Volume 4, Issue 22
May 31, 2019
THIS SUNDAY: June 2, 2019
Seventh Sunday of Easter

8:00AM
Cami Pascua (EM)
Judy Saronitman (U)
Dee Grigsby (AG)

9:30AM
David Crocker (EM)
Susan Englund, Terry Moses (R)
Bara Sargent, CeCe Caldwell (U)
Faith Shiramizu (AG)
Raiden, Joshua (A)
Nelson Secretario, Mabel Antonio (HP)
UPCOMING EVENTS
All Saints' Preschool Graduation
Friday, May 31 st
All Saints' Gym
6:30PM - 8:00PM

Laundry Love - Team B
Wednesday, June 5 th
Kapa'a Laundromat
5:00PM - 8:30PM
Adult Bible Study on Weekly Gospel
Every Sunday, 9:00 - 9:30AM
Under the big tree

Sunday School
Every Sunday, 9:30 - 10:15AM
Memorial Hall

Aloha Hour
Every Sunday, 10:45AM - 12:00PM
Under the big tree

Monday Crew
Every Monday, 8:00AM
Church Office
Laundry Love
1 st & 3 rd Wednesday, 5:00PM
Kapa`a Laundromat

McMaster Slack Key Guitar and Ukulele Concert
Every Wednesday, 6:00PM
Church

Choir Practice
Every Thursday, 6:00PM
Choir Room

Daughters of the King
2 nd & 4 th Thursday, 7:00 - 8:00PM
Memorial Hall
HELPING HAND
Hawai`i Public Radio Features Laundry Love Kaua`i
Helping Hand is a weekly feature on Hawai`i Public Radio stations statewide. Each Friday afternoon, Helping Hand features an organization or event in the community that offers assistance to the disabled and other folks in need with All Things Considered host Dave Lawrence. 

This week you will hear from Geoff Shields as he discusses Laundry Love Kaua`i with Dave on Friday, May 31 st , at 5:48PM on HPR1 stations statewide. The program will be posted to HPR’s website where you can stream and listen at your convenience. Please click here to stream Helping Hand from HPR.

To listen live on Friday please tune your FM radio to 89.9 if you live on Kaua`i or download the HPR App to listen on your smart device.
NEW CHANDELIERS FOR ALL SAINTS'
Generous Donation Enhances Our Sanctuary
Thanks to the generosity of Arlene, Kurt, and Lindsey Bosshard, All Saints' has beautiful new lighting in the sanctuary. The chandeliers were donated in honor of Arlene's parents, Tsukasa and Yachiyo Wataya who were married at All Saints’ on August 11, 1946.

On Sunday, June 2 nd Fr. David Englund will bless these new light fixtures and offer prayers of thanksgiving for the generosity of the Bosshard family.

We hope you can join us then.
ELECTRONIC WASTE COLLECTION
Sunday June 2 nd


The Environmental Ministry has scheduled another E-waste collection. Look for the Caldwell's silver Tacaoma pickup truck parked near the gym. Please place your old computers, printers, phones, etc. in the truck bed. No appliances please. Email  CeCe Caldwell  or give her a call at ( 336-749-5414 ) with any questions.



All Saints' is bringing Mary Parmer to Kaua`i. She will be with us August 30 - September 1, 2019. Mark your calendars now for the presentation on August 31 st . More information will follow.
Mary Parmer and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Invite/Welcome/Connect "is a ministry of relational evangelism and congregational empowerment allowing churches to become places of genuine connection for inviting the faith journeys and stories of everyone, enabling deeper journeys of Christian discipleship and enabling the Spirit of Christ to be at the heart of each church's hospitable mission of spreading the Good News." 

At first glance, Invite Welcome Connect seems like a simple framework. Yet, its adaptability, born of this simplicity, can accommodate a complex array of ministry contexts. In essence, this simplicity works because it calls us back to the fundamentals of the Church’s engagement with the world - evangelism, hospitality, and involvement. 

Click here to learn more.
PRAYER FOR THE SEARCH COMMITTEE

“O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before.”

Book of Common Prayer, p.226.

Mahalo nui loa to the All Saints’ Search Committee

  • Linda Crocker
  • Collin Darrell 
  • Victor Punua Jr. 
  • Diane Sato
  • Vikki Secretario
  • Curtis Shiramizu
  • Dianne Tabura
EPISCOPAL CHURCH GOVERNANCE
"Take Me To Your Leader!"
"Who's That?"
Recently, I was engaged in a lively discussion of the Episcopal Church and its Leadership. You know the conversation. 

“Did you hear what they are going to do?”
“Don’t worry about them . I think they are doing fine.”
“Yah well, they don’t get it.”
“Do you ever talk to them ?”
“Who are they ?”

This last question really got me thinking. Who are “ They ”?
This week we will focus on that part of Church Governance that is somewhat familiar but more distant than our home parish: the Diocese and Province.
Diocese

A Diocese is the territorial jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop. The term also refers to the congregations and church members of the diocese. Before the church adopted the word it had a long secular usage. It was originally used in the Roman Empire for an administrative subdivision. A diocese was a division of a prefecture of the Roman Empire. In the reorganization of Diocletian and Constantine, the Roman Empire was divided into twelve dioceses. As the church expanded out from the cities, it adopted the use of the word "diocese," and ecclesiastical dioceses tended to correspond to civil units. For example, at first the Diocese of Georgia corresponded with the State of Georgia. Later, many statewide dioceses were divided into smaller dioceses for pastoral and practical reasons. For example, the State of New York includes six dioceses. In more recent years, some dioceses have been formed from portions of more than one state. The Diocese of the Rio Grande includes all of New Mexico and part of west Texas, and the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast includes portions of southern Alabama and western Florida. In England, the diocese is the territory of the bishop and the parish is a subdivision of it. Every diocese in the Episcopal Church has a Standing Committee. When there is a bishop in charge of the diocese, the Standing Committee is the bishop's council of advice. When there is no bishop, bishop coadjutor or suffragan bishop, the Standing Committee is the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese. A diocese usually meets annually in a diocesan convention. Each diocese is entitled to representation in the House of Deputies by not more than four ordained persons, presbyters or deacons, canonically resident in the diocese, and not more than four lay persons, who are confirmed adult communicants of the Episcopal Church and in good standing in the diocese. Dioceses also elect clerical and lay deputies to the Provincial Synod. The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church provide guidelines for the division of a diocese. Some persons insist that the diocese is the primary unit in the Episcopal Church. ( https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/diocese )

Bishop

As we learned in the Epistle , 4 , 15, April 12, 2019, a Bishop is one of the three orders of ordained ministers in the church, bishops are charged with the apostolic work of leading, supervising, and uniting the church. Bishops represent Christ and his church, and they are called to provide Christian vision and leadership for their dioceses. The Book of Common Prayer (p. 855) notes that the bishop is "to act in Christ's name for the reconciliation of the world and the building up of the church; and to ordain others to continue Christ's ministry." Bishops stand in the apostolic succession, maintaining continuity in the present with the ministry of the Apostles. Bishops serve as chief pastors of the church, exercising a ministry of oversight and supervision. Diocesan bishops hold jurisdiction in their dioceses, with particular responsibility for the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the church. ( https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/bishop )

Provincial Synod

The Episcopal Church is divided into nine provinces. The Diocese of Hawai`i is in Province VIII. Each province has a synod consisting of a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies. These houses sit and deliberate either separately or together. The synod meets on a regular basis as determined by each province. Every bishop having jurisdiction within the province, every bishop coadjutor, suffragan bishop, and assistant bishop, and every bishop whose episcopal work has been within the province, but who by reason of advanced age or bodily infirmity has resigned, has a seat and vote in the House of Bishops of the province. Each diocese and area mission within the province is entitled to representation in the provincial House of Deputies. Each province determines the number of deputies, and each diocese and area mission determines the manner in which its deputies shall be chosen. The president of the province may be one of the bishops, presbyters, deacons, or lay persons of the province. The provincial synod elects the president. ( https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/provincial-synod )
Synod

This term comes from the Greek synodos, "a meeting" or "a coming together." It means an assembly of bishops or a meeting of church people. Before the Council of Nicaea (325), synod and council were used interchangeably. After the Council of Nicaea, the term "council" was used for an ecumenical council and the term "synod" was used for a meeting of bishops. The Episcopal Church is divided into nine provinces. Each province has a Provincial Synod or a Synod of the Province. Each synod consists of a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies, which meets on a regular basis as determined by the province. Every bishop having jurisdiction within the province has a seat and voice in the House of Bishops of the province. The House of Deputies of a province consists of presbyters, deacons, and lay persons from each diocese and area mission in the province. The president of the province may be a bishop, presbyter, deacon, or lay person elected by the synod. In Oct. 1984 the Synod of Province VII elected Dixie Hutchinson president, the first lay person and first woman to be president of a province. Each province elects one bishop or presbyter or deacon and one lay person to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church. Each Provincial Synod has the power to elect judges of the Provincial Court of Review. The convention of a missionary diocese may, in lieu of electing a bishop, request that the election of a bishop be made on its behalf by the Synod of the Province, or by the House of Bishops of the province subject to confirmation by the Provincial Synod. Lutherans and Presbyterians use the term "synod" for geographical districts. ( https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/synod )

So, what does all this mean for you?  

First, our Parish is a member of a larger Episcopal community. That means there are many opportunities for you to participate in the life of our Diocese and Province. Get involved and learn more about how you can make a difference locally. 

Second, the Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Hawai`i (our Diocesan Convention) offers you the ideal chance to make your thoughts, feelings, concerns, and great ideas known to the powers that be. You can take advantage of the Convention to get your ideas on the table and lobby to raise them up to the General Convention. This participatory framework provides a clear mechanism for your voice to be heard. 
The Diocese of Hawai'i's 51 st Annual Meeting will be taking place on October 25 & 26, 2019, at The Cathedral of St.Andrew. 

Education Day is on Friday, October 25, and will feature guest speaker the Rev. Jay Sidebotham, who spoke at Renewal 2019, on RenewalWorks . Education Day is open to all in the Diocese. 

More information will be posted on the Convention webpage HERE as it becomes available.

Please take advantage of the opportunity to be a part of the governance of our church. Volunteer to be a delegate to the Diocesan Convention and consider running for a seat in the House of Delegates.
 
I hope this information is helpful the next time someone says, “Take me to your leader”. 

If you have any questions about Leadership at our Parish, please feel free to contact Bill Caldwell , David Murray , Mary Margaret Smith , or any member of the Vestry.

Bill Caldwell
The Epistle
PASSING OF THE KEYS - MAY 17 TH
Episcopal Church Days with Habitat for Humanity
Members of the One `Ohana Team attended a Habitat for Humanity celebration that passed the “keys” of ownership to 17 new homeowners on May 17, 2019. “One `Ohana” was the only volunteer group that received recognition from the Habitat board with a picture signed by all 17 homeowners. It was quite an honor for those in attendance from All Saints', and also Beth Charleton from St. Johns. Fr. David who worked on our first Habitat team which started back in July of 2018 was also in attendance.

The celebration was attended by mayor Kawakami, and representatives from the offices of Gov. Ige and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Because this year’s effort was so successful, the Habitat board announced that they were doubling their efforts for 2019, targeting the completion of 35 homes!

We share in this recognition with parishioners from All Saints', St. Michael’s and St. Johns/St. Pauls. Mahalo nui loa to the whole One ‘Ohana team for their hard work and commitment over the past year. We are looking forward to an even more fruitful 2019 and hope to see many more Episcopalians joining our team!
THY KINGDOM COME
Daily Morning Prayer
May 30th - June 9th 2019

Join the global wave of prayer calling all Christians to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus Christ.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is encouraging Christians of all denominations to join in with a ten day global prayer initiative “Thy Kingdom Come” from Ascension Day to Pentecost.

The Archbishop encourages Christians to #Pledge2Pray, and unite with thousands of others in praying for people to come to faith: “Jesus prayed at the Last Supper that we, those who follow him, might ‘be one that the world might believe’. We are invited to make a lasting difference in our nations and in our world, by responding to his call to find a deep unity of purpose in prayer.” 
“If you want to change and if you want the world to change… Pray” 
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

On Ascension Day, the Anglican Communion and the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) invited people around the world to participate in Thy Kingdom Come and to #pledge2pray, specifically over the next 11 days until Pentecost. Why? Because, in the words of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, “If you want to change, and if you want the world to change…Pray.”

At All Saints' Fr. David will offer morning prayer in the church at 9:00AM each day from Ascension Day (Thursday, May 30 th ) until Pentecost (Sunday, June 8 th ).

You are all invited to join him - one morning, two mornings, every morning, whatever!

To learn more please visit the website below.

BROTHERS IN CHRIST
Peter & Sandy's Story

By Sybil Nishioka
Sandy at left with Peter, in the breezeway of the Cathedral. (Contributed photo)

[August-October 2018 E-Chronicle] In 1991, Peter Pereira, could never have known that the choice he made back then would have life-saving consequences over 25 years later. Back then, he admits he was ambitious and worked hard, with money being a driving force. For 16 years, he buried himself in work, and everything else took a back seat including his family and church... but there was a gnawing feeling growing inside of him that something was lacking in his life. So in 1991, he made a life-changing decision to leave his lucrative job in the private sector and work for a non-profit, thinking that perhaps working for a Christian organization might help fill that void. That Christian organization was The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, where Peter has served as its treasurer for the past 27 years!

Flash forward to the eve of Thanksgiving 2016: Peter receives a call from his doctor telling him he needs to go to the hospital right now! The doctor informs Peter that routine blood tests revealed that his kidneys were functioning at 14% and he was in stage 5 renal disease -- in other words, his kidneys were failing and death imminent without treatment or a transplant. Shocked and confused, he reluctantly left Thanksgiving preparations, thinking it had to be a mistake..after all, he felt fine! It was no mistake. By the time Peter started dialysis a few months later, his kidneys were functioning at only 5%, and the fight for his life had begun. Dialysis was brutal. He chose a process that could be done in the privacy of his home, but it entailed an intense daily regimen that involved a stomach tube, a highly sterile environment, and devoting hours of each day to his treatment. Peter's wife was at his side and for "heavy lifting" since he was instructed not to lift anything more than 10 pounds, but the side effects and struggle during this time could only be described as a living hell.

"It was torture," said Peter during my phone interview with him. With dialysis cleaning out everything from his blood including important minerals and vitamins, he experienced excruciating cramping almost daily; there were episodes of itching throughout every square inch of his body "even in my eyes" and it was driving him crazy! Thoughts of suicide crept in, and life as he knew it was a miserable existence, even when supplements eventually helped ease the symptoms.   Yet during those darkest hours, Peter thought of Job from the Old Testament, whose suffering made his own, pale in comparison---and it gave him hope. 

And the hope was real! Although there were over 500 people on the list for a kidney transplant in Hawai'i, 17 people stepped forward as potential donors for Peter. At the top of the list were his two brothers, and friends from work and church including four Episcopal clergy. Unfortunately, both of his brothers did not pass the preliminary testing, and as doctors went down the list, donors were being eliminated one by one. Peter's hopes were beginning to wane.  

Meanwhile, the Rev. Cn. Alexander "Sandy" Graham, who had been called to serve as the Diocese's Canon for Congregational Life and Leadership just a few months before Peter learned about his failing kidneys, had himself signed up to be tested. As fate would have it, exactly one year later, on the eve of Thanksgiving 2017, Peter received a call that would once again change his life. Sandy was a match! The transplant would take place towards the end of January 2018. 

Not only was Sandy a match, but he donated what doctors described to Peter as a "super kidney!" During the surgery, Sandy's kidney immediately began functioning in all aspects, and vital tubes that are usually left in place for two weeks to a month, were removed in a day. When doctors told Peter how lucky he was, he responded that it was not luck, but the power of prayer.

A couple weeks later, "Super Sandy" was back in the office sans one kidney, going about his busy schedule. The only thing holding him back were instructions from the doctor not to lift anything over 10 pounds for about a month, and not to fly for two months, which meant visits to neighbor island churches and attending conferences were out. He even participated in the Hapalua half-marathon on April 8, that in retrospect, he admits was a mistake. Doctors told him that it could take 6 months to a year to be back at 100% energy, but he is "super" afterall!  

And the pain? Aside from the anticipated aching and discomfort, he remembers telling the nurse that the most pain he experienced was when they ripped off the medical tape from his leg. "I'm a relatively hairy guy," joked Sandy.  

Peter would be going through a much longer recuperation process, but there was no denying that he now had a workhorse of a kidney. He recently returned to work and is happy to be back in the office. Thanks to the small but mighty staff, and especially to Rae Costa, Danny Casey and Jane Tonokawa who took over the bulk of his work, things ran smoothly. His workload has been lessened, which Peter admits is a great outcome from this experience. He is filled with unending gratitude and love for all the support he received, including the wonderful staff at Queen's Hospital and most especially, the donors who came forward.  

As far as our unsung hero, Sandy is an example of all that we as Christians strive to be: generous, self-sacrificing, humble, and filled with love for one another.   When asked what motivated him to do this, he responded, "I'm not sure - it just seems like the sort of thing we do. Jesus said if your neighbor has no shirt and you have two..."  

Sandy's family echos that same spirit. His wife, the Rev. Heather Patton-Graham, wondered why he didn't bring up the subject (of being Peter's donor) earlier, and others in his immediate family were not surprised at all. 

Peter has had a lot of time to reflect on his journey; the suffering and the selfless people who stepped forward to help him. He also sees how God used him as a way to help others. The potential donors who failed to pass were unaware of health issues that were identified only through the testing process, and are now receiving proper treatment.

We can never really know God's divine plans for us, and when Peter made that choice to apply to the Diocese of Hawai'i, he could have never known that a co-worker would save his life 27 years later. Says Peter, filled with a grateful heart, "We are forever brothers in Christ."

If you would like to learn more about kidney disease and how to become a possible donor, visit the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai'i  HERE .
[May 29, 2019] Individuals or groups interested in learning more about Sacred Ground: a film-based dialogue series on race and faith are invited to an introductory webinar hosted by Katrina Browne, Sacred Ground curriculum developer, and producer/director of the acclaimed documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, and the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to the Presiding Bishop for evangelism, reconciliation, and creation care. 
 
Built around a curriculum of powerful documentary films, videos, and readings, Sacred Ground is a 10-part series that considers some of the major chapters of the United States of America’s history of race and racism. It focuses on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian American histories as they intersect with European American histories. It also invites participants to weave in the threads of personal and family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.
 
In this webinar, Spellers and Browne share the “why and how” of the Sacred Ground series, including an overview of all of the elements of this resource. They will take participants through the online Sacred Ground curriculum and resources, including the password-protected pages. There will be time for questions.
 
This free one-hour webinar is offered on Tuesday June 11, 1pm Eastern (noon Central/11am Mountain/10am Pacific/9am Alaska/7am Hawaii); Register here .
 
Registration is required.
 
“More than a teaching tool, Sacred Ground calls us into intentional, sustained circles in which we can pray, watch, share our own stories, reflect, wonder, reckon, heal, and commit to action. Think of it as a pilgrimage in place,” notes Spellers.
 
Click here to begin to explore the Sacred Ground webpages, and to sign up to receive additional resources. The press release for the series is here .
 
For questions, please contact Katrina Browne at consultantbbc@episcopalchurch.org .
 
Webinar support graciously provided by Episcopal Migration Ministries.

On the web:
FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE
San Joaquin Episcopalians’ 17-Day Pilgrimage Concludes with ‘Immigrant Day of Action’

By Pat McCaughan
Posted May 24, 2019
* Editor's note : Our own Very Reverand Ryan Newman, Dean of the Cathedral in the Diocese of San Joaquin, walked in the Pilgrimage of Hope.
Bishop David Rice of San Joaquin, led a pilgrimage from Fresno to Sacramento for the 23 rd annual Immigrant Day of Action.

[Episcopal News Service] San Joaquin Episcopalians’ 17-day, 220-mile “Pilgrimage of Hope” started in Fresno and ended May 20 in Sacramento, where they joined nearly a thousand other activists for California’s 23 rd annual “Immigrant Day of Action.”

Chanting “Vivan los imigrantes,” the activists met with lawmakers, advocating for extending health coverage to adults who are in the country illegally, and against adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census. About 1.8 million of California’s 3 million uninsured people are immigrants in the country illegally, according to legislative staffers. Of those, about 1.26 million have incomes low enough to qualify them for the state’s Medicaid program.

San Joaquin Bishop David Rice, who addressed the gathering and met with state lawmakers, said, “They saw us. They heard us. It crystallizes that we’re here. And they know we’ll be back. There are too many voices and too many needs that are yet to be enunciated in San Joaquin for us not to respond in some significant way in an ongoing fashion.”
‘Extraordinary generosity, radical hospitality’

From pausing for prayers in fields with farmworkers to stopping for selfies and impromptu livestreamed interviews, the pilgrims experienced extraordinary generosity and radical hospitality, Rice said. The group also helped to raise awareness and even developed a social media following at #gopilgrimsgo and #thepilgrimageofhope.

“Everywhere we went, the impetus was to raise awareness regarding the status and plight of immigrants and our refugee sisters and brothers,” Rice told Episcopal News Service recently.

“Every night, we held awareness-raising events, a kind of Immigration 101 about the pilgrimage and why we were doing it,” engaging people who hosted the group in local Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist and Roman Catholic churches, Rice said. Afterward, pilgrims were overnight guests at church members’ homes. The stories of those they encountered along the road, from “someone saying they’ve been in the immigration process for 25 years, to a grandmother pushing her grandchild in a stroller with us for 10 miles” became the stories they shared nightly, he said.

A holy ruckus: ‘We walk because they walk’
San Joaquin Bishop David Rice, left, and Warren Starr, a member of St. James Cathedral in Fresno, California, lead the Pilgrimage of Hope’s team of walkers. Photo: Nelson Serrano

The Rev. Nancy Key, a co-chair of the pilgrimage planning committee, joined the May 4 “grand send-off” at St. James Cathedral in Fresno and was in Sacramento to welcome the pilgrims when they arrived.

“Their mantra became ‘we walk because they walk,’ yet our walk is so much different,” Key told ENS. “Even though we’re trying to raise a holy ruckus, to educate, to create awareness, to make an impact” the pilgrimage was nothing compared to the hardships of those who are walking to the border in hope of a better life for their families.

Rain and shine, the pilgrims’ weekdays began with morning prayer and an 8 a.m. start, in scorching 90-degree heat and sudden torrential downpours, through cities and farmland, stopping every five miles to pray, according to Wilson Colon, who drove a support vehicle. “I tended to a lot of blistered feet and tight tendons,” said Colon, a parishioner at St. Paul’s Church in Modesto.

Lee Halkias, 75, a member of St. Raphael’s Church in Oakhurst, couldn’t join the walkers but wanted to help, “so I loaded my motor home with food and supplies and joined them,” he explained.

“My dad was born in 1894 in Greece,” Halkias told ENS. “He came over here at 15 years old. It was a different system; easier to become a citizen. You didn’t have all the obstacles.”

San Joaquin Canon to the Ordinary the Rev. Anna Carmichael said the pilgrimage “became our own walk to Emmaus,” as the group prayed, laughed, sang and danced their way to Sacramento. “We began to recognize Jesus in the people we broke bread with every day,” she said.

It also was filled with unexpected surprises.

“We didn’t expect that in Livingston, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, two of our dinner companions would tell us their stories of crossing the border as children,” she wrote in a blog post on the diocesan website. “Now, in their 40s, they have yet to return to Mexico. They left brothers and parents and other family behind. With tears in her eyes, Flor shared that her brothers think she has forgotten them because it’s been over 30 years since she’s seen them.”

“They walked with us the next day,” Carmichael told ENS. “It was not something we could have planned for.”

Receiving hospitality from strangers was incredible, Erin Rausch a former Stockton resident, said.

“It seems like a small thing, but in the late afternoon just a period of rest is amazing. They fed us dinner, allowed us to tell our stories, and then members of their churches would take us into their homes. It was amazing.

“There were folks who put us up who do not agree with what we are doing,” she added. “Yet, they were willing to provide the hospitality and really open their homes to someone who needed a place to stay. That was really amazing to me in a country that is so divided right now.”

Carmichael said that hearing those difficult questions, “made me more compassionate and empathetic.”

“Instead of shutting down, I was able to listen deeper and have those hard conversations with people, and not be defensive,” she said. “But to say, ‘Look we don’t have all the answers, but we do have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters, if we claim we see Christ in everybody.

“But that … doing this pilgrimage meant we put into action what we say we believe. I feel almost more convicted in my faith because of it.”

– The Rev. Pat McCaughan is a correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.

Read the entire article here .
The Office of Communications' digital media unit has created a series of films to highlight the "Transforming Churches" case studies, prepared by the Episcopal Church's Office of Research. They offer in-depth analyses of Episcopal parishes in many different contexts and geographical locations that were able to either reverse decline or continue substantial growth and find ways to thrive in the 21 st century. 

This week we feature St. Martin's in the Desert - Pahrump, NV. Pease click on the video link below to hear their story.
FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÉ
Appreciating Mystery
Posted May 30, 2019
The other night I went to a dinner party, one of those good feeling affairs where friends linger long into the night. The conversation turned to the miracles we had experienced in our lives. Everyone had a story – of improbable healings, friendly ghosts, unexpected windfalls. As we listened and shared, we were brought again and again to the brink of the mysterious unknown.
 
It was strangely intimate. The cloth of identity we weave to shield ourselves is formed of stories of our competency, learning, and proficiency. Confronted with the miraculous we can’t proceed in our usual manner. What has happened is beyond us, and so we are vulnerable. We can withdraw from this uncomfortable openness through finding reasonable explanations for what we are hearing. We can go back to the firm ground on which we feel competent – and on which we are alone. Or we can stand in the place of wonder and let it form us into community.
 
The disciples’ experience with the risen Lord was more extensive and consistent than our experience of miracles usually is. For forty days they were faced again and again with the fact of Jesus’ presence. He could be touched, he ate, he drank, and he opened their minds to the meaning of scripture. But he came and went through locked doors, suddenly appearing and as suddenly disappearing. And then finally he left for good in this event we call the Ascension , which we celebrate today.
 
We could easily explain away the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. We do not have the concrete experience of meeting him in risen form after his death, and so we could talk about how the longing of the disciples or their cognitive dissonance caused them to create a fiction. But the disciples’ stories, shared through the ages, are meant not for our minds but for our hearts. Our hearts yearn for tales of Resurrection and Ascension because fundamentally we belong to Christ.
 
We could also – and often do – surround the mystery of Resurrection with theological constructs that effectively take away the immediacy and awe. Talking about atonement can lead to immersion in guilt, which has the terrible side effect of putting us smack in the middle of musings about our competency, learning and proficiency. It’s not about us. It really isn’t.
 
Today, as we contemplate the final leave taking of Jesus from his disciples, let’s listen to the story with open, childlike hearts. The Ascension is truly a wonder, and it puts us on the brink of mystery at the same time that it confirms us in community. Let us be bound by the story – to Christ and to one another. Let us allow it to open our souls.

Laurie Gudim is an iconographer, writer and spiritual director living in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit her website , or drop her a note at roseanlaurie@gmail.com.
SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS WEEK
Philip Baptizes an Ethiopian Man
Philip, one of the original apostles, receives a command from an angel of the Lord, telling him to make his way southward, on a wilderness road, to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza. On his way, he encounters an official from the royal court in Ethiopia, who had gone to Jerusalem to worship and was now returning home. The man is sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. 

The Holy Spirit tells Philip to approach the man. Philip runs up to the chariot, hears him reading and asks whether he understands what he is reading. The man invites Philip to sit beside him as he reads Isaiah’s passage about a sheep “led to the slaughter,” and asks Philip what it means. Philip tells him the good news about Jesus. The man, excited to hear this news, immediately asks to be baptized in the river, which Philip does, and then “the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away.” 

Even in the earliest days, baptism was essential as a rite of initiation into the Christian faith and life. Through baptism, we begin our spiritual journey that moves deeply into the holy ground that is our life in Christ. At the same time, in baptism we enter into Christ’s Body the Church, into a community of faith that has pledged to uphold us and support us in our life in Christ. 
HALE HO`OMALU
JUNE COLLECTION  

Dry Goods: pastas, hamburger helper, rice, bread, crackers


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.
Please note, we do not accept food items that are not mentioned on the monthly list and we do not accept clothing, toys or similar items unless a specific plea for such items is published in the Epistle. Your Epistle Staff will inform you of any special requests for donations.
IN BRIEF . . .
These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"

Please submit your story ideas to the Epistle Staff at epistle@allsaintskauai.org .