HeartBeat—November 2014

A Message from Pastor Angela

Advent

“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!” Isaiah 64:1–2

For many people November starts the busiest few weeks in the year. For the church this is the beginning of the New Year, on Advent 1, November 30 of this year. Advent is a time of waiting, a time of remembering, a time of anticipating the coming of the Kingdom of God. That means time to reflect on God and on our lives. Just as at New Years’ in the beginning of January, people reflect on the year past and the year to come. This is a time to reflect on life and faith.

This passage from Isaiah is one of hope. Hope is the theme of Chapters 40–66 of the book of Isaiah. The people in exile are anticipating their return home. The final chapters, including the passage above, reflect the struggles of those returning from exile, those who were able to stay in Israel, and those of neighboring nations who settled from other places after Jerusalem was conquered.

This passage is written as poetry. It is a lament about the state of the world and God’s apparent disinterest in the people and what is and has been happening to them. Laments are not formal arguments. They are poetic protests against pain and appeals for intervention.

God, why don’t you come in all your glory and do something? Surely you can do something amazing enough that everyone will recognize how powerful you are. Then they will treat us, your people, in the way we should be treated.

God, can’t you see the world is a mess? People don’t believe in you anymore, and there is fighting and conflict, and children grow up in violent households, and others perish because of poverty. God, we have seen you do amazing things—like the exodus, like the resurrection—so come on! Show us what you are made of!

But you don’t, so people continue on their own way. What else can we do when you hide yourself from us? Of course we will do the wrong thing. We need you to be with us for us to live the right way.

Do you ever feel like having that conversation with God, or even parts of that conversation? God, where are you? God, why don’t you do something? We know you can do more than this. Don’t you care about us? Don’t you care that we are sick; that our children are hurting, ill, broken? Don’t you care, God? Where are you? Why do you hide from us?

That is lament—telling God how much pain you are in, how you feel abandoned, betrayed, alone.

The opening prayer of this passage from Isaiah is a plea that God tear open the heavens and make the mountains quake. The author of Isaiah is looking for nothing less than a major intervention in the world. When we look at the world around us—at some people being paid millions and others dying for want of basic food and clean water—many of us cry for a major change and shift. We cry for intervention, an intrusion of God into the world.

What does it mean to be clay in the hands of the master potter? I am told that when working with clay, the clay has a life of its own. There is interplay between the potter and the clay, a working together, a reshaping. We are people made by God. In Genesis it says we are made in the image of God.

We want God to intervene in the world. Do we want God to intervene for our own benefit, so our lifestyle improves, or so that hope is spread throughout the earth?

This month, we begin Advent. We are invited into this time of waiting and remembering that God has intervened in the world! God has and continues to be active in creation;, in creating humans in the image of God. We are reminded through the prophets, in the lives of people, in the coming of the baby Jesus, in his life and death and resurrection, and in the Holy Spirit that God has and continues to intervene in the world.

May you find time this busy season to reflect on the ways you see God intervening in your life. May you also intentionally move into this time with expectant waiting—finding time to yearn with hope for the One who is again coming into the world. May you see and know your lives drenched by God’s love.

Sometimes we want to yell at God, to ask why and how and when. The act of prayer—for that is what talking with God is—is a sign of hope, a sign of faith. We are people of hope—hope founded in our relationship as part of God’s creation, hope based on a loving Creator, hope based on redemption through Christ Jesus, hope lived through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Advent: a time of waiting, a time of remembering, and a time of anticipating the coming of the Kingdom more fully.

We wait for the coming of Emmanuel.

Yours on the journey,
Pastor Angela

Council Highlights

• Treasurer Gary Brauer reported that Member and Plate Offerings dropped to 81% of expected budget for September.
• The Music Director Search Committee will send their top two choices to Pastor Jeff so that he may interview them.
• The Sabbatical Project Committee rescheduled the Dole Park clean-up for November 8 due to weather conditions. They will also transition into a Community Life planning team for ongoing outreach.
• Contract was signed with EcoShade for the installation of an adjustable louvered system for the Hörmann Courtyard covering. A $1,500.00 retainer free was sent to begin engineering plans.
• Three council member terms will expire in December 2014: Naomi Castro, Olivia Castro, and Amanda Lippert. Please prayerfully consider volunteering to join the council to fill one of these vacancies.
• The first half of the 2014 Annual Meeting will be held at 9:15 am on Sunday, November 16. We will elect new council members and receive the draft 2015 budget. Please plan ahead to attend.
• The Honolulu Chorale has asked to lease rehearsal space in the Nave on Tuesday evenings, beginning January 2015 and continuing through May 2015. A lease agreement will be proposed and offered to this group.

Stewardship of Our Financial Health

God’s gifts to us are too many to count, and your gifts may not be my gifts. Still, we are stewards of the gifts we do have: our talents and abilities, our keiki (children), our mental and physical resilience, our financial health, our time, our varied ‘ohana (family), our faith, and more. How can we, as stewards, develop our gifts from God?

This year we are focusing on stewardship for twelve full months. Each month we highlight one aspect of the stewardship of our God’s blessings. In October we considered the gift of our keiki. During the month of November our stewardship focus is on the gift of financial health.

Stewardship is caring for something that belongs to another. How radical to think that all we have—and all we are—belongs to another! Even more radical is the thought that we are to care and nurture what is given us for the owner and for the owner’s purposes. Faced with these realizations, we are bound to have questions. Is that Biblical? Do Lutherans believe that? What is the Holy Spirit calling you to do?

In the financial realm, our brokenness, temptations, and distractions from God’s purpose may lead to unbalanced use of the financial gifts God has given. How is the Holy Spirit asking you to be a good steward of the financial health God has provided? How is the Holy Spirit asking LCH to be good stewards of the financial health God has given our congregation?

About thirty-five years ago a friend of mine challenged me. He shared that he and his wife tithed. I could not imagine how that might work in my life. At the time I was struggling with mortgage and car payments. I felt I had little left over each month as it was; how could I tithe? But the challenge stood. Some years later, Tami and I took on my friend’s challenge. I do not know the end of this story. I do know that we consider our church and some other non-profit organizations each year. We pledge to support them during the year ahead through payroll deduction and automatic funds transfers. Our minds are eased because we know that those pledges are settled. We are blessed—we have yet to run out of money at the end of the month. But your gifts may not be our gifts.

To help us bring our financial lives into better balance, Pastor Angela will be leading a series of classes on Mondays, November 10, 17, and 24. I encourage you to take advantage of this resource. Perhaps explore some of the questions posed in this article as well as questions of your own. Others will be sharing Temple Talks during worship for the first three Sundays in November.

Our focus on stewardship of our financial health continues through November 23, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. To follow, we will have the opportunity to respond in gratitude by making a pledge for the ministry at LCH.

Gary Brauer (with mahalos to Bill Potter, Pam Buckley and Tami Brauer)

Process Thought

Saturday, November 1, 9:30-11:00 am in the Boardroom

One of the current issues facing religious thought is the question of religious pluralism and/or diversity. In exploring that topic we will focus on an article from the Jesus, Jazz and Buddhism website: “It’s a Practice and a Mindset! The Pluralism Project at Harvard.” Contributions and insights of process thinkers may help the wider community to develop tolerance, understanding, and mutual respect. Join us for lively discussion.

Godly Play—Sunday School News

Sunday mornings 9:20–10:20 am

LCH offers Sunday School for children from kindergarten through senior high. Older children in grades 6–12, meet in the Rainbow Room. Younger children, grades K-5, meet in the Godly Play Room. All are welcome!

Below is the schedule of Godly Play stories for November:

• November 2—The Ark and the Tent
• November 9—The Ark and the Temple
• November 16—The Exile and Return
• November 23—The Prophets
• November 31—Advent I (the Prophets)

Adult Forum: Dante and Sin

Sunday, November 2, 9:20 am, in the Boardroom

Members and friends, please join us for the final leg of our journey through Dante’s Inferno. We have accompanied Dante and Virgil on their dangerous journey through the first eight circles. In our final session, we learn what sins result in perpetual sentencing to the ninth circle’s frigid “pit.” We’ll present a short retrospective of our journey, including films, and a debate on whether the (sometimes terrible) punishments match the sins. Bring your refreshments for this interesting wrap-up session.

Youth Gatherings

Sunday, November 2, 5:00 to 7:00 pm
St. Elizabeth’s in Kalihi (720 N. King St.)

We will have a simple dinner and work on preparations for a “turnaround” event for parents to be held at LCH, Sunday, November 9.

Sunday, November 9, 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Lutheran Church of Honolulu (1730 Punahou St.)

Adult leaders and youth will host a themed dinner for parents. Parents please come and see what your kids are doing at O‘ahu youth gatherings. We are planning an “airplane dinner,” complete with in-flight movie! This is a free event.

Holoholo Pick-Up

Thursday, November 13, 2:00–4:00 pm

There will be only one pick-up date in the month of November. Pick-ups will resume according to schedule on December 11

The 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. For more information, visit www.holoholostore.com.

Food for Thought

Saturday, November 15, 6:30 pm

Please note change of date! The next meeting will be held at the home of Irmgard Hörmann. All are welcome for potluck supper, video, and discussion. For information, please contact Kathryn Klingebiel through the Church Office (808-941-2566).

First Half of the Annual Meeting

Sunday, November 16, 9:15 am

Twice each year congregational members gather as a community to tend to important matters of business and ministry. At our November meeting, members elect congregational council members who will assume office January 1. We also review the draft budget and other business. In January, we discuss and approve a final budget. Everyone is welcome to these meetings, and members in good standing are especially encouraged to attend and vote.

Please plan to attend!

Exploring Boundaries and Beyond

A Personal View of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Presented by Neal MacPherson
Sunday, November 16 • 6:00 to 7:15 pm

After prayerful study, Neal MacPherson visited the Holy Lands to experience something of the intractable relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. As a pastor, Neal’s views are based on the teachings of Jesus given to his disciples during a time of Roman occupation—a time equally bleak and full of daily atrocities and despair. Are there rays of hope and can the antagonists find other paths to living together in the region?

UCC Pastor Neal MacPherson served Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu for many years. Although retired, he lends his voice and support to issues of social ministry and global justice, bringing the world into the church. Rev. MacPherson is a member of Sabeel-USA, working for peace and justice in Palestine-Israel. His book, Church at a Crossroads: On Being the Church after Christendom, conveys an ongoing interest in the evolution of Christian denominations.

Writers’ Workshop

Monday, November 17, 7:00–8:30 pm

Writers’ Workshop will have its next get-together on Monday, November 17, at LCH. For information, please contact Kathryn Klingebiel through the Church Office (808-941-2566).

Wounded Warriors Meal

Thursday, November 20, 4:30 pm

Members of LCH provide dinner for soldiers and their families at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe. If you’d like to volunteer, contact the church office for information.

Financial Stewardship Class

November 19 (Wed.), 25 (Tues.), and December 3 (Wed.)
7:00–8:30 pm • LCH Boardroom

This month LCH focuses on financial stewardship both as a congregation and as individuals. As part of this effort, a class is being offered to help you dive even deeper into your own practice of stewardship. Pastor Angela will lead theological discussions and guide participants through practical and tangible means of exploring personal and household financial practices over three evening sessions. In this short series you will learn more about your own relationship with money, its place in your life, and how to live life through a healthy balance of saving, spending, and giving.

Please RSVP for this class and plan on attending all three evenings. You may RSVP by emailing Pr. Angela at pr.angela@lchwelcome.org or calling the church office at 808-941-2566. Though money and our personal finances can be a difficult topic, this class will provide safe space to explore and learn. Come and explore more about why Jesus talked so much about money!

One Pot, One Hope

Saturday, November 22, 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. See Peggy Anderson for more information, including volunteering and carpool.

Confirmation Classes

Sunday, November 23, 3:30 to 5:30 pm at LCH

Confirmation is a time for pre-teens and teens to discover more about their faith in Jesus and to deepen their learning about the church, the Bible, and Lutheran concepts. Please contact Pastor Angela for more information.

Classes in November have changed from original plans to accommodate OYEA and ministry happenings.

Thanksgiving Eve Joint Worship

Wednesday, November 26, 7:00 pm at St. Clement’s

St. Clement’s is hosting this year, and our own Pastor Jeff is scheduled to preach. Sign-up sheets for the pie reception to follow this special service will be made available starting November 9. Assistance in set-up and clean-up will also be greatly appreciated.

Thanksgiving Day Meal

Thursday, November 27, 3:00 pm, at LCH

All are welcome to the church for dinner on Thanksgiving Day! Turkey will be provided. Please bring a salad or side dish of your choice to share. We are looking for someone willing to bring a large ham as a turkey alternative. Questions, contact Pastor Jeff or Jean. Please let Pastor Jeff know if you plan to attend so we are sure to buy a big enough turkey. If you have friends who need a place to be on Thanksgiving, please don’t hesitate to bring them along!

Aloha Miguel Felipe

As you all know, Dr. Miguel Felipe, director of music and liturgy at LCH, will be leaving his position in order to carry out the many responsibilities of his full-time position at the University of Hawai‘i School of Music.

His last Sunday will be November 30, the first Sunday of the Advent Season. There will be three services that day: contemporary worship at 8:00 am, traditional choral eucharist at 10:30 am, contemporary, and fortieth annual Advent Procession at 7:00 pm, featuring the newly commissioned O Antiphons from Zachary Wadsworth.

We hope you’ll be able to attend one or more of these services not only to start the Advent season, but to bid aloha and say mahalo to Miguel for his contributions to our congregation for the past three years.

40th Annual Advent Procession

Sunday, November 30, 7:30 pm

For 40 years, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu has maintained a tradition of beginning the liturgical year with an intimate, candlelit service of readings, prayers, and choral music. Every two years, we augment the service with a singing of the seven O Antiphons, a 1,500-year-old tradition of seven prayers that lead up to Christmas Eve. This year, to celebrate the anniversary, we premiere Zachary Wadsworth’s O Antiphons (2014), the latest edition in the Cantata Project. Join us for this special worship service to begin another year of worship together.

We Honor a Professor in Our Midst

LCH honors Peter Flachsbart, our November Volunteer of the Month. Peter can usually be found ushering at the 10:30 service, which he has done since 1983.

Born in St. Louis—a die-hard Cardinal fan—and married to Jan, Peter graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BS in civil engineering. Before a short stint in the army, he earned masters and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Chicago. Peter taught college courses in California before moving to Hawai‘i. Since 1980, he has been a member of LCH and has also been an urban and regional planning professor at UH, producing many peer-reviewed published works.

Peter’s volunteer work at LCH includes three years on the LCH council and service on almost every committee of the church. His two favorite functions were helping to organize LCH’s successful “Care of the Earth” symposium in 1989 and serving on the 2011–12 call committee that brought Pastor Angela on board.

When you see our LCH Volunteer of the Month, Peter Flachsbart this weekend, please give him a big mahalo.

First Communion Conversation

Everyone is welcome to share in the sacrament of Holy Communion at LCH. Still, there is often a desire on the part of children and their parents to have a conversation about the sacrament and its central place in our lives. A small group is being gathered for such conversations. If you would like your child to participate, please contact one of the pastors or the church office.

Committee Chairs: Submit Annual Reports

It is time to begin compiling the Annual Report! Please submit your committee’s yearly report to the LCH office by Monday, December 22. If you have questions, please contact the office at 808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelcome.org.

Electronic Funds Transfers for September

Offering Fund	Amount	Offering Fund	Amount
Offering	$7,885	Mission Campaign	$355
Music Fund	$248	Wounded Warriors	$122

Attendance and Offerings for October

Date	Worship Service	Attendance	Offering Fund	Amount
October 5	8:00 am Service	56	Offering	$3,884
	10:30 am Service	78	Sunday School	$6
	Evening Prayer	12	Music Fund	$1,500
	Total	146	Wounded Warriors	$100
			Memorials	$25
October 12	8:00 am Service	48	Offering	$1,825
	10:30 am Service	75	Sunday School	$2
	Total	123	Music Fund	$261
			Mission Campaign	$20
			Social Ministries	$59
			Memorials	$178
October 19	8:00 am Service	53	Offering	$1,495
	10:30 am Service	73	Sunday School	$4
	Evening Prayer	16	Music Fund	$500
	Total	142	Mission Campaign	$50
			Angle Network	$10
October 26	8:00 am Service	51	Offering	$2,762
	10:30 am Service	89	Sunday School	$3
	Total	107	Youth Outreach	$823
			Memorials	$208

HeartBeat Deadline

Tuesday, November 18, 9:00 am

Akiyo	Edward	Karen
Bob	Fay	Kent
Denise	Gene	Melissa
Diane	Irmgard	Sylvia
Carroll Lentz and family

November Birthdays

Date	Name
11/01	Beverly Kaeo
11/06	Pam Buckley
11/06	Anni Campbell
11/08	Jonathan K.
11/10	Nathanael W.
11/12	Niell G.
11/12	Edward Ichikawa
11/13	Pamela Hethcote
11/13	Richard Cook
11/14	Mary Fastenau
11/18	Stephen Crosier
11/21	Justin Kaeo
11/22	Brysen Kaeo
11/22	Kainani Iara N.
11/23	Fritz Fritschel
11/30	Brandon Yeh

LCH Worship Participants

Holy Communion (8:00 am)
DATE	November 2	November 9	November 16	November 23	November 30
LECTOR	Peggy Anderson	Adriane Clissold	Chuck Huxel	Cindy Scheinert	Amanda Lippert
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS	Peggy Anderson Laurie Leach Wayne Gau Stephanie Luuloa	Amanda Lippert Sheena Lim-Urban Bobby Broyles Peggy Anderson	Chuck Huxel Carolyn Koehler Jim Sullivan Peggy Anderson	Sheena Lim-Urban Wayne Gau Laurie Leach Stephanie Luuloa	Laurie Leach Amanda Lippert Wayne Gau Chuck Huxel
ACOLYTE	Hunter N.	Charles C.	Sophia S.	Raphael D.	Sophie C.
LAYING ON OF HANDS		Stephanie Luuloa
USHERS	Fred Benco Billie Jean Ries Craig Clissold
Choral Eucharist (10:30 am)
DATE	November 2	November 9	November 16	November 23	November 30
LECTOR	Aaron Gould	Kathryn Klingebiel	Peter Flachsbart	Roy Helms	Randy Castello
DEACON	Jeanne Castello	Mary Fastenau	Josie Bidgood	Jim Cartwright	Ray Herradura
SUB-DEACON	Frank Haas	Jeanne Castello	Chuck Pearson	Aaron Gould	Bob Tellander
COMMUNION ASSISTANTS	Mary Fastenau Bob Tellander	Phyllis Hormann Bob Tellander	Frank Haas Jim Cartwright	Frank Haas Ray Herradura	Chuck Pearson Josie Bidgood
ACOLYTES	Lillie J. Coco J.	Max W. Reid W.	Savannah M. Nathalie J.	Iara N. Azure S.	Iara N. Azure S.
LAYING ON OF HANDS		John Bickel
USHERS	William Fay Peter Flachsbart Jean-Paul Klingebiel LaVerne Rickard		ALTAR GUILD	Josie Bidgood Lori Nishimura Sheena Lim-Urban Lois Watanabe
COUNCIL IN CHARGE	Sophie C.

Calendar: November 2014

Day	Date	Event and Time
Saturday	November 1	9:30 am, Process Thought Forum 10:00 am, Hukilau Fall Conference
Sunday	November 2	8:00 am, Contemporary Worship 9:20 am, Christian Education for all ages 10:30 am, Traditional Choral Eucharist 5:00 pm, O‘ahu Youth Gathering @ St. Elizabeth’s 7:00 pm, Poetry Group 7:30 pm, Evening Prayer
Tuesday	November 4	6:30 pm, Mutual Ministry Meeting
Thursday	November 6	10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting 7:00 pm, LCH Choir Rehearsal
Saturday	November 8	9:00 am, Dole Head Start park clean-up
Sunday	November 9	8:00 am, Contemporary Worship 9:20 am, Christian Education for all ages 10:30 am, Traditional Choral Eucharist 5:00 pm, O‘ahu Youth Gathering at LCH
Monday	November 10	6:30 pm, Worship & Music meeting
Tuesday	November 11	Office Closed—Veterans’ Day
Wednesday	November 12	12:30 pm, Finance Committee Meeting
Thursday	November 13	10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:00 pm, Holoholo Pickup 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting 7:00 pm, LCH Choir Rehearsal
Saturday	November 15	6:30 pm, Food for Thought
Sunday	November 16	8:00 am, Contemporary Worship 9:15 am, First half of Annual Meeting 9:20 am, Sunday School for children/youth 10:30 am, Traditional Choral Eucharist 6:00 pm, Exploring Boundaries & Beyond 7:30 pm, Evening Prayer
Monday	November 17	7:00 pm, Writers’ Workshop
Tuesday	November 18	December Heartbeat Deadline! 6:00 pm, Executive Council Meeting 6:30 pm, Council Meeting
Wednesday	November 19	7:00 pm, Financial Stewardship class</td>
Thursday	November 20	10:00 am, Book of Faith Bible Study 2:30 pm, Weekly Staff Meeting 4:30 pm, Wounded Warriors meal 7:00 pm, LCH Choir Rehearsal
Friday	November 21	1:00 pm, IHS Meals prepared 5:30 pm, IHS Meals served
Saturday	November 22	10:00 am, One Pot One Hope
Sunday	November 23	8:00 am, Contemporary Worship 9:20 am, Christian Education for all ages 10:30 am, Traditional Choral Eucharist 3:30 pm, Confirmation Class
Monday	November 24	7:00 pm, LCH Choir Rehearsal
Tuesday	November 25	7:00 pm, Financial Stewardship class
Wednesday	November 26	7:00 pm, Thanksgiving Eve Worship—St. Clement’s
Thursday	November 27	Office Closed—Thanksgiving 3:00 pm, Thanksgiving Day meal at LCH
Saturday	November 29	12:00 pm, Advent Procession rehearsal
Sunday	November 30	8:00 am, Contemporary Worship 9:20 am, Christian Education for all ages 10:30 am, Traditional Choral Eucharist 7:00 pm, Advent Procession