Category Archives: 125th Anniversary
LCH 125th Anniversary Banquet and Book Reservations and Donations
Reservations for the 125th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday, September 13 (Reservation deadline August 15)
Your voluntary donations help to support the banquet.
Please use the PayPal button to the right and include the names of those who will be attending the banquet.
Anniversary Book Reservations
Donation for the anniversary book will benefit the Mission Fund.
Please PayPal using the button to the right and include the number of copies desired. PayPal will ask for your mailing address so the book can be mailed to you.
Support LCH’s 125th Anniversary Mission Fund
As part of this year’s 125th anniversary of the founding on the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, the congregation committed to raising $125,000 to support the mission of this congregation. We have already raised $65,000 for enhancements to the Rudolph von Beckerath organ and more than $20,000 towards the other mission goals of the congregation. We ask for your support in completing this goal.
The Mission Fund will further the Welcoming and Safe Environment and Silver Tsunami (Caring for our Kūpuna) priorities identified in our ‘ohana group meetings held in 2024. We intend to set aside $50,000 for much-needed improvements to our campus to create a welcoming and safe environment, and $4,000 will be used as seed money for programming for our kūpuna. As is our practice, we will set aside a tenth of what we raise ($6,000) as a tithe to the synod.
More information about the priorities to be supported by the Mission Fund is available in our earlier post about the 125th Anniversary Mission Fund Plans.
Donations may be made by check (made out to Lutheran Church of Honolulu with “Mission Fund” in the memo line and mailed to 1730 Punahou St., Honolulu, HI 96822) and sent to the church (1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu, HI 96822) or via PayPal using the button to the right.
Beckerath 50 & Beyond!—A Birthday Celebration • June 6 and 8
Organ Concert by Dr. Barry J. Wenger • Friday, June 6, 7:00 pm
Choral Pentecost Service with LCH Choir • Sunday, June 8, 5:00 pm
Beckerath organs are renowned for their craftsmanship and historical significance. The Beckerath company, founded by Rudolf von Beckerath in Hamburg, Germany, has been creating exquisite pipe organs for over 75 years, influencing both the soundscape of sacred and secular spaces and the evolution of organ building. Hans Erbslöh and the Beckerath Organ Company continue to innovate while respecting traditional organ-building techniques. This future-oriented perspective might include the integration of new technologies, expanding the musical repertoire of their instruments, and maintaining their commitment to quality and artistic excellence. Whether through restoring historic organs or designing new ones, the Beckerath Organ Company remains a beacon of musical craftsmanship, resonating well into the future.
Our Beckerath Organ is currently being cleaned and renovated. Through the generous donations of members and friends of LCH, we have reached our $65,000 fundraising goal! All of us at LCH are both grateful and overjoyed in your generosity to both this congregation and the organ. This is your instrument, and it leads beautifully in services week after week and year after year.
The new Salicional 8′ stop has been added to the Swell division of the organ. A new Trompete 8′ stop has replaced the TrichterSchalmei 4′ in the Pedal division. These two enhancements help the Beckerath Organ to be more complete in both voices; it did not have a string sound, nor a fundamental unison-pitched sound in the pedal. Even J.S. Bach requested a string stop be placed in his organ at Weimar. The trumpet stop in the pedal will help in Bach chorales, which require an assertive sound for the cantus firmus, and also to develop the plenum of sound in the full pedal with the Fagott 16′.
Please join us for a celebratory weekend on Friday, June 6, at 7:00 pm for Dr. Barry Wenger’s recital featuring the new sounds of the organ and then again on Sunday, June 8, at 5:00 pm for a choral Pentecost service featuring the LCH Choir and organ. Be ready to sing with the new sounds of the organ in a service of fire and joy. Don’t forget to wear red to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit in wind and fire!
Beer and the Bible 2.0: Pilgrimage to Lutherland: May 24 through June 5, 2026
There’s a trip afoot; another event to include as part of our 125th anniversary celebration. Dr. Barry Wenger, our director of music, Jean Lilley, and Pr. Phyllis Hörmann are planning a pilgrimage to Germany, where we will walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther and revisit our heritage as well as renew our spirits. We are working with Christian Tours Europe based in Wittenberg.
The target departure date for this trip is May 24,, 2026, and the return date is June 5. It will start in Berlin and end in Prague. Travel will be by private motor coach. Between Berlin and Prague, we will spend time in Wittenberg, Torgau, Leipzig, Eisleben, Erfurt, Eisenach, and Dresden. It will be a pilgrimage filled with interesting stories and history from a couple of pastors as well as local guides. Besides walking in Luther’s footsteps, we will visit other significant religious and historical sites, museums, churches, and castles and see some beautiful countryside. We will hear organ concerts compliments of Dr. Barry and possibly other organists or a choir. Details and registration information will be available in the next few weeks, as we continue our planning with the tour company.
Space is limited! Our current plans are for a group of 30 participants. Once registration is open, we will operate on a first come, first served basis. LCH ‘ohana members will have priority, but we will open the tour up to others should we have room. Cost is based on the number of participants and for 30 is $2800/person for double occupancy. Included in the cost is ground transportation, hotel accommodations, and most meals, entrance fees, and tips. It does not include air fare to and from Europe. A non-refundable $1,000 deposit will be required upon submission of the registration form. Deadline is still to be determined. Full payment is due 10 weeks prior to departure. Payments are to be made to the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.
Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from Europe. Randy Christensen has kindly offered to help with flight arrangements for those who wish it and will book a desired flight for $25. Should you choose to book a flight he finds, there is no charge.
A couple of notes up front: Participants may consider purchasing trip insurance to cover health, including medical transportation, if necessary, trip cancellation, and loss of baggage. You will need a passport (check your expiration date now). Also, please note that there will be a certain amount of walking involved as we tour the small towns of Luther. Some hotel accommodations may not have elevators and steps may be involved as well.
125th Anniversary Mission Fund Plans
LCH’s 125th Anniversary celebration includes two important elements—refurbishing the organ and mission objectives that were formed through the critical input from the ‘Ohana Groups and the ongoing discussions about what is God calling us to do.
The areas the congregation identified as the most important are:
- Welcoming and Safe Environment
- Liturgy, Music, and the Arts
- Silver Tsunami
The area of liturgy and music is being covered by the money being raised for the organ and a generous $79,000 bequest from the Thomas Hilgers Trust that is to be spent on the music program, but specifically for items not in the ongoing budget, such as concerts, new musical commissions, and other ways to expand the music program.
To cover the Welcoming and Safe Environment and the Silver Tsunami, we propose the following:
- Welcoming and Safe Environment—$50,000
- Presenting a more welcoming face to the world (cleaning up the front of the church, painting the exterior and interior of the church, removing old playground equipment, repairing the rose window)
- Landscaping, including creating a dog run for neighbors
- Murals to capture the spirit of the church
- Silver Tsunami—$4,000
- Seed money to help determine the most beneficial programs for seniors and their caregivers.
- Tithing to the ELCA through the Pacifica Synod—$6,000
- Yes, tithing is part of our culture.
We will create task forces to oversee these efforts and make sure the congregation is involved in the planning. If you want to be part of one of these task forces, please talk to Olivia Castro.
As of publication, we have raised $9,000 for the mission part of the 125th anniversary celebration. We narrowed the focus and are now concentrating on raising funds. If you would like to contribute, we ask that you do the following:
- Write a check and mail it in or give as your offering. Please designate 125th Anniversary Mission Fund on the description line.
- Contact Brenda in the church office (808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelome.org) to start initiate a monthly EFT donation to the 125th Anniversary Mission Fund through Simply Giving or to add a new donation to your current contributions via Simply Giving
- Go to the LCH website and click the Donate link. From the pulldown menu and click on 125th Anniversary Mission Fund.
If you have any questions, please contact Mary Fastenau, Olivia Castro, or Dan Dennison.