As the new year begins, we welcome back Pr. Jeff and Jean Lilley from Jeff’s three-month sabbatical in Texas. The sabbatical allowed Pr. Jeff to work on physical, mental, and spiritual health as well as music and visual arts. In addition, he was able to be with daughter Meghann for the birth of twin granddaughters in November. The photo shows Jeff and Jean with Meghann, her husband, the granddaughters, and their grandson.
Category Archives: Pastoral Staff
LCH Welcomes Pastor Margrethe Kleiber
Pastor Jeff Lilley has been granted a period of sabbatical beginning October 1 and extending through the end of the calendar year. He will concentrate on physical, mental, and spiritual health, including working with a spiritual director. In addition, he plans to work on music and visual arts. He is thankful for the opportunity for renewal, and he and Jean plan to spend significant time with family (especially twin grand-daughters due in November).
The Rev. Margrethe Kleiber has graciously agreed to serve part-time as pastor of the congregation during the sabbatical. Pastor Kleiber, a former member of the congregation whose service in the ministry has taken her around the world, will attend to the core areas of preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. You can learn more about Pastor Kleiber on our Leadership page.
Having Pastor Kleiber with us while Pastor Jeff is on sabbatical presents an opportunity for volunteers (and staff), to take on additional responsibilities over the course of the next three months. Please speak with Congregational President Dan Dennison if there are areas in which you would like to volunteer.
Ordination and Installation of Pastor Brianna Lloyd • Sun., Feb. 20, 5:00 pm
Brianna Lloyd will be ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament and installed as associate pastor at Lutheran Church of Honolulu on Sunday, February 20, at 5:00 pm. Bishop Andy Taylor of the Pacifica Synod will preside, and Sister Joan Mitchell, a sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ), whose community supported and funded Bree’s divinity schooling, will preach.
Offerings will go to the CSJ community to support women’s theological education and to the Pacifica Synod’s first-call theological education ministry. Donations may be made in-person at the ordination service, by check mailed to Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu, HI 96822, or via PayPal using the donation button at the bottom of this page.
Limited in-person seating is available by reserving a seat through our Eventbrite page. Proof of vaccination or a negative covid-19 test taken within the past 72 hours is required for entry; masks are required throughout the performance. Those not attending in-person can tune in on our streaming page and the LCH Facebook page.
Congregation Considers New Initiatives
Call Committee Recommends Associate Pastor
Over the past few months, members of the congregation have approached Pastor Jeff about the possibility of calling Vicar Bree Lloyd to serve as a pastor at LCH. After several conversations with Bishop Andy Taylor and other synod staff, it was determined that Vicar Bree was eligible to be a pastoral candidate at LCH. Pastor Jeff and Vicar Bree had several conversations exploring her sense of call, the mission of the congregation, possible roles, and the challenges and opportunities such a call might present; and Vicar Bree expressed interest in working with the congregation toward a part-time call. Pastor Jeff forwarded the request from members to the Congregational Council Executive Committee, and they agreed to bring it to the attention of the full council.
At their July meeting, the Congregational Council appointed an exploration team consisting of members of the congregation to explore the possibility of calling an associate pastor. Josie Bidgood, Keene Ishii, April Olsen, Steve Miller, Mary Fastenau, and Peter Flachsbart served on the committee. They have worked enthusiastically to developed a mission profile and considered how God might be moving LCH into the future and what role an associate pastor might play. At the September meeting, the council received the report of the exploration team and voted to move forward with consideration of calling Vicar Bree as a part-time, term-call pastor.
In the next couple of weeks, you will receive a report from the call committee and council outlining the missional opportunities they believe the congregation might undertake and how Vicar Bree, as a pastoral candidate, might help the congregation to move forward. Of particular interest is working toward a deeper ministry in creation care and community involvement. You will be invited to take part in one of two Zoom “town hall” meetings where you will have a chance to be heard, make suggestions, and ask questions. If the results of the town hall meetings are positive, the council will schedule a special congregational meeting in the next few weeks and ask the congregation to authorize a call. Calling a pastor is a congregational decision that is not to be made lightly. Please be assured that, throughout this process, congregational leadership has been serious in their discernment and focused on the mission of the congregation. We ask for your prayers as we look boldly into the future!
Digital Organ Discussion
Thursday, October 14, at 7:00 pm • Via Zoom Meeting
Many of you have noticed the new organ console in the Nave. This instrument is on loan from BYUH with the possibility of remaining at LCH as a supplementary instrument. There will be a Q&A and discussion hour regarding the organ on Thursday, October 14, at 7:00 pm. All are invited to attend. Please email Scott Fikse at scott@LCHwelcome.org to receive the Zoom invitation. Bring your questions, praise, and concerns. This will also be an opportunity to learn about the instrument and the pros and cons of owning a digital organ.
Farewell Celebration for Vicar Bree • Sat., Aug. 28 @ 4:30 pm
Incredible as it may seem, Vicar Bree’s time with us as an intern is almost over. She has been a wonderful addition to this ministry, and we want to say thank you in grand (pandemic-appropriate) style. We hope that you will be able to join us to thank this exceptional vicar who has brought vitality and optimism to our congregation during this very challenging year.
What: Farewell Celebration For Vicar
Where: LCH Poki Lot
When: August 28, 2021, 4:30–6:00 pm
RSVP: lch@lchwelcome.org or 941-2566 by Wednesday, August 25
This will be a drive-in event with music, entertainment, presentations, and no sermons. For refreshments, BYOB and your own picnic to eat in your car. Hot dogs will also be available while supplies last.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lei with photos, memories, notes, prayers, and/or poems attached. These can be given to a volunteer on entry to the parking lot presentation to Vicar Bree during the program. Or, if preferred, you may send a photo, memory, note, prayer, and/or poem via email to lch@lchwelcome.org no later than Wednesday, August 25, to be added to communal lei. There will also be a calabash at the entry if you would like to drop off a card or gift.
COVID Precautions
- This will be a drive-in event. Parking spaces will be designated, and volunteers will assist in directing participants to specific stalls.
- Attendees need to be masked, except when actively eating or drinking, and remain in their vehicles for the entire time.
- As appropriate and as time permits, Vicar Bree will be invited to walk the parking lot and greet attendees. Some of us have never met her in person. She’s not a bot!
- “Pack out what we pack in,” especially rubbish. There will not be trash receptacles at the site.
Welcome Intern Pastor Brianna Llyod
On September 1, Lutheran Church of Honolulu welcomed Intern Pastor Brianna Llyod for a one-year, full-time internship. Vicar Bree is a “terminal year intern,” meaning that at the end of her internship she will be eligible for call to a congregation. During her year at LCH, she will have the opportunity to experience the full range of pastoral duties, including worship leadership, pastoral care, teaching, youth ministry, administration, stewardship, and finance. In addition, she will undertake an internship project of her own choice. This internship will be somewhat unique given the pandemic. Many of your interactions with Vicar Bree will be via phone, Zoom, or other technology. Pastoral care, committee meetings, and even personal interactions will require some intentionality and care to make this the best experience possible. LCH is a great community in which to learn and develop pastoral skills and a healthy pastoral identity. Please remember, Vicar Bree is a student who is learning all the time. At the same time, we will learn a great deal from her as she brings her unique gifts to bear on God’s ministry through LCH. I pray you will welcome Vicar Bree with your customary enthusiasm and joy!
Vicar Bree has a lay committee with whom she will meet monthly. The initial committee members include Mary Fastenau, Bobby Broyles, Hunter Nishimura, and Olivia Arnold. Vicar Bree will have the opportunity to add one or more other members over the next several weeks as she gets to know our community. The lay committee serves as a sounding board for the vicar, but does not have a supervisory role.
Vecar Bree was formally installed during online worship on Sunday, September 6
COVID-19 Update
Like many organizations throughout Hawai‘i, LCH continues to operate on a modified schedule in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Our primary concern is the safety and health of everyone using the campus. While groups are being allowed to return to campus, they are required to follow CDC, state, and local guidelines for social distancing and sanitization, as well as holding LCH harmless for any covid-19 related illness or injury. Here are some updates on recent developments at LCH:
- Worship
- The congregational council has directed that in-person Sunday worship be delayed until after August 31, 2020. Online streaming worship will continue.
- Limited in-person worship at midweek vespers may commence beginning in July. These services will be held in the courtyard observing all current recommendations for physical distancing and mask use.
- The worship committee has appointed a working group to develop a plan for return to in-person worship which will include policies and procedures.
- Office Hours—Staff continue to work from home with limited presence at the church office. Anne Sing monitors email daily from home and checks phone messages in the LCH office during twice weekly visits for necessary administrative tasks and supervision of contractors. We do continue to ask for your patience as some inquiries and requests may take longer to respond than usual. Carolyn Koehler keeps us up to date on billing and drafts check payments weekly. Pastor Jeff is in the office almost every day to assure campus security and maintenance. Scott Fikse is working mostly from home.
- Community Groups/Tenants: Some community groups have requested permission to begin meeting on the LCH Campus. The council is allowing some groups to return with very stringent guidelines.
- Western Presbyterian Church of Hawai‘i (WPCH) has begun in-person worship on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings. They are a very small group and are diligently following the guidelines set forth by the congregational council.
- Alcoholics Anonymous—one group initially asked to resume meeting at LCH, but due to leadership adjustments has had to postpone the resumption of meetings. They are cleared to begin as soon as they are ready.
- Habitat for Humanity has resumed limited use of their office.
- Christiansen Educators tutoring has resumed limited use of the campus.
- Organ lessons will be allowed to resume on a limited basis.
LCH Bids Farewell to Vicar Andy
LCH bid farewell to Vicar Andy Flatt-Kuntze over the weekend of July 13 and 14. The congregation celebrated with Vicar Andy and his husband Justin on the completion of his year as pastoral intern with the congregation. The internship was the last part of his studies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in preparation for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The festivities began on Saturday evening with a catered dinner in Hörmann Courtyard. In typical LCH style, the delicious food was accompanied by LCH-labeled wine and cold beer. Following dinner, members of the vicar’s lay committee, on behalf of the congregation, presented gift, including a red Hawaiian-style clergy shirt, LCH T-shirts, and a hand-made cross. The photo on the right shows Josie Bidgood, president of the church council, presenting the cross, which was made by former pastor Don Johnson. (Click on the photo, and others not this page, to see a larger version.)
Following Sunday morning worship, the congregation made their final farewells with a service of ”God speed” (shown in the photo at left), lei for both Andy and Justin, and more gifts. Andy was given a green Hawaiian-style clergy shirt (since the red season is so short) and a distinctive Hawai‘i-themed stole that is reserved for clergy associated with LCH (shown in the photo below). Andy told the congregation that he will wear the stole for his ordination.
LCH Bids God Speed to Pr. Angela
After two and a half years of dedicated service and dynamic ministry, Pastor Angela returns to the continent to begin new adventures in life and ministry.
In recognition of this milestone in the life of Pr. Angela and of LCH, the congregation ended both morning services on January 4 with a liturgy of Thanksgiving at the Conclusion of a Call. Between services, there was a reception with lots of hugs, lei, and wishes of God speed.
All of us at LCH will miss Pr. Angela very much and give thanks to God for her time with us.
At right, April Smith, president of the Church Council, presents Pr. Angela with a book of photos from her time at LCH.
At left, Pr. Angela and the cake from her reception.
Additional photos are available on the LCH Facebook page.
Angela Freeman Installed as Co-Pastor
The first summer Sunday with one worship service saw a joyful celebration of the ministry of LCH as we gathered to formally install The Rev. Angela Freeman as co-pastor. Even though Angela has been working among us for almost two years, her initial call was for a term of two years, so after the congregation voted to extend a regular call, she had to be installed again.
The service of installation featured special music from several children in the congregation, elements from the traditional “10:30 style” (the LCH Choir singing the psalm and special music by Sir Ralph Vaughan Williams), and the Alleluia Mass regularly sung for contemporary worship.
Following worship, everyone enjoyed a summer barbecue and fellowship inn the Hörmann Courtyard and Isenberg Hall.
At right, members of the congregation crowd around to lay hands on Pr. Angela during the installation.
