Volume 5, Issue 4
January 24, 2020
THIS SUNDAY: January 26, 2020
Third Sunday after Epiphany

8:00AM
Susan Englund (EM)
Jeff Albao (U)
Marge Akana (AG)

9:30AM
Susan Englund (EM)
Linda Crocker, Joan Roughgarden (R)
Alfonso Murillo, Ginny Martin (U)
David Crocker (AG)
Joshua (A)
Mabel Antonio, Vikki Secretario (HP)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Church Workday
Saturday, January 25 th
9:00AM - 12PM
All Saints' Campus

Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 26 th
8:00AM Service
9:00AM Annual Meeting*
*continental breakfast will be provided
10:00AM service

A Hui Hou Aloha Hour for Fr. David and Susan Englund
Sunday, January 26 th
10:45AM - 1PM
Church Lawn

First Sunday with Kahu Kawika Jackson
Sunday, February 2 nd
8:00AM
9:30AM
Church

Super Bowl Potluck Party
Sunday, February 2 nd
12:00 - 5:00PM
Rectory
RECURRING EVENTS
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

Daughters of the King
2 nd & 4 th Thursday, 7:00 - 8:00PM
Memorial Hall

Choir Practice
Choir is in recess and practice will resume February 6
Every Thursday, 6:00PM
Choir Room
Ka Ohana `O Ke Akua
All Saints' Annual Parish Meeting, January 26 th
Getting Down to Business - Reminders.

Yes, it's that time of the year! Time to come together at our Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting will take place between the services on Sunday, January 26 th . The second service will be delayed 30 minutes so the service will start at 10:00AM. A continental breakfast (coffee, tea, juice, pastries) will be provided.
VESTRY
We will be voting for 5 new Vestry members - 4 at-large members to serve 3-year terms, and 1 member to be the Junior Warden serving a 1-year term. 
DELEGATES
We will be voting for Delegates to attend the Diocesan Convention scheduled for October 23/24.
PLEDGE
PLEASE, PLEASE pledge . Your pledge is important as it enables the Vestry to prepare a budget for the year to come. If you have not yet submitted your pledge, please take the time to fill in the form and place it in the plate on Sunday. Forms are available from the church office. Contact Cami. 

If you have  NEVER  pledged before - please think about doing so. It  IS  important. Your pledge does not lock you in. If your circumstances change you are able to decrease (or even increase!) your annual pledge total.
2020 PLEDGE

What is it all about?

At All Saints’ Church, we know that financial stewardship is an important component of a balanced spiritual life. Returning to God from that which God has given us is a tangible way to express our faith. When we pledge financially, together we fund ministry within our parish, to the Kauai community and to the world. 


What is a pledge?

A pledge is an estimate of giving; some call it a statement of intent. Making a pledge is promising to give a specific dollar amount of your financial resources to the operating budget of All Saints over the course of a calendar year. Pledging and giving is a spiritual discipline. It is a matter of saying, “Yes Lord, I will make this offering”.  


Why is pledging import?

Pledging allows you to make intentional decisions about your financial giving. When you plan ahead for your giving, you make conscious choices about spending your money in ways that reflect your faith and values. Receiving your pledge allows our Vestry, the church’s governing board, to create a budget for our staffing, ministries, programs and outreach for the coming year. Pledging is the primary basis for what we can accomplish as a church.


How much should I pledge?

Determining the amount of your annual pledge is between you and God. However, as you make this important decision, reflecting on your vision of stewardship is most important. With faithful stewardship, truly we receive much more than we give. As each of us gives, we reap the benefits of generosity and faith. Pledges of any amount are welcome and necessary for our ministries. If financial circumstances change, your pledge amount can be decreased or increased.

How is my money used?

The vision of All Saints’ Church is to be a Gathering Place for the People of Kaua’i, a center for Worship , Education , Outreach and the Arts .

The gifts of your Time , Talent and Treasure makes things happen at All Saints. The vestry and ministry groups work hard to be good stewards of your gifts. Because of your generosity we are in our fifth year of Laundry Love providing clean clothes twice a month to those in need. We helped serve over 1100 free meals on Thanksgiving Day and hosted an Interfaith Service. Twice a year we show free movies on the lawn. Different youth groups use our campus for car washes.

In addition to our own regular Sunday services, which include music and choir, our church is used by Tongan and Marshallese Faith Groups. The church is also a venue for concerts such as the McMaster’s Slack Key concerts, KISS concerts and others.

Our campus is used by many other organizations including Sea Scouts, Boys and Girls Scouts, NA, Child and Family Services and other service groups. In addition the gym is used daily by a variety of groups for exercise, aerobics, karate, basketball etc.

How and when do I make a pledge?

You may return your completed pledge card at any time.

Your pledge is the amount you plan to donate to the operating budget for the next calendar year, beginning January 1. Pledges may be paid weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Please make a pledge, every pledge makes a difference, everyone and every pledge is needed. 

With our sincere best wishes to you and your family.

All Saints Church and Preschool Vestry
MAHALO AND A HUI HOU FR. DAVID & SUSAN
Potluck Celebration
Sunday, January 26, 2020
In addtion to an exciting Annual Meeting this Sunday we also have a bitter/sweet event taking place. This is the final service with Fr. David Englund as our long-term supply minister. Fr. David and Susan have been with us since October and they also supported us in April, May and 2 weeks of June.

We will celebrate our time with Fr. David and Susan at a special potluck Aloha Hour this Sunday. Don't forget the 2nd service follows the Annual Meeting and will start at 10:00 a.m. this Sunday . Please bring a favorite dish or beverage to share with your church `ohana.

So, join us as we say Mahalo Nui Loa and A Hui Hou to a wonderful couple.

Blessings and warmest aloha,

David Murray
CHURCH WORKDAY THIS SATURDAY
Many Hands Make Light Work!
We have a our work cut out for us but we know you will help!

Our main focus will be on emptying the container behind the church. There's a lot to sort out. The container will be used to store the organ components when they are shipped to us.

If sorting out the container does not appeal to you there are plenty of other tasks that need to be done:

  • cleaning church windows;
  • cleaning and tidying the gym kitchen;
  • picking up the roof shingles that are scattered all around the gym;
  • removing green waste.
 
If you have a truck, please bring it so we can haul "stuff" to the dump.

We are just asking for 3 hours of your valuable time; 9:00AM - 12:00 Noon.

Please join us!

David Murray
on behalf of the Building and Grounds Ministry
We Welcome the Newly Baptized
Max Christopher Richardson-Cuevas
On January 12, 2020, Father David baptized Max Christopher Richardson-Cuevas into the Christ's body, the Church at All Saints, Kapaa. Max was born July 20, 1990 in Martinez California and grew up in the Bay Area. He graduated from Alhambra High School in Martinez, CA in 2008. Max served 8 years in the U S Coast Guard, and was medically discharged in 2017 as a Gunner's Mate, Third Class. Max lived in Dundee Scotland for two years before arriving in Kauai in 2019. Max works with his father, Larry, in the painting trade. Max is very involved in Community theater on Kauai, having played in Sweeny Todd, Matilda, and is now acting in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. After exploring the faith with Father David, Max committed to baptism and the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was sponsored in Baptism by Bill Brown. Welcome Max! 
Prayers After the Diamond Head Tragedy
January 20, 2020
 
The following is from Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick:
 
I write this day with a heavy heart. The tragic death of two police officers -- Officer Tiffany Enriquez and Officer Kaulike Kalama – yesterday in the line of duty and the fire during the incident that have left families homeless (in the Diamond Head neighborhood of Honolulu), are shocking and raise the specter of violence we do not know in these Islands. We are reminded that police officers and other first responders often have to push into unknown and unsafe places on our behalf as a community. Likewise, we together must face up to the reality of mental illness and increased violence in our communities. In the days ahead, we will pray for the two murdered Officers, grieve with their families and co-workers, care for our broken community, and ruminate on the causes of this tragedy. We must also continue to seek a community of peace, care and justice. Today, we mourn. 
 
Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer, especially Tiffany and Kaulike: Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
 
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
Bishop Diocesan 
 
The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
229 Queen Emma Square
Honolulu, HI 96813-2304
 
Bishop-in-Charge
The Episcopal Church in Micronesia
911 North Marine Corps Drive
Upper Tumon, Guam 96913
Episcopal Delegates Named for UN Commission on the Status of Women in March
 Our Own Rev. Annalise Castro Pasalo to Represent Bishop Curry

Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs
Posted Jan 9, 2020
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry has named the Episcopal delegates who will represent him at the 64th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in New York City, NY, March 9-20, 2019.

During this meeting, Episcopal delegates will observe the official UNCSW meetings at United Nations headquarters and will represent the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Along with delegates from across the Anglican Communion and the coalition Ecumenical Women, Episcopal delegates will engage in advocacy related to The Episcopal Church’s written statement on the 2020 priority theme, “Review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action .” Learn more here . Each delegate is expected to participate in conference calls prior to the UNCSW meeting as well as evaluations, reports and follow-up actions in their diocese.

The delegates are: Ms. Nancy Stafford, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island (Province I); Ms. Yunjeong Seol, Episcopal Diocese of New York (Province II); Ms. Erin Morey, Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (Province III); The Reverend Canon Milly Morrow, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina (Province IV); Ms. Ellen Lindeen, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago (Province V); Ms. Tatiana Hoecker, Episcopal Diocese of West Texas (Province VII); Ms. Maria Gonzalez, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (Province VIII); and Ms. Pragedes Coromoto Jimenez de Salazar, Episcopal Diocese of Venezuela (Province IX).
Presiding Bishop’s staff members and other leadership team members accompanying the delegation are: Ms. Jennifer Allen, former UNCSW delegate and seminarian; the Rev. Glenda McQueen, staff officer for Latin America and the Caribbean; Ms. Lynnaia Main, Episcopal Church representative to the United Nations; the Rev. Annalise Castro Pasalo, former UNCSW delegate; the Rev. Margaret Rose, Presiding Bishop’s Ecumenical and Interreligious deputy and former director of the Office of Women’s Ministries and Ms. Isabelle Watkins, Julia Chester Emery intern for the United Thank Offering.

In addition, Presiding Bishop Curry named Ms. Clare Hendricks of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana as the Episcopal provincial delegate to the Anglican Communion delegation.

For more information contact Main at lmain@episcopalchurch.org .
The Conversion of Paul the Apostle

January 25, 2020
The conversion of Paul the Apostle (also Pauline conversion, Damascene conversion, Damascus Christophany and The Road to Damascus event), was, according to the New Testament, an event in the life of Paul the Apostle that led him to cease persecuting early Christians and to become a follower of Jesus. It is normally dated to AD 33–36. Since his birth is estimated at 5 AD, he would have been somewhere around the age of 28–31 at his conversion.


The conversion of Paul to Christianity is so important that the story is told three times in Acts, and Paul mentions the experience three times in his letters. An observance of Paul's conversion is mentioned in some calendars from the eighth and ninth centuries. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) ordered that it be observed with great solemnity. After his conversion, Paul devoted his life completely to Christ. He was the leading missionary to the Gentiles in the early church. The Conversion of Saint Paul is commemorated on Jan. 25 in the Episcopal calendar of the church year. This observance concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

This observance began on St. Peter's Day, June 29, 1900, when Spencer Jones, a Church of England priest, preached a sermon on closer relations with the Church of Rome. Jones urged that sermons be preached on St. Peter's Day emphasizing Rome as the center of unity. Paul James Wattson, an Episcopal priest, suggested that the Octave from the Feast of St. Peter's Chair (Jan. 18) to the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (Jan. 25) be a time of prayer for Christian unity on a papal basis. Church Unity Week was first observed in 1908, and later the name was changed to the Church Unity Octave by Wattson. In the 1930s, it was suggested by Abbé Paul Couturier, a Roman Catholic priest in France, that the basis for prayer be broadened to include all who desired unity in Jesus Christ, without reference to the Pope. Also in the 1930s, Wattson changed the name to the Chair of Unity Octave. Since 1966 the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity have worked together on common international texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

THE EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE
Embracing Evangelism
Video Series and Resources
Coming in Spring 2020
[January 23, 2020] This week, participants at the Rooted in Jesus conference in Atlanta, Georgia, were introduced to  Embracing Evangelism , a new six-part evangelism video course provided by The Episcopal Church and Virginia Theological Seminary.
 
Each episode features teachings on Episcopal evangelism, class discussions and prompts, and exercises to help Episcopalians understand the ministry and call to evangelism.
 
The full Embracing Evangelism series consists of six videos, each of which includes participant and facilitator guides. The series works equally well as a daylong intensive course or a season’s worth of adult education offerings.
 
Embracing Evangelism will be available for download in its entirety in spring 2020. More information at: episcopalchurch.org/embracingevangelism .
 
Want to be notified when Embracing Evangelism and additional information is available? Sign up here: episcopalchurch.org/embracingevangelism .

On the web:
Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation in the United States of America (ARCUSA) issues communiqué

January 14, 2020
The 81st meeting of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation in the United States of America (ARCUSA) met at the Nicholas Center  in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago  from December 16-18, 2019, hosted by the Episcopal Church’s Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations.

A central focus of this meeting was reconciliation in biblical, liturgical, ecclesiastical, sacramental, social, and theological contexts.

Episcopalians present were the Right Reverend Dr. John Bauerschmidt (co-chair, Bishop of Tennessee), the Reverend Dr. Michael Cover, the Reverend Dr. Dan Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Dr. John Kiess, Dr. Christopher Wells, the Reverend Dr. Denise Yarbrough, and Mr. Richard Mammana (staff). The Right Reverend Catherine Waynick (retired, Indianapolis) sent regrets. The Right Reverend Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Chicago, brought greetings of welcome from his diocese.

Roman Catholics present were the Most Reverend John Michael Botean (Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George in Canton, co-chair), Dr. Kimberly Belcher, the Reverend Dr. William O’Neill SJ (remotely from Nairobi), the Reverend Dr. Thomas Rausch SJ, Dr. Barbara Sain (remotely from Minneapolis), and the Reverend Dr. Ron Roberson CSP (staff). The Reverend Walter Kedjierski, Executive Director of Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops , attended for the first two days. Dr. Samuel Thomas sent regrets.

The Episcopal Church and Roman Catholic groups met separately in caucus once to discuss internal matters related to the dialogue.

Against a background of daily worship and meals at the Nicholas Center, the dialogue continued its conversations about reconciliation. Dr. Sain, Dr. Cover, Dr. Rausch, Dr. Kiess, and Dr. Wells each presented on aspects of reconciliation in biblical, liturgical, ecclesiastical, sacramental, social, and theological contexts. A drafting group has begun preparation of an agreed statement on reconciliation.

ARCUSA is also preparing a response to the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) 2017 document Walking Together on the Way: Learning to be the Church – Local, Regional, Universal , the first international Anglican-Roman Catholic statement since 2004.


The Episcopal Church and Roman Catholic Church have been in local dialogue for more than 50 years through ARCUSA, and on the international level through the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). In a common declaration signed in 2006 by Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Benedict XVI, the two leaders renewed the historic commitment to the goal of “full visible communion in the truth of Christ.” ARCUSA’s conversations maintain open communication between the two churches with this objective.

The consultation has previously produced documents on Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment (2014), a response to Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ (2007), and A Pastoral Guide for Understanding Our Two Churches (2007).

ARCUSA will meet next April 15-17, 2020 at the Spiritual Life Center  of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita in Bel Aire, Kansas.

— Communiqué prepared by Richard Mammana for the Episcopal Church Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations

THE EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE
Headlining 50th annual Martin Luther King breakfast, Presiding Bishop decries political injustice

By Egan Millard
Posted Jan 20, 2020
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry delivers the keynote address at the 50th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in Boston, Massachusetts, on Jan. 20, 2020. Photo: Tracy Sukraw/Diocese of Massachusetts

[Episcopal News Service – Boston] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s keynote address at the 50th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Jan. 20 was full of Scriptural interpretation, moral lessons and charismatic preaching reminiscent of King himself.

Several times, however, he jokingly reminded the audience of around 1,500 that he had been asked to give a keynote address, not a sermon.

“But imagine that it was a sermon,” he told the laughing audience before diving back into a reflection on the prophet Jeremiah.

Curry’s fiery speech, which drew parallels between the political injustices of Jeremiah’s age and present-day America, was the highlight of the event that traditionally draws appearances from Boston’s most influential leaders. The breakfast was founded by St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church – a largely African American parish in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood that features a stained-glass depiction of King – and Union United Methodist Church. The event’s proceeds benefit both churches’ community programs and services. This year, tickets for the breakfast – held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center – were sold out for the first time in about 30 years, organizers said.
Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle Harris gives the opening prayer at the 50th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in Boston on Jan. 20, 2020. Photo: Tracy Sukraw/Diocese of Massachusetts

The morning began with a prayer offered by Massachusetts Bishop Suffragan Gayle Harris.

“We gather in what seems to be a weary year, with many silent tears from violence and war,” Harris said. “It seems at times the truth and our principles are under a guillotine of political expediency.”

Harris encouraged the audience to draw strength from King’s wisdom and tenacity in dark times.

“He reminded us that we cannot and must not remain in the valley of despair, hopelessness and helplessness,” she said.

After a performance from a gospel choir that had the audience clapping and singing along, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh gathered on stage for a candid discussion about past and present manifestations of racial injustice in the state and the rest of the country. The consensus that emerged among the four politicians of different races and parties was that the specifics and semantics may be different now, but systemic racism persists, echoing the theme of this year’s event: “The Struggle Continues.”

“One of the things that frustrates me when we talk about the civil rights movement is that we bookend it as if we’re not still in it. The same is true when we talk about abolition. I’m still an abolitionist because my people still are not free,” Pressley – who is black – said to cheers from the audience.

“We can’t have a just society until we admit that we do not have a just society,” Markey said, calling for an end to private prisons and the mass incarceration of people of color. “And we have to have a conversation about reparation. … The truth is that in many ways, we have just substituted the cells of slave ships for the cells of prisons.

When Curry took the stage to deliver his speech, he applauded the elected officials’ willingness to speak frankly about such difficult topics.

“It was wonderful to hear political leaders speak with a moral voice,” he said.

The central motif of Curry’s keynote address came from Jeremiah 17:8 : a sturdy tree that endures drought by spreading its roots toward a stream. He recalled a tree he saw during a pilgrimage to Ghana with the descendants of American slaves and slave owners – a massive tree that, he was told, had stood for centuries. A witness to years of mass enslavement and colonialism, the tree continued to thrive.

“The tree, as large as it was above, was bigger below! It had a complex root system, a root system that spread out all over the land, a root system that was wide and inclusive,” Curry recalled enthusiastically. “If you want to navigate in moral ambiguity and complexity, when lies are substituted for truth, when misbehavior is exalted as just plain behavior, when people are treated like animals and put down, when mamas are separated from their children at the border of this country – you want to navigate that? You’ve got to be like that tree!”

Although he only mentioned President Donald Trump by name once, Curry talked about the actions of kings in the time of Jeremiah and let the audience fill in the blanks.

“Caring for those who have need was not their concern. In fact, they played political games on the level of geopolitics. They entered into unwise alliances. They canceled treaties that had long been in place. I’m just giving you a biblical lesson, now,” Curry said to laughter and applause. “They prepared to seal off the borders of Judah. Build imaginary walls. They segregated and separated people by their class and their caste. They separated folks, even in the house of God.”

The solution, as it was for Jeremiah and for King, is “a revival of relationships and a revolution of values,” Curry told the audience.

“In a country that was bereft of moral decency, a country that had lost its way, a country that abandoned its true roots … in times like that, you must be like the tree.”

He ended with a nod to the slogan used by Trump and his supporters, bringing the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation.

“When love is behind every law, America will be great!”

– Egan Millard is an assistant editor and reporter for the Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at emillard@episcopalchurch.org .

FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÉ
Whom Should I Fear?

By Leslie Scoopmire
Posted January 23, 2020
 
It seems a lot of the behavior that disrupts our society today is based on fear—fear of not having enough, fear of people different from us, fear of being alone even in a crowd of people. Fear can make us react in a variety of ways - and one of the most pernicious is to make us forget how beloved we are.
 
Just like last Sunday’s psalm (psalm 40), this psalm expresses faith and trust in God. The selection we have from Psalm 27 has two separate moods: an expression of trust in God and longing to be with God in verses 1 and 5-9 in which God is spoken of in third person as “he;” and then a direct plea to God asking for protection, with God being addressed as “You” in the second person. It’s as if, in the first part, the psalmist is talking to himself; and then once he has reminded himself of the love God has for him, he will then be bold enough in the second part to ask God directly for protection and salvation.
 
If you read between the lines, however, it seems that the psalmist actually feels threatened and endangered, and is trying to build up his own confidence by giving himself a pep talk to remind himself that there is nothing to fear. Language about being endangered and afraid is implied in every verse. The psalmist seems to be screwing up his courage in the face of some sort of terror. 
 
Unfortunately, the verses we have in this excised version of the psalm omits what the danger is. But here is what we see if verses 2-4 are restored:

2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell. 

3 Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid; 

4 And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him. 

Here we see descriptions of terrible calamities that nonetheless will not be enough to shake the psalmist’s faith in God’s abiding faithfulness.
 
Both the first and last verses we read praise God as being “my salvation.” Verse 1 also links God with light. In verse 5, we see that the psalmist feels secure because God is near. In verses 5-7, the psalmist refers to God’s “house,” “temple,” “shelter,” and “dwelling,” which of course are where people so often go to pray. The sense of sight is invoked in verse 6, when the psalmist anticipates seeing “the fair beauty of the Lord,” such a lovely phrase to describe God revealing Godself to us. Movement is then emphasized, and the direction in verses 7 and 8 is upward- “set high on a rock,” and “lifting up my head” to save the psalmist. In thanksgiving, the psalmist will offer an oblation, an offering of gratitude and worship. 
 
Just as we hope when we ourselves pray, there is a pattern of asking and being answered: in verse 5, the psalmist asks to be allowed to live with God, making God’s dwelling also his own home, which would, of course, be the safest place anywhere. But the psalmist seeks even more closeness with God: to see God’s face, and to feel God’s touch.
 
Many of us need to be reminded that we can call upon God to help us when we are afraid, and this psalm reminds us in vivid imagery that God is always with us and loves us. Ultimately, this is a psalm meant to remind us to have faith in God, to be confident of God’s love and trust God’s love for us.
The Rev. Leslie Scoopmire is a retired teacher and a priest in the Diocese of Missouri. She is priest-in-charge of  St. Martin’s Episcopal Church  in Ellisville, MO. She posts daily prayers at her blog  Abiding In Hope , and collects spiritual writings and images at  Poems, Psalms, and Prayers .

HALE HO`OMALU IS TAKING A BREAK IN JANUARY

Stock up for next month when we will need toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and deodorant
SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS WEEK
Special Lesson: Recycle Project
Sunday School is conducting a special Recycle Project lesson for the next two weeks. They will turn old plastics and shells into decorative crosses for them to take home.
 
January 26 th : Kids will begin putting those items together to make their crosses.
 
February 2 nd : they will have time to finish their crosses and teachers will reiterate the importance of taking care of the earth as stewards of God's creation.
 
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for this special event, please contact Cami at cami@allsaintskauai.org .
IN BRIEF . . .
These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"

Please submit your story ideas to the Epistle Staff at news@allsaintskauai.org .
ALL SAINTS' SERVICE BULLETINS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Go to allsaintskauai.org, the last time under "Worship Services" is "Download E-Programs". Click on that link to download the current service bulletin.

RIDES OFFERED TO BOTH SUNDAY SERVICES
If you need a ride to and from church call Chris Wataya at 808-652-0230.

ALL SAINTS' WISH LIST
If any ministry has an unmet need, reach out to put it on the All Saints' Wish List and it will be published in the Epistle . Contact Bill Caldwell at news@allsaintskauai.org .

LAUNDRY LOVE VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS
For more information go to Laundry Love Kaua`i or contact Geoff Shields at gshields2334@gmail.com or 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.

HOME COMMUNION FOR SICK AND SHUT-INS
All Saints' Eucharistic Visitors are available each Sunday (pending availability) to bring Communion to those who are sick or shut-in. Requests for a Eucharistic visitation can be made by calling the Church Office at (808) 822-4267 or emailing homecommunion@allsaintskauai.org .