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Welcome Intern Pastor Brianna Llyod

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Intern Pastor Brianna Lloyd

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

Midweek Vespers • August 13 & 27

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Midweek Vespers in Honor of Nurses

Thursday, August 13, 7:00 pm • live-stream on the LCH Facebook page

prayer graphicOn this day, the church remembers two self-sacrificing nurses, Florence Nightingale and Clara Maass, renewers of society. At a time when our medical professionals are giving of themselves at the front lines of a pandemic, we offer this service of thanksgiving for the work of nurses everywhere. A solo quartet featuring Naomi Barrett (soprano), Sarah Connelly (alto), Scott Fikse (bass), and Tomas Ramos (tenor) will offer music by beloved British composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Wood, and Derek Healey.

St. Bartholomew graphicVespers for the Feast of St. Bartholomew

Thursday, August 27, 7:00 pm • live-stream on the LCH Facebook page

Bartholomew (who many believe is referred to as “Nathanael” in John’s Gospel) was one of the first disciples called to “come and see,” and he is present on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius when the risen Christ invites his friends to “come and have breakfast” (John 21:12). Join us for a special vespers in honor of St. Bartholomew, featuring music of the great British composers Charles Wood, Robert Ramsey, and Herbert Howells. Organist Mark Wong and Director of Music and Liturgy Scott Fikse are joined by Sarah Connelly (alto), Tomás Ramos (tenor), and Naomi Barrett (soprano).

Gospel of Mark • Sundays, August 2–23 • 6:30 pm

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St. Mark graphicPerformed by one actor who speaks directly to the audience as if delivering the “good news” for the first time, this theatrical presentation brings to life the words, deeds, and story of Jesus directly from the Bible. This multi-year collaboration between Maseeh Ganjali (director) and Mark Branner (actor) was to have been performed at LCH during the Feast of Saint Mark, in April 2020. Now, the entire Gospel of Mark will be presented over four weeks, live-streaming on the LCH Facebook page during the first four Sundays in August.

Midweek Vespers • July 9 & 23

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Our weekday vespers continue in July with two special services. Join us on the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm in services featuring guest musicians from our local choral and orchestral community.

Assurance in God’s Presence

Thursday, July 9 • 7:00 pm

This evening’s service focuses on the comforting text of Psalm 63 and the promise of God’s love and eternal changelessness. As we navigate the day-to-day changes of our current world, the church stands ready to grow and adapt to whatever the future holds through God’s grace. Music will be provided by Naomi Barrett (soprano), Carrie Staiger (alto), Benjamin Sobel (tenor), and Scott Fikse (bass) accompanied by Mark Wong and guest violinist Duane Padilla.

Vespers for the Feast of Mary Magdalene

Thursday, July 23 • 7:00 pm

“She, while Apostles shrank, could dangers brave, / Last at His cross and earliest at His grave.”—E. S. Barrett (1786–1820)

There are few figures in the Bible with as much legend and lore surrounding them as Mary Magdalene, but it’s clear from the Gospels that she was one of the most devoted followers of Jesus. Join us for a special vespers with a reflection by Pastor Jeff Lilley. Music will include selections by French composers Gounod and Massanet offered by Georgine Stark (soprano), Sarah Connelly (alto), Tomás Ramos (tenor), and Scott Fikse (bass) accompanied by organist Mark Wong and violinist Darel Stark.

COVID-19 Update

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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:

  1. Worship
    1. The congregational council has directed that in-person Sunday worship be delayed until after August 31, 2020. Online streaming worship will continue.
    2. 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.
    3. The worship committee has appointed a working group to develop a plan for return to in-person worship which will include policies and procedures.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Habitat for Humanity has resumed limited use of their office.
    4. Christiansen Educators tutoring has resumed limited use of the campus.
    5. Organ lessons will be allowed to resume on a limited basis.

March 25 COVID-19 Letter from Pastor Jeff

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Aloha and Blessings,

In response to the covid-19 crisis, Governor Ige has announced a statewide shelter in place order effective through April 30, 2020. Although difficult for all of us, the order is intended to provide the best chance to manage infection rates, especially among the most vulnerable in our population. We thank our government and health authorities for their leadership and example.

Sadly, this means that the LCH community will not be able to hold in-person worship services for Holy Week, Easter, and the Sundays after Easter through April 30. However, we have received communication from Mayor Caldwell’s office that churches may use their sanctuaries for live-streaming worship as long as a very limited number of worship leaders adhere to rules of social distancing and personal hygiene. Our worship team has carefully designed our worship to abide with these guidelines and will continue to stream worship from our sanctuary unless it unsafe to do so. We hope and pray that you will join us online and share this worship opportunity with your extended family far and wide. Many congregations are not able to provide online worship, and we can be a temporary church home for them during this crisis. Our first Lenten service was viewed over 1,200 times and reached over 2,500 people!

Secondly, I will be reaching out to several members to serve on a “calling tree” that will make weekly calls to members and friends of the congregation. If you would like to help with this, please contact Pastor Jeff at pr.jeff@lchwelcome.org. I am also setting up three online fellowship opportunities each week to help keep us connected and encouraged over the next few weeks.

Lastly, several members of our congregation have been laid off or lost their jobs as businesses are forced to close due to the state and federal shutdowns. We do not expect those folks to continue with their usual patterns of giving and encourage them to care for their families. For those of us who are able, an additional stewardship gift would be welcome. If you or your family are in need of emergency financial help, please contact Pastor.

As always, God is walking with us through dark days, and we know that Easter dawns each day. Thank you to staff members Anne Sing, Scott Fikse, Reid Ishikawa, Mark Wong, and Carolyn Koehler for their hard work and dedication. And a HUGE mahalo to our steadfast council and volunteers who keep the faithful work of the church alive and thriving!

Peace,
Pastor Jeff Lilley

Letter from Pastor Jeff Lilley and LCH activity update

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Dear friends in Christ,

During these difficult days we are struggling with the disruption caused by the covid-19 epidemic. You are in my prayers every day, as you face the challenges of work and school closures and general disruption of everyday life. As you pray for one another, please include our most vulnerable brothers and sisters—especially those who are poor, homeless, alone, and hungry—in your prayers. Things that are an inconvenience for some may be matters of life and death for others.

On Monday evening, the LCH Congregational Council made the difficult decision to suspend all in-person activities at Lutheran Church of Honolulu, through April 5, 2020 (Palm Sunday). The decision was not made lightly or out fear, but out of an abundance of love for our community. We feel it is important for the LCH ‘ohana to heed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as well as state and county officials, to minimize personal contact in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. ELCA Bishops Andrew Taylor and Guy Irwin also issued a joint statement to ELCA congregations, in Southern California and Hawai‘i, urging congregations to curtail in-person worship, meetings, bible studies, and small group gatherings through Palm Sunday. Therefore, all in-person activities held on the LCH campus including worship, bible study, meetings, performances, rehearsals, tutoring, and music lessons will be suspended through April 5, 2020 (Palm Sunday). Where possible, LCH worship, meetings, and bible study will be conducted electronically.

It is incredibly important that we attend to one another’s spiritual health during this difficult time. Therefore, we are not canceling church; we will simply connect in worship and study in new ways! Instead of gathering at our church building, we will be the church from our homes. Wednesday Lenten services and Sunday worship will be live-streamed, via the internet. We are finalizing details, so keep an eye on your Robly email (Use this link if you are not already receiving regular emails from LCH though the Robly platform) for more information, including links for you to participate in weekly worship and Thursday morning bible study. We are already working on other spiritual resources for mutual encouragement and enrichment, especially for those who may be self-isolating.

Thank you for your continued stewardship and giving in support of ministries at LCH. Online giving is available through the LCH website. Look in the lower left-hand corner of the web page. You may also mail check donations directly to Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu HI 96822. This may be the perfect time to sign up for electronic giving through the Simply Giving platform. Please email the church office at lch@lchwelcome.org for more information, or to receive registration forms.

The church office will be staffed as usual for the remainder of this week. If office staffing times change, we will post office hours on our website and on the office voicemail. Please feel free to call the office at 808-941-2566 for spiritual care or other needs. Otherwise, please refer to regular Robly email notifications (Use this link if you are not already receiving regular emails from LCH though the Robly platform) for updates and information about worship and Bible study streaming, rather than calling, if possible. We will provide information as soon as it is available.

Pastor Jeff will continue his usual office hours and activities but will restrict pastoral visits to phone and Facetime interaction. Thank you for your patience and support. Let’s have an adventure together with this new form of worship, and continue to share God’s love in the world!

Blessings,
Pastor Jeff
on behalf of the Congregational Council and staff of
Lutheran Church of Honolulu

LCH COVID-19 Response

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The staff and leadership of Lutheran Church of Honolulu have spent a great deal of time working through a prayerful response to the recent covid-19 outbreak. Although the extent of the corona virus outbreak in Hawai‘i is as yet unknown, we want to be cautious and prepared to protect the most vulnerable people in our midst. As such, we are implementing changes in our worship practice to best protect one another, while maintaining a worshipful presence. These are not changes made out of fear but out of love and concern for those who are most vulnerable.

Therefore, effective immediately, in response to CDC recommendations regarding the covid-19 virus, LCH is modifying parts of our worship practice:

  • If you are sick, please stay home to protect the general public.
  • Please take a moment to thoroughly wash your hands prior to entering the sanctuary.
  • Make use of sanitizing gel located in the pew chairs. (Please do not take the LCH sanitizing gel bottles! We have a limited supply.)
  • Refrain from direct contact with others and maintain social distancing. Suggestions for greeting include a slight bow, a wave, shoulder or elbow bump, or the popular Vulcan greeting.
  • We are no longer offering the common cup for communion. We still offer the pouring chalice to maintain the symbolism of drinking “from one cup.” If you are uncomfortable receiving communion, please remain seated with full confidence that God’s grace is with you nonetheless.
  • Offering plates will no longer be passed person to person.
  • Food in the courtyard will be served to you to avoid contamination. Please wait to be served. Do not touch food.
  • Please take time to read the information posters posted throughout the campus.

For the moment, small group activities are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we ask sponsors of those events to carefully consider the level of risk their event presents to the most vulnerable among us. If in doubt, please feel free to cancel your event to protect our friends and neighbors. Be sure to contact the church office, at 808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelcome.org, if you cancel an event so that we can post the cancellation on our calendar. If you are not sure what to do, feel free to call Pastor Jeff at the office.

These are interim steps pending further recommendations from the CDC and County Health Department. In the event that the health situation in Hawai‘i worsens, we are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to protect the public, including cancelling worship and other events for a prescribed period of time. We are already working on a plan to provide some sort of digital content that will allow us to connect in worship, should the need arise. In the meantime, the staff will continue to work and plan for whatever eventuality might come to pass. We appreciate your understanding and support.

Aloha,
Pastor Jeff and the Congregational Council