Congregational Life at LCH—January, February, and March 2010

Holy Week Celebrations Begin with Palm Sunday

LCH began its celebration of Holy Week on March 28 with a Palm Sunday. Both morning worship services began with the blessing of palms and continued with the dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel according to St. Luke.

Between services, at 9:15, the Sunday School children hosted the entire congregation for their annual Seder Meal. The Seder is the traditional commemoration of the Passover and Exodus by Jewish families, but it is also the meal Jesus ate with his disciples at the institution of holy communion. After learning about this meal throughout Lent, the children had prepared everything for this gathering of the whole congregation.

At right, members of the congregation eat their Seder Meal.

More pictures from Palm Sunday are available in the Holy Week and Easter 2010 Slideshow.

First Communion Class

An exuberant group of children and their parents joined Pastor Jeff Lilley for First Communion Class following the 10:30 worship service on Sunday, March 14. Following lunch, the group dived into their work, learning about Jesus’ meal with his disciples and about God’s promise shared in the holy meal.

Following the formal portion of the class, everyone moved to the kitchen to learn how to make communion bread. Pastor Jeff explained about the ingredients, and then individual children got to add them one by one to the mixing bowls and stirred them together. Then they kneaded the dough, formed it into flat loaves, and baked the bread.

At left, a group of children mix the ingredients for communion bread.

More pictures from First Communion Class are available on the LCH Facebook page.

Congregational Work Day

Members gathered on campus on Saturday, March 13, for a bit of spring cleaning in anticipation of Easter. Following some coffee, an opening prayer, and stretching, they divided into four work crews, all under the direction of Jim Sullivan, our master organizer.

One group went to work on the archives, and another worked outdoors to brighten up the entrance from the back parking lot and repot the plants in the courtyard. In the Nave, a third group stripped and waxed the floor under the platform (which was not moved for the last waxing before Christmas) while others cleaned from top to bottom.

The Isenberg Hall group prepared the remaining wall for painting. The original plan was to paint the wall that had not been taken care of in September, but there was so much dust and prep work around the windows, that the group was not able to start painting.

At right, the Paula Wheeler, Aaron Fegley, and Billie Jean Ries work on the Isenberg wall.

More pictures from the work day are available on the LCH Facebook page.

Bach Vespers of Lent

The LCH Choir, Bach Chamber Orchestra, and Compline Choir combined forces for a beautiful Vesper Service on March 7, the Third Sunday in Lent.

The centerpieces of the service were Heinrich Schütz’s Deutsches Magnificat and J.S. Bach’s Aus tiefer Not schrie ich zu dir, BWV 38. The Magnificat was written for double choir and performed with the first choir being accompanied by strings and the second by trombones, as was customary in the composer’s time.

At left, Allen Bauchle conducts the Schütz Magnificat. The first choir and strings are visible in this picture, and the second choir with trombones are off to the left.

More pictures from the rehearsal and the service itself are available on the LCH Facebook page.

LCH Children Fill the Ark

For the 6th year in a row, the children of LCH challenged the entire congregation to “fill the ark” by raising $4,000 to purchase an Ark of Animals from Heifer International. And again this year, the children put down the challenge in the form of their 5th annual benefit concert on Saturday, February 20.

The concert featured performance by the F.R.O.G.S. Choir and Chamber Orchestra, as well as individuals playing the violin, ’cello, piano, and organ; a piano trio; voice; dance; and recitation. The audience responded with lots of applause as well as checks and pledges. Almost $2,500 was contributed at the concert.

At right, the F.R.O.G.S begin the concert with “Do unto Others” by Vicki Hancock Wright.

See pictures from all the performances in the 2010 Benefit Concert slideshow. Links to YouTube videos will be added to the slideshow as they become available.

LCH Celebrates Faith & Arts Sunday

February 14, the people of LCH celebrated their creative side with the annual observance of Faith & Arts Sunday. Drawings and paintings, mixed media and photography, poetry and prose, needlework and other handcrafts filled Hörmann Courtyard and the Nave. In addition, members of the Aloha Jam group provided special music for the 8:00 AM worship service, and the women of the LCH Choir sang Benjamin Britten’s Missa Brevis as the service music at 10:30.

At left, members of the congregation examine items displayed in the courtyard.

Lots more pictures and details about exhibits are available in the Faith & Arts 2010 slideshow, and poetry and prose from members of the Writers’ Workshop are available in the Small Groups seciton.

20th Anniversary of Pastor Jeff’s Ordination

A large crowd from LCH and several other churches in the Hukilau gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pastor Jeff’s ordination. The actual anniversary is February 17, but since that is Ash Wednesday this year, the celebration took place early.

A spectacular evening of good food (catered by Kristi’s Kitchen) and fellowship was organized by April Smith, with lots of assistance from a lot of others. The crowd also took up a calabash for the Life Foundation in honor of Pastor Jeff.

At right, Peggy Anderson presents Jeff with a maile lei entwined with well-wishes from members of the congregation. Additional pictures and further details about the evening are available in the 20th Anniversary slideshow.

Punahou Carnival Parking

The first weekend in February means it’s Punahou Carnival and the LCH youth are parking cars. What was unusual was the fact that for the second year in a row, the weather was uncharacteristically sunny.

Carnival goers flocked to Makiki for malasadas and rides and all the other attractions, and lots of them parked in the LCH lots, which were staffed by the congregation’s youth and adults, as well as a few volunteers from other OYEA congregations. Youth who worked the fundraiser could earn subsidies for upcoming summer camp opportunities.

Thanks to Pam Buckley, Jean Lilley, and Jerylyn Watanabe, who organized everything, to the youth and adults who volunteered, and to everyone who parked at LCH.

At left, Cheryl Crozier Garcia manages the back lot with help from youth from Joy of Christ and LCH.

Update: Just over $5,500 was raised for youth activities through this fundraiser.

Congregational Meeting and RIC Sunday

The last day of of January saw two important—and very different—observances at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.

Members gathered in the Nave between morning worship services for the second half of the Annual Congregational Meeting. Three current members were re-elected to three-year terms on the Church Council, annual reports were received, and the budget for 2010 was adopted. While a number of members asked probing questions about the financial report and the proposed budget, all motions were passed unanimously, setting the stage for the congregation to move forward on our mission.

January 31 was also our annual reaffirmation of the congregation’s decision to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation. The Nave was festive with rainbow banners, and for both morning worship services, Pastor Jeff and Bob Zimmer presented a short play in which a visitor from a congregation conflicted about recent changes in the ELCA talks with Pastor Jeff Lilley about Reconciling in Christ Sunday. Listen to this sermon.

At right, Bob Zimmer and Pastor Jeff present the sermon in play format.

Bach, Britten, and Butler

LCH welcomed J. Melvin Butler of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle for the second Abendmusiken Concert of the 2009–2010 season. Mr. Butler presented a varied program of organ works by Baroque masters Bach, Walther, and de Grigny, along with a contemporary work by Winges.

Mr. Butler was joined after the intermission by the treble voices of the LCH Choir for Benjamin Britten’s Missa Brevis.

At left, Cantor Carl Crosier conducts the choir and Mr. Butler in the Brtitten. Additional pictures and details about Mr. Butler are available on the AGO Hawaii Picture Blog.

The Abendmusiken season concludes in April with “A Bach Pilgrimage VII,” featuring works composed in 1724 at Leipzig.

Many Hands Feed Many, Many Hungry Mouths

It’ a good things lots of LCH members showed up to help serve dinner at IHS on January 15 because we served a huge crowd of guests at IHS (The Institute for Human Services, Honolulu’s homeless shelter in Iwilei)). Over 200 hungry guests lined up for our regular meal of meatloaf (“With real meat!” as the guests say), rice, mixed vegetables, salad, fruit cocktail, and cookies. There were so many, that we even ran out of meatloaf and had to substitute beans and franks for the last round of guests.

At right, Jimmy, Ilse, and Perry mix up the salad. Also helping that evening were Mary-Jo, Billie Jean, Rudy, and Bill.

LCH prepares dinner beginning at 1:00 PM on the third Friday of every month, with preparation for serving at 5:30. Talk with Jimmy or Olivia Castro if you’d like to help.

Christmas Celebration Continues

The world may have moved on, but LCH continued to celebrate Christmas in the new year. January 3 was the Second Sunday of Christmas, and the Nave was still bright with poinsettias, the Christmas paraments, and the crèche.

There was, however, a change. The shepherds had returned to their fields, and the Magi had taken their place at the crèche with their gifts for the baby Jesus. Strictly speaking, they weren’t due until January 6 and the Feast of the Epiphany, but since it falls on Wednesday this year, they made an early appearance.

At left, Pastor Jeff brought the children up to the crèche during the children’s conversation so they could get a good look at the Magi and talk about the gifts they brought.

See another picture of the children around the crèche as well as pictures from the season in the Christmas 2009 Slideshow.

Welcoming the New Year auf Deutsch

Say “New Year’s Eve” to someone in Honolulu, and they immediately think “fireworks.” And say “New Year’s Day” to someone at LCH, and they’ll probably think ”German Vespers.” It’s become that much of a tradition.

German Vespers 2010 featured chorales, responses, and prayers in German, a sermon in German by Fritz Fritschel, former assisting pastor, and the LCH Choir and Bach Chamber Orchestra performing J.S. Bach’s Cantata 122 and Telemann’s Deutsches Magnificat.

LCH also welcomed back Bruce Bengtson as guest organist. Bruce is organist-choirmaster at Luther Memorial Church in Madison, WI, and is well known to the people of LCH as the composer of many of the gospel acclamations used at the 10:30 service over the year. He has twice presented organ recitals at LCH.

At right, Bruce plays the organ voluntary at the close of German Vespers.

See additional pictures from German Vespers in the Christmas 2009 Slideshow.

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