HeartBeat—August 2025

Reserve Your Place for the 125th Anniversary Banquet

Deadline August 15

If you have not yet submitted your response to attend the 125th anniversary banquet, there is still time. The deadline is Friday, August 15. Please go to the LCH website and click on the “Celebrating LCH’s 125th Anniversary” article on the home page. This will take you to a page where you can make a reservation for the banquet and/or reserve a copy of the anniversary book.

We will also have a sign-up sheet at the welcome cart for the next couple of weeks

Summer Jazz Journey: ʻUkulele Around the World

August 17 • 7:00 pm

Join us for an unforgettable evening of live music at our upcoming jazz concert! On Sunday, August 17, don’t miss ʻUkulele Around the World, a global musical adventure led by Cynthia Lin on ʻukulele and vocals, Abe Lagrimas, Jr. on ʻukulele, and Shawn Conley on bass. This unique concert will showcase songs in a variety of languages, highlighting the ʻukulele’s versatility and charm across cultures.

This summer the LCH music program jump starts our “Music in Mission” ministry by collecting school supplies for children on O‘ahu at both Summer Jazz Journey concerts.We encourage you to donate items from the school supply list found on our summer jazz journey webpage.

Mission Fund Update

Mahalo for your generous support of the Mission Fund. To date, we have reached 75% of our goal ($45,000 of the $60,000 goal) to support a welcoming and safe environment, seed money for a task force to address the Senior Tsunami, and a tithe to the Pacifica Synod to benefit the greater church.

If you have not yet had a chance to pledge and to give to the Mission Fund, we invite you to do so now. We are hoping to announce at our 125th Anniversary Banquet on September 13 that we have reached our goal.

There are exciting plans for the use of your generous gifts. Keane’s task force has been researching and meeting with muralists who can tell the story of LCH on the exterior of our building. The different processes that each muralists use are very exciting and support our desire to have the building “talk story” about our faith community and how we are going about witnessing to God’s love and mercy.

The Senior Tsunami Task Force is forming, and we will hear more about that soon. LCH will present a $6,000 check to Bishop Nagler when he is with us for the banquet and worship in September.

Again, thank you for your support of the mission fund and God’s work with our hands that these financial gifts will allow us to accomplish.

God’s blessings and thanks and prayers,
Pastor Lesley

From Pastor Lesley

As I opened the pastor’s office this morning, I smiled. On the door is a sign that was on the pastor’s office window. It says, “Here you are loved” with a rainbow flag as the sign’s graphic. I smiled because, as we prepare for the 125th Anniversary Celebration—“Legacies and Blessings,” I have been thinking a lot about the legacies of LCH to its members and friends, the community and beyond. Also, if I had to name the most important legacy of LCH, it would be the legacy of a place where all can experience God’s abundant love.

Welcome and a proclamation of God’s salvation and love are not the only legacies LCH has provided throughout these 125 years. The first legacy is that of a community established by those leaving their homeland to come to a new land for new opportunities and new adventures. The founding fathers and mothers did not know what this new land would offer, but they knew how important their faith and a faith community was to their happiness and health. So, with sacrifice, faith, and trust they began this community that we now know as LCH.

There have been so many that have contributed to the legacies and blessings of LCH, too many to name individually, each contributing their gifts and talents to forming and shaping this community as we know it today.

Through the legacies and blessings, there has been a DNA formed and implanted at LCH. As we prepare for our anniversary and look through the archives, it is amazing what has been found. There is a document whose date of which we are not sure. However, I’m guessing it was written before 2013 because of the logo used. The themes that emerged are very similar to the themes that emerged from the ‘ohana groups last summer. For example: Transform campus and ministries to reflect our mission and environmental responsibility—Renovate facilities to be more welcoming and accessible. Doesn’t that sound like one of the goals of the current mission fund?

I’m curious what you think these main goals being very similar to several years ago might mean. Does it mean that we know what is important to us, what is part of our DNA, and we continue to work to accomplish, refine, and improve our response to that goal? Does it mean that we didn’t finish the goal several years ago, because something else required our attention? Does it mean we are more focused on the task than our mission to share God’s message of love and salvation to all? Is there something for us to learn from this? Or, perhaps, it doesn’t mean anything at all. What do you think? To me whatever the reason for the similarity, what is most important is how we continue to care for the legacy and build on the legacy that has been given us by those that have come before us.

The question that Pastor Jeff frequently asked LCH is certainly a legacy question. How do we today answer the legacy question “What is God calling us to do?” I invite you to think about that question as we prepare for our meetings in October that will help us complete the Ministry Site Profile.

Something else to think about as we get ready for our anniversary celebration and our transition work: What legacy are you leaving to your family, your faith family, and the world? What legacy is LCH leaving in our community and beyond? How can we faithfully use the foundations of the legacy provided by those who have gone before us at LCH so that we can be about doing God’s work, with our hands many years into the future?

God’s blessings and my prayers and thanks,
Pastor Lesley

Transition Team Update

Thank you to all of those who have completed their spiritual gifts inventory and the form that lists ways to use these identified gifts. This information will help the Transition Team present an accurate picture of our present faith community. It helps to know what gifts are present and how mission and ministry is and can be shaped around these gifts. It also helps the potential pastoral candidates to see how their gifts align with the community or help to add additional gifts to the faith community. If you have not completed these forms yet, you can find the forms attached to the weekly e-news. Mahalo for your participation and completion of the forms.

Also, as a visual reminder of the gifts present in our faith community, the Transition Team asks that you sign the mirror poster. When Pr. Margrethe completed her bridge interim, she gave the congregation a mirror to remind the congregation to be reflective during this transition journey. Pr. Lesley received a walking stick to symbolize her walk and accompaniment beside you during this transitional journey. This poster is a reminder of the work we have to do on this transitional journey and that everyone is called and invited to participate in this journey.

The next step in the transformational process is a series of meetings in October. To prepare for these meetings, in mid-August, a timeline will be posted in the courtyard to highlight some of the events of LCH these past 125 years as well as the events in the greater community, nation, and beyond. You will be asked to look at the timeline and add what you recall during these times. You are invited to place memories of celebratory events and also memories of loss, sadness, and conflict in the community. Again, this information will help the Transition Team speak to history of the congregation, highlighting the positive and also speaking to the growing edges of the community.

Our first meeting in October, as part of worship on October 5, will be to discuss your insights from the history timeline. The next meeting on October 19 will be a visioning process. October 26 we will identify how we see LCH and what gifts and talents we believe are necessary for the next LCH pastor to possess. This work will be guided by the questions in the Ministry Site Profile (MSP).

All of this work will be used in November for the Transition Team to complete the MSP and present it to the council for approval. After the council has approved the MSP, it will then be sent to the Pacifica Synod for approval, and the search for a pastoral candidate will begin.

Thank you for your prayers and participation in this process as we seek to follow God’s preferred and promised future.

God’s richest blessings and our thanks,
The Transition Team.

LCH Office Hours

• Monday—Closed
• Tuesday—9:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Wednesday—9:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Thursday—9:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Friday—9:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Saturday–Sunday—Closed

We recommend calling the office (808-941-2566) before dropping in to see the pastor or the administrator, as schedules may vary with appointments, other work commitments, and lunch breaks

Please visit the LCH website at www.lchwelcome.org for more information about weekly events and ministries, and to access the public LCH Facebook page for online worship services.

Christ’s Community

For this stewardship year we have been looking at LCH’s mission statement bit by bit, and this month we have arrived at the last phrase of this haiku, “Christ’s community.”

Back in 2002 Jonathan Scheuer wrote this in his explanation of the work of the group that developed our mission statement: “When we say we are ‘a loving community of God,’ … we emphasize that we are not a mass of individuals but a greater group with bonds that hold us together.”

As some of you know, we have been reading the book of Genesis in our Thursday morning Bible Study. In the second creation story, after creating the “earth creature” (Adam) and then creating plants, God says, “it is not good for the earth creature to be alone. I will make a fitting companion for them” (Genesis 2:18, my adaptation from The Inclusive Bible). God then makes animals, but none is a fitting companion, so God makes a second human. While reading this part of Genesis, we often talked about the “bumbling God” of the stories. It took God a few tries to figure out that humans need to be with other humans to live satisfying lives. We modern humans can be just as bumbling, and sometimes it takes us a long time to realize that we need human interaction for our lives to work well. I was reminded of this myself recently.

During my travels in Europe, I saw a friend who is living alone and was shocked at how often that friend could not remember words or express thoughts easily. Reflecting on my friend’s situation, I remembered my own experience during the early months of the pandemic when we were spending days and days at home and were not even able to gather together for worship. I was having persistent headaches, went to the doctor to get checked, and was given a cognitive test. I was shocked at how poorly I did on the test and worried about my mental capacity. Fortunately, as restrictions lifted and I was able to interact with others, my mental acuity returned. It is not good for humans to be alone; we are meant to live in community.

Regarding the nature of our community at LCH, as Jonathan Scheuer wrote in 2002, the people of LCH are not simply a “mass of individuals”; we are bound together as community or, in Hawaiian, ‘ohana. What are these bonds that hold us together? Since we are a church, you’d be tempted to say it’s our shared Lutheran faith, but if you have ever been part of a discussion at LCH about what people believe, you know how wide-ranging those beliefs are. Rather than intellectual conformity, I think our community is based more on what we do as ‘ohana. We share a commitment to worshipping together, and especially to singing together. We are committed to good music—beginning with Bach (and before) and continuing on to jazz and other modern forms. We are committed to growing as individuals and as a community. We all agree that we are called to serve in a variety of ways within LCH, in our local community, across the nation, and around the world. And we all know that all of these endeavors are more effective when we do them together.

In a few weeks, LCH celebrates our 125th anniversary, a history of people making community. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, … let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” This “cloud of witnesses” is usually understood as our forebears in faith—the Hackfelds, Isenbergs, Hörmanns, Johnsons, Barbers, Lilleys, and others who have paved the way. But, for me, that cloud includes all of you who, as members of our LCH ‘ohana, help me persevere in the race before me.

Bill Potter for the Stewardship Team
Willow Chang, Phyllis Hörmann, Barbara Poole-Street, Bill Potter, and Cindy Scheinert

Angel Network In-Gathering

LCH is not collecting donations for Angel Network Charities until further notice. However, Angel Network is accepting donations at the Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church location in east O‘ahu: 5339 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Honolulu 96821.

For those who are able and interested in donating, they accept donations on Thursdays and Fridays, from 8:30 am to noon. They will only accept packaged, unopened dry goods (e.g. cereal, flour, sugar, pasta, etc.) and canned goods.

Angel Network requires that donating drivers identify themselves and remain in their vehicle. Volunteers will offload donation items from your vehicle with protective gloves. Over 2,500 individuals are served monthly through this program. Mahalo for your generosity and support.

Adult Forum

Sundays at 9:00 am • In-person in the Boardroom

Adult Forum will continue on Sunday mornings with Stan Baptista’s presentation of land acknowledgements, which focuses on the history of Hawai‘i land ownership, major changes in land ownership during the late 1840s, Hawai‘i Kingdom politics which affected land ownership, and the participation of major churches in land ownership politics and struggles

Join members of the Adult Forum for this stimulating discussion on Sunday mornings in person in the Boardroom. If you are coming for worship, just get your coffee and head to the Boardroom at 9:00 to join the others who are there.

Leadership Roundtable

Tuesday, August 5, at 6:30 pm • Via Zoom Meeting

Committee chairs and team leaders, please plan to gather for a short (45 minute) meeting. This month’s meeting will be conducted via the Zoom online meeting platform. Please refer to your email for the Zoom Meeting details.

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, you will receive an email with login information. Please be prepared to share a little information on your activities with the group. Mahalo!

Game Day

Wednesday, August 6, at 1:00 pm in Isenberg Hall

Please join Paula Wheeler for Game Day on Wednesday, July 3, from 1:00 to 3:00 in Isenberg Hall. We will meet for lively conversation and some fun games. If you have any questions or suggestions call Paula at 808-542-2843.

Book of Faith Bible Study

Thursdays, 10:00 am • In-person and Via Zoom Meeting

The Book of Faith Bible Study meets on Thursday mornings in-person or via Zoom meeting. All are welcome to join this lively discussion of the Biblical texts, relevant current events, and historical foundations. Please contact Cathy Baptista at cathynt@gmail.com to receive an invitation to the next Zoom Bible study discussion.

Begining in August we will be focusing on studing the “Song of Songs.” The study will examine the “Song of Songs,” also known as “Song of Solomon,” as a celebration of human love and its relationship to divine love.

Restorative Yoga

Thursdays, August 7, 14, 21, and 28, at 6:30 pm • Via Zoom Meeting

Explore the restorative and ancient practice of yoga, led by LCH member Willow Chang. As a yoga practitioner for over 30 years, Willow shares the joy, wonder, and enthusiasm of a beginner. She emphasizes the origins, cultural context, and safe practice of yoga for all by sharing aspects of yoga, from pranayama (breathing exercises) and yogic philosophy (ahimsa), to poses, referred to as asanas.

Join for one, two, or all sessions from the safety of your own shelter-in-place. These unique classes also provide an opportunity to answer your questions about yoga practice and form. You don’t need yoga pants, previous experience, youth, flexibility, or any real-life experience in India to learn about yoga. Bring your amazing self to be in wonder of your abilities! Please contact Willow Chang (willowchang@hotmail.com) to be included in the weekly Zoom meeting invitation. Let’s learn and find a new center, together!

Writers’ Workshop

Monday, August 18, at 4:30 pm • Via Zoom Meeting

Writers’ Workshop will continue to meet via Zoom meeting. All are welcome! If you are new to our group and would like more information on how to participate, please contact Peter Flachsbart at pflachsbart@gmail.com. He will send you a Zoom link if you prefer to participate remotely. Mahalo!

IHS Sandwich Making

Thursday, August 21, 12:00–2:00 pm • Isenberg Hall

LCHers will again convene to prepare sandwiches and pack sack lunches for distribution at Institution for Human Services (IHS). This continues a tradition stretching back decades. We meet monthly and could use a few new, dependable volunteers to join our dedicated group. Please join us. Mahalo!

If you would like to participate in this action-packed, fun activity, please let Brenda know at lch@LCHwelcome.org. She will pass your contact info on to event organizers.

Mary Magdalene Society

Saturday, August 23 , at 6:00 PM • Hörmann Courtyard

Mary Magdalene Society will meet in-person for our potluck and game night in the Hörmann Courtyard. We invite LGBTQI members and friends of LCH to prepare their favorite potluck dish and join in the festivities. As part of our commitment to mutual care, participants should RSVP in advance and be fully-vaccinated.

An email will be sent on August 17 to those who are already on the Mary Magdalene mailing list detailing the RSVP procedure. If you don’t receive your invitation, have questions or want to be added to the mailing list, please contact Bill Potter, group facilitator, at bill.potter808@gmail.com.

Seeking Volunteers & Donations for One Pot, One Hope

Saturday, August 30, at 9:00 am • Maluhia Lutheran Church in Wai‘anae

The One Pot, One Hope ministry, a Hukilau project, continues each month at Maluhia Lutheran Church in Wai‘anae. Please consider participating by joining the volunteers at the next meet-up.

You can also contribute by donating 5-lb. cans of chili, cartons of granola bars, or large jars of peanut butter or jelly; or you can support this outreach with funds either by check or via the LCH Donate page. (Be sure to designate donation for One Pot, One Hope.) Food items may be dropped off during coffee hour on Sundays or left at the office during open hours. Contact Billie Jean Reis or Linda Muller with any questions. Mahalo for assisting with this mission to provide meals to our neighbors.

Second Quarter Giving Statements

Thank you for your generous support for the ministries on this congregation. We appreciate every contribution.

Giving statements for the second quarter were distributed via email in the morning on July 25. Statements to anyone who has given $25 or more this calendar year were generated by the church’s accounting software and sent as PDF attachments to emails from statements@LCHwelcome.org. If the church does not have your email address, the statement was mailed to your address in the accounting software.

If you have given $25 or more and did not receive a statement in your email inbox today, please check your spam folder first, and if it is not there, please let me know at fin-sec@LCHwelcome.org, and I will make sure you get a statement.

Bill Potter, financial secretary

Seeking Pūpū Contributions

September 12 at 5:00 PM • Hörmann Courtyard

We are all looking forward to LCH’s 125th Anniversary Legacies and Blessings Celebration with its varied schedule of events during the week of September 7–14. One of the events, Remembering the Past, will feature a video, “LCH’s Legacies and Blessings—People, Places, and Stories” and the book lecture on “For Beer and The Bible” by Dr. Sandra Wagner-Wright. Joining us this evening will be such guests as Bishop Dave Nagler, Pastor David Barber, and former interns.
The Hospitality team is hosting a potluck heavy pūpū reception at 5:00 PM, preceding the video and lecture at 6:00 PM. We welcome your favorite savory offerings to satisfy everyone’s appetite that evening.

Regular Offerings

If you are not attending church in person, you are encouraged to mail your offering check directly to the church: Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu HI 96822. If you would like to set up regular electronic funds transfer from your checking or savings account, forms are available at www.lchwelcome.org/support or can be requested by email to LCH@LCHwelcome.org. If you prefer to make a one-time contribution or ongoing pledge by credit card, there is a link in the bottom right corner of each page of the church website or you can go directly to www.lchwelcome.org/donate. Thank you!

Electronic Funds Transfers for June

Offering Fund	Amount	Offering Fund	Amount
Offering	$7,373	Concert Fund	$90
Music Fund	$325	One Pot, One Hope	$70
125th Anniversary Mission Fund	$257	Memorials-Pr. Jeff-H3RC	$50
Social Ministries/IHS	$150	Capital Improvements	$25
Organ Renovation Fund	$132	Angel Network	$20

Attendance and Offerings for July

Date	Worship Service	Attendance	Offering Fund	Amount
July 6	Hybrid Worship	64 + 220 views	Offerings	$5,851
			125th Anniv. Mission Fund	$1,480
			Organ Renovation Fund	$500
			125th Parish Celeb. Fund	$200
July 13	Hybrid Worship	62 + 239 views	Family Promise	$500
			Music Fund	$50
			One Pot, One Hope	$20
July 20	Hybrid Worship	58 + 293 views	Offerings	$8,604
			125th Anniv. Mission Fund	$2,670
			Social Ministries/IHS	$300
			One Pot, One Hope	$100
July 27	Hybrid Worship	64 + 223 views	125th Parish Celeb. Fund	$65
			Angel Network	$20

HeartBeat Deadline

Tuesday, August 19, 9:00 am

Prayer list: Alan G., Alex M., the family of Adrian C., Amanda L., Betty H., Chuck P. and Josie B., the family of Cecilia F., Don J., Elaine, Flora and Jim S., Geneva J. and family, George T., Greg G., Harold W., Jane H., Jason M., Jean L. and her family, Uncle Jim S. and family, John B., John S., Kathleen C., Kristin H., LaVerne R., Michael, Miriam S., Peggy A., Salina R., family and friends of Star W., Steve J., Steve M., Tony P., Tracy W., Yvonne and Andy M.

Please help us to keep the Prayer Requests list relevant. If you have a friend or loved one who should remain on the list, we are glad to keep them in prayer. Please email the office to let us know when a name may be removed from the list.

August Birthdays

08/03	Elizabeth Pearson
08/05	Nedra Walker
08/13	Alexa Sueda
08/19	Maseeh Ganjali
08/24	Amanda Lippert
08/26	Marsha Schweitzer
08/29	Kristin S.

Calendar: August 2025

Day	Date	Event and Time
Sunday	August 3	9:00 am, Adult Forum, Boardroom 10:00 am, In-person/Streaming Worship Service
Tuesday	August 4	6:30 pm, Leadership Roundtable Zoom Meeting
Wednesday	August 6	1:00 pm, Game Day, Isenberg Hall
Thursday	August 7	10:00 am, Bible Study, Boardroom/Zoom Meeting 6:30 pm, Restorative Yoga Zoom Class
Sunday	August 10	9:00 am, Adult Forum, Boardroom 10:00 am, In-person/Streaming Worship Service
Tuesday	August 11	6:30 pm, Worship and Music Zoom Meeting
Thursday	August 14	10:00 am, Bible Study, Boardroom/Zoom Meeting 6:30 pm, Restorative Yoga Zoom Class
Friday	August 15	Office Closed—Hawai‘i Admissions Day Anniversary Banquet Reservation Deadline
Sunday	August 17	9:00 am, Adult Forum, Boardroom 10:00 am, In-person/Streaming Worship Service 7:00 pm, Summer Jazz Journey: ‘Ukulele Around the World
Monday	August 18	4:30 pm, Writers’ Workshop Zoom Meeting
Tuesday	August 19	HeartBeat Submissions Deadline 5:30 pm, Finance Committee Zoom Meeting
Thursday	August 21	10:00 am, Bible Study, Boardroom/Zoom Meeting noon, IHS Brown Bag Meal Prep (closed group) 6:30 pm, Restorative Yoga Zoom Class
Saturday	August 23	6:00 pm, Mary Magdalene Society, Hörmann Courtyard
Sunday	August 24	9:00 am, Adult Forum, Boardroom 10:00 am, In-person/Streaming Worship Service
Tuesday	August 26	6:00 pm, Executive Council Zoom Meeting 6:30 pm, LCH Council Zoom Meeting
Thursday	August 28	10:00 am, Bible Study, Boardroom/Zoom Meeting 6:30 pm, Restorative Yoga Zoom Class
Saturday	August 30	9:00 am, One Pot, One Hope, Maluhia Lutheran Church
Sunday	August 31	9:00 am, Adult Forum, Boardroom 10:00 am, In-person/Streaming Worship Service