The HeartBeat

A Message from Pastor Angela

2013 Day Camp: “REACH!”

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”—2 Corinthians 5:17–20

Twenty kids, two high school helpers, and four staff leaders gathered for an awesome week-long day camp at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu! July 3 through 7, the staff led the kids in song, worship, service project, Bible studies, craft projects, outings to the park with games, and so much more!

Lutheran Retreats, Camps, and Conferences (LRCC) from Southern California worked with LCH to bring their well-established day camp program to the islands. This was LCH’s first time trying out this ministry, and it was a hit! The kids had an awesome time, the staff was phenomenal, and the church came alive with the sounds of children worshiping and learning about God.

The amazing group leaders from LRCC: Melanie Cornejo, Eric Lund, Brigette Stevenson, Kevin Bowen.

You can see by the pictures the joy in the children’s faces and the excitement they had about coming each morning!

There were a number of adult helpers for the program as well—snack organizers and providers, registration helpers, cooks for meals for the staff, hosts who housed staff members, and even gave use of their car for the staff members.

All in all, it was a great week! Thanks be to God! A big mahalo to everyone who participated and made this week a success!

Peace to you all,
Pastor Angela Freeman
pr.angela@lchwelcome.org

Additional photos from Day Camp are available on the LCH Facebook page.

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June Council Highlights

Council met Tuesday, June 18. Here are some of the highlights of the meeting:

• Thank you Pastor Angela for all the work in putting together a successful day camp for our keiki! Striving for future cooperation between Lutheran and Episcopal Outdoor ministries.
• Since the PV installation, system has avoided 228,664 lbs. of CO₂, with a total yield of 148,185 kWh.
• Lūa‘u site for 2014 Synod Assembly has been secured.
• Financial Review Committee has been assembled and has completed work on the 2009 and 2010 audit.
• Member/plate giving at approximately 89% of expected giving YTD.
• Mission Campaign Update: Seventy-seven support request letters sent out to current members on July 18. Additional fifty letters sent to former members.
• Hörmann Courtyard Update: Engineering has determined a single cover is required. In process of studying sprinkler system requirements with City of Honolulu.
• Website Update: designer continues to work on new website. Waiting on website team submissions for page content.
• Council goal setting and visioning meeting scheduled for August 24.

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LCH supports Angel Network!

On the first Sunday of every month, LCH collects donations for Angel Network. For the past several years, the LCH community has been a huge supporter of Angel Network, Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church’s food bank and homeless services ministry. Members and friends are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items (especially canned food), travel-sized personal care items, and dried foods like pasta and deposit them in our “grocery basket” located near the entrance to the Nave. Mahalo for living out your call to minister to the poorest among us!

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In Stitches is back in Session

During the summer In Stitches, the LCH craft group, will meet in the courtyard after service. Drop by and learn to make the ribbon lei we give to visitors, work on your own project, or just sit and chat!

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LCH Day at Hawai‘i Polo

Sunday, July 14 • Hawai‘i Polo Grounds, Mokulē‘ia

Please join us for a day of sun, fun, horses, and fellowship as we enjoy the polo grounds on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

A group will leave LCH at 11:30 AM and caravan to the polo grounds located near Waialua. Bring sunscreen, chairs, shade, food, and drink for a great afternoon. If you want to meet the LCH crowd there, look for the LCH banner on the front of our pop-up shade. Pastor Jeff will have a small gas BBQ if you want to bring food to grill.

The polo grounds are located right along the beach so bring a suit if you would like to swim between chukkers. This is a “tailgate”-style affair so bring chairs, shade, blankets to sit on, and games for the kids. The first of two matches begins at 2:00 PM, but it is suggested to arrive no later than 12:30 PM to get a good place along the sidelines.

For more information about our event, please contact Pastor Jeff.

To learn more about the polo grounds, visit <www.hawaii-polo.org>. Thank you Sarah Roseberg for this great idea!!

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Writers’ Workshop

Writers’ Workshop will meet next on Monday, July 15, for our first summer get-together. Further meetings are planned for August 12 and September 16. All are welcome. For information, please contact Kathryn Klingebiel through the Church Office (941-2566).

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Young(er) Adult Game Night!

Come join us on Saturday, July 20 at 7:00 PM in the Boardroom at LCH! Meet up with others your age for fun and great social time! If you are in your 20s, 30s, or in that area, please bring a snack and your favorite game for an evening of fun.

Babysitters will be provided, but please RSVP to Sara Heidenheimer through the Church Office (941-2566).

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Adult Forum

“Healthy Kids, Healthy Churches, Healthy Communities” Starting Sunday, August 4, 10:30 AM

The purpose of the “Healthy Kids, Healthy Churches, Healthy Communities” curriculum is to provide Christian congregations and parishes with an easy-to-use guide for having a conversation in your community about how to make healthier decisions. The curriculum allows people to draw on their own experiences, think theologically about care for our health and the health of others, become better informed, and take action. The conversations will help individuals, families and communities create healthy environments and environments that support our faith in our Creator God.

The hope is that this curriculum will continue the conversation here at LCH that we have been having for years about environment, sustainability, and creation care. We want to help empower you and your households to bring even more of these practices into your daily lives and make even healthier decisions. Please join us at 10:30 AM in the Boardroom at LCH following the Sunday morning service.

“Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”—1 Corinthians 15:58

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A Message from Pastor Jeff

Multi-media Outreach

‘I must be overtired,’ Buttercup managed. ‘The excitement and all.’ ‘Rest then,’ her mother cautioned. ‘Terrible things can happen when you’re overtired. I was overtired the night your father proposed.’ —William Goldman, The Princess Bride

As I sit at my desk this morning, I notice how many devices are connected to chargers. To my left, my iPad and bluetooth keyboard are tethered to the electrical grid after a long day yesterday of writing and taking notes. To my right, my phone is charging it’s batteries after calls to congregation members and colleagues took its battery down to zero. In fact, plugging in electronics to recharge batteries has become somewhat of a ritual in most of our lives. When batteries wear down and get tired, we re-charge them. But what about ourselves?

Many health experts caution that the U.S. population tends not to rest and recreate at a level that is healthy. Statistically, we are far more likely to work on our days off, take less (or no) vacation, and work longer hours than most of our European counterparts. For example, the average U.S. worker has about thirteen days of paid vacation time each year compared to nearly thirty days for many European workers. (Interestingly, the U.S. is the only developed nation that does not mandate paid vacation time, which may explain why only 70% of workers enjoy this benefit). The situation is worsened by a fragile job market and continuing layoffs that leave workers feeling vulnerable to layoffs if they don’t perform above and beyond expectations. The result, according to the CDC and other health organization, is an epidemic of tiredness. We are working ourselves to death.

Perhaps that is why God called us to Sabbath. In the creation story, God works for six days and then rests on the seventh; and God encourages us to do the same. In Sabbath we are “re-created,” made whole, refreshed, and reconnected. For some, Sabbath is used as a time to “unplug” from everything. But I’m not sure that is the only way to live Sabbath.

Maybe all those devices on my desk are a clue. “Unplugging” devices does not, in fact, bring them back to useful life. In order to make them useful again, we have to plug them into an energy source. What if we looked at Sabbath as a time to “plug into” what is healthy and life giving?

So what brings you life? How can you use your time and vacation in a way that recharges you for life, and not just for work? Are there ways we can adjust our time use, attitude, lifestyle, and even relationships in such way that we are intentional about finding Sabbath?

Here at the church office, we noticed that the staff was getting a bit tired and more negative. Little things seem to bother us more than usual, and we were tending to see the down side of things more often than we were seeing the up side. Out of the blue, Sarah suggested that we begin a spiritual practice of Bible study and prayer together each morning. Just that small change will allow us a time of Sabbath so that our life together is refreshed in God. Brilliant, simple, effective.

So here are a couple of Sabbath tips:

• Tend to your time off and be sure that you have adequate rest from work.
• Make God a regular part of your daily/weekly Sabbath through worship and prayer.
• Plug into healthy eating, sleep, fun activities, exercise, and good friends.
• Don’t be afraid to say “yes” to invitations to share in something new.
• Give thanks for those around you and let them know you love them.
• Be intentional about Sabbath and advocate for enough time to be refreshed.

Blessings and good Sabbath!

With peace,
Pastor Jeff Lilley
pr.jeff@lchwelcome.org

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Attendance and Offerings for Sunday, June 30, 2013, were not available at time of publication.

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Prayer Requests

Alicia	Eric	Maggie
Amy	Gene	Shirley
Carl	George	Stephen
Chris	Karen	Susan
Elaine		Trinity

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July Birthdays

Date	Name
07/02	David Del Rocco
07/03	Linda Wong
07/07	Ann C. DeVallee
07/08	Linda Miller
07/14	Ellie Ann Himawari O.
07/16	Whitney Walker
07/17	Don Person
07/17	Bill Potter
07/19	Shane S.
07/22	Christopher Khan
07/23	Karen Fay
07/24	Savannah M.
07/25	Georgine Stark
07/28	Tomi Haehnlen
07/28	Irmgard Hörmann
07/29	Bob Zimmer

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HeartBeat Deadline

Next HeartBeat Deadline is Tuesday, July 18!

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