Volume 3, Issue 26
July 20, 2018
THIS SUNDAY: July 22, 2018
Nineth Sunday after Pentecost (B)
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

8:00AM
Cami Pascua (EM)
Jeff Albao (U)
Diane Sato (AG)

9:30AM
Mary Margaret Smith (EM)
David & Linda Crocker (R)
Bill & CeCe Caldwell (U)
Janis Wright (AG)
David Crocker & Enrico (A)
UPCOMING DATES
Every Sunday | 9:00-9:30AM
Adult Bible Study on this Week's Gospel
Under the big tree

Every Sunday | 10:45AM - 12PM
Aloha Hour
Deck

Sunday, July 22 | 11:00AM Service
Youth Group Bible Study
Youth Room/Gym

Every Monday | 8:00AM
Monday Crew
Church Office

Tuesday, July 24 | 6:00PM - 8:00PM
Vestry Meeting
Rectory

1st & 3rd Wednesday | 5:30-8:30PM
Laundry Love
Kapaa Laundromat

Every Wednesday | 6:00PM
McMaster Slack Key Guitar and Ukulele Concert (Church)

1st Thursday of the month | 8:00AM
Eucharistic Healing Service

Thursday, July 26 | 7:00PM
Daughters of the King
Memorial Hall

Thursday, July 27 | 6:00PM
South Africa Travelogue with Joan
Memorial Hall
We invite your family to join All Saints' on Saturday, September 1 st - Monday, September 3 rd  (Labor Day Weekend) for the 3 rd Annual All Saints' `Ohana Retreat at Camp Sloggett, the YWCA camp in Koke`e State Park.

The retreat promises to be an enjoyable, family-centered, and spirit-filled weekend. Even more fun than last year with activities planned for all ages and activity levels. 

Registration forms are available here. Please complete the form and attach it to the Ohana Retreat clipboard on the table by the church door on Sunday or to the church office by Sunday, August 12 th .

There is a suggested donation amount of $20 to help offset the cost of the Camp. Additional donations to underwrite the weekend are always welcome. The Church will provide some meals, snacks and drinks with the remainder being the responsibility of the 'Ohana. Check in at the camp is 10:00AM on Saturday September 1 st .  Participants are encouraged to gather at All Saints' at 9:00AM on Saturday to caravan up to Camp Sloggett. We strongly encourage carpooling.

Camp Sloggett offers a 15-person lodge, a 15-person bunk house, a 4-person cabin, and plenty of space for outdoor camping amid the grounds. Tentatively, we have set a 50-person enrollment cap, so sign up early to reserve a spot.

We need volunteers to share their gifts, talents, and skills to coordinate activities and oversee responsibilities (ie. hiking, crafts, games, music, prayer and spiritual reflection, cooking, cleaning, etc.).

We hope that you join us for this amazing opportunity for fun, fellowship, and spiritual renewal. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to assist with the planning process, please email  Mary Margaret Smith.

We will keep you updated with more details as the `Ohana Retreat approaches.

Mary Margaret Smith
Junior Warden
GENERAL CONVENTION 2018 WRAP-UP
Following the Way of Jesus
[Episcopal News Service] Responding to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s call to “Follow the Way of Jesus,” deputies and bishops at the 79 th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting July 5-13 in Austin, Texas, acted on a record number of resolutions on key issues such as immigration , prayer book revision , Israel-Palestine , and readmitting the Episcopal Church of Cuba as a diocese . Convention also passed a $134 million budget that reflects for a further three years the presiding bishop’s priorities of evangelism , racial reconciliation and creation care . Meanwhile, the legislative processes were overseen by a resident roost of avian observers , one of which adopted a social media presence to bring a steady flow of light-feathered moments to convention amid the often-intense and passionate debates on the key issues before the church.
Outside the legislative chambers, several events brought together bishops, deputies and visitors to mingle, socialize, pray, worship and advocate, with a public witness against gun violence and another outside an immigrant detention center challenging the actions of the U.S. government in its enforcement of immigration policies. A revival service at Austin’s Palmer Events Center on July 7 drew a crowd of more than 2,500 people who listened to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s rousing sermon about how “God is love and gives life.”
In his opening sermon on July 5, Curry challenged every Episcopalian to embrace the “ Way of Love : Practices for a Jesus-centered life” as a way to help the church enter into a new era of spiritual growth.
 
$134 million budget adopted

Convention adopted a $133.8 million 2019-2021 budget that reflects the presiding bishop’s priorities of evangelism , racial reconciliation and justice , and creation care . The priorities have been referred to as the “three pillars” of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.

It also continues to be built on what Maine Bishop Stephen Lane, vice chair of the Joint Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, told the joint session is “the foundation of our continuing ministries as a church and our commitments to others both within and beyond our church.” In addition, it includes the foundation of the church’s “ongoing commitment to conciliar governance, and the legal, financial and other services of the Church Center [the denominational offices in New York].”

Full ENS coverage of the budget process is available here .
 
Full access to trial-use marriage rites

Convention agreed in passing Resolution B012 on July 13 to give all Episcopalians the ability to be married by their priests in their home churches.
Resolution B012 had gone from the House of Deputies to the bishops and back to the deputies on its road to approval. Deputies overwhelmingly approved a heavily amended version of the resolution on July 9, and the House of Bishops added a technical amendment two days later that does not change B012’s goal of giving full access to two trial-use marriage rites for same-sex and opposite-sex couples approved by the 2015 meeting of General Convention (via Resolution A054 ).

Resolution B012 provides for:
  • Giving rectors or clergy in charge of a congregation the ability to provide access to the trial use of the marriage rites for same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Resolution A054-2015 and the original version of B012 said that clergy could only use the rites under the direction of their bishop.
  • Requiring that, if a bishop “holds a theological position that does not embrace marriage for same-sex couples,” he or she may invite another bishop, if necessary, to provide “pastoral support” to any couple desiring to use the rites, as well as to the clergy member and congregation involved. In any case, an outside bishop must be asked to take requests for remarriage if either member of the couple is divorced to fulfill a canonical requirement that applies to opposite-sex couples.
  • Continuing trial use of the rites until the completion of the next comprehensive revision of the Book of Common Prayer.

Full ENS coverage of marriage equality is available here .
 
New plan for liturgical and prayer book revision

Convention adopted a plan for liturgical and prayer book revision that sets the stage for the creation of new liturgical texts to respond to the needs of Episcopalians across the church while continuing to use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

Resolution A068 originally called for the start of a process that would lead to a fully revised prayer book in 2030. The bishops instead adopted a plan for “liturgical and prayer book revision for the future of God’s mission through the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.”

The bishops’ amended resolution calls for bishops to engage worshipping communities in their dioceses in experimentation and creation of alternative liturgical texts that they will submit to a new Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision to be appointed by the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies.

It also says that liturgical revision will utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity, and will incorporate understanding, appreciation and care of God’s creation.

Meanwhile, General Convention also adopted a resolution that allows all congregations in the Episcopal Church to use optional, expansive-language versions of three Rite II Eucharistic prayers in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.
Resolution D078 provides alternative language for Prayer A, Prayer B and Prayer D. The changes are available for trial use until the completion of the next comprehensive revision of the Book of Common Prayer.

Full ENS coverage of prayer book and liturgical revision is available here .
 
Responding to the voices and stories of women

The voices and stories of women played a significant role in the workings of the 79 th General Convention, from a liturgy where bishops offered laments and confession for the church’s role in sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse to Resolution D087 that allows deputies to bring infant children on the floor of the House of Deputies to feed them.

Full ENS coverage of gender justice issues is available here .
 
Acting on immigration

If there was one issue that defied any expectation of controversy at the 79 th General Convention, it was immigration.

Bishops and deputies arrived in Austin last week on the heels of a national uproar over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy toward immigration, particularly the decision to separate children from parents in detention. And despite the administration’s reversal on family separations, immigration policies continued to be a hot-button issue, including in the border state that hosted the Episcopal Church’s triennial gathering.

But if the country remains divided over what to do about immigration, the thousands of Episcopalians gathered at convention presented a unified front in support of families who have been separated, those facing deportation and immigrants in general – through prayer, testimony, action and the unobstructed passage of legislation.

Convention passed three resolutions on immigration issues.

Resolution C033 puts the church on record as respecting the dignity of immigrants and outlines how public policy should reflect that belief; A178 takes a forceful stand against family separations and treatment of immigrant parents and children; and C009 , titled “Becoming a Sanctuary Church,” encourages Episcopalians and congregations to reach out to and support immigrants facing deportation, including by providing physical sanctuary if they choose.

One of the defining moments of this General Convention was the prayer vigil held July 8 outside the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigrant detention facility little more than a half-hour outside of Austin. A massive gathering of more than a thousand Episcopalians prayed and sang in support of immigrant parents and children who had been separated.

ENS coverage of immigration issues is available here .
 
Challenging injustices in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

General Convention wrapped up its consideration of resolutions relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with mixed results due largely to the House of Bishops’ unwillingness to take many of the bolder steps urged by the House of Deputies.
Of the 15 resolutions submitted on Israel-Palestine going into General Convention, only six passed both houses, though the successful resolutions still touch on the plight of Palestinian children, the status of Jerusalem, the disproportionate use of lethal force on both sides and ways the Episcopal Church can press for peace through its investment decisions.

Bishops and deputies, even those arguing for a tougher stance against the conditions of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, took pains to affirm Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself, citing longstanding church policy toward the region . And while the bishops rejected the most controversial resolution, D019 , saying it amounted to a dangerous “divestment” from Israel, they did join the deputies in passing Resolution B016 , which echoes D019 in its use of the phrase “human rights investment screen.” Unlike D019 however, Resolution B016 includes no timeline for action by Executive Council or any reference to church complicity in the occupation, though it ultimately could result in the church pulling money out of companies that do business there.

Full ENS coverage of Israel-Palestine issues is available here .
 
Welcome back, Cuba

Convention voted to admit, or readmit, the Episcopal Church of Cuba as a diocese by passing Resolution A238 . The Diocese of Cuba is set to join Province II, which includes dioceses from New York and New Jersey in the United States, Haiti and the Virgin Islands.

Full ENS coverage of Cuba is available here and here .
 
Compensation for deputies’ president

Convention agreed to a plan to pay the president of the House of Deputies for the work of the office. Resolution B014 passed with no dollar figure attached but agreed to pay the House of Deputies president director’s and officer’s fees “for specific services rendered in order to fulfill duties required by the church’s Constitution and Canons.”

Full ENS coverage is here .
BISHOPʻS CORNER
The Identity of the Episcopal Church in Hawai'i
Aloha o ke Akua,
 
As the three Strategic Initiative Design Teams (Spiritual Growth, ʻOhana and Communication) began their work, we discussed the core identity of the Diocese of Hawai ʻi. I suggested that my understanding of our Church is that we are "Hawaiian, Progressive and Catholic." I think this provides the necessary foundation for our future. We are unique in the Episcopal Church - perhaps the Anglican Communion. We did not arrive as "missionaries" imposed upon the indigenous people, but as a Church invited by the King and Queen to share a faith and particular way of being Christian. Language and context are essential to our identity. 
 
Hawaiian

Our very founding is defined by the invitation from King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma. It is extremely rare that a Church showed up by invitation anywhere - not as colonizers, but as welcomed guests. We arrived causing trouble for the American "Calvinist" missionaries: The following quote from Mark Twain can be found in Robert Louis Semes article,  "Hawai'i's Holy War: English Bishop Staley, American Congregationalists, and the Hawaiian Monarchs, 1860-1870" (see   HERE ) :

".... one of the first things Bishop Staley [the first Bishop] did when he arrived here a few years ago was to write home that the missionaries had deprived the natives of their innocent sports and pastimes (such as the lascivious hula hula, and the promiscuous bathing in the surf of nude natives of opposite sexes), and one of the next things he did was to attend a hula hula at Waikiki with his holy head tricked out in the flower and ever-green trumpery worn by the hula girls. When the late King died the bishop revived the half-forgotten howling and hula dancing and other barbarisms in the palace yard, and officiated there as a sort of master of ceremonies. For many a year before he came that wretchedest of all wretched musical abortions, the tom-tom, had not been heard near the heart of Honolulu; but he reinstated it and brought it into its ancient esteem and popularity."

Further, I have repeatedly heard stories of the relationship of the Bishops and the Sisters (the Anglican/Episcopal nuns that founded the Priory) to Queen Emma and Queen Liliʻuokalani. At the funeral of a woman who lived to be just shy of 100, I heard of how the Sisters would allow the girls at the Priory School to speak Hawaiian (outside of class) and dance hula during a time when students were punished for doing so at Kamehameha School and in the public schools. One kupuna told me that she thought hula survived partly because of  the Episcopal  Church's openness. Further, we have pressed for the restoration of Hawaiian in the liturgy honoring the King's translation of the BCP 1662. We have been too often connected to the aliʻi in history, but we are Hawaiian and it is a kuleana entrusted to the Church by the Holy Sovereigns to care for the spiritual well-being of all the people and the land. If you haven't seen it, please watch  Grace and Beauty: 150 Years of the Episcopal Church in Hawa   iʻi   ( HERE ). 

It also fits with the three Hawaiian values adopted as our diocesan values by the Convention in 2004: "Mana, Malama and Pono." In life, we must seek to care for creation, for one another and all that God has given us: Mā lama. We all affirm the call from God to live righteously and in respect one for another: Pono. We can affirm that all that is holy and good - the spiritual force of being comes from God: Mana. It is into such a vision of community that we can welcome all of the children of these islands. We can be a model of mālama in which we care for one another, for the hungry and lost of our islands, for the rejected and the houseless, for all God's creation - the land and the sea. We must live pono valuing right relationships with honesty and justice, respecting the dignity of every human being, seeking reconciliation with truth while rejecting violence and exploitation. Knowing that the Mana of God will work together through us for the good and peace of all.  
 
This is not just about our history. We must embody another value that I understand to be important to the First People of these islands - "Ka lā hiki ola." We are called to look to "the dawning of a new day." The courage it took the Polynesians to sail into unknown waters guided by the stars, the clouds, the seas and the rising sun is needed today as well. By the gift of love and with guidance of God, we must live together with respect, dignity, honor, justice and peace. We must strive to make a difference in our world.

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko mākou Haku,

+Bob
 
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. 
– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
This week we examine the concepts of ownership and stewardship and explore our roles as managers of Godʻs creation. I hope this essay will stimulate thought, reflection, and prayer. If you would like to discuss further, please feel free to contact me.

Nelson Secretario
When you think of stewardship, what comes to mind? Maybe fundraising or a capital campaign. Possibly taking care of the environment. Or maybe you think it’s just a stale old word you’ve seen in history books. Maybe, if you’re being honest, you’re not really sure what it means.

The reality is that many people today, including lots of Christians, don’t understand the true meaning of stewardship. And that’s a tragedy. Why? Because stewardship is our  ultimate calling as Christ followers .
It’s the first assignment God gave the human race in Genesis 1:28. That’s when God told Adam and Eve to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (NKJV).

Stewardship is managing God’s blessings God’s way for God’s glory.  See, the Bible tells us in Psalm 24:1 that He owns it all: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof” (KJV).

And if He’s the owner, that means we’re not. Instead, we’re His stewards—His managers. God commands us to be stewards over everything He blesses us with.  Everything That means our time, talents, treasure, relationships, jobs and, yes, stuff.  It’s all God’s, and He trusts us with it.

Did you catch that? We  get  to manage all of the  Creator’s  stuff. How awesome is that? It’s both an honor and a serious responsibility! When we get that in our spirit, well, it changes things. It changes our perspective on our family budgets, our daily decisions, even our purpose in life. When we understand true, biblical stewardship, the trajectories of our lives change with every decision we make.
We begin to  build a legacy  of stewardship in our families. We treat our spouses and kids differently. We approach our work with a new sense of purpose. We become grateful for everything we have. We live within our means. We have more money to give. And we have hope for the future.

I’m here to tell you that I want to reclaim the word  stewardship  in the church today. But it’s up to all of us to make sure every believer understands God’s role as owner and our role as stewards. When we get to heaven and have to give an account of how we managed God’s resources (1 Corinthians 4:2), I hope God will reply to all of us,  “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

A dynamic pastor and speaker, Chris Brown joined the Ramsey Solutions team in 2014 to carry the message of stewardship and intentional living across the country. You can follow Chris on Twitter at  @ChrisBrownOnAir
UNITED THANK OFFERING
Giving Thanks For Godʻs Blessings for 130 Years
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute 100% of what is collected to support innovative missions and ministries throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.

Each year, the UTO Board awards grants that fall outside of the regular parameters of their granting process but within the historical practices of UTO. When UTO was founded, Ingathering funds were used to send and support UTO missionaries. In the spirit of this practice, UTO continues to support the missionaries sent by the Global Partnerships Team. Additionally, the Board created an internship three years ago to support the personal and professional development of one young woman per year, in the spirit of the early UTO missionaries. This internship gives young women an opportunity to experience intentional mentoring, as well as to learn, grow, and discern where God is calling them next in their life adventures. It also allows them to share the ministry and work of UTO with others. Another notable grant is a practice that the UTO Board created years ago to support and partner with the Presiding Bishop. Historically, UTO funded grants to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society to support new work that the Church budget had not yet expanded to fund. These awards have supported everything from staff positions, conferences, and the creation of educational resources to building projects.
By now you may be wondering: What Can I Do?

  • Pray for UTO and their mission using the UTO Prayer:

Gracious God, source of all creation, all love, all true joy: accept, we pray, these outward signs of our profound and continuing thankfulness for all of life. Bless those who will benefit from these gifts through the outreach of the United Thank Offering; and keep each of us ever thankful for all the blessings of joy and challenge that come our way; through Him who is the greatest gift and blessing of all, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Amen

  • Learn more by visiting their website. Please click here.
  • Download the UTO Blue Box App from your app store.
  • Support UTO by requesting a “UTO Blue Box”. Your Epistle Staff is here to help so please contact us at Epistle Staff for your very own “Blue Box”.

  • Lead the All Saints’ Ohana in maintaining our relationship with UTO. If you are interested in becoming a part of this vital and vibrant Ministry, please contact Rev. Ryan.

Mahalo nui loa.
FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING
The Anniversary of Rev. Ryan's Installation
Newman installation
The congregation of All Saintsʻ gathered to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Rev. Ryanʻs installation on Sunday, July 15 th , 2018. As Rev. Ryan put it, “Today, is a celebration of our ministry together these past five years. It is an opportunity to celebrate all we have accomplished together.”
To see a slide show of the celebration, click on the link below.
AND AN ANGEL APPEARED...
Today, July 19th, I was at All Saints’ loaning some medical equipment to a community member in need. As I was preparing to leave the parking lot, a woman in a pickup truck flagged me down. She asked if we were the church who did free laundry for the community two Wednesdays a month. When I told her we were, she said she had some dryer sheets to donate. She said she was in Princeville talking to the woman who restocks greeting cards (Jean Nakamoto, I’m looking at you!) and found out about Laundry Love. She said, “I lost my washing machine and dryer and things in the flood in Hanalei and I’m doing it the old fashioned way…drying clothes on a line. So I don’t need these.” Then she handed me a CASE of dryer sheets. This woman, who lost so much in the flood, took the time and effort to drive to Kapa`a to help others through our Laundry Love Ministry. I was so amazed I didn’t think to ask her name. Yes, there are angels out there. You don’t have to look far to find them.

CeCe Caldwell
ALL SAINTSʻ TRAVELOGUE SERIES
South Africa and Kruger National Park
Friday, July 27 th  at 6:00PM All Saints' will host a dinner and South Africa travelogue, presented by our very own Joan Roughgarden.

This month’s travelogue features slides from South Africa, including a safari in Kruger National Park. The travel begins with a visit to the Soweto district of Johannesburg, a largely black district and the site of activism prior the end of apartheid. Then follows six days in Kruger National Park with photos of spectacular birds and mammals. The travelogue concludes with pictures of the South Atlantic coast leading past the Cape of Good Hope on the way to Cape Agulhas — the southern most point of Africa.
The potluck dinner will feature Dutch, English and/or African dishes, including those from Morocco and other parts of the continent. Please bring a dish to share.

For those who missed last month’s travelogue on Israel, click on the link below for an essay summarizing the trip.
This travelogue series usually occurs on the last Friday of each month. For more information about the travelogue series, or if you would like to present a travelogue of your own journeys, please contact William Brown or David Murray by email.
JULY COLLECTION FOR HALE HO'OMALU
School Supplies
Please place your donations in the red wagon by the door to the sanctuary on Sundays. Hale Ho'omalu also needs and appreciates monetary donations as well as gift-in-kind items.