In this issue:
- A Message from Pastor Jeff
- Thoughts on return to in-person worship
- LCH Office Hours During COVID-19 Precautions
- Committee/Interest Group Chairs
- Stewardship Corner
- LCH Scholarship Applications Being Accepted Now
- Angel Network In-Gathering
- Book of Faith Bible Study
- Triduum and Easter at LCH
- Godly Play
- Adut Forum
- Virtual Coffee Talk with Pastor Jeff
- Compline
- LCH Garden Volunteer Opportunities
- First Mondays Concert: Island Oasis
- Leadership Roundtable
- Restorative Yoga
- Mary Magdalene Society
- Food for Thought
- LCH Women’s Book Club
- Writers’ Workshop
- IHS Brown Bag Meal Prep
- Updating Prayer Requests
- Regular Offerings
- Save on Your Taxes!
- From the Financial Secretary
- An Easy Way to Donate
- Edward Shipwright Memorial Piano Fund
- HeartBeat Deadline
- Electronic Funds Transfers for February
- Attendance and Offerings for March
- Prayer Requests
- April Birthdays
- Calendar: April 2021
From Pastor Jeff
Lord, Have Mercy!
It’s been a whole year; March 22 marked the one-year anniversary of Hawai‘i’s lockdown and the cessation of in-person worship for churches around the state. At that time, we were convinced that within weeks, or at worst a few months, we would return to normal worship practices and resume life as usual. Few (with the exception of Dr. Fauci) anticipated that it would be a full year before we would begin to see the light at the end of the covid-19 tunnel.
To be sure, it has been a difficult year for everyone. Here in Hawai‘i, we continue to see serious and long-term economic, health, and spiritual impacts. An increasing number of residents have run out of government benefits. Some, due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, have never received benefits they are entitled to, and others have simply given up hope altogether. But throughout the pandemic, there have been shining examples of creative and persistent love.
Despite restrictions on certain kinds of gatherings, mass food distribution events have been held island- and nation-wide to provide decent sustenance to those in need. Faith communities, including LCH, have continued to provide services in partnership with organizations like IHS, so that care for the unhoused is uninterrupted. Individuals are donating money and time to assure that Hawai‘i Food Bank and other caregivers are stocked and ready. In short, the pandemic, for all its power to destroy life, has not destroyed the human spirit of kindness and compassion. God’s spirit is moving in the church and in the world!
It’s been a year! In addition to covid-19, our nation, our state, and the church have continued this year to face the brokenness of racism, misogyny, and inequity. Despite the best efforts of certain politicians to the contrary, worldwide movements calling for urgent action to end systemic inequity, violence, and discrimination against women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and a wide range of religious persuasions continues to gain ground. For many, that change is desperately overdue, and change is happening at a deadly glacial pace. Each second we delay, another beloved person of God dies, another couple is denied equal rights under the law, another woman endures discrimination, another synagogue or mosque is vandalized. There is much to do in our country, world, and church to upend racism and discrimination and bring the joy of Easter transformation to a troubling national and ecclesial past and present.
For many of us, it begins with a deeper and more present understanding of what it means to love as Christ loves. It means seeing our neighbor as our neighbor, full of the richness of God’s variety and light. It means giving up clinging stubbornly to our brokenness and giving healing a chance. It means embracing Easter with heart, mind, hands, and soul and living Easter in our activism to end the systems and constructs that perpetuate crushing our neighbor. Despite these efforts, we learned mid-March of a tragic example of hatred where eight people were killed in Atlanta. Six of them were Asian women. A police official quipped that the killer “was having a bad day.” Lord, have mercy! There is much to do.
It has been a year, and it will be a year. As we celebrate the resurrection of God, on April 4, let us pray in thanksgiving for God’s presence and light in our lives and for the strength to carry on the wearying and joyful work of caring for those most in need; for energy to engage in anti-racism; for courage to stand up to powerful people who promulgate white supremacy and misogyny; and for a deeper commitment to fierce love, gentle presence, and a sharing of the gospel life with our families and the world. For Christ is risen, not just in the church but for the transformation of the cosmos.
Blessings,
Pastor Jeff
Thoughts on return to in-person worship
March 22 marked a full year since the LCH community was able to worship together in-person. While several congregations (even some Lutheran ones) have returned to limited in-person worship, the congregational council wisely decided to delay, out of consideration of our most vulnerable members and friends.
We had hoped to have limited outdoor worship for Easter, but the arrival in Hawai‘i of virulent variants of the covid-19 virus gave us pause. For the safety of everyone, we have decided to hold off a bit longer before bringing people to campus. Bishop Andrew Taylor shared his thoughts on this matter just last week. He wrote, “I, too, look forward to the day when we can safely worship together. But I want to caution all of us that the virus is still looking for hosts, and not everyone has received the vaccine. Many of our pastors, deacons, and worship leaders, are still not eligible to receive the vaccine. I am 63 years old, with no underlying health issues, and so am not yet eligible for a shot. That may be the case for your pastor, deacon, musician, or anyone who helps lead worship. Jesus gave us two great commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. Loving your neighbor means, in this case, not putting them at undue risk of disease by asking them to meet indoors for in-person worship if they have not yet been vaccinated.”
Please be assured that we are working toward returning to in-person worship as soon as it is safe. The worship committee has commissioned a taskforce to develop guidelines to help us navigate our way toward the new norm of worship. What seems clear is that we are unlikely to return to the exact way of worshipping we have done in the past—it will be better! Like many churches, we will adapt and grow as God’s Spirit leads us into this uncharted future. It should be pretty darn exciting! Your patience and faithfulness are deeply appreciated during these difficult times, and we treasure your prayers, ideas, and support.
We also want to assure you that we plan to continue to offer an online worship presence even after we open for in-person worship. We are reaching people across the world with God’s Word. To that end, staff is working on installing a permanent A/V system that will be usable for worship, concerts, and special events. Although the initial investment is large, the benefits of such a system far outweigh the costs.
Finally, thank you to all of you who continue to support this congregation’s ministry, who join us for worship, volunteer, and pray. You are truly a gift!
Pastor Jeff and the Church Council
Committee/Interest Group Chairs
| Committee/Group | Leader |
|---|---|
| Archive: | Jim Cartwright |
| Aloha: | Bruce Holmberg |
| Concert: | Scott Fikse |
| Communications: | Carol Langner |
| Community Life: | Larry Anderson |
| Council: | Pam Buckley |
| Fellowship: | Mary-Jo Estes |
| Finance: | Steve Miller |
| Financial Review: | Dori Palcovich |
| Food for Thought: | Marlise Tellander |
| Lay Ministers: | Carolyn Koehler |
| Learning Ministry: | Fred Benco |
| Mary Magdalene Society: | Bill Potter and Roy Helms |
| Process Theology: | Carol Langner |
| Property: | Richard Mundell |
| Scholarship: | Fred Benco |
| Social Ministry: | Jean Lilley and Miles Sato |
| Stewardship: | Phyllis Hörmann and Willow Chang |
| Sunday School: | Laurie Leach |
| Website: | Bill Potter |
| Worship & Music: | Roy Helms Randy Castello |
| Writers’ Workshop: | Peter Flachsbart |
| Youth: | Pr. Jeff Lilley Vicar Brianna Lloyd |
LCH Office Hours During COVID-19 Precautions
The LCH office and church campus are generally closed to in-person meetings and gatherings as a precaution in accordance with the CDC, Hawai‘i State Governor’s Office, and Honolulu City and County Office of the Mayor’s recommendations regarding covid-19 virus safety. We recommend that you do not leave a phone message on the office voicemail. It is preferable that you please email LCH@LCHwelcome.org to contact the administrator, pr.jeff@LCHwelcome.org to contact Pastor Jeff, or scott@LCHwelcome.org to contact the LCH music director. If you prefer to leave a brief voicemail message, your call will be returned when someone is able to check in at the LCH office. 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 (you do not need a Facebook account to access the LCH Facebook page).
Looking In: Stewards of Money
As April begins, we have just entered Holy Week and anticipate the joy of our Easter proclamation, just a few days away. But since less than two weeks into the Easter season comes tax day, we are pretty sure that, in most of our minds, money matters are mixed with the upcoming joy of the resurrection. So this month we want to consider our role as Stewards of Money.
We began consideration of this year’s stewardship theme, “Stewards of God’s Love,” by looking at how God’s love comes down, we are currently considering ways God’s love works in us as we care for the resources God entrusts to us, and later we will examine how that love moves out into the world.
Our March focus was very concrete—the physical stuff we have in our lives. The money we have (or don’t have) is much less tangible, but it is no less real than the physical stuff around us, and the hold it can have on us can be even stronger.
Jesus talks about this in Luke 12:22–34, where he asks us to consider the ravens and the lilies of the field and concludes with the well known observation that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You’ve undoubtedly heard these words as part of a request to consider your financial commitment for next year, but that focus is far too narrow. Jesus’ first concern is this passage is that we remember God’s faithfulness, “for if God so clothes the grass of the field,…how much more will [God] clothe [us].” But Jesus is also telling us that God cares about 100% of our money, not just the fraction we give to the church. Said differently, God wants us to be good stewards of all of our financial resources.
Being good stewards of our financial resources starts with budgeting, using credit wisely, managing our debt, and so on. Your Stewardship Team is working to arrange for classes on these topics that can be offered once we return to meeting in person. Please watch for information on these classes in the months to come.
Good stewardship of our money is also intimately related to our values and how they inform our choices in how we spend our money. One of us remembers a conversation with another LCH member about what to do with the first stimulus check in 2020. This member told me that their finances were fine, and they didn’t “need “the money, so they donated it to the LCH Emergency Fund to help any of our members who might be suffering financially. This is just one example of values informing someone’s stewardship of money.
Others at LCH almost certainly donated fund from their stimulus checks to organizations like the Hawai‘i Foodbank or used it to pay down debt and put themselves on a firmer financial footing. Many of us probably choose to purchase produce grown in Hawai‘i over imported items, or we invest for our retirements in socially-responsible funds, or we abstain from doing business with company X because of their questionable business practices.
As you consider your stewardship of money, we ask you to think about how you would complete this sentence: “The best example of aligning my money with my values is….” The team would like to share your responses (anonymously, of course) in our column next month. Please send them to stewardship@LCHwelcome.org.
May we all grow as stewards of the money God has entrusted to us.
Willow Chang and Bill Potter for your Stewardship Team
Peggy Anderson, Pam Buckley, Willow Chang, Phyllis Hörmann, Barbara Poole-Street, Bill Potter
LCH Scholarship Applications Being Accepted Now
The Scholarship Committee of Lutheran Church of Honolulu announces that applications for the next academic year (2021–2022) are being accepted. The LCH Scholarship Fund is the legacy of Irmgard Hörmann, who always emphasized learning and provided much of the seed monies for the Scholarship Fund. The Fund established four priorities, ordered first to last: LCH members who will study at a seminary leading to Christian ministry, members of the congregation who will study religion or theology, members of the congregation who will study in other disciplines, and friends of the congregation who have other focused learning goals.
Please contact the LCH Office at LCH@LCHwelcome.org to request an application. The application deadline is May 31, 2021.
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.
Book of Faith Bible Study
Thursdays, 10:00–11:45 am • Via Zoom Meeting
The Book of Faith Bible Study meets on Thursday mornings via the Zoom online meeting platform for the duration of the pandemic. All are welcome to join this lively discussion of the Biblical texts, relevant current events, and historical foundations. Please contact Pastor Jeff at pr.jeff@LCHwelcome.org to receive an invitation to the next Zoom Bible study discussion.
Triduum and Easter at LCH
The Triduum is our journey with Christ through the Great Three Days leading up to Easter Sunday. Worship will be livestreamed on our streaming page and the LCH Facebook page and then archived on the LCH Facebook page. We plan a rich liturgy of music and heartfelt special worship.
April 1, 7:30 pm + Maundy Thursday
We remember the Last Supper and the New Commandment to “love one another” as told in the Gospel of St. John.
April 2, 7:30 pm + Good Friday
We follow the Passion journey through the story of Jesus’ suffering and death as we prepare for the joy of Easter.
April 3, 7:30 pm + Easter Vigil
We welcome the first light of Easter with a new fire and celebrate the Resurrection in a beautiful and traditional Easter Eucharist.
April 4, 10:00 am + Easter Sunday
We rejoice in the glorious Risen Christ as we gather for online worship featuring Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass.
April 4, 7:30 pm + Easter Compline
We conclude our celebration of the Resurrection Our Lord with Compline featuring the LCH Men’s Schola and music of the Taizé Community and others.
Godly Play
Sundays at 9:00 am • Via Zoom Meeting
We have Sunday school via a Zoom meeting each Sunday, before service. This class is geared toward children in kindergarten through fifth grade. A story will be followed by a craft which we can make together. Each Saturday, the link for the meeting will be sent via email to all who want to join. Please contact the LCH office (lch@LCHwelcome.org) to be added to the invitation list. All are welcome!
Below is the schedule of Godly Play stories for April:
- 4/4—Easter
- 4/11—Paul’s Discovery
- 4/18—St. Brigid object box
- 4/25—Earth Day
Adult Forum
Sundays at 9:00 am • Via Zoom Meeting
All are welcome to join the Adult Forum Zoom meetings, live Sunday mornings. Participation in Adult Forum via Zoom works best if you download the free Zoom app beforehand. You may need to enable your microphone and video capabilities. If you are not already on this list for the Adult Forum, please contact Dr. Stephen Miller at stevedmiller.sm@gmail.com to receive an invitation to join the next Zoom Adult Forum discussion.
Virtual Coffee Talk with Pastor Jeff
Online Coffee Talk, Sundays, 11:15 am • Via Zoom Meeting
You are invited to join with your LCH ‘ohana on Sundays for a virtual coffee talk following online worship. This discussion time will be via Zoom Meeting, and will run for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
In order to avoid “Zoom bombing” (surprise visits from unsavory folks), you will need to contact Pastor Jeff, via email at pr.jeff@LCHwelcome.org, for a meeting number and password to log into the meeting. While these are not ideal gathering circumstances, we can at least enjoy a chance to commune together briefly.
Compline
Sundays, April 4 and 18, 7:30 pm • Via Livestream Broadcast
We warmly invite all people in all places of faith and life to Compline. Offered on the first and third Sundays of each month, this beautiful candle-lit service is a meditative experience of a cappella singing and chanting to commemorate the day’s end, featuring the LCH Men’s Schola. Musical selections include Gregorian chant, Taizé chant, Renaissance polyphony, and more.
Compline will be livestreamed on our Worship Services page and the LCH Facebook page.
LCH Garden Volunteer Opportunities
The month of March included two great volunteer days! The second bed, at the front of the church facing Punahou Street, is now complete and has even a few plants—some basil, chard and squash. We also planted an exciting variety of seeds from the Seed Lab at University of Hawai‘i. The seeds included Paukea cauliflower, U.H. Mānoa lettuce, kai choy, Koba green onion, Komohana grape tomatoes, Hawaiian chili peppers, and Ka‘ala bell peppers! So far, the peppers and a few green onions are peeking above the soil! Thank you gardeners! Look for upcoming volunteer days in April.
Our garden volunteer days will continue in April. We’ll plant the next bed in the shady area by the playground facing Punahou Street. If you have herb seeds, bring them! Garden volunteer days will be Easter Monday, April 5, at 5:30 pm, and Thursday, April 29, at 12:30 pm. Don’t forget your Blue Zones pledges!
First Mondays Concert: Island Oasis
Monday, April 5 • 7:00 pm • Via Livestream Broadcast
First Mondays Chamber Concerts continue with an evening of authentic Middle Eastern music featuring the talented ensemble Island Oasis, lead by Kip McAtee. Enjoy danceable melodies from throughout the Balkans and Middle East, featuring the lute-like oud, an end-blown flute called the ney, clarinet, percussion, and other instruments.
The concert will be livestreamed on our Worship Services page and the LCH Facebook page and then archived on the LCH Facebook page. The concert is free; donations to support the concert series are gladly accepted.
Leadership Roundtable
Tuesday, April 6, 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 from Pastor Jeff, via Zoom Meeting, regarding login information. Please be prepared to share a little information on your activities with the group. Mahalo!
Restorative Yoga
Thursdays, April 8, 15, 22, and 29 at 6:00 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. In this 4-week session, she’ll share various aspects of yoga, from pranayama (breathing exercises) and yogic philosophy (ahimsa), to poses, referred to as asanas.
Join for one, two, or all four 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!
Mary Magdalene Society
Online Happy Hour Saturdays, April 10 and 24, at 5:00 pm • Via Zoom Meeting
We continue to invite LGBTQI members and friends of LCH to prepare their favorite beverage and pupu and gather for an online happy hour every other week. Those who are already on the Mary Magdalene mailing list will receive an email with directions for accessing the Zoom meeting by the Wednesday before the scheduled meeting. If you don’t receive your invitation or want to be added to the mailing list, please contact Bill Potter, group facilitator, at bill.potter808@gmail.com to be added or for more information.
For April 10, we will talk about the most memorable trips we have taken, in addition to our usual convivial conversation. A suggestion for March 27 will be included in the invitation for that evening.
Food for Thought
Saturday, April 10, at 5:00 pm • Via Zoom Meeting
Food for Thought currently meets via Zoom online meeting. This works best if you download the free Zoom app beforehand. You may need to enable your microphone and video capabilities. Please contact Dr. Stephen Miller at stevedmiller.sm@gmail.com to receive an invitation to join the next Zoom Food for Thought meeting.
LCH Women’s Book Club
Monday, April 19, 10:00 am, • Via Zoom Meeting
LCH Women’s Book Club will meet via Zoom online meeting. Linda Miller leads the group in discussing The Painter’s Chair by Hugh Howard. Connecting to Zoom meeting works best if you download the free Zoom app beforehand. You may need to enable your microphone and video capabilities. If you are not already on the Book Club list, please contact Juditha Murashige at jcmurashige@earthlink.net to receive an invitation to join the next Zoom online Book Club meeting. All are welcome.
Writers’ Workshop
Tuesday, April 20, 4:30 pm • Via Zoom Meeting
Writers’ Workshop will meet via Zoom meeting since restrictions on group meetings at LCH are still in effect. All are welcome! If you would like to participate, please contact Peter Flachsbart at pflachsbart@hawaiiantel.net for information on how to connect remotely.
IHS Brown Bag Meal Prep
LCH continues our commitment to IHS to assist with feeding the homeless during these difficult times. Although stay-at-home orders may have relaxed a bit, we anticipate that all the requirements of social distancing, masks, sanitizing, etc. will still be in force. Therefore, only a small group will be asked to make sandwiches, and those individuals will be contacted directly by phone or email. We will keep you updated about when we can be back to our regular group. Thank you for your patience as we navigate our way through the uncertainty.
Updating Prayer Requests
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.
Regular Offerings
While we are not able to meet 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!
Save on Your Taxes!
For individuals taking required distributions from a retirement account, under the new tax law, if you give cash or check donations from your personal funds, you will be taxed on your distribution, and you may not be able to take the deduction. There are two ways to avoid this.
- Donate directly to LCH from your IRA If you take money directly from your IRA to give to LCH, this increases your income and may increase your tax bracket. You may not be able to use the deduction because of the new, higher standard deduction. Give directly by telling your IRA provider to donate to the church—the account representative will do this easily.
- Give appreciated stock directly to LCH. If you sell stock and then donate, it increases your tax bracket, and you may not be able to use the deduction because of the new, higher standard deduction. Instruct your broker to donate directly to LCH.
The church’s legal name and address is:
Lutheran Church of Honolulu (Note: There is no The in the title)
1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu, HI 96822
If you need the Federal Tax ID (EIN) or if you have questions, please contact Steve Miller. As always, please check with your tax advisors to determine what is appropriate for you.
From the Financial Secretary
2020 Giving Statements—Statements for last year were distributed via email towards the end of January. However, I have recently realized that a glitch in our accounting software prevented the production of some statements. I have corrected that problem so this doesn’t happen in the future. If you are working on your taxes and did not receive your 2020 giving statement (or have misplaced it), please email me at fin-sec@LCHwelcome.org or call the Church Office (808-941-2566), and a new statement will be sent out within a few days.
2021 First Quarter Giving Statements—Giving statements for the first quarter will be distributed via email during Easter week to anyone who has given $25 or more this calendar year. The statements are 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 will be mailed to your address in the accounting software.) If you have given $25 or more and do not receive a statement by the Second Sunday of Easter, 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.
With thanks for your support of our ministry,
Bill Potter, financial secretary
An Easy Way to Donate
Did you know you can donate to Lutheran Church of Honolulu while shopping without spending any extra money? Shop at smile.amazon.com and increase donations to Lutheran Church of Honolulu! Any Amazon purchase can be made through LCH’s unique charity-link, which will take you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of LCH. Just type this URL in your browser and start shopping: smile.amazon.com/ch/99-0079975.
Edward Shipwright Memorial Piano Fund
The church has an ongoing need for maintenance of our current piano, which is on generous loan from Mark Wong. We also need to plan for eventual purchase of an excellent, permanent piano for LCH.
Therefore, we have established the Edward Shipwright Memorial Piano Fund. Dr. Shipwright was the head of the piano division of the Music Department at UH Mānoa. Many people associated with LCH were students or friends of Ed. The fund will be a fitting memorial to his 50 years of teaching and playing.
HeartBeat Deadline
Tuesday, April 20, 9:00 am
Alyssa, Arnold, Barbara M.-F., the family of Anita B. and Malissa T., Billy S., Bruce H., Colleen K., Greg, Judy M., Karen and Richard E., Kathy M., Kathy S., Kawai S., Keahi, Kendra K., Michael, Patricia, Pomai S., Resi, William
