee Meeting 6:30 pm, Council Meeting |
| Thursday | June 18 | 10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting |
| Friday | June 19 | 1:00 pm, IHS Meals prepared 5:30 pm, IHS Meals served |
| Sunday | June 21 | 9:15 am, Worship |
| Tuesday | June 23 | 2:00 pm, Holoholo pick-up |
| Thursday | June 25 | 10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting |
| Saturday | June 27 | 10:00 am, One Pot One Hope |
| Sunday | June 28 | 9:15 am, Worship |