I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.—2 Timothy 4:7–8
As many of you know, Pastor Jeff Lilley passed away unexpectedly Sunday morning, [October 13,] before services. The congregation of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu is grieving, while providing support for Jeff’s wife Jean, and their children Seth and Meghann and family. Jeff had served this congregation for more than 16 years and was beloved both within and outside the church. Please keep his loved ones in your prayers and thoughts during this most difficult time.
As Bishop Dave Nagler told your church council Sunday morning, Pastor Jeff was one of a kind. We all have stories that bears this out and we will expect to hear and capture many others to honor his life in the coming days and weeks.
First and foremost, we need to support Jean, Seth, and Meghann and family through this very difficult time. The council has established a support committee for this purpose. The Lilley children, Seth and Meghann, will arrive on Monday. The council has decided that LCH will cover their housing during their stay and will also waive the rent for the pastor’s Luther Place apartment as long as Jean needs it.
We also need to be with one another in our grief. We have both in-person and virtual options for pastoral care or grief counseling below and hope to provide additional opportunities to you early this week.
In the meantime, Pastor Margarethe will join Thursday bible study at 10:00 am and Pastor Ruth will be at Choir Practice on Thursday at 7:00 pm.
We are receiving tremendous support from the Pacifica Synod, from the Hukilau Conference, and from the Council of Bishops.
We firmly believe Pastor Jeff would want our congregation to continue providing the spiritual sustenance, community outreach and goodwill, and special events that LCH is well known for.
Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones during this especially difficult time, and do not hesitate to contact another member of the LCH family or a council member if you feel the need to just talk.
And while we all grieve, please give the Lilley family time and space to do so in their own time and way.
On behalf of the LCH Council,
Dan Dennison
Each year LCH celebrated the creativity of our ‘ohana with Faith and Arts Weekend. This event begins Saturday evening with a showcase of performing arts from spoken word to song and dance. This will be followed by a display of visual arts, crafts, and writing on Sunday morning. Everyone connected with LCH is welcome to participate with either newly-created works or past creations.
LCH will be hosting a Free Store for the Makiki neighborhood on Saturday, September 21, in the Hörmann Courtyard. Our last Fee Store in 2022 (pictured on the right) was just for our congregation, but this time we will be inviting the whole neighborhood to be parts of this manifestation of the “gift economy,” in which goods and services are freely exchanged with no payment or promises to pay. As Christians, we think of free stores as something of a revival of the early Christian communal economic arrangements. It benefits our environment (by keeping stuff out of the landfill) as well as for people shedding unwanted/no longer needed/still useable “stuff” and people gaining items they need
The 125th anniversary of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu is in September of 2025. This summer, the congregation will begin our journey to identify the missional project(s) for the 125th anniversary that it will support through fundraising with a goal of $65,000.
Renowned pianist Ethan Capone, joined by Mark Tanouye, bass, and Abe Lagrimas Jr., drums, presents an evening of jazz classics and innovations. This must-see event will take you on an exciting musical journey, keeping your ears happy and your hearts full!
Experimenting with the collective sound of saxophones, vibraphone, and drumset, “Vibin’ with Allen, Abe, and Noel” will take you on a new journey for your ears. The legendary musicians, Allen Won, Abe Lagrimas, Jr., and Noel Okimoto will offer you a unique experience with a feast of jazz standards and original compositions.
Before the arrival of the first Hawaiians, 90% of the land area of Hawai‘i was covered with lush forests, made up largely of endemic (found only here) plants. But with humans came the invasive trees and plants which, in many places, have pushed out the native/endemic vegetation that originally covered the island and provided habitats for native birds and other species and that filtered our water and helped store it for later use.
As part of this year’s Creation Care theme of water, on Saturday, April 27, from 9:00 to 11:00 am, LCH will once again be partnering with students at ‘Iolani School to pick up trash along the portion of the Ala Wai Canal that runs behind ‘Iolani School, Ala Wai School, and the community garden.