HeartBeat—January 2016

A Passion for Hospitality and Fellowship

Hospitality and fellowship are key concepts in cultures around the world, but especially in our Judeo-Christian tradition. We remember how Abraham and Sarah welcomed three strangers while they were camped by the oaks of Mamre (Genesis 18) and learned over the meal that Sarah, who had been thought barren, would give birth to Isaac. And when we read about the earliest days of the church (Acts 2), we find that the members “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Hospitality and fellowship are indeed holy callings for all of us at LCH, and our leaders in carrying this calling are the members of our Fellowship Committee. Our mission is to facilitate a mutual sharing of food and hospitality to each other and to visitors.

The Fellowship Committee is blessed that many in the congregation bring in treats for the Sunday coffee hour and there are several regular members of our committee who help with setting up and cleaning up the tables and dishes for potlucks and other occasions. However, we could use more helping hands. There are numerous opportunities to participate in providing for others, whether it’s for the Sunday coffee hour or for a special event or celebration. Throughout the year, seasonal events or celebrations are printed in the monthly HeartBeat, the weekly announcements, and on the Hörmann Courtyard bulletin board.

Besides helping with the set fellowship events, we’d like to have more people join us with new ideas to be hospitable to each other and to guests. See us in the kitchen or in the Hörmann Courtyard and we’ll welcome you and your ideas as well as your helping hands!

Jeanne Castello and Mary-Jo Estes

Council Highlights

• Council enjoyed our December meeting and holiday family gathering hosted by Pastor Jeff and Jean at their home. Mahalo for a wonderful evening!
• Pastor Jeff and Council President April Smith were thanked for their leadership during the past year.
• New council members, Mary Fastenau and Noelani Nitz, were officially welcomed to the council. Ayesha Nibbe is off island and will be welcomed in January.
• Finances are relatively healthy, year to date. It is expected that the Advent and Christmas seasons will bring forth additional offerings.
• The Financial Review (Audit) team has finished the 2014 review, and their 2015 review is underway.
• 2016 draft budget discussion opportunity will be Sunday, January 10, between worship services.
• Council will begin investigating the possibility of hiring a professional property manager for Luther Place apartments to ease the burden on the church administrator, pastor, and property volunteers.

Office Closed New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Day

Friday, January 1, and Monday, January 18

Mahalo to the congregation

As I complete my second year as council president, I would like to say mahalo to everyone at LCH who has supported and encouraged me in this leadership role. To have been able to tap into the collective experience and knowledge you all possess was appreciated beyond measure and I am eternally grateful.

Mahalo nui loa,
April Smith

Two Synod Representatives Needed!

One man and one woman who are voting members of our congregation are needed to attend the Pacifica Synod Assembly in May 2016, in Riverside, California. Nominees will be confirmed through election at the second half of the Annual Meeting, January 23. This year, the elected Synod Assembly representatives will be voting to elect a new bishop. Travel and accommodations are paid for by LCH.

Please talk to last year’s delegates, Karyn Castro or Frank Haas, for more details about this commitment. Speak with Pastor Jeff or a member of the Council to nominate yourself or someone else to fulfill this short but important opportunity.

In Stitches Meeting

Saturday, January 2, 9:00–11:00 am

In Stitches, the LCH craft group, will meet in the Rainbow Room. Come learn to make ribbon lei or just for the fellowship. We look forward to seeing you there!

Angel Network In-Gathering

Sunday, January 3

On the first Sunday of each month, an in-gathering of food and personal items is collected at LCH for Angel Network, a ministry based out of Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church. The items are taken to Angel Network during the following week. Over 2,500 individuals are served monthly through this program. We are grateful for your generosity and support

Godly Play—Sunday School News

Sunday School 9:20–10:20 am

LCH offers Sunday school for children from kindergarten through senior high. The older children (grades 6–12) meet in the Rainbow Room. The younger children (grades k–5) meet in the Godly Play Room. All are welcome!

Below is the schedule of Godly Play stories for January

• 1/3—Epiphany
• 1/10—Holy Baptism
• 1/17—Parable of the Good Shepherd
• 1/24—Parable of the Sower
• 1/31—St. Bridget object box

Evening Prayer

Sundays, January 3 and 17, 7:30 pm

Join us on the first and third Sundays for Evening Prayer. This peaceful experience of rejuvenation and prayer provides calm in the frenzy of holiday preparation and will enhance your Advent experience.

Holoholo Pick-Up

Tuesdays, January 5 & 19, 2:00–4:00 pm

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. To join or find more information visit their website www.holoholostore.com.

Book of Faith Bible Study

Thursdays, 10:00–11:30 am, in the LCH Boardroom

Our gatherings continue with the study of the Old Testament Minor Prophets. In the Catholic tradition, the minor prophets are read in the last weeks of November as the liturgical year comes to an end. The hope is that the group can study these prophets with an ear to how their sometimes radical messages may speak to us in our own troubled times. These books are generally short, but far from easy to read. There are excellent online articles you are encouraged to explore on your own in preparation for group discussion.

Process Thought Forum

January 9, 9:30–11:00 am

The Process Thought group will meet on the 2nd Saturday of the month, January 9, at 9:30–11:00 am in the LCH Boardroom. We will have a follow-up session on Process and Islamic matters, focusing on this article from Jesus, Jazz and Buddhism: “A Process Appreciation of Islam: Interpreting Some Key Ideas in the Islamic Tradition in a Process-Relational Way with help from Yusuf Islam.”

This Saturday session can be in preparation also for the “Exploring Boundaries” event in January, which will feature as our guest Professor Tamara Albertini from UH, a prominent figure in Islamic studies. Our world is one of vast systems of interconnection, and these opportunities can help our understanding of this entangled web.

2016 Draft LCH Budget Discussion

Sunday, January 10, 9:20 am

This is an opportunity for those in the congregation with questions or concerns to discuss the draft 2016 budget with the Finance Committee. The budget was distributed previously. An updated draft will be available January 3 and 10, after first service. You may also send comments via email to stevedmiller.sm@gmail.com. The budget will be voted on at the general congregational meeting on Saturday, January 23.

Mahalo for your continuing support of LCH,
Steve Miller, Treasurer

Confirmation Classes

Sundays, January 17, 24, and 31, at 12:00 pm in the LCH Rainbow Room

Confirmation is a time for pre-teens and teens to discover more about their faith in God and to deepen their learning about the church, The Bible (Old Testament this semester), and Lutheran concepts. Please contact Pastor Jeff for more information.

Exploring Boundaries and Beyond: Islamic Philosophy in the Modern World

Sunday, January 17, 6:00–7:15 pm

Our speaker this month is Tamara Albertini, professor of Renaissance and Islamic philosophy in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s department of philosophy. Growing up in Tunisia, Tamara absorbed the culture, Arabic language, and history of this vibrant Islamic country. She has built her academic career on the study of the great philosophers and philosophical traditions that for centuries have shaped the development of Islam. She also specializes in the interrelationship of Islamic and European Renaissance philosophy, an exchange from which the West gained enormously.

Tamara’s presentation will help explain the difference between today’s purist salafiyya (Arabic for “getting back to the roots”) thinking and the original 19th century salafiyya, which was about rejuvenating, reforming Muslim societies, and bridging differences between Islam and Christianity as well as Sunni and Shi’a Islam. Tamara travelled to Tunisia last summer, and has posted her travel journals in a blog. She shares her reflections at www.travelofadiasporicself.com.

This fall, four Tunisians won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in guiding that country’s 2011 Jasmine Revolution to a peaceful conclusion. This peace is always fragile; Tunisia has experienced violent acts recently but continues to hold together with democratic institutions in place and functioning.

LCH Women’s Book Club

Monday, January 18, 10:00–11:30 am

We’re meeting at Murashige’s to discuss Forever, by Pete Hamill (Note: this is M.L. King holiday).

This widely acclaimed bestseller is the magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains… forever. Through the eyes of Cormac O’Connor—granted immortality as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan—we watch New York grow from a tiny settlement on the tip of an untamed wilderness to the thriving metropolis of today.

Writers’ Workshop

Monday, January 18, 5:30–7:00 pm

New time! Writers’ Workshop will meet for its first get-together of 2016 at a new time in the LCH Boardroom. All are welcome! For information, please call the LCH office at 808-941-2566.

2015 Annual Meeting, Part 2

Saturday, January 23, 5:00 pm

Attention congregants! Please plan to participate in the second half of our annual meeting in Isenberg Hall. Childcare and the meal will be provided.

We will have “happy hour” fellowship time, followed by supper hosted by council members, then on to the business of the congregation, including the presentation of council members, approval of the 2016 budget, and election of Synod Assembly delegates.

Everyone is welcome. Voting members are especially encouraged to attend, as your participation is essential to the life of the congregation.

One Pot, One Hope

Saturday, January 30, 10:00 am

A consistent group of LCH volunteers helps feed 100 to 125 people each month in Wai‘anae. Help support this mission outreach project by participating or by bringing donations of designated items—Costco gallon-sized cans of chili, fresh fruit, granola bars, bottled water, recycled grocery bags, and large cardboard boxes—or checks, payable to “One Pot, One Hope.” Bring donated items to church on the third Sunday of the month (January 16). See Peggy Anderson for more information, including volunteering and carpool.

Food for Thought

Saturday, January 30, 5:30–8:00 pm

Food for Thought is scheduled to meet 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.

Mary Magdalene Society

Saturday, February 6, 6:00 pm in Isenberg Hall

Please join our potluck supper and game night in Isenberg Hall. Supper begins at 6:00 (set up at 5:30; help is greatly appreciated) with games to follow. Please bring a food item and your favorite game(s).

If you are interested in being on our email list, please contact Jim Cartwright at jasfcartw@gmail.com. Provide your name and email address. Please share information of this gathering and an invitation to other LGBTQI and friends you know who may be interested in socializing with us.

Twelfth Annual Faith and Arts Sunday

On February 7th we will have the twelfth annual Faith and Arts Sunday, where we will highlight the creativity of our congregation by displaying our artwork, handwork, and writings during the services. Please allow us to show your art or craft item that day or to put your poem or short work of prose up on the board. Sign up sometime this month in the courtyard.

Anticipating a Big Celebration: 500th Anniversary

The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the traditional beginning of the Lutheran movement that started in Wittenberg, Germany, with the nailing of Luther’s 95 Theses to the door of that town’s church. This event inaugurated the period known as the Reformation, and its effects spread worldwide. Now we ask what our congregation can do to honor and celebrate that rich heritage? Ideas are already circulating, but there is certainly room for more. More definite plans will be elaborated after the first of the year. Meanwhile, let your own creative imagination suggest some activity or project that seems fitting for such a celebration.

Thank You from the Pacifica Synod

Thank you to the members of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu from the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In grateful appreciation for giving $25,335.72 in Mission Support beyond the congregation for synodical and churchwide ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Read the certificate and letter from the Pacifica Synod.

HeartBeat Deadline

Tuesday, January 19, 9:00 am

Cheri, Denise, Diane, Fran, Gene, Geri, Gianna, Irene, Irmgard, Jennie, Jessica, Karen, Kathy S., Kelly, Kent, Michael, Quentin, Sandi, and Stephen