LCH Celebrates Earth Day Sunday on April 27

The bounty of our Earth Day celebration 2024This year LCH will celebrate Earth Day with a special service at 10:00 am on Sunday, April 27. The worship service will use a special liturgy centered around creation care.

Before worship, the Adult Form will welcome Dr. Jonathan Scheurer to speak on water rights at 9:00 am in the Boardroom. Dr. Scheurer has twenty five years experience in public policy and land management in the public, non profit, and private sectors, in the Native Hawaiian and broader communities. He works with clients to develop strategies designed to avoid, manage, and/or resolve deep and complex conflicts over the control and management of natural resources.

In addition, sharing tables will be set up in the Hörmann Courtyard for members and friends to share nature’s bounty (plants, flowers vegetables, fruits, nuts, and crafts made of natural materials). The photo at the right shows one of the sharing tables from last year’s celebration.

Read about the history Earth Day, forms of climate activism, ways to get involved, and LCH’s commitment to creation care in the April HeartBeat.

125th Anniversary Mission Fund Plans

LCH’s 125th Anniversary celebration includes two important elements—refurbishing the organ and mission objectives that were formed through the critical input from the ‘Ohana Groups and the ongoing discussions about what is God calling us to do.

The areas the congregation identified as the most important are:

  • Welcoming and Safe Environment
  • Liturgy, Music, and the Arts
  • Silver Tsunami

The area of liturgy and music is being covered by the money being raised for the organ and a generous $79,000 bequest from the Thomas Hilgers Trust that is to be spent on the music program, but specifically for items not in the ongoing budget, such as concerts, new musical commissions, and other ways to expand the music program.

To cover the Welcoming and Safe Environment and the Silver Tsunami, we propose the following:

  • Welcoming and Safe Environment—$50,000
    • Presenting a more welcoming face to the world (cleaning up the front of the church, painting the exterior and interior of the church, removing old playground equipment, repairing the rose window)
    • Landscaping, including creating a dog run for neighbors
    • Murals to capture the spirit of the church
  • Silver Tsunami—$4,000
    • Seed money to help determine the most beneficial programs for seniors and their caregivers.
  • Tithing to the ELCA through the Pacifica Synod—$6,000
    • Yes, tithing is part of our culture.

We will create task forces to oversee these efforts and make sure the congregation is involved in the planning. If you want to be part of one of these task forces, please talk to Olivia Castro.

As of publication, we have raised $9,000 for the mission part of the 125th anniversary celebration. We narrowed the focus and are now concentrating on raising funds. If you would like to contribute, we ask that you do the following:

  • Write a check and mail it in or give as your offering. Please designate 125th Anniversary Mission Fund on the description line.
  • Contact Brenda in the church office (808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelome.org) to start initiate a monthly EFT donation to the 125th Anniversary Mission Fund through Simply Giving or to add a new donation to your current contributions via Simply Giving
  • Go to the LCH website and click the Donate link. From the pulldown menu and click on 125th Anniversary Mission Fund.

If you have any questions, please contact Mary Fastenau, Olivia Castro, or Dan Dennison.