German Vespers for Epiphany (Jan. 6 • 7:30 pm)

German Vespers graphicJoin the LCH Choir, guest soloists, and Bach Chamber Orchestra on the Feast of Epiphany for our annual German Vespers. A tradition at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu since 2002, this service honors the church’s German heritage with prayers, hymns, a cantata, and even the sermon auf Deutsch. Translation will be provided

This year’s music features Hans Leo Hassler’s Magnificat and J.S. Bach’s Cantata 123: Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen.

The theme for this year comes from Ezekiel 36. “I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead.” Again we welcome Rev. Anke Flohr as presider for this festival worship.

Worship for the Christmas Season

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24

5:00 pm Family Service
Joyous Christmas worship with congregational carols and music
by Karol’s Karolers and members of the Early Worship Ensemble
 
10:30 pm Christmas Eve Cantata
Bach Chamber Orchestra, LCH Choir, and soloists present
Bach’s Cantata No. 64: Sehet, welch eine Liebe
11:00 pm Festival Choral Eucharist
Christmas Eve worship with choir, chamber orchestra, and soloists
Schubert’s Mass in G Major, motets, carols, and readings.

 

Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25

10:30 am Choral Eucharist
The women of the LCH Choir sing selections from Rutter’s Dancing Day
and Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols with harpist Constance Uejio.
 

Lessons & Carols for the
First Sunday of Christmas

Sunday, January 1

8:00 am Holy Communion
with the Early Worship Ensemble
 
10:30 am Choral Eucharist
with the LCH Choir and organist Mark D. Wong

 
 

Epiphany
Friday, January 6

7:00 pm German Vespers for Epiphany
A tradition at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu since 2002,
this service honors the church’s German heritage.
Music will be performed by the LCH Choir, soloists,
and the Bach Chamber Orchestra.
The sermon will be offered in German with translation.

 

42nd Annual Advent Procession (Nov. 27 • 7:30 pm)

advent procession graphicLutheran Church of Honolulu celebrates our 42nd Annual Advent Procession with Peter Hallock’s mystical and beautiful setting of the “O” Antiphons. First presented in 1975, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu’s Advent Procession has become a Honolulu tradition. This year, Advent choral selections by composers F. Melius Christiansen, Jacob Handl, George Guest, and others will be intermingled with hymns, carols, and the timeless setting of the Magnificat by Charles Villiers Stanford.

Organist Mark D. Wong accompanies the LCH Choir on our beautiful Beckerath organ, and guest singers and soloists will join to make this both a musically and spiritually moving festival service. Please join us as we begin a new liturgical year, carry on a beloved Hawai‘i tradition, and look forward to the Christmas season ahead.

Readings and special music for the Advent Procession.

Thanksgiving Eve Worship & Thanksgiving Day Dinner (Nov. 23 & 24)

pie graphicThanksgiving Eve Joint Worship

Wednesday, November 23, 7:00 pm at St. Clement’s Church

St. Clement Church is hosting the Thanksgiving Eve worship this year. Pastor Jeff Lilley is scheduled to preach. St. Clement lay ministry will assist during this Holden Evening Prayer service.

The annual pie reception will follow immediately after worship. Sign-up sheets for the pie reception will be made available starting November 6.

Annual Thanksgiving Dinner at LCH

Thursday, November 24, 3:00 pm • Isenberg Hall and Hörmann Courtyard

turkey dinner graphicAll are welcome to join the LCH ‘ohana for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner in the courtyard. This is a potluck meal for anyone who would like to attend. Please bring your friends, neighbors, college and university students, and folks who would like some fellowship and food. Pastor Jeff and Jean will prepare the turkeys and bring fresh-baked rolls. A donation of ham would be appreciated. Please plan to bring your favorite dish in quantities to feed at least six persons. Pupus, side dishes, casseroles, desserts, or any other dish is very welcome! Please sign up in the courtyard beginning November 6 so we can plan accordingly.

Neighborhood Cleanup (Nov. 19)

enjoying dinner at LutherFestIn keeping with our theme of “Restoring Creation—Renewing Christ’s Community” we will be organizing a neighborhood cleanup on Saturday, November 19. On the surface our corner of Makiki is pretty neat and clean, but this is a chance to make sure everything is real ship-shape.

We’ll gather in the Courtyard at 10:00 am for some stretching and divide up into groups of two or three to get to work. The plan is to pick up the trash in the area from Wilder Avenue on the mauka side up to Nehoa on the makai, and from Punahou Street over to Makiki Street.

The Stewardship Committee will have vests for you to wear, trash bags, and disposable gloves if you don’t have your own work gloves. We expect to finish up in about two hours, and there will be lunch when the work is all pau.

We invite you all to join in as we restore this little bit of creation that is home to our congregation. Check your calendar and sign up in the Courtyard to be part of this neighborhood cleanup.

LutherFest—Food, Fun, and Frivolity (Oct. 29)

enjoying dinner at LutherFestCome celebrate our Lutheran heritage at our annual LutherFest, where we eat, drink, laugh, and have fun in the Hörmann Courtyard. Festivities will begin at 5:30 pm with light pupus and non-alcoholic punch provided. Beer and wine are available for a donation. A German themed potluck follows at 6:00 pm. Brats will be provided, but please bring a German dish, if possible. To help ensure a balanced table, we suggest the following guidelines:

  • A thru L—main dish
  • M thru Z—side dish

You can look online for suggested German dishes like sausages and sauerkraut, sauerbraten, roast chicken, potato salad, potato dumplings, spatzle, and many other options.

Our dessert contest this year is “tropical fruits”! Think of guava, papaya, bananas, pineapple, etc. and all the different things you could do with them. There’s banana cream pie, pineapple upside-down cake, a guava chiffon cake in the shape of the Luther rose—the possibilities are endless. Judging will be based on use of the special ingredient, Lutheran heritage, taste, and appearance.

Voting for the contest and donations for beer and wine will be by LutherBucks, so bring a check or cash to exchange for your LutherBucks. Donations will will benefit Youth Outreach Waikīkī.

More details will be forthcoming in future Sunday announcements. Danke sehr and hope to see you there!

Renewing Creation Hike (Oct. 22)

backpack graphicJoin us for a hike along the Mokulē‘ia Trail on Saturday, October 22. David Anderson will guide us on this work project to weed invasive species such as strawberry guava and Christmas berry and out plant native species. This trail is an easier hike, and there is a short off trail that leads to Mākua Valley overlook.

We will meet at Pearl City at 10:30 at the top of Waimano Home Road. The road ends at the Pearl City Department of Public Health compound, and there is area to park off the road on the left. David has reserved three trucks for the day, so if we have two volunteers to drive a four wheel drive vehicle, we will be able to take 14 people; if we don’t have volunteers to drive, we will be able to take twelve people. Please sign up on the table in the courtyard so we have an accurate head count.

Please bring a lunch, drinking water, and gloves and wear comfortable clothing including sturdy shoes. Depending on the weather and road conditions, we may need to hike ½ mile to the trail head. All participants will need to sign a liability waiver and a photo use waiver.

“God’s Work, Our Hands” Blood Drive at LCH

God's work, our hands logoSunday, September 18, 8:00 am–1:00 pm • Isenberg Hall

As part of our “God’s Work, Our Hands” community outreach project, we have arranged a blood drive at LCH on Sunday, September 18. A sign-up sheet will be available in the courtyard between services for those eligible and willing to donate. We encourage your support at a time when the shortage of blood at the Hawai‘i Blood Bank is almost critical. Check the courtyard bulletin boards for postings giving criteria for eligibility to donate. Rules for donating have expanded eligibility opportunities. Please spread the word to friends and family—we need a minimum of 40 donors for this drive.

Sign up for an appointment on the Blood Bank of Hawaii website.

Music Ministry Internship

The Early Worship EnsembleThe Lutheran Church of Honolulu is offering an internship for music majors enrolled in a qualifying degree program, or candidates with a strong background in music. Our Music Ministry Intern will have the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of music direction, performance, and event planning.

Duties:

  • The Music Ministry intern is eligible for audition and a paid position in one of the LCH Music Ensembles.
  • Work with the LCH Choral librarian to maintain the sheet music library.
  • Relay and answer emails pertaining to Music Department activities.
  • Maintain the database of Text and Translations for all choral works.
  • Assist with designing and distributing publicity for concerts and special services.
  • Create PDF music files using Sibelius composition software.

Required Qualifications:

  • Ability to simultaneously work on multiple projects and meet deadlines.
  • A positive, teamwork-focused attitude accompanied by strong communication skills.
  • A basic understanding of music theory.
  • Competent with Microsoft Office and social media applications.
  • A willingness to learn new skills and methods.

Additional Desired Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with church music and Biblical texts.
  • Strong instrumental or vocal ability.
  • Experience with being a consistent member of a musical ensemble.
  • Leadership skills and the ability to take initiative.

Compensation and Hours

This position will involve a commitment of either 5 or 10 hours per week; 5 unpaid hours for a non-section leader candidate, or 10 paid hours for a section leader candidate who joins one of the LCH music ensembles. Pay is $34 per rehearsal / service / performance.

Application Deadline: September 5
Please submit a resume and letter of intent to:
Scott Fikse, director of music and liturgy
scott@LCHwelcome.org

The LCH choir and Bach Chamber Orchestra

Wet’n’Wild Youth and Family Outing (July 31)

Wet’n’Wild logo Join the LCH youth and family outing to Wet‘n’Wild on Sunday, July 31, from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm. All are welcome! LCH youth attend for free. The cost for adults and guests is $22.00. Register with Georgine Stark, Sunday mornings in the courtyard or by email at thedgduo@hotmail.com. Look for information updates in the LCHNews and HeartBeat newsletter.