Scripture Readings

Sirach 10:12-18

Morning Coffee Inspiration from Pastor Gae

Aloha Friends,

These days there is lots of talk about meditation. Why?

Many years ago I took up the spiritual practice of meditation (aka centering prayer, contemplative prayer), because I was very frustrated with my prayer life. Essentially, all I was doing was “talking to God,” expressing gratitude but mostly asking God to be a fixer of problems in the lives of my family and close friends. I tended to pray more often when there was some kind of crisis. Bottom line, my prayer life was dry, rote and boring. And the question I kept asking myself was, “Why am I doing this when God already knows it all before I even ask?” I knew there had to be something more. I read all kinds of books on prayer. I even sought the help of a Catholic priest friend, but he must have experienced the same thing, because all he told me was, “The only prayer I say is for God to give me strength.” Ugh...
But then God brought into my life a very down-to-business Irish nun spiritual director who suggested what was probably lacking in my prayer life was listening to God. She said, “How can you ever have an intimate relationship with someone who is doing all the talking but never listening?” That was me. And so began the discipline of sitting in silence. It was very tough at first, but I was determined to do it every day. And it changed everything. The first benefit I received was a sense of calm, an assurance that “all will be well.” Through the years of meditating, I have received messages from God of clarity, creativity, compassion, and vision that have been a huge influence in my life and my work.

Today, meditation is getting a lot of attention. Many people are being drawn to it, not at all for the spiritual benefits, but for physical health and wellness. Studies have shown that meditation reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, lengthens attention span, improves sleep, helps control pain, and perhaps even reduces age-related memory loss. How about that for incentive!
Meditating with a group can be very powerful. My church in Arizona had a meditation group that met every Sunday. All faith traditions were welcome. There was something about sitting in silence together that added an extra dimension to our individual practices. We held in the silence one another’s personal health issues, job losses, money concerns, and griefs along with the celebrations of new jobs and good health. At the end of meditation, we shared insights and distractions or something new we had learned. I cherished that hour every week. 

I encourage you to come to our first Quiet Morning on Saturday, September 14th, especially if you are a little curious about meditation or would like to learn of a new way to enhance your current practice. Liedeke Bulder will be our teacher. Liedeke has been a practitioner for many years of Fr. Thomas Keatings’ contemplative prayer ministry and leads a weekly Contemplative Prayer group at Lihue Lutheran. It will be a morning of worship, instruction, time to practice, and even lunch! And don’t forget that we have Centering Prayer every 1st and 3rd Sundays, 4:00 – 5:00pm in the sanctuary.

I leave you with a quote from Paramahansa Yogananda, who came to the US in the early 1900’s desiring to show the commonality between the teachings of Jesus and Krishna. He is well known for the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi . â€ś Meditation is like giving a hug to ourselves, getting in touch with that awesome reality in us. While meditating we feel a deep sense of intimacy with God, a love that is inexplicable .” 

As always, your thoughts are welcome.

Peace and joy,
~Pastor Gae+
Centering Prayer  
Sunday, September 1, 4:00 - 5:00pm
Meets in the Christ Memorial Sanctuary

Quiet Mornings
Fall Schedule Begins September 14
Meets in the Sanctuary

Sign up on the Church Walkway table this Sunday or email the church office   christmemorialkilauea@gmail.com

CONNECT
Invite~Welcome~Connect Workshop Coming to Kaua'i
This Saturday, August 31 
Meets at Hilton Garden Inn
Mary Parmer’s workshop has been setting our Episcopal Church on fire! She says her ultimate goal of the workshop is to change the narrative of the Episcopal Church to move from maintenance to mission. 

She says, “ For our congregations to thrive, spiritually and numerically, we need to equip and empower individuals and congregations to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and connectedness rooted in the gospel imperative to Go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).”

The workshop is on Saturday, August 31 from 8:30am-4:00pm, includes lunch and is free! For more information, please see http://www.allsaintskauai.org/iwcministry.html  

Would you like to join our Christ Memorial team? Email Pastor Gae  gdchalker@gmail.com
Mini Golf: A New Tradition at Christ Memorial
Well, when you think you cannot repeat a stellar event, you come to realize that it comes easily when you’re surrounded by great friends! Mini golf on Sunday afternoon did not disappoint in humor, friendly competition and some serious skill building. I think we all upped our game, but these folks are really good and great at sharing their techniques. We even had a few hole-in-ones from Margaret, Sandy and Steve -- and everyone celebrated the victories of every player with happy hour, brownies and shortbread! We look forward to more joining our next event, to be announced. Thanks to Margaret and Gordon for hosting. So much fun! 
KIDS! The Great Adventure: 
Great Stories of the Old Testament  
Summer Sunday School
Every Sunday, 8:00 – 9:00am
Meets in the Church Office
Each week, we are going on a Great Adventure to explore the great bible stories of the Old Testament. We meet heroes and villains, and encounter some really big challenges. 

This past Sunday, the children completed their studies of the Ten Commandments. Next up: David and Goliath and Story of Jonah. 

Join us on any Sunday.

For more info, contact Keana keana@ischool.org  
or Leona lcblankley@aol.com .

Can you volunteer? 

We are required to have two adults in Sunday School class. Can you help out our leaders one week? If so, please contact Keana or Leona.
Men’s Fellowship  
Every Monday at 9:00am
Meets at Kilauea Bakery and Pizza (Kong Lung Market Center)

Christ Memorial Men’s Fellowship group is growing! We meet every Monday morning at 9:00am for coffee or breakfast at the Kilauea Bakery. For more information, see Patrick O’Connell at worship or email him at paoco65@gmail.com
Worth Watching! God in America 


A co-production of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and FRONTLINE, this six-hour series examines how religious dissidents helped shape the American concept of religious liberty and the controversial evolution of that ideal in the nation's courts and political arena; how religious freedom and waves of new immigrants and religious revivals fueled competition in the religious marketplace; how movements for social reform —from abolition to civil rights — galvanized men and women to put their faith into political action; and how religious faith influenced conflicts from the American Revolution to the Cold War.
SERVE
Helen Mitsui Shared Blessings Thrift Shop News
What is Wrong with the Picture?
What is Right with this Picture?
Reminder: Luis welcomes you to drive your vehicle to the back of the Thrift Shop during business hours, and he will help you unload!
Thrift Shop Hours for Shopping and Donations

Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 2:00 - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am - 3:00pm
Sunday: closed (fellowship 11am - 12pm)
Monday: closed

PRAY
Special Ministry of Christ Memorial ~ Open for Prayer
Monday-Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Feeling a little overwhelmed with life? Just drop in to Christ Memorial for a little peace and quiet.

One important ministry of Christ Memorial is the opening of our church doors, Monday through Friday, during the day. It’s amazing the number of people who drop in to pray, meditate, or just to seek a few minutes of quiet. Unfortunately fear has crept into many churches. Pastor Gae believes our country would be very different if all churches kept their doors unlocked.

Our Sunday prayer list includes those whom our visitors have asked us to pray.

Live off island? If you have a prayer intention or would like to pray for those on our prayer list, email Pastor Gae at gdchalker@gmail.com .

 GIVE
There is no better investment on planet earth than the church
No other organization has been operating continuously for 2000 years and no other organization will continue to exist throughout eternity. Other organizations are doing good work, but there simply is not any organization with more potential to change the world than the church of Jesus. The church is where lost people are saved, hopeless people find hope, addicted people are set free, broken people are restored, hungry people are fed, and rejected people are accepted and loved. The most beautiful thing about what happens in the church is that God gets the glory for it all, because the church is God’s.

Ways to Support Your Church
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your financial support and generosity allow us to create and enhance the beautiful environment and worship that you and your family enjoy on a weekly basis.

Change to Automated Giving
Thank you to those of you who automate your giving and have a plan to support your church. Your consistent, planned generosity makes it possible for us to budget and dream responsibly. Want to change to automated giving? It makes life easy, especially if you travel. Contact our Treasurer Scott Oliver for information at j.scott.oliver380@gmail.com .
Check
Thank you to all of you who still like to write checks. Please make checks payable to Christ Memorial Episcopal Church and mail to PO Box 293, Kilauea, HI 96754.

 Stock
Through the decades, many have given stock to Christ Memorial, enabling us to be a consistent presence in Kilauea. For more information on contributing stock, contact Scott Oliver at j.scott.oliver380@gmail.com.



Sharing our Property for Support and Recovery Groups
Christ Memorial wants to be known in the community as a healing place for the body, mind and spirit. We are seeking support and recovery groups to meet on the property, either in the Parish Hall or the Office. If you know of a group looking for a place to meet: grief support, eating disorders, anxiety, Al-Anon, Gamblers Anonymous, etc., please tell them to contact us.

If you know of a group looking for a place to meet: grief support, eating disorders, anxiety, Al-Anon, Gamblers Anonymous, etc., please tell them to contact Pastor Gae.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups meet at Christ Memorial Parish Hall every week on these days and times:

  • Tuesday at 10:00 am
  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Connect with the Diocese of Hawa i ' i

To keep up with the news from the Diocese of Hawai'i, please click on the buttons below:

Newsletter Mission: Our weekly newsletter was launched this year to inform our island community, as well as connect with our broader community of old and new friends, near and far. Whether you live on Kaua'i, visit seasonally or joined Christ Memorial for the first time during vacation, we welcome you into our global family. We endeavor to include inspiration, new ideas, practical advice and updates on news and events of Christ Memorial. Let us know how we can serve you best in 2019 by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at ChristMemorialKilauea@gmail.com

Have you met Pastor Gae? Pastor Gae wants to get to know you all – phone chats, home visits, morning coffees, afternoon teas or walks on the beach. Near or far, reach out to meet or share your thoughts at gdchalker@gmail.com or (623) 208-9436.
Christ Memorial Episcopal Church
2509 Kolo Road, Kilauea, HI 96754
Mailing: PO Box 293, Kilauea, HI 96754
Phone: (808) 482-4824

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