Volume 6, Issue 45
November 5, 2021
THIS SUNDAY: November 7, 2021
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost


Isaiah 25:6-9 
Isaiah sees a vision of the end of days, when God will gather all people on God’s holy mountain and will prepare for them a rich feast. At this banquet God will wipe the tears from all eyes. And there will be no more sorrow, for God will destroy death itself.

Psalm 24
God is our victorious King who welcomes those whose hearts are pure, worship God alone, and keeps their word.

Revelation 21:1-6a
Here is a vision of the new heaven and new earth in which God resides fully with God’s people so that mourning, despair, and pain have been eradicated. These renewing words from the God who spans all of time are trustworthy and true.

John 11:32-44
Jesus weeps at the loss of his good friends Lazarus, but he calls on God's intervention to raise Lazarus up from the dead and as a sign of Jesus' soon-to-come resurrection.
ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICE
WITH COMMUNION

8:00AM
Joe Adorno (EM)*
John Hanaoka (U)
Marge Akana (AG)
Mark Cain (DM)

9:30AM
Dileep Bal (EM)
Mario Antonio (U)
Joan Roughgarden (LR)
Jan Hashizume (AG)
Mabel Antonio, Nelson Secretario (HP)
Rachel Secretario (SS)
Jan Hashizume, Ron Morinishi (DM)

Live Stream
9:00AM on our home page, YouTube, or Facebook accounts
@allsaintskauai

* EM - Eucharistic Minister; U - Usher; LR - Lay Reader; AG - Altar Guild; HP - Healing Prayers; DM - Digital Ministry; SS - Sunday School
UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday School
Sunday, November 7th
9:30 - 10:00AM
Church

Wisdom of Kalaupapa
Monday, November 8th
5:00 - 6:30PM
Church
Pre-registration required: Contact sweetp808@gmail.com
Attention: Pammy Chock

NOTE: Day and Time Change
Daughters of the King
Wednesday, November 10th
6:00 - 7:00PM
Zoom Meeting
Contact Mabel Antonio for login info.

Ke Akua Youth Group Meeting
Wednesday, November 17th
5:00 - 6:00PM
Zoom Meeting
Contact Cami for login info.

Project Vision Hi`ehi`e Mobile Showers with Laundry Love Go-Bags
Thursday, November 18th
11:00AM - 4:00PM
Church Lawn





Recurring Events
Aloha Hour
Postponed until further notice

Monday/Friday Crew
Every Monday/Friday, 8:00AM 
Church Office

Project Vision Hi`ehi`e Mobile Showers
1st and 3rd Thursday, 12:00 - 3:00PM
Church Campus
Laundry Love Go-Packs
1st and 3rd Thursdays, 12:00 - 3:00PM
Church Campus

Daughters of the King
2nd & 4th Wednesday, 6:00 - 7:00PM
Zoom
All Saints’ Day
November 7, 2021
All Saints’ Day, celebrated November 1 or the nearest Sunday afterward, is characterized by the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) as a Principal Feast, “taking precedence over any other day or observance” (BCP15). The day is set aside to remember and commend the saints of God, especially those who are not recognized at other points in the church year.

According to Holy Women, Holy Men, in the tenth century, it became customary to recognize on a single day “that vast body of the faithful who, though no less members of the company of the redeemed, are unknown in the wider fellowship of the Church” (Holy Women, Holy Men, 664). Over time, the day became associated with special remembrances of an individual’s family and friends.

While several churches abandoned the commemoration during the Reformation, the Feast of All Saints was retained on the Anglican liturgical calendar. All Saints’ Day began to assume the role of general commemoration of the dead: all Christians, past and present; all saints, known and unknown.

Because of the day’s association with the remembrance for the dead, many churches publish a necrology. This reading of the names of the congregation’s faithful departed may include prayers on their behalf. Such prayers are appropriate, as the Catechism reminds us, “because we still hold [our departed] in our love, and because we trust that in God’s presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is” (BCP862).

The day is often characterized by joyful hymns, including such favorites as “For All the Saints,” “Who Are These Like Stars Appearing,” and “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.” These hymns share motifs of rest, fellowship, and continued, joyful service to God—salient indeed on this day, as we remember “those of dazzling brightness, those in God’s own truth arrayed, clad in robes of purest whiteness, robes whose luster ne’er shall fade”!

Collect for All Saints’ Day

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Published by the Office of Formation of The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017
© 2021 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
You care for the sick and suffering in body, mind, and spirit, especially Noah’s ʻOhana; RebeccaJennie, Cathy, Larry, Suzanne, Melvin, and those we name silently or aloud, let us pray to the Lord. ​Lord, have mercy. 

You embrace all who have died in the faith and bring them into your glorious presence. We pray especially for Noah and others we name silently or aloud. We thank you for their example and rejoice in their lives. We pray to you, O Lord. 
The All Saints' Budget
The Difference Between Operational and Restricted Funds
Operational Funds:
These are funds used for things like paying the salaries and benefits for our staff, continuing Sunday Worship services, paying for water and sewer services, and all the things required for our church to function. All Saints' needs your support for the ongoing operations of the church through annual pledges.

Restricted Funds:
These funds are used for special projects, certain types of maintenance, and capital improvements. These funds are restricted by the donor and can only be used within the wishes of the donor. All Saints' always respects the wishes of our donors and therefore any funds donated for specific purposes like the Columbarium or the Youth Group will only be used for those purposes. These funds may be seen as "Capital".
As we think about the many blessings given us by God, we should think about how we can best use the resources that God has provided to each of us. While donating to the Columbarium or Youth Group may be attractive, as you can see in the chart above, the church doesn't need any more money for either of these noble causes. Instead, the church needs your PLEDGE of financial commitment to the ongoing operation of the church.

You have probably heard that Stewardship is not about money. Rather it is an outward demonstration of your faith. I agree with that but I also realize that we can't, as a viable church, run deficit budgets. I urge you to pray and reflect on the financial needs of All Saints'. Your pledge will ensure our ongoing operations and enable us to use our capital resources according to the wishes of our donors.

-Bill Caldwell
Pledge

A commitment to give one's time, talents, and money as an expression of faith and a personal response to God's generosity. Parish members are encouraged to make an annual stewardship pledge. This pledge represents their specific Christian commitment to “work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God” (BCP, p. 856). Parish budgets are prepared in light of the pledges received from the members. A pledge is a statement of intent, not a legal obligation. It can be changed at any time.
“God helps those who help themselves”. 75% of Americans think so, according to pollster George Barna. In fact, the phrase topped a poll of the most widely known verses in the Bible. Despite the fact that it’s not actually there! But God does help. Lest we forget that fundamental truth, today’s Gospel is intended to remind us: the name Lazarus is a shortened form of Eleazar, which is Hebrew for “God helps.” And Lazarus is from a village whose name, Bethany, means “House of Affliction.”

Names like this are characteristic of John’s highly symbolic gospel. Which we can read as a cosmological tale—unconstrained by time and space—about the human dilemma and the persistent love of God.

When the gospel tells us that Lazarus—the suffering one whom God helps—is also the “one Jesus loves,” he represents all those whom Jesus loves. Including all of us: we who suffer, die, know the potential for new life, and—when we’re stuck—need others to take away the stone that holds us back, and unwind the cloths of our pain.

We are people who can do great things. And we are also people of great need. To use cosmological terms, we could say that all human beings in all times and places need places to gather and worship and dream. We also need skilled and compassionate pastors to encourage and comfort us as people called to do the work of Jesus. And we need money to pay for all of this, which is where our stewardship comes in.

God has done, is doing and will do miracles; and we know that God also asks us to participate in the miracles. Sometimes by taking away the stone, sometimes by unbinding a friend, and sometimes even by filling out a pledge card.

Julia McCray-Goldsmith is Priest-in-Charge of Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, California. She often fails to see the stone in front of her or the cloths that bind her, but is grateful to friends who point them out. She lives in a family compound in Berkeley with her husband, married children, disabled sister and the puppy who binds us all together in love and silliness.
Reflections from Suzanne Kobayashi
Knowing our Love Supreme

Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34
October 31, 2021


Jesus has been grilled by the Jewish priests and authorities for weeks. They’ve been trying to discredit him. His answers have revealed undisputable truths which are frequently in opposition to the actions of the leaders of the day leaving them stumped and with bruised egos. On this day, there is man of the law, who is impressed with Jesus’s answers, and he’s got a burning question: What is the greatest commandment?

Jesus answers, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Wow! That is the big plan. If Jesus had any clue (which as Christians we surely think so) then God desires our love and wants us to love ourselves & each other. God is our Love Supreme, but how do we know who this God is that has created everything, has no beginning and no end, is omnipresent & omnipotent, three persons but one God? Sounds a tad unfathomable. Can I love the unfathomable? Pondering this question, a song from my childhood came to mind, a Phil Spector wrote the song from 1958 “To Know Him is to Love Him” I believe that is true of God too. We must know God to love God. If we are created in the likeness of this God who wants us just to love; love him, and to love our neighbor as ourself, then certainly we must be given the opportunity to know God. 

Jesus’s response starts with Listen Israel, so each of us has a choice to listen or not. The blueprint for this listening and loving is in this passage; use all your heart, all your being, all your mind and all your strength. All your parts! 

One way to get to know God in our Christian tradition, using our mind is to study scriptures and ponder the message they send to us today, alone or in a group. In a group when everyone’s point of view is shared, there is plenty of room for the Holy Spirit. In a group, light falls from different angles illuminating more of the whole. I have been intrigued and challenged so much from listening to others in these groups. Participating fulfills my need for growth, exploration, and connection. I would highly recommend it to you. 

But our God is the creator of everyone and everything, not just Christians. God is not limited to our churches or our traditions. God’s love and presence is available to all people both inside a church but even more so in nature and through our human nature.

Many native spiritual traditions see all creation as sacred and holy. I think this is deep wisdom and truth. I’d like to demonstrate. If you are willing, I’d like you to play with me a bit and consider for a moment how God shows us konaself in nature. I invite you, using your whole being, your whole heart, and all your senses to imagine. 

Imagine dipping into warm water at the end of long day, what do you feel? Relaxed, gently held, expansive? That is God. Imagine or remember looking at a dew laden spiderweb with light dancing off each dew drop, how are you moved? Are you delighted, intrigued, curious, entertained? There is God. Imagine a wonderful smell, maybe baking bread or your favorite food cooking, what are you reminded of? Maybe your childhood or someone you love who is no longer with you? There is God. 

Maybe you say that whole imagination thing does not work for me. Okay.

What do you do that brings you great pleasure? Maybe you love to sew. Just think, you are connected with the fiber of cloth, the thread, the field it was grown in, those who planted it, harvested and wove it, made the dyes, and died it. The needle you hold came from the ore of the ground and was crafted by your kin in another place on the planet. You are part of the nature of the fiber and the needle and kin to those who made it possible for you to have it your hand. (There are some neighbors to love.) That you have hands to feel the texture, skin to enjoy the sensation and eyes to behold the beauty is phenomenal! That is God.

Maybe you love music that suspends you in the moment, that enfolds you and transports you to a place of unity and deep feeling? That you get to live in a body that creates chemicals that make you feel happiness due to unseen waves in the air that are created from strings or reeds vibrating in an instrument created from man’s imagination and detected by thin cilia in your ear, wow! Created in love you are. God is showing konaself to you. We do well to love ourselves and be thankful for we are truly amazing. We do well to love every person and part of creation because both are sacred. 

Looking out into deep space and seeing galaxies or looking inward at a stone, into a molecule, into an atom, God’s vastness is there displayed. We see attraction, order, harmony, and purpose. That is our God we love. Looking at the surf crashing on the shore, the grains of sand, the folds of the cliffs, the clouds over head, we see just the right touch of randomness so that everything is new and unique, and that change is part of life. This is the God we love. Each of us and every part of creation is unique, changing, growing. Let us love God by noticing God in all using our hearts, minds and beings. 

Hear oh Israel, open your heart and mind. Don’t waste a day, use all your strength to look for the many ways God is present in your life. Think of the things that bring you pleasure, your pet, a young child, your hobby, your yard, a sunset. Use your strength to take the time to reflect on your kin, known and unknown and how you are connected to them through the ordinary things you use in your daily life. Love them. Look deeply into the eyes of a stranger and see God in that person. Look deeply at nature and share your love and thanksgiving with the creator, our love supreme. 

God is showing konaself to everyone, to you. 
To know God is to love God.

*Note: Konaself is my answer to an inclusive gender pronoun for God’s self. Kona is borrowed from Hawaiian and it means his, hers or it’s.
Aloha All Saints' O’hana,

Thanksgiving is next month and the Free Community Dinner and Service will again be hosted by the Kapa`a Interfaith Association. All Saintsʻ will be an active participant again this year by hosting both the Interfaith Service and the “Pick-Up” Meals from the north side of the gym.

Sign up sheets for drivers for Home Delivery and for Gym Clean-Up will be available outside the church sanctuary in the next couple of weeks. Home Delivery will be distributed from the Kapa`a Hongwanji like last year. You can also sign up by calling Sarah at 808-822-3473 or emailing her kuipokauai@gmail.com.

If you can assist in this worthy community effort by either donating time or money, we would greatly appreciate your kokua!

Mahalo nui loa.

-Sarah Rogers
Thanksgiving Chair 2021
All Saints' Japanese Dance Class to Perform during Advent Season
All are Invited to Participate
Japanese dance Christmas
Aloha All Saints' friends,

We are preparing a Christmas dance to be performed at service on December 19, and we would like to invite you to participate. This dance can involve people both on-island and remote, both female and male. We will mix a video of the remote dancers (to be shown on the sanctuary screens), and the on island dancers will perform live. So, whether you happen to be on Kaua'i, O'ahu, or the mainland, you can participate!

Background: In 2019, we choreographed a super-simple hula to "Angels from the Realms of Glory." A hula to this song had been taught by Mrs. Punua as part of the Christmas pageant back in the 1960s -- all wearing white -- so we decided to recreate that dance in 2019.

For this year, we decided to keep the same choreography. Instead of live music, we will all dance to the same recorded track, which will enable the live and video dancers' timing to match.

If you would like to participate:
  • Please buy or borrow all white clothing (see photo)
  • For on island dancers, please attend one or more short practices at 10:30am on Sundays: Nov 14, Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12
  • We will record a video of the steps so you can learn/practice at home.
  • For remote dancers: by Dec 5, please record a video of you dancing this dance, wearing all-white clothing, preferably in front of green plants/trees

Please reply to Carolyn (bmori.16@gmail.com) by Nov 28 and let us know if you will participate. When you reply, we will send you a practice video and give you instructions to record/submit your video. Thank you!

-Carolyn Morinishi
SPECIAL EDITION:
CONVENTION 53 WRAP-UP
October 29, 2021
(The following are excerpts from the full Convention 53 wrap-up article that can be found on the Diocesan News website HERE.)

​The 53rd Annual Meeting of Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i wrapped up on Saturday afternoon, October 23, 2021. This was the second all virtual annual meeting held on Zoom due to safety considerations related to the pandemic. Convention 53 also included a Friday Education Day led by the Diocese's Reconciliation Task Force, that featured impressive guest speakers to address the sensitive topic of race and history in the Islands. The recorded session and more information on Education Day can be found in the full-coverage article.
About a dozen people gathered in Tenney Theater and the Diocesan Support Center to bring the virtual meeting into the homes of delegates and spectators. On-site were the officers of the meeting, the Diocesan Support Center team, those running credentials, voting, communications, tech help, and others acting as runners. All were required to take a COVID Rapid Test when they arrived and test negative before assuming their roles.
Tenney Theater, normally bustling with activity on a day like this, was eerily empty except for the tables, cables, and electronic devices for the handful of people at their "stations." The theater, which serves as the "home" for the Hawai'i Theater for Youth, had some props strewn about including muppet-like characters seated in the chairs, providing a comical (and quite expressive) audience of sorts.
The meeting convened promptly at 8:45 AM by Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, with the customary announcements, introductions, and housekeeping rules. Throughout the meeting there were no major glitches and "voting" through Zoom polls and floor votes also went smoothly. Due to the nature of a virtual gathering, 15 video presentations were prepared ahead of time that included the Bishop's Address, Response to his Address, committee reports and four Special Orders of Business.
One of the highlights of the Annual Meeting is the Bishop's Address, and once again, this year's Address was pre-recorded along with a Response to his Address. To view the video, click on the image shown or go directly to the Diocese's YouTube channel HERE.

To view the text of the Bishop's Convention Address, click HERE.

Going into the meeting there were four resolutions being considered. Dialogue was light and cordial, with the only extended discussion taking place on Resolution #2 (Revisions to the Canons) concerning the utilization of gender nouns/pronouns.

The Proposed Budget for 2022 passed easily. Delegates were asked to watch a video presentation beforehand that explained the major changes and highlights. The final approved budget documents will be available for viewing soon and posted on this page under the Convention Downloads section further below, and on the Forms and Documents page of the Diocesan website.
During the meeting, Special Orders of Business in the form of video presentations were shown. The video presentations for Camp Mokule'ia, the Prison Ministry, and Halau Wa'a Episcopal, can be viewed in the Meeting Videos section futher below. A fourth very Special Order of Business was saying "Aloha and Mahalo" to Peter Pereira, who will be retiring after serving as the Diocesan Treasurer for 30 years. A beautiful koa box was presented "virtually" along with a special mahalo video with well wishes from near and far (under Meeting Videos).

The meeting ended about 45 minutes earlier than anticipated, and closed with the singing of "Aloha 'Oe" that contained a slideshow and video clips of the past year's activities around the Diocese.
Convention 53 also included a Friday Education Day hosted by the Reconciliation Task Force led by the Revs. Jazzy Bostock and Andrew Arakawa. About 150 took part in the online event that featured guest speakers, Dr. Jonathan Okamura, Professor Emeritus at ​University of Hawai‘i, and Dr. Akiemi Glenn, Founder and Executive Director of The Pōpolo Project. During lunch, Dr. Jonathan Osorio and his daughter Jamaica "Heoli" Osorio, gave moving testimony and historical information interspersed with beautiful Hawaiian songs. The session was recorded and is available on the full-coverage webpage.
For complete coverage of Convention 53, visit the Diocesan News website by clicking on the button above, or HERE. The article includes links to documents, all videos presented, photos, delegate selfies, and the text for the Bishop's Address, Sermon, and his Report to the Convention. It also includes the recorded session for Education Day. The Meeting Journal will appear on the article webpage and the Past Meetings of Convention webpage when finalized and approved. The approved 2022 Budget will be posted soon on the Forms and Documents page of the Diocesan website HERE.

FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÈ
Memories and Lessons

Karla Koon
November 3, 2021
This week following All Saints’ Day, I find myself reflecting with gratitude on those many people who have had a profound and lasting effect on my life. There are no books or icons written about them. Mostly just everyday people who were pragmatically prophetic in how they walked the world and helped form me into a person of faith. 

Like my mom. She taught me about stewardship.

For most churches, this is the season for annual appeals, stewardship campaigns and in-gathering Sundays, and combined with All Saints, the foundational lessons from my mother are swirling about in my mind and heart, lessons not related to time or talent, but about giving money.

The earliest lesson happened the first time I brought my own money to the collection plate, as opposed to money my mother gave me put in for her. I had one crisp dollar bill and placed it right on top.  Only, I started digging through the plate, searching for loose change in the bottom. Horrified, my mother asked me what I was doing, to which I earnestly replied, “I am making change.”  She grabbed the plate and passed it down the pew. Remorsefully and loudly, I exclaimed, “but I did not want to give the whole dollar,” as I watched my dollar being carried away by a sea of hands. 

In the car, I continued my lament. My mother complained, “When have you ever seen me get change back?” I retorted, “Plenty of times. The grocery store, bank, drug store and gas station. You give money all the time and get change back.” Realizing that she should have asked a more specific question, my mother sighed. “It doesn’t work that way at church. It does not cost us to go, and we are not buying anything. We just give because we can. That is why we put the whole dollar in the plate, so that we can help other people.”

Those words stuck with me. Clearly at 6 years old, I understood the exchange of currency for things like food, clothes, gas, movies, amusement parks and household necessities, as I frequently went shopping with my mother and saw these transactions. I had no real concept of what she was trying to explain to me, but she reassured me that it was the right thing to do, that my dollar would be used to help other people who needed it more. 

During my pre-teen years, I would watch my mother go through her wallet in the parking lot to pull money out for the offering plate before church. I asked her once how much she puts in the plate. Her response surprised: “Whatever is in my wallet.” A barrage of questions ensued:
Me: What if you have nothing in your wallet?
Mom: Then I give nothing.
Me: What if you have a twenty-dollar bill?
Mom: Then that is what I give.
Me:  What if you have a hundred-dollar bill.
Mom: No one carries a hundred-dollar bill in their wallet. 
She explained that she writes a check every month for a set amount, but every Sunday, she adds whatever is left over from her wallet. It was my first introduction to pledging and giving weekly beyond one’s pledge. 

Our conversations about giving were never theological. My mom was very clear on what she did, but rarely expressed the why she was doing it. It is something I wish I could ask her, but she is now one of my beloved saints who is no longer of this earth. Those memories and lessons are foundational touchstones to my spiritual practice of trusting God by giving wholly and abundantly. 
Karla Koon is a Worship Leader and Eucharistic Minister at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. When not serving at church or working as the Director of HR Operations and Administration for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (Catholic Charities), you can find Karla, reading, quilting, golfing, hiking, kayaking, and gathering with friends and family.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH GOVERNANCE
"Take Me To Your Leader!"
"Who's That?"
The following was first published in The Epistle, 4, July 19, 2019
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 ?”9
“Who are they ?”

This last question really got me thinking. Who are “ They ”?
This week I would like to conclude our discussion of Episcopal Church Governance by focusing on YOU. By now you may be asking, "How can I make a difference? What can I do? Who do you call?"

The answer is simple.

YOU, YOU, YOU!

The governance structure of the Episcopal Church offers you many opportunities to become involved.

Start with our Parish. Run for a seat on the Vestry at the next Annual Meeting. Governance starts at home and we definitely need you to step up.

Please consider serving as a delegate to the Annual Diocesan Convention. This is the foundation that gives you a chance for even more involvement through the Diocesan Council and the Standing Committee

In fact, short of being consecrated Bishop, you are eligible to serve any role you desire. How often are you told "you can do anything you want?"

Please listen for the Holy Spirit calling you to serve and respond with your whole heart.
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 Kahu Kawika, Bill Caldwell, or any member of the vestry.

-Bill Caldwell
The Epistle

Atlanta-area Episcopalians, Ismaili Muslims Forge Relationship Through Community Service

Shireen Korkzan
November 4, 2021
Volunteers from Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and the Atlanta-area Ismaili community at South Fork Peachtree Creek in Decatur, Georgia, on World Rivers Day, Sept. 26. Photo: Aziz Ajaney

[Episcopal News Service] Back in February, when the Rev. Nicole Lambelet invited nearby faith leaders to participate in a faith and race virtual tour of Decatur, Georgia, through the lens of displaced Black and Jewish communities, she didn’t expect her Episcopal church to form a new relationship with Decatur’s Ismaili Muslim community.

“Probably five faith leaders responded to the mass email I sent, and 150 people came to our event, but Behnoosh Momin’s response was different,” said Lambelet, associate rector for Episcopal Church of the Epiphany’s associate rector for family ministry and outreach.

Momin, a communications and outreach volunteer for the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern USA, declined Lambelet’s initial invitation, and instead offered to start an interfaith dialogue centered on shared religious values and ethics.

Now, Epiphany parishioners in northeastern Atlanta and Ismaili community members in nearby Decatur, are coming together around what they already share to learn from each other and to look for ways to partner on projects designed to improve their shared region.
“Both of our communities believe in generosity and helping the poor and other humanitarian services,” Momin said. “Pluralism and voluntary service are important in the Ismaili Muslim faith … We share that commonality with the Episcopal community.”

For their first joint service project, the two congregations focused on environmental stewardship and partnered with Decatur-based Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve. On Sept. 26, over 50 volunteers cleaned up a portion of South Fork Peachtree Creek. That date was chosen because it was both World Rivers Day and the Global Ismaili CIVIC Day.

“We’re so excited about our new Episcopalian friends and relationships, and it’s already been an incredible journey,” Momin said. “Environmental stewardship is a core ethic of the Ismaili community, and that shared value with The Episcopal Church fits very naturally to us.”

In a co-written blog post for George Interfaith Power & Light’s website highlighting their faith communities’ joint creek cleanup service project, Lambelet and Momin mention water’s significance in both Christianity and Islam. In Christianity, for example, new members are initiated into the church through water baptism. In Islam, water is considered a human right and symbolizes purity.

Hannah Schultz, a program associate for GIPL, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Earth’s ecosystems and fighting environmental injustices, said the cleanup event at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve represented a “beautiful example” of the many commonalities through faith traditions overlooked by differences.

“There’s a lot we can learn from each other,” said Schultz, who handled the cleanup event’s logistics for Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and the Ismaili community. “I think we have our own theology and perspectives, but there’s a lot to learn from and inspire by learning about common issues. We’re learning different ideas to care for creation, but our goal is ultimately the same. Emphasis on justice really runs deep in both communities.”

Ismaili is the second largest sect of Shia Islam, which is the second-largest branch of Islam. Like all Shia Muslims, Ismailis recognize the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib as his bloodline successor. Unlike the much larger Sunni branch of Islam, Shias believe that Muhammad’s successor needs to be in his bloodline. The Ismaili sect earned its name from Isma’il ibn Jafar, whom they appointed the true Imam, unlike the much larger Twelver Shia sect, who appointed Musa al-Kadhim instead. Today, Ismaili is the only Shia sect to have a living, ancestral Imam, formally titled Aga Khan, under the leadership of Prince Karim Al Husseini Aga Khan. Approximately 15 million Ismailis live in more than 25 countries.

Lambelet said she toured a nearby Ismaili Jamatkhana (private gathering space) and took a class on Islam while a seminarian at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, but other than that she knew little about the Ismaili community prior to meeting Momin. She also said she hopes that interfaith events between Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and the Ismaili community, including visiting each other’s places of worship, will educate members from both sides and foster ongoing dialogue that’ll address social justice issues in and around Decatur. So far, Epiphany members have visited the Jamatkhana; Ismaili community were scheduled to visit the church at the end of October.

“There are lots of similarities and differences between the Episcopalian and Islamic faiths, and we’re very excited about the similarities and learning how we can grow from each other through our differences,” Lambelet said.

Momin said, “There’s also commonality with faith communities’ level of understanding theological concepts around social justice and eliminating inequities. If we educate each other about faith and ethics and values and commonality and connection, we can work towards that.”

The women said they plan on making future joint service projects bigger than the first one. They also hope their new partnership will not only help the greater Decatur community and their shared ecosystem, but also lead to individual growth in faith.

–Shireen Korkzan is a Midwest-based freelance reporter who primarily writes about religion, race, ethnicity and social justice issues. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @smkrm
Presiding Bishop Speaks of Healing Power of Love During Upper South Carolina Visit

DAVID PAULSEN
November 2, 2021
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is seen on video speaking at the University of South Carolina in Columbia on Oct. 30.

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, during a pastoral visit to the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, spoke Oct. 30 at an event hosted by the University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research, reaffirming his calls for racial reconciliation in the name of sharing God’s love.

The weight of confronting the racism of American history need not hold back Americans as they strive to move forward together, Curry told attendees gathered at the university in the state capital, Columbia. By learning from that history, Americans can “turn in a new direction,” he said, and “join hands together, descendants of former slaves and descendants of former slave owners, join hands together from what we have learned and then build a new world, a new society, where there is liberty and justice for all.”

The event, which included a question-and-answer session with Curry, was titled “Love Is the Way: The Cost of Beloved Community,” echoing The Episcopal Church’s cornerstone racial healing initiative, Becoming Beloved Community. It was organized by the Fellowship of South Carolina Bishops, an ecumenical group that includes the bishops of the state’s two Episcopal dioceses. The fellowship’s other South Carolina bishops represent the Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, African Methodist Episcopal Church, AME Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and United Methodist Church.

About one million Christians in South Carolina are members of the bishops’ churches, Upper South Carolina Bishop Andrew Waldo said. He and his fellow bishops have worked together for several years on various social justice causes, from humane treatment of migrants to education reform.

The event featuring Curry was the latest in the fellowship’s annual dialogue series “on matters of moral importance to our various members, the communities in which they live and work, and the larger society in which God has placed us,” Waldo said as he introduced Curry.


Curry spoke for about 40 minutes, developing the theme of the power of love, which has become a familiar thread through his sermons, most notably at the 2018 royal wedding. In Columbia, he spoke of political and social forces that increasingly pit people against each other, in the United States and around the world.

“At the root of it is deep spiritual maladies that, if left unhealed, will continue to bedevil and fight against the possibility of a multiracial, pluralistic democratic society,” he said. “We are caught up in a mess, and we have got to heal this land.”

Later in the day, Curry met with and spoke to college students at an event hosted by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia. He also preached the next day at the cathedral’s Oct. 31 Holy Eucharist. Video of Curry’s Sunday sermon can be viewed on the diocese’s Facebook page.

– David Paulsen is an editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.
Primus Welcomes Anglican Delegation and Archbishop of Canterbury to Scotland

November 1, 2021 
The Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, today welcomed to Scotland the Anglican Communion delegation for COP26, along with the Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and other Communion members from around the world.

The Primus and the Archbishop were presented with the ‘Climate Resistance and Just Financing’ policy document, which was brought together by the Anglican Consultative Council’s COP26 Working Group. The document calls for concrete actions to tackle the climate crisis aimed at policy makers and stakeholders within government, multilateral organisations, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, including faith groups.

The Primus said: “It is a privilege as Anglican Primate of Scotland to welcome our Anglican sisters and brothers to Glasgow, and to Scotland for these vital talks. One of the joys of the Anglican Communion is that we are in fellowship with Anglican communities across the world, enabling the issues facing each community to be shared – this is what we pray will happen at COP26: an honest sharing of experiences and a commitment to find solutions.

“I echo the call within the policy document for climate action and climate justice. One of the most powerful things I experience in my work as a Primate of the Anglican Communion is listening to, and learning from, people all around the world. In recent years the stories from friends in Brazil, in Africa, and from indigenous communities has been consistent. In every place, and in many languages, but with one voice the Communion cries out for creation.

“COP26 may be our last chance to start the necessary international effort that will be required to address this. A step on that road was welcoming the Anglican Delegation to COP26 in Glasgow today. We have truth to tell, and prayer to offer for creation.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “Our Anglican brothers and sisters in the Scottish Episcopal Church have been a vital voice calling for honesty, compassion and justice at COP26. Thank you to the Primus for hosting us – we stand alongside you and pray with you for God’s world.”

After a prayer breakfast at the Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church of Scotland, the group heard from Dr Elizabeth Perry, Advocacy and Communication Manager for the Anglican Alliance, who presented the Climate Resistance and Just Financing policy document. There was also testimony from Pastor Ray Minnicon, a former Inaugural Chairperson of the Sydney Anglican Indigenous Peoples Committee, and the Most Rev Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop in the Anglican Church of Canada, on the subject of indigenous experience in climate policy.
Photographs show, from top: The Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church with the Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; the Anglican Communion delegation joined by the Primus, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Wallace, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; and the Primus with Nicholas Pande of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa)
IN BRIEF . . .

These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"
From The Epistle, October 29, 2021

Vestry Meeting Synopsis
September 26, 2021

  1. Approval for the Finance Committee to initiate distribution portfolio of special donations to various investment areas.
  2. Columbarium Termite Remediation: Junior Warden Ron will arrange this.
  3. Approved looking into pew kneeler hinges.
  4. Solar Roof Project's final phase of installing the solar panels will occur the week of October 11-15. After that, we will just need a final inspection by the County to make it all "live."
  5. Lihue-side driveway and parking area is now graveled, getting rid of deep potholes. There is still a large mound of gravel left -- church members may have any they want at a suggested donation of $50 per cubic yard.
  6. Approved purchase of candle holders for Altar and Lectern.
  7. Bill Caldwell and Kahu will lead an Adult Education series on Tuesdays 10/5 and 10/12 on "The Episcopal Church Demystified" in the run-up to the Annual Diocesan Convention.
  8. Project Vision mobile shower services for the houseless happening on a trial basis at All Saints on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, 12 noon - 3pm.
  9. Peter DuBois organ concert on September 12th was well received and had over 550 views online.
  10. Approved setting up permanent mikes to improve the sound quality of the organ for Livestreaming.

Laundry Love Is Moving
Laundry Love is Now Partnering with Project Vision Hi`ehi`e Mobile Showers
Laundry Love Kauai is transitioning once again, as local conditions persist in limiting a return to pre-pandemic services. It’s been a remarkable journey, dating back to a 2014 launch, amassing nearly 10,000 loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and bagged. The tireless efforts of volunteers, team leaders and resident cooks inspired growth, as hundreds of grateful neighbors became a part of our ohana.

The current pivot involves blending our program with Project Vision Mobile Showers, which recently brought their operation to the All Saints' campus. The first and third Thursday of each month, between 12:00 – 3:00 pm, anyone in need of a hot shower or financial assistance with their laundry can come to All Saints'. Laundry Love in particular will be offering a “go-pack” of sorts, containing detergent, dryer sheets and a roll of quarters ($10). 

We invite those interested in taking an occasional shift distributing these resources to contact the office. Mahalo in advance for supporting the ongoing spirit of Laundry Love, in whatever form it may take.

With Aloha,

-Geoff               
Laundry Love Ministry Lead 
Project Vision Hawaii
All Saints' Members Provide Lunches at Project Vision Hi'ehi'e Mobile Showers

Thank you to all those who have volunteered to make lunches for the Project Vision mobile hot showers. The clients, volunteers and staff of the Hi'ehi'e mobile shower trailer all agree that the lunches served at All Saints' are the best!

A big thank you to the following who have (or will) prepared lunches:

  • Oct 7 - Mabel and Mario Antonio
  • Oct 21 - Wayne Doliente
  • Nov 4 - Altar Guild
  • Nov 18 - Daughters of the King

If you, your family or group would like to prepare lunches, please contact Carolyn Morinishi.
From The Epistle, October 22, 2021
Bishop Bob offered a sermon last Sunday as a part of the annual Diocesan Convention (Saturday, October 24th). It was broadcast on monitors in the All Saints' sanctuary for those attending in person and online. To hear his sermon, click below.
From The Epistle, October 15, 2021
Welcome Suzanne Kobayashi!
Suzanne Joins All Saints' as Our Priest Intern
Below is a message from Suzanne to the All Saints' `Ohana
Aloha,

I am Suzanne Kobayashi. I have been warmly welcomed by your church on my first month worshipping with you and I thank you.

I am originally from Santa Monica California. I was raised Catholic. Religion, other cultures, and people have always fascinated me though. After graduating from UCSD with a BA in Biology, I married a surfer and moved to Kauai in 1978. Most of the time since then, I have attended Christ Memorial Church in Kilauea. I attended some evangelical churches when I first moved to Kauai and Kalaheo Missionary when I lived on the south side for a couple of years. I enjoyed and learned from all the churches I attended. 

At Christ Memorial I taught religious education to the Kilauea school when my kids were little for about 9 years. Later, I was on search committees, the Bishop’s Committee, and played music at church. My Mom lived with us for her last 7 years. My mom and some of my fellow church members thought I might be a good priest and encouraged me to think about it. When my mom passed, I felt the Holy Spirit was saying it was time I gave back. 

The Episcopal Church has always been a good fit for me, with my Catholic roots and inclusive beliefs. I wanted to be an altar boy when I was little. (Clearly, I didn’t understand the requirements. I was very young.) I guess God may be gifting me my childhood desire to serve in his Sanctuary after all. Since studying for the priesthood, I have fallen more deeply in love with the Episcopal Church, the scriptures, and how God’s spirit works through us fallible people to bring His Kingdom here. I have much more appreciation for how our church has grown and changed, as indeed the whole body of Christ grows and changes, with so many different and distinctive parts all interconnected by God’s love. 

In the secular world, I’ve worked in restaurants, a dental office, painted murals, helped build houses, sold art, and taught art to children. The surfer and I divorced after 18 years and have 2 beautiful children from that marriage. I’ve been married to my husband Joe and had a small property management business for the last 20+ years. We have a beloved son, Ryan, and I gained a step daughter. I am a grandma. I currently facilitate a Compassionate (Non-Violent) Communication Practice group and am in 2 book clubs. I love my friends, art, plants, music and… I used to like to travel too :o) 

I am so happy to be able to worship and grow with you over the next two years. I enjoy teaching and art, which I hope I will have a chance to share with you. I look forward to seeing what God will do. I feel very blessed. Mahalo!

Thanks so much for your patience and reaching out to me.

God's blessing on us this week and always.

-Suzanne
Who Do You Call?

Contact information for All Saints' Ministries and Outreach

Please submit your story ideas to the Epistle Staff at news@allsaintskauai.org.
USHER MINISTRY
If you would like to serve as an All Saints' usher, please contact Cami at church@allsaintskauai.org.

HALE HO`OMALU ACCEPTING DONATIONS
There is an on-going need for travel sized toiletries and canned goods so these items will be accepted every week. As always, monetary donations are gratefully accepted. Leave them in the red wagon outside the sanctuary

KUPUNA SHOPPING ASSISTANCE MINISTRY
Any of our All Saints' kupuna who need assistance with grocery shopping can contact Carolyn Morinishi at church@allsaintskauai.org to set up a delivery.

ALL SAINTS' VIRTUAL SWAP MEET
If any ministry has an unmet need, reach out to put it in the All Saints' Virtual Swap Meet and it will be published in the Epistle. Contact Bill Caldwell at news@allsaintskauai.org.

PASTORAL CARE CONTACT INFORMATION
Whenever you have a need for support, please call (650) 691-8104 and leave a voice mail. The system will immediately forward the information to the Pastoral Care Committee who will respond to each request. If you prefer, you may send an electronic pastoral care request via email to pastoralcare@allsaintskauai.org.

PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Individuals who want to participate in the Prayer Chain Ministry must re-enroll to continue receiving the email communications. To re-enroll, please visit the newly established Pastoral Care web page or contact the Church Office at (808) 822-4267.

SUBMITTING A PRAYER REQUEST
Prayer requests will now be submitted online or by contacting the Church Office at (808) 822-4267.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Names can be added to the Prayers of the People petitions by using the Prayer Chain Request form or by contacting the Church Office at (808) 822-4267. Names will remain in the Prayers of the People for a maximum of four Sundays before a name must be resubmitted.
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