The HeartBeat

A Message from Pastor Angela

A Great Start

There are some valuable and rich experiences coming up this summer for our youngest folks that I want you to know about and put on your calendars. It is crucial that our young people not only have time and place for fun and social activities but also have spiritually enriching experiences that draw them deeper into a personal relationship with our God.

The first thing to put on your calendar is Vacation Bible School (VBS) here at LCH this summer, Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7. It will most likely be a program running morning till midday, but the final details are still being worked out. Stay tuned. For now, mark the dates on your family calendar.

VBS is typically a time of faith learning for elementary school children, but we’re also looking for middle school and high school kids to participate as helpers and young leaders.

You might be asking, “Pastor, what do we need to do?” Hopefully very little will need to happen on our end to make this successful. The program itself is going to be run by four wonderfully trained young adults who we are receiving from Southern California Lutheran Outdoor Ministry <www.lrcchome.com>. I am organizing an effort to share the travel expenses of these folks with five other congregations who will also be hosting a VBS program.

We will need a few adults to help with publicity before the program and hospitality during the program. Also, housing; I’m going to be looking for housing for these young leaders and could use help ahead of time. But, ideally, we can do as little or as much as we would like to so that this is successful.

I am hopeful that this will not only be a spiritually enriching experience for our young ones but also a fabulous outreach into our neighborhood for young families. From what I can tell, there isn’t another VBS program in our neighborhood, so this is the perfect time to get the word out there and invite folks in. It might be the first time or only chance some young children have to hear the Good News of Jesus. It is also a time to let young families know we care and that we’re here.

The next thing you need to know about is that Camp Mokule‘ia on O‘ahu’s North Shore is beginning a new summer Bible camp program this summer! This is an Episcopal Church camp that has been under a lot of restructuring, and one of the priorities is to bring it back as a summer Bible camp. Outdoor ministry runs through my blood as a born and bred Lutheran, and I know that many other people’s life of faith has been nurtured in the camp setting. This is an invaluable opportunity to help our young people connect with God in a very deep and meaningful way, to meet other peers who are Christian, and to connect with gorgeous creation.

The senior high school student program will be run July 5 through July 11. Senior high kids who have an interest in leadership will be invited to apply to a leadership training program and then stay on for a few days as “counselor in training” with the younger children. Younger children grades 3 and up are invited to camp July 12 through 14.

More information about both of these programs and opportunities will be forthcoming. But for now, please mark your calendars both if you have kids and if you would like to help make sure these programs are successful. I welcome your help and shared ministry. Care for our youngest people is only going to be successful when the entire community supports them. Even our regular prayers starting now for these programs and general prayers for our young people will have a huge impact.

Yours on the journey,
Pastor Angela Freeman
pr.angela@lchwelcome.org

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February Council Highlights

Council met Tuesday, February 19. Here are some of the highlights of the meeting:

• Council selected Jerome Vasconcellos as the highlighted volunteer for the April newsletter.
• Pastor Angela’s Report: Plans for Vacation Bible School moving forward. Will now be meeting on UH campus during the day to meet with students.
• Looking into the feasibility/necessity of altering nursery care Sunday mornings to include ages 0 to 5.
• Since the PV installation, system has avoided 199,788.95 kg of CO₂, with a total yield of 129,461.08 kWh.
• One in Mission Update: 60% of total fundraising received (between pledges and actual giving).
• Luther Place mortgage has been paid off thanks to funds received from donation of Mahn and Lemke trusts.
• Looking forward to 2014 budget discussion: Committees to focus on their mission for the coming year and what budget requirements are needed to accomplish this mission.
• New audit committee to be established to complete all outstanding audit years.

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Process Thought: On Religious Experience

Our discussion of Religious Experience will continue from last month when we meet on Saturday, March 2, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. A repeat session will be given on Sunday, March 3, at noon.

We continue to explore the character of religious experience. What are some of the types of religious experience, are there common features of such experience, and what does Process Thought contribute to the matter? Last time we watched a talk by Jill B. Taylor, “Stroke of Insight.” This time we will watch a segment of an award-winning film, Labyrinth, featuring the experience of Marian Kolodziej, a survivor of Auschwitz. For more information speak to Fritz.

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Children’s Benefit Concert

March 2, 2013 • 4:00 PM

It’s that time of year again! The children and youth of LCH are busy preparing for another benefit concert. The concert will take place later in Lent, and the beneficiary of the children’s fundraising concert will be the ELCA’s own Good Gifts. Donations may be used for the purchase income producing animals, construction of water wells, school fees for girls, micro loans for women to start a business, medicine, new homes for disaster survivors, and many more options to help those in need. Please see the website <www.elca.org/goodgifts> for information on the program. The children are still considering which gift they would like to purchase with the funds raised from the concert.

We hope you will attend the concert and consider giving $1 a day during Lent ($40) towards the fundraising effort. In the past, children have performed with song and dance, on violin, cello, drums, flute, organ, and piano and have even recited orations. And the F.R.O.G.S. Chorus always contributes a group song accompanied with various bells and chimes. Please join us on March 2 for an invigorating concert by our young and consider contributing to the ELCA’s worldwide ministries.

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Lenten Soup and Salad Suppers

Please join in the fellowship of a simple soup and salad supper on Wednesday evenings during the season of Lent. This meal precedes a short worship service of word, music, and reflection of the Lenten season.

Supper will be served at 6:00 PM before the 7:00 PM service on the following dates: March 6, 13, and 20. Sign-up sheets will be available in the courtyard for volunteers to contribute to each week’s meal and also for help in setting up. See Mary-Jo Estes or Jeanne Castello for more information.

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Adult Forum

Through the remainder of the season of Lent, Adult Forum will take a relatively lighter journey through the Bible. We will also include interesting videos about the subject matter. Please join us at 9:20 AM in the Boardroom!

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Hale Haumāna—Campus Ministry

Hale Haumāna will be meeting with students on campus during this Lenten season. No Wednesday night dinners are needed during this time of quiet reflection (February 13 through March 27). You can find Hale Haumāna every Wednesday at 1:00 PM in the Campus Center at UH! Come for time of prayer, fellowship, just to chat, or to have lunch together. I humbly thank all volunteers who have helped this ministry so far for their incredible generosity, hospitality, and cooking skills!

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Exploring Boundaries and Beyond

Sunday, March 17 • 6:00–7:15 PM

Evening Prayer • 7:30–8:00 PM

Although a little out of sync with the liturgical calendar, our speaker this month will tell us about the Star of Bethlehem from an astronomer’s perspective. Bob Joseph is professor at the Institute for Astronomy, UH Manoa, where he teaches the general education survey of astronomy, graduate courses in cosmology, and honors courses in science and religion. Check out the courtyard bulletin board for more information about our speaker.

Dr. Joseph sent us this synopsis of his presentation: “The Star of Bethlehem in the Christmas story told in Matthew’s Gospel has fascinated people for two millennia. This illustrated lecture will describe some of the historical interpretations of the Star of Bethlehem and show some of the astronomical events that might have represented the Star. Recent research has led to a completely new understanding of the story of the Wise Men from the East and the Star they followed. I will show how this new interpretation finally makes astronomical, astrological, historical, and textual sense of the events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.”

The evening ends with the optional service of Evening Prayer at 7:30 PM. This meditative service includes a participatory half-hour service of hymns, prayers, readings, and choir music.

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Lilies for Easter

Help us decorate the nave for Easter by filling out the form inserted in the bulletin to donate a lily.

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Writers’ Workshop

Writers’ Workshop will meet next on Monday, March 18, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Boardroom at LCH. Additional meetings are planned for April 15 and May 20.

All are welcome. For information, please contact Kathryn Klingebiel through the Church Office (941-2566).

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Easter Sunday Potluck Brunch

There will be a potluck Easter brunch on March 31, between services, in the Hörmann Courtyard. Please bring any breakfast casseroles, breads, pastries, fruit, cheese, crackers, or any other favorite dish to share in fellowship.

We will need people to help set up tables in the courtyard (before the 8:00 service). In addition, we’ll need kitchen clean-up helpers after the meal (before the 10:30 service).

To volunteer for either of these duties, see the sign-up sheet in the courtyard.

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Holy Communion Learning

This is for children who haven’t received Holy Communion yet or those who have and whose parents would like some more learning with the pastor and other children. Reception of communion is scheduled for evening worship Maundy Thursday, March 28. This learning is geared for kids in second grade and older. Please speak with Pastor Angela if you’re interested in participating.

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Young-ish Adult Game Night

We hardly fit into the Boardroom for our game night in February! It looks like we’re enjoying our time together! Pastor Angela is looking for some helpers to get this rolling for March and possibly beyond. If you’d like to help coordinate the night, which basically means plan a date and invite people, send her an email and let her know. Contact her at <pr.angela@lchwelcome.org>.

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Mission Campaign—On the Up and Up!

In May 2011, the LCH Congregation voted to raise $250,000 to pave a new parking lot behind the Church (completed), call an associate pastor (Pastor Angela has been called), and cover the Hörmann Courtyard. This Mission One fundraising campaign is separate from our ongoing and regular donations to the church’s normal operations. As of January 31, 2012, we have reached about 60% of our goal.

Please join us in this major fundraising effort by contributing or by pledging to contribute to this ongoing effort (see Fred Benco, Josie Bidgood, or Jean Lilley for your pledge forms).

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What’s New on the LCH Website?

Bill Potter, Webmaster

Regular readers of this column (if there are any out there) will certainly have noticed my frequent references to visitor counts as shown on Google Analytics. What you may not know is that every morning at work, while drinking my morning cup of coffee and before I check out Facebook, I log onto the Analytics site and check to see how many visitors we have been getting on the LCH website and which pages are getting the most hits.

Over the last month or so, there have been several noticeable spikes in visits. For a long time, we have averaged around 65 visitors a day, but on four days in February, there were more than 100 visitors. So what is bringing these additional visitors to our site?

One part of the answer is our recent performance of Händel’s Israel in Egypt. In the last month, the information page for that concert was the fifth most visited page, and the page for purchasing tickets was number 12. (This was a big contributor to the February high of 127 visitors on February 16.)

An even bigger contribution came for significant increases in the visits to our Daily Prayer pages. The second most visited page in the month before this column was written was the main Daily Office page, with 376 visits. (Compare that number with 1,067 visits to the Home page.) Also in the top ten were the Morning Prayer page (number 8 with 170 visits) and the Compline page (number 10 with 127 visits). Evening Prayer was number 17, and Noon Prayer came in at number 19.

Why this spike in visitors to our Daily Prayer pages? One explanation is referrals from churches and blogs that have linked to these pages. In fact, the top site referring people to the LCH website is St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church in Crystal River, FL (119 visits over the month before this column was written). The next highest number was for referrals from Facebook (78).

If you haven’t visited our Daily Prayer pages, just go to <www.lchwelcome.org/office>. These pages provide a convenient context for regular prayers at any time of day.

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LCH Volunteer of the Month for March 2013

This month the LCH Council is pleased to honor Chuck Huxel for all the many ways in which he serves this congregation and Christ’s community.

Active in the lay ministries on Sunday mornings, you’ll find Chuck setting up the Aloha Table, putting out nametags, preparing bulletins, ushering, serving communion, or reading the lessons. In the past he has also made home visits to bring communion to those who were unable to come to services.

Chuck also takes the time to sweep the leaves from the courtyard before anyone arrives for worship. He is always helpful in setting up tables and chairs for church social events and participates in the clean up activities.

Chuck has willingly served on the church Council as well as on call committees. He has cooked for I.H.S. and Wounded Warriors.

Chuck always gives of his time and talents quietly and consistently. Mahalo nui loa, Chuck, for your service, smile, and spirit in spreading God’s aloha!

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A Message from Pastor Jeff

Remember that you are dust...

As a Christian community we begin our season of Lent with these somewhat cryptic words from Genesis 3. In the creation story, Adam and Eve, having mistrusted God and eaten of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, are subjected to God’s conditions. God says to Adam in Genesis 19, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

We begin our Lenten season with full recognition that both life and death loom over us, but not always in equal measure. There is no magic bullet that makes everything work out, no bread without work, no relationships without effort, no life without death. The very dust from whence we came will serve as our home again one day—despite our best efforts to the contrary. However, our Lenten season does not end with abject mortality or an unanswered story of “the Fall.”

In a wonderful way, the words “remember you are dust” call us to live more fully and more deliberately in the grace of a God who chooses to remain with us and love us despite our mistrust, our failures, and weakness. The ashen cross we received on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is a powerful sign of that love. Even when God’s beloved is put to death by the children of Adam, God still loves. When we fall short of God’s expectations, God still loves. When we fail to act as a church with justice and mercy, God still loves. We are neither a perfect nor finished creation. Our dustiness does not seem to get in God’s way, so why should it be such a barrier for us? What are the spiritual and material barriers to receiving and giving that love?

At the Day of Theological Reflection this year, Herb and Phyllis Anderson noted that as humans and as a church, we find ourselves in a constant state of receiving and being poured out. We receive God’s love and grace, and we pour it out for others. In our bodies, cells grow and multiply, while others are dying. Churches receive new members, and a week later we bid others farewell. It does no good to cling foolishly to receiving and refuse to be poured out. When we begin to let go of our need to be in a constant state of receiving and embrace being “poured out as a libation” we find a more abundant life in Christ and in each other.

As we gather this Lent we hope to explore what it means to receive our very being from a God who loves us, and then to be “poured out” for the sake of the world. We begin in dust; but between dust and dust there is a remarkable and wonderful thing called life. May we our life be a pouring out of God’s grace in the world.

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

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Prayer Requests

Alicia	Elaine	Lani
Amy	Eric	Maggie
Carl	Gene	Stephen
Chris	George	Susan
Debbie	Gus	Trinity
	Karen

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March Birthdays

Date	Name
03/05	Hunter N.
03/06	Nathalie J.
03/07	Lillie J.
03/07	Brian Weis
03/18	Ken Bauchle
03/18	Donald Womack
03/23	Nicholas Castello
03/28	Olivia Castro

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HeartBeat Deadline

Next HeartBeat Deadline is Tuesday, March 19!

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