The HeartBeat

A Message from Pastor Jeff

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return

As a young boy I remember waiting in line to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. The normally cheery interior of the church was half-lit and somber. The people standing in line with me, who usually laughed and chatted on their way to communion, seemed preoccupied and uncharacteristically introspective. Even the guy who never seemed to take anything seriously seemed more subdued as he approached the altar and the Pastor painted a big cross on his forehead with ashes from the burned Christmas tree. On Sundays, people would chat and visit—or at least sing along with the communion hymn as they toddled along to communion—but on this night, something seemed different.

Over time I have gained a fuller understanding of what was happening on those solemn Ash Wednesdays. God’s people were being marked with the cross as a sign of the beginning of a Lenten journey that would come to fruit in the joy of Easter. On that day, the smudge of a cross drew them deeper into themselves and into God’s presence. After receiving ashes, people sat down in their pews with heads bowed and prayed as others received ashes in turn. As I got older, I wondered what they were praying for or about. What secret sins were they sharing with God as they sat in those hard metal chairs? What should I pray for? Why did they seem so bent on prayer this particular night when most days the Church seemed more like a social club?

As I get closer to the dust I shall become and the dust from which I was made, the smudged cross of Ash Wednesday and the disciplines of Lent become more important. The cross is a window into the disciplines of Lent (prayer, charity, confession, and kindness), which I should practice every day but which sometimes take a back seat to the business of life. This year, I want to give more focus to prayer as a daily exercise. The act of talking with God is in itself personally healing and cathartic. But prayer also connects us with the broader community as we pray for—and in concert with—others around the world for peace, wisdom, healing, and assurance. Forms of prayer can be as varied as the individual or community in prayer. Some folks use centering prayer to connect with God and the inner being, others pray in conversation with God, still others use the offices and prayers that come from long practice in the church. All are valid and helpful ways to approach prayer.

Over the course of Lent this year, we will have the opportunity to learn about and practice prayer in many different forms. So I hope you will receive the cross on your forehead this Ash Wednesday, and join us this Lent as we explore prayer, and share our thoughts, needs, and thanksgiving with God in Holy conversation.

Aloha,
Pastor Jeff Lilley
pr.jeff@lchwelcome.org

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February Council Highlights

Council met Tuesday, February 15. Here are some of the highlights of the meeting:

• The Cantor Call Committee will interview the top three candidates by Skype on February 27.
• Parking Lot Taskforce update: A crew will begin topographical mapping and surveying by early March.
• Plate offerings for January have been high, probably due to front-end yearly contributions. The general fund shows that we are $20,973.47 to the positive for January.
• The Council will meet on March 7 for the annual Council Planning Retreat
• Since installation, the photovoltaic system has avoided 18,174.14 kg of CO2, with a total yield of 25,963.06 kWh.
• Council approved the signing of new 36-month lease for a new Konica Minolta copier machine.

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Evening with IHS

Social Ministries is sponsoring a night with IHS on Friday, March 4. The evening will start at 5:30 PM with a presentation by Kate Record, IHS Community Relations Director, in the Nave. Kate will describe the services IHS offers and how they have expanded services to Honolulu’s homeless over the years.

Following the presentation, the volunteers who cook for the homeless at IHS once a month will serve the regular LCH IHS meal of meatloaf, coleslaw, canned vegetables, and fruit.

A free-will offering will be collected that will benefit the programs at IHS. We will also introduce the group who started our feeding program and ask for volunteers interested in providing a second monthly meal at IHS. The funds are available for providing an additional meal; we just need the volunteer help.

Please join us for an educational evening with a delicious meal and good fellowship. You can contact Jean Lilley or Mary Fastenau through the Church Office (941-2566) for more information or to RSVP for the event. We also need volunteers to help set up on Friday afternoon and clean up after the meal. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Fill the Ark Seven

The seventh annual “Fill the Ark” Benefit Concert for Heifer International will be Saturday, March 12, at 4:00 PM. The children and youth are busy preparing their performances with hopes that they will raise another $5,000 to buy an “Ark of Animals” through Heifer International to be distributed to needy families around the world.

The concert is free, but please consider making a pledge or donation of at least $1 per day during the Lenten season ($40 total). If one hundred families or individuals make this commitment the children will meet their goal! A pledge sheet will be available on Sundays in the courtyard.

Please come on March 12 to hear and see our youth perform with song, instruments, recitations, and dance. May this Lutheran Church of Honolulu tradition successfully continue for the seventh year! For more information, please see Reid or Anna Womack. Poster

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Lenten Book Study Begins March 16

This year’s study will come from the book Praying for Friends and Enemies. Cost of the book is $10. Don’t miss the chance to participate in this exciting study! Books, study schedule, and sign up sheet will all be available in the courtyard on Sundays following the morning services.

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Adult Forum Invites You Sunday Mornings

All are invited to attend and take part in interesting discussions—spiced with fun, films, and faith studies—in our weekly Adult Forum, between services on Sunday mornings, beginning at 9:15 AM in the Boardroom.

Adult Forum is currently looking at various forms of prayer through both discussion/study and practice.

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Process Though Forum Takes a Break

The Process Thought Forum will take the month of March off, resuming in April with an article by John Cobb.

Watch the April HeartBeat for details.

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Punahou Carnival Parking a Success

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped with Punahou Carnival parking in our lots, we raised another $6,778.55 (minus expenses) for the LCH youth. The funds will be used for scholarships to youth events, both local and national.

LCH youth have also decided to donate some of the funds that have built up the account to further the mission of LCH in a significant way. A decision will be made later in the year to determine where the funds will best be used.

Congratulations to the LCH youth group and a big mahalo to all of the volunteers who spent their weekend helping in the parking chaos! Mark you calendars for the first weekend in February 2012 for the next big “parking” event.

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What are you up to these days?

We want to highlight activities and events in the lives of our members by posting on the bulletin board in the Hörmann Courtyard. For example, if you have something going on, are getting an award, graduating, appearing in a play or concert, or playing in a sporting event, consider sharing with the LCH ‘ohana. Small posters, programs, newspaper clippings, reviews, and announcements are all of interest and can be posted on the bulletin board.

We’d like to support your activity and/or congratulate you, if the information can be made available in a timely way. Please post your information or give it to Carol Langner to get it posted for you. Thanks for being part of the web of friendships around LCH!

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BBQ and UH Men’s Volleyball

Saturday, April 2

Join the LCH ‘ohana in cheering Nick Castello and the UH Warriors as they play California State University Northridge on Saturday, April 2.

We will dine on hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the fixings (drinks provided) promptly at 5:00 PM in the Hörmann Courtyard and clean-up before carpooling at 6:30 PM to the UH Stan Sheriff Arena for the 7:00 PM volleyball match.

Group ticket prices are $6 for adults and $2.25 ages 4–18.

Look for the sign up sheet in the courtyard on Sundays to request your tickets. RSVP to Mary Fastenau for tickets and the pre-game meal at LCH. Deadline is March 24.

Hope to see you there!

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Aloha Team

Volunteers are needed at both morning services each week to help live out our mission statement of “Welcoming to all.” This ministry is called the Aloha Team!

Team members stay at the Aloha Table to greet visitors and regular worshippers. They present lei to visitors and offer the guestbook and visitor cards for guests to sign. Temporary name tags are available at the table. The HeartBeat and other informative brochures are made available to our guests. Visitors are also shown the sanctuary entrance, restrooms, nursery, and fellowship area.

Our early morning volunteer would set up the Aloha Table and nametags, be ready to greet visitors by 7:50 AM, and stay at the table until a little after the service begins.

Our second service volunteer would be ready to greet visitors at 10:15 AM, stay at the table until a little after the service begins, and then put away the supplies and nametags after the service ends.

Everything needed for the Aloha Team fits in one plastic box, and the nametags are on a wheeled cart, so only about two minutes are necessary to clean up the table after the second service.

There is a signup sheet on the tables every Sunday so that you can record your commitment to this vital ministry! If you have questions, please contact April Smith through the Church Office. Mahalo!

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Youth Activities Calendar of Events

OYEA Beach Day: Saturday, March 19. Ala Moana Beach Park, Picnic site 28A. 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. OYEA Summer California Trip: Monday, June 27, to Wednesday, July 6 (more details to follow)

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OYEA Beach Party

Saturday, March 19, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Ala Moana Beach Park, Picnic site 28A

Time to hit the water and enjoy great sun, great fun, great food, and cool games at our annual OYEA Beach Party. This year we will meet at Ala Moana Beach Park picnic site 28A, located near the middle of the park near the bathrooms and showers on the makai side. Look for big OYEA banner.

Food, drinks, games, and sun are all provided. Bring your sunscreen, swim gear, and friends to enjoy a great day at the beach!

For more information contact Pr. Jeff Lilley: 941-2566

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OYEA Goes to California!

Events and Activities on the Trip:

• Disneyland
• Service Project
• Fun and Fellowship

For Middle School Youth

• Camping at El Camino Pines Camp in the mountains above Los Angeles
• Camping under the stars, hiking, swimming, watching squirrels!

For High School Youth

Cost for the trip: $500 per person plus airfare. (The $500 includes housing, programs and some meals.)
Don’t be scared of the price. There will be fundraisers, and scholarships will be available!

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Scentsy Fundraiser for OYEA!

Scentsy is a safe, wickless alternative to scented candles. You use electric pottery style warmers and cubes of the scented wax. All the benefits of a great smelling candle without the smoke, and no fear of flames! I am a Certified Scentsy Consultant, and for the month of March I am donating my 25% commission to the OYEA Youth to help with the cost of their trip this summer.

I will be accepting orders at my website for the fundraiser beginning on March 1 and continues through March 28 at 6:00 PM.

We will get a printed catalog to each of the OYEA churches as soon as possible

I will accept hand written orders through March 24, just to be able to get them all logged in on time. My website is <gretchenosborn.scentsy.us>.

I hope this is a good fundraiser for the youth!

Thank you,
Gretchen Osborn
Christ Lutheran Church

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What’s New on the LCH Website?

Bill Potter, Webmaster

During the month of February, new pictures and articles have been added to the Congregational Life page about parking cars for the Punahou Carnival, the Young Organists concert, Faith and Arts Sunday, the care packages being sent to Stephen Schmidt and his troops, Bach Vespers, and the baptism of the Lippert children. In addition, the “What’s New” page had become rather long, so items before January 2009 were moved to their own page.

Last July, I wrote about the first blog hosted on our LCH website, Kathy Crosier’s chronicle of the LCH music program called “Another Year of Insanity,” which is available at <insanity.blogs.lchwelcome.org>. Since June 25, 2010, Kathy has been writing about everything that goes on behind the scenes as she, Carl, Allen, choristers, and musicians prepare music for worship each Sunday, special services on Christmas, Easter, and other festivals, and concerts. She has also included stories of composers and other musicians with LCH connections, and even details of their trip to France.

I subscribe to Kathy’s blog by email, and I would like to share a part of this morning’s email:

“One of my blog ‘fans’ told me yesterday that checking for new posts has become quite an addiction. The first thing every morning when she wakes up, she checks her email to see if I’ve written more insanity.

“I could say that writing this blog has become quite an obsession in itself! Every day I wonder whether there will be anything worth writing about, and how I could tie it in to goings-on with the LCH Music Department.

“At my request, Bill Potter, our LCH webmaster, installed statistics software, because I was curious to know if anyone ‘out there’ was reading it. Since January 1st, 2011 when we started tracking ‘hits’ on the blog, I’ve been absolutely blown away to learn that there have been over 2000 views in just a little over six weeks! And those views have come way outside of our LCH community. For example, someone in England commended me for my work with young organists. Many people apparently have searched for organist Marie-Claire Alain, and read my post about how she gave Carl and me a private recital at LCH. Others have searched for information about the Honolulu Symphony. And today, a childhood friend of Carl’s contacted us, saying that she had come across my blog and wondered if Carl and I were related. She hadn’t seen or heard from Carl since he was a four or five year old boy in Port Angeles, WA!”

I just took a look at the stats for Kathy’s blog, and since January 10, she has averaged 42 views a day. The high was 124 on February 11, and the low was 13 on January 30. (These are views, so if someone comes back again to visit or looked at more than one page, it would count as two views. It does not count visits by Kathy or me.) The visitors Kathy’s blog is getting are not included in the number of visitors to the main LCH website, which currently is averaging about 60 per day.

As you know, in addition to Kathy’s blog, Linda Miller also produces “Notes from Nana Linda: Promoting a Spiritual Life for Children,” which is available at <nana.blogs.lchwelcome.org>. Linda writes some very interesting posts about the LCH Sunday School and her extended family. (Linda hasn’t activated the stats software, so I have no idea how many views she is getting each day.) I encourage you to visit both of these blogs or subscribe by email. Starting a subscription is very easy. Just visit either site and look for the subscription blank or link along the right side of the page.

And remember, the software lets us have as many blogs as we want, so talk to Pr. Jeff or me if you want to give it a try.

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LCH Property Stewards

Two of our LCH ‘ohana have already begun helping out as Property Stewards. Thanks to Bill Potter and Peggy Anderson for bringing attention to the non-functioning lights. We are on it!

More sets of eyes and ears are needed to keep our campus functioning and safe. Will you consider becoming a Property Steward?

Here is an initial list of areas for which Property Stewards are needed:

• Audio/Visual—lighting and sound
• Kitchen and restrooms
• Nave and furnishings
• Offices, classrooms, meeting spaces
• Isenberg Hall
• Landscape and hardscape
• The Hörmann Courtyard
• Luther Place apartments

If you have a gift or passion for helping to maintain our campus, please contact April or Jean-Paul through the Church Office and let us know you are interested. Mahalo!

April Smith

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ELCA Releases Proposed Social Statement on Genetics

ELCA News Service, February 24, 2011

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America today released Genetics, Faith and Responsibility, a proposed social statement on genetics, the result of more than five years of study, consultation and deliberation throughout the church. After review by the ELCA Conference of Bishops in March and the ELCA Church Council in April, the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is expected to consider the proposed social statement when it meets in August in Orlando, Fla.

More information is available at <www.elca.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4715>.

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Bach Mass in B Minor Coming in May

Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, 2011 • 7:30 PM

Bach’s Mass in B minor is the culmination of his artistic and devotional inspiration, the synthesis of earlier works and fresh composition in a single architectural masterpiece. Carl Crosier, in his final year as Cantor at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, brings 38 years of experience directing Bach’s Cantatas and Passions to a special interpretation of this monumental work.

Preferred seating $35; general admission $25.

Reservations are strongly advised as seating is limited. Call 941-2566 or purchase online at: <www.lchwelcome.org/music2010>.

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Prayer Requests

Carl	Karen	Ruth
Gene	LaVerne	Shane
Judy	Maggie	Susan

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March Birthdays

Date	Name
03/01	Florine Foerster
03/05	Hunter N.
03/06	Nathalie J.
03/06	Kore Schmidt
03/07	Lillie J.
03/07	Brian Weis
03/15	Kenny Weeks
03/17	Sydney J.
03/17	Ken Von Deylen
03/18	Ken Bauchle
03/18	Donald Womack
03/23	Nicholas Castello
03/25	Evan Dodd
03/27	Gary Khan
03/28	Olivia Castro

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Heart Beat Deadline

Next Heart Beat Deadline is Tuesday, March 15!

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Heavenly Humor

Signs & wonders

Sign outside United Church of Christ in Winter Park, FL, during unseasonably cold weather in Florida: “It’s a good time to thank God for warm friends.”

—via Bobbe Lyon, Maitland, FL

Sign (buried in snow) outside St. Joseph Church in Milford, IA: “Whoever is praying for snow, please stop!”

—via Pastor Dale A. Schoening, Bussey (IA) UMC

Sign outside church: “God does not believe in atheists—Therefore atheists do not exist.”

—via Peter Dring, Land O Lakes, WI

Sign outside St. Johns Avenue Baptist Church in Palatka, FL: “An enemy takes up more space in our head than a friend in our heart.”

—via Bill Reynolds, Jr., Palatka, FL

God’s kids say the funniest things

Elise Stari reported that students in her pre-kindergarten class at Sacred Heart School in Baton Rouge, LA, gave a great deal of serious thought to their Lenten promises.

One child decided she would give up chocolate bunny rabbits. Another child, she said, decided “to give up picking his nose.”

—Columnist Smiley Anders, Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate

Posted by a pastor on Joyful Noiseletter’s Facebook: “On Ash Wednesday, a nine-year-old girl who had never been in a church service asked my wife what I was putting on people’s foreheads. When my wife whispered ‘ashes,’ the girl looked horrified and asked, ‘Whose?!’”

A little girl in Minneapolis came home from church with a frown. “I’m not going back there anymore,” she announced, “I don’t like the Bible they use in Sunday school.”

“Why not?” her astonished mother asked.

“Because the Bible they use is always talking about St. Paul, and never mentions Minneapolis,” she replied.

—via Gleamings

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1730 Punahou Street, Honolulu, HI 96822 • 808-941-2566
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