HeartBeat—July 2016

Over the past several decades, a strange phenomenon has developed along the Kona coast of the Big Island. The Sheraton Kona resort, situated on an ancient Hawaiian sacred site, installed lights that illuminated the lava rock ledge and sea directly below their restaurant. Over time, they noticed that giant manta rays would glide in close to shore, sometimes in huge numbers, and hang out around the pool of light in the ocean. Scientists explain that plankton, a major food source for manta rays, are attracted to light and the manta rays eventually learned that when there was light in that location, it was tantamount to a manta ray buffet.

Tourists and locals alike flock to the edge of the shore in that location to watch these huge and graceful creatures literally fly through the water in search of their tiny food. Sometimes just a few mantas show up, other times the water is alive with swirling beautiful creatures of the sea.

Of course, if there is a buck to make, it will be made. Over the past few years, tour boats have begun taking large numbers of adventurers to observe these naturally beautiful creatures from the sea. The gentle illumination by hotel lights has been augmented by private and commercial vessels with huge powerful light arrays mounted above and below the water. If a little light is good, then a lot of light is better-right?

The idea is to lure the mantas away from shore (where anyone can see them for free) to the boats and their paying customers. Lights from the boats literally light up the sea and blind those onshore, making it impossible to enjoy the swirling dance. The mantas eventually move under the bright lights of the boats, a better buffet I suppose, and swim there for a while until the boats return to shore to pick up the next load of adventurers. This continues until late in the night when everyone finally goes home.

As I watched this drama unfold, over the past two days on a short Big Island visit, I thought about how our faith is similar to the feeding habits of the mantas. Light imagery is everywhere in scripture. “Do not hide your lamp under a bushel,” and “Let there be light!” The light of faith, scripture, and fellowship draw us together to a banquet of joy.

Like the mantas, we may not even see the spiritual food offered freely before us. The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens, yet we never really see or touch her. The manna we call Holy Communion shares God’s grace and peace, yet we cannot really explain how such a thing happens or really even why. But we are drawn to the light in faith and find life, joy, and sustenance there.

But like the mantas, there is always something around drawing us away. A friend of mine calls such distractions “shiny things.” Sometimes the light we have seems boring or not as bright as we hoped it would be, and we chase after shiny things. God has given a holy curiosity that should be exercised on a regular basis. For a time, we swim away hoping to find a better banquet, more excitement, more fulfillment, a better life. Sometimes we even find it! When we do, it is a blessing.

For others, we find that shiny things are fine for a season, but like the tourist boats in Kona, eventually the lights fade, the excitement ends, and we return to the gentle light that is always there, the light of Christ.

In these days of uncertainty, terror, upheaval, and change, God continues to share the gentle light of love and calls us to the feast of bread, wine, water, and word. In the midst of the banquet, the light shines, healing begins, and we are energized to share God’s love in a world in desperate need of the gentle goodness, radical peace, and fearless hope of Christ.

Pastor Jeff

One Pot One Hope

Several years ago, the Lutherans in the O‘ahu congregations of the Hukilau Synod began a “mission project” to serve the homeless citizens in Wai‘anae. Members and friends from Christ Church Mililani, Joy of Christ, Prince of Peace. Calvary by the Sea, and LCH began a “monthly pilgrimage” to Maluhia Lutheran Church. At that time there was a large “camp” on the beach, and we were serving 75–100 chili lunches.

Over the years the makeup of the group has changed, but the LCH crew continues to support this effort each month. The caravan gathers at the LCH parking lot at 9:00 am and leaves soon after for the trail ride westward. We now serve people at three sites and prepare from 120 to 150 meals each month.

The menu has also changed, and we now include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No one really remembers how this started, but it has been a big hit. Our operating procedures and recipes have developed over the years, but what hasn’t changed is how much fun volunteers have.

The trek to and from Wai‘anae can seem like long one, but it is filled with great compassion and friendship. Of course, there have been times people have asked what sustains this project. The years have made it clear that our volunteers have been guided by the Spirit to share our blessings with others. It’s just another example of “Gods Work. Our Hands.”

As the hymn tells us, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.”

words and music by Peter Scholtes

Summer Schedules

Continuing through Sunday, August 28, we will be following our summer worship schedule. 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, Confirmation classes, Godly Play and Sunday School for children, Food for Thought, Poetry Group, and Writers’ Workshop, will break for the summer as well. Check the LCH calendar on-line, or The HeartBeat and weekly LCHNews calendars for group scheduling information.

New Directory

The new LCH Member & Friends Directory 2016 is now available for distribution. Please pick up your copy in the Nave on Sunday.

Angel Network In-Gathering

Sunday, July 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.

Summer Gatherings Emphasize ELCA Project

Sundays, July 3 & 24 and August 7, 9:45-10:30 am

Over the course of the summer months, LCH will join thousands of ELCA congregations in participating in Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s church-wide initiative “Called Forward Together in Christ.” The initiative is an ongoing conversation taking place at every level in the ELCA, including the church-wide office, seminaries, synods, regions, and congregations. The intent is to shape the future of our ministry in light of God’s call, the cultures in which we find ourselves, and the current economic and ecologic realities of a changing world.

At our congregational level, we hope to engage in conversation about emerging ideas for ministry and engagement in our neighborhood, community, and membership.

In a moment of madness we came up with a plan. On the dates listed above, we will worship from 9:15 to 9:45 am. Immediately following the worship service, we will gather in the courtyard to share a light brunch—food will be provided—and engage in conversation. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. This should be a truly fun, energetic, and meaningful time of conversation about how God is working in our midst, and how we hope to be at work and prayer in God’s midst. Please plan to be there!

OFFICE CLOSED

Independence Day • Monday, July 4

Holoholo Pick-Up

Tuesdays, July 5 & 19, 2:30–4:00 pm • LCH Boardroom

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 • LCH Boardroom

The Book of Faith Bible study meets on Thursday mornings in the Boardroom. All are welcome to join this lively discussion of the Biblical texts, relevant current events, and historical foundations. Please join us for lively engaging fellowship and discussion!

Process Thought Forum

Saturday, July 9, 9:30 am • LCH Boardroom

Our topic this month uses metaphors from astronomy to enrich our understanding of God. Find the article “It Produces No Energy but Pulls Us: Comparing Dark Matter and the Soul of the Universe” on the Jesus, Jazz and Buddhism website. We’ll meet in the LCH Boardroom for a lively discussion. All are welcome. If you have questions you may contact Fritz through the LCH office 808-941-2566.

Leadership Roundtable

Sunday, July 10, 10:30 am • LCH Boardroom

Committee chairs and team leader, please plan to gather for a short (45 minute) meeting. This is an opportunity for us to sit down together and share information on what is happening with all the ministries at LCH. If you are a committee or team leader, please be prepared to share a little information on your activities with the group. Mahalo and see you there!

LCH Workday at Habitat for Humanity

Saturday, July 16

Save the date, July 16, to participate in an all-day house-building project with Honolulu Habitat for Humanity! Honolulu Habitat has partnered with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Darleen Kaniho to build a new home on a beautiful lot in Papakōlea, the Hawaiian Home Lands development located on the back slope of Punchbowl.

Get ready for a great workout pounding nails, maybe installing windows and doors, maybe even painting. It will be a fun day and no experience is necessary! Please note, you must be at least 16 years old to participate.

If you aren’t able or don’t want to build, LCH has also signed up to provide lunch that day and we need a few people to prepare and serve lunch to the volunteers and staff. There are no age restrictions for lunch providers.

An informational meeting will be held July 10, after worship. We’ll discuss the Habitat model and why homeownership works for low income families. Contact Jean Lilley through the LCH office 808-941-2566 or at jelilley@gmail.com for more information.

LCH Women’s Book Club

Monday, July 18, 10:00–11:30 am

We meet at the Murashige’s to discuss Breakfast with Buddha, by Rowland Merullo, “A spiritual road-trip novel.” In August we meet at the Murashige’s to talk about Delicious, Ruth Reichl’s first novel which combines food and history.

LCH Sponsors Wounded Warriors Meal

Thursday, July 21, 3:30 pm

LCH is scheduled to feed the Wounded Warriors this month. We need one or two shoppers and four or five for the meal prep and service itself. First-timers are welcome. We meet at the entrance gate to Marine Corps Base, Kāne‘ohe (at the end of H-3) at 3:30 pm. Cooking, feeding, and clean-up are relatively light work, and we are usually finished and on our way by 6:00 pm. Please contact Fred Benco or the LCH office, lch@lchwelcome.org or 808-941-2566, if you are willing to volunteer for this worthwhile event.

Mary Magdalene Society

Saturday, July 23, 6:00 pm • Isenberg Hall

LGBTQI and friends, please join our potluck supper and games or video night in Isenberg Hall. Supper begins at 6:00 pm with games or video to follow. Set up begins at 5:30, and help is greatly appreciated. Please bring a food item to share.

One focus for this month’s gathering will be a celebration (transferred) of our patron, Mary Magdalene, apostle to the apostles, whose festival falls on July 22. Members and friends are also encouraged to bring along one or more “unusual” things or photos to share with the group in Show and Tell. As always, games or videos are welcome for the after-dinner festivities. If you do plan to bring a video to share, please let Jim Cartwright know so that he can line up the equipment for viewing.

For more information, contact Jim at jasfcartw@gmail.com. Please share information of this gathering and an invitation to other LGBTQI and friends you know who may be interested in socializing with us.

One Pot, One Hope

Saturday, July 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 (July 17). See Peggy Anderson for more information, including volunteering and carpool.

Wet’n’Wild Youth and Family Outing

Sunday, July 31, 10:30 am to 5:00 pm

Join the LCH youth and family outing to Wet‘n’Wild. All are welcome! LCH youth attend for free. The cost for adults and guests is $22.00. Register with Georgine Stark, July 10, in the courtyard or by email at thedgduo@hotmail.com. Look for information updates in the LCHNews and HeartBeat newsletter.

LCH Beautification Launched!

Thank you to the good crew who turned out and threw some muscle into the garden restoration project on Wednesday, June 29. Excellent work Carol Langner, Randy Castello, Greg and Sharon Gebhardt, Noelani Nitz, Josie Bidgood and Chuck Pearson, and Marsha Schweitzer! Garden plots were leveled and all the pavers were placed.

Enormous thanks to Randy Castello who has worn the tread on his truck tires hauling pavers, rocks, and sand. Mahalo Randy, Carol Langner, Stan Ornellas (our groundskeeper), and ?? from St. Clement’s for helping to unload the pavers on Monday, June 27. Thanks to Paula Wheeler, Stan, Carol, and the Gebhardts for careful planning.

There is more to be done! Subsequent workdays will be announced. For more information or if you have questions, see Carol Langner or contact the church office by phone or email at 808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelcome.org.

Photos from the Sugar Train Ride

Members of the congregation joined the youth for a fun outing on the Hawaiian Railway Sugar Train, from Ewa to Kahe Point and back, on Sunday, June 12.

A photo in front of Ewa 1, one of the sugar plantation engines.

Will You Help Count the Offering?

You don’t need to donate more, just help count the Sunday offerings! For 30 or so minutes after service, volunteer teams of two count the offerings. We need one new counter to join the team. Please contact Angie Niermann or the LCH office for information. Mahalo!

Rally Sunday

Sign up for fall Sunday school on Rally Sunday, August 28. Godly Play Sunday School will start again on September 4. Have a great summer!

Service of Requiem and Hope

On June 19, the Honolulu community gathered at LCH for prayer, song, silence, and words of hope one week after the murders at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The text from John 15:12–13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” reminds us that love is the greatest power for change.

The light sculpture created for the evening featured 49 votive candles precariously cantilevered and balanced against one another. As the incident at Pulse reminds us, the balance between life and death can be a delicate one, but the light of life brings hope and binds us together with unbreakable bonds.

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. The period, known as the Reformation, was inaugurated 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.

Attendance and Offerings for June

Date	Worship Service	Attendance	Offering Fund	Amount
June 5	9:15 am Service	103	Offering	$3,331
			Social Ministries	$10
June 12	9:15 am Service	91	Offering	$1,141
			Music/Instruments	$10
June 19	9:15 am Service	82	Offering	$2,532
	Orlando Memorial	52	Social Ministries/IHS	$81
	Total	134	Wounded Warriors	$50
			Scholarships	$200
June 26	9:15 am Service	78	Offerings	$2,496
			Sunday School Offering	$2

HeartBeat Deadline

Tuesday, July 19, 9:00 am

Denise, Dori, Geno, Irene, Irmgard, John, Keahi, Swede, those killed and injured in the Orlando tragedy and their families and friends