Volume 5, Issue 43
October 30, 2020
THIS SUNDAY: November 1, 2020
All Saints'

ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICES
with COMMUNION

8:00AM
Joe Adorno (EM)*
Rosalind Terao, Bob Terao (U)
Dee Grigsby (AG)
Muriel Jackson (DM)

9:30AM
Mary Margaret Smith (EM)
Mario Antonio (U)
Muriel Jackson (LR)
Faith Shiramizu (AG)
Vikki Secretario, Nelson Secretario (HP)
Ron Morinishi, Jan Hashizume (DM)

Live Stream
9:30AM 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
UPCOMING EVENTS
ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICES WITH COMMUNION
8:00AM and 9:30AM
Sanctuary and Side Lanai

Aloha Hour
Every Sunday
10:45AM - 12:00PM
Side Lanai and Tent

Monday Crew
Every Monday
8:00AM
Church Office

Daughters of the King
Thursday, November 12th
7:00 - 8:00PM
Memorial Hall

Online Communication Workshop
Saturday, November 14th
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Church


RECURRING EVENTS
ALL RECURRING EVENTS SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Sunday School
Every Sunday, 9:30 - 10:15AM
Memorial Hall

Laundry Love
1st & 3rd Wednesday, 5:00PM
Kapa`a Laundromat
McMaster Slack Key Guitar and Ukulele Concert
Every Wednesday, 6:00PM
Church

Choir Practice
Every Thursday, 6:00PM
Choir Room
For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering, especially Kalani, those in the path of Hurricane Zeta, Glen, and those we name silently or aloud, let us pray to the Lord. ​Lord, have mercy. 

For all who have died, especially those affected by the COVID-19 virus, and those we name silently or aloud, in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord. ​Lord, have mercy. Amen.
Reflections from Kahu Kawika
You’re the Splitting Image!
Matthew 22:15-22
25 October 2020
All Saints’ Kapa`a

Several years ago and some weeks after I had filed our federal taxes and was expecting a refund, I got a letter from the IRS. I was filled with a sense of dread as I opened the envelope. Sure enough, the letter stated that they had found an error in my return and that most likely I would be audited. I was sure I had filed correctly, though, so I started praying intensely about it and replied that I would challenge the finding. A few more weeks after that, I received another letter from the IRS – this time with a check attached! The letter was actually an apology for causing me distress in the first place, and the check was for several hundred dollars above what I had expected as a refund in the first place. This certainly confirmed my belief in a God of miracles!

No one likes to pay taxes, but we realize that part of being good citizens involves paying our fair share to belong to this society, to support government services for the common good like the police, road maintenance and other infrastructure, and aid for those needing financial assistance.

It was kind of like that in Jesus’ day, but the Jewish people detested paying taxes even more, because they had to pay them as non-citizens to the Roman Empire, the very occupying force that had taken over their ancestral land. They would get charged a lot and see little of it in return.

So no wonder in our Gospel reading today from Matthew 22 that the lay religious rulers of the Jewish people, the Pharisees with the Herodians, thought they could finally trap Jesus with a “Gotcha” question: “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” By “lawful” they meant whether the religious Law of Moses allowed or mandated them to pay taxes to a non-Jewish political power. They figured they had Jesus trapped, because if he were to reply “yes,” then that would break up Jesus’ popularity with the Jewish people and they would turn on him. But if Jesus were to answer “no,” then the Pharisees could run off and tattle on Jesus to the Roman authorities and say that Jesus is an agitator needing to be arrested and killed.

So Jesus was in quite a dilemma – or so it would seem. Jesus, though, is quite clever not to let himself get caught up in political machinations. He instead answers their question with a question of his own: Jesus holds up a denarius coin (worth a laborer’s day’s wage, or about $50-75 in today’s money) and asks them, “Whose head is shown on this coin, and whose title?” When they replied, “The emperor’s,” he cleverly says to them, “Then give to the emperor what is the emperor’s, and to God what is God’s.” Indeed, I think this is the very first articulation of the principle of the separation of church and state anywhere in human history!

Now it’s pretty clear that what Jesus means for people to give to the Roman emperor is their tax payment. But what does he mean for people to give to God? I bet there is a clue here with Jesus’ illustration of the denarius coin – the coin has the very image of the emperor on it. Thus a parallelism would imply that people give back to the emperor what contains the image of the emperor, then people should give to God what has the image of God.

So what contains the image of God! Why each of us – you and me. Each person in the world and throughout time. In short, Jesus tells the Pharisees they ought to give some money back to Rome, but they need to give their very selves, as images of God, back to God. This would have been readily understandable to them, for all the way back to the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, in chapter one, on the sixth day of creation God says, “’Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness,’ so male and female God made them” (Genesis 1:26-27). 

This idea of us in God’s image runs through the New Testament as well. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:49, “And we, who have been modeled on the earthly, likewise will be modeled on the One from heaven.” Later in 2 Corinthians 3:18, he further adds, “And we, who with unveiled faces reflect God’s glory, grow brighter and brighter as we are being transformed into the image we reflect.”

All this reminds me of a phrase from arguably my favorite hymn at Eastertime, “Lift High the Cross”: 
All newborn soldiers of the Crucified,
Bear on their brow the seal of Him who died!

From these references, it’s pretty clear that God has accorded each of us the dignity of having the mark of the Divine stamped upon us. This is not something we have earned, but a God-given right. For those of us who look down upon ourselves thinking we have little or no worth, we should take heart that the Creator of the universe deigns to delight in us, and the proof is that we take after God. We are, in short, “chips off the old block.”

This leads me to the second aspect of being images of our Maker that we are to offer back to God. Not only should we remember we have the dignity given to us by God, but also that we are to respect each other as fellow image reflecting the divine glory. If we would remember this fact and be more intentional in how we treat people around us in our daily lives, then we should act more godly before them and with regard to God’s creation around us. If we really are “chips off the old block,” then we ought to grow into acting more and more like it.

I once found a meme online of pets who take after their owners – there were loads of photos of people with their pets, usually dogs, and the uncanny resemblances they had to one another. By living for years with their owners, the pets gradually took on the physical characteristics of them.

So, are we in a constant state of taking on the characteristics of the Divine? None of us is perfect, and our progress will inevitably zig-zag quite a bit rather than proceed in a straight line. But in short, is it becoming more and more second nature for us to live, love, and laugh with the mind of Christ, and to feel God’s compassion for our world? The writer and academic C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that we are always moving on a spectrum between becoming more like the Divine, or more like the diabolical. We make an infinite amount of decisions every day to move us either closer to or further away from God, and therefore also to or from God’s image in us.

God wants us to be people who live into what we really are and are made for – to be the very images of the Divine. Do people around us see us as the splitting image of God? Amen.
Mālama Matters
Thoughts on Stewardship from Kahu Kawika
28 October 2020
Feast Day of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles

Aloha mai kākou,

Among the Hawaiian words that we employ quite a bit is mālama, which means “to tend for, preserve, or protect” (Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, 1986). We often render the term as “stewardship,” but the heart of the meaning is a loving care for someone or for something.

For our Stewardship Season, the Vestry chose the theme of “Mālama Matters,” connoting the double meaning of both the importance of mālama as a regular spiritual practice, as well as signifying the many ways in which we can exercise mālama. In short, it suggests both the why and the how of mālama.

Thus, when we consider mālama, we need to extend our thinking beyond mere fundraising. True biblical stewardship is not about just trying to keep the lights on to maintain property, as important as this is. Rather, God calls each of us to take a fresh look at what it means for us to be followers of Christ in this world, and ask how we can do our part to fulfill Jesus’ own petition in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

This means that we should prayerfully consider how God wants to make use of our abilities, talents, desires, time, money, and property. It is a chance to offer back to God and to each other our very best selves, to express our love for God’s place in our lives and all that God does for us. It is a renewed commitment to throw in our lot with our siblings in Christ – for God’s glory and for the improvement and blessing of our wider world. And we are to do all this with joy: “For God loves it when the giver delights in their giving” (2 Corinthians 9:7, The Message).

You can find our list of ministries as well as pledge cards at our Sunday services, plus we will be mailing them out to those in our church directory. Please take time to read over the list of ministries and see which ones resonate with you and are what you like to do. Our 2021 Pledge Card asks you to commit what you would like to give back to God as a love offering of what God first gave us.

Mahalo nui loa for your thoughtful and prayerful consideration.

-Kahu Kawika Jackson
Priest-in-Charge and Head of School
All Saints' Rosales Opus 41 Pipe Organ Update
A Call for Volunteers for Saturday, October 31st
organ in container
Organ parts in shipping container in Los Angeles

Aloha Kakou,

The day has finally arrived! The pieces of our new organ will be delivered (in many crates) to Kaua`i this week and the shipping container will arrive at All Saints' soon thereafter. We need a dozen able-bodied people to help lift and move the items into the Sanctuary. Some moving equipment will be provided. However, if you have a flat furniture dolly or appliance hand truck, please bring them.

Additionally, we will be preparing for moving our Sunday services into Memorial Hall - the first set of services will be this coming Sunday, 1 November, and will extend until the first week of December. Volunteers will be needed to setup for service, move items to the gym, and move the tent to the Memorial Hall lanai. We need all genders as volunteers!

Our move-day is scheduled for Saturday Oct 31st starting at 8AM. It should take until noontime or so. If you can help, or can volunteer anyone else, please let us know. We will re-affirm the move-in date with you as it nears.

Mahalo,
Ron Morinishi & Kahu Kawika
Kapa’a Interfaith Thanksgiving Luncheon
Covid-Style
The Kapa`a Interfaith Thanksgiving Luncheon is happening this year. It saddens me that because of the Coronavirus everyone won’t be able to come together in our big red gym to break bread, talk story, and share thanks for this wonderful place we call home and for each other. Instead, we will be handing out boxed lunch consisting of the usual Thanksgiving meal complete with all the fixings from Mark’s Place, of course. We will be sitting up at the gym for people to drive thru in their cars to receive a boxed lunch.
 
As usual we will deliver meals to the elderly and shut-ins within the Anahola to Puhi area. Because we are unable to use the preschool area this year, the meals for delivery will be picked up at the Kapa`a Hongwanji Temple. If you need a meal delivered there are forms available on at our church entrance, or contact me 821-2878 or Sarah 822-3473. 

We are excited that the East Kaua`i Lyons Club and Kaua`i Independent Food Bank are a part of this year’s luncheon. They will be handing out a bag of food to each delivered and picked-up meal until supplies run out. They have also volunteered to help direct traffic at both properties, so give them a shout of thanks when you see them in their yellow vests. 

There will be an Interfaith Church service outside at All Saints’, starting at 10:30 – 11AM. Meals for delivery will be picked up at 11AM. Drive thru meal pickup is 11AM - 1PM. 
To make this function happen, we need your support as always.

  1. Drivers to deliver meals - Drivers need to be in pairs, wear masks and have a cell phone. Sign up sheets located at the church on Sundays, or call Mary Margaret or Sarah. 
  2. Individual juice boxes. We already have 1200 donated but will need 300 more. 
  3. Brown paper bags with handles – thy type used by Safeway or Longs. 
  4. Small flowers, esp. anthuriums for flower bouquets to go with meals. 

Also, fruit or flowers to decorate the altar. We will need them at the gym the morning of Nov. 25, the day before before Thanksgiving. 

Mahalo for your support and assistance in making this a very unusual but wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Event Co-Chairs
-Mary Margaret Smith 821-2878 and Sarah Rogers 822-3473 
Upcoming Holiday Events
Mark Your Calendars and Join Us
Interfaith Service: Thursday, November 26th, 10:30AM, All Saints' under the false kamani tree by the gym.
December 24th
  • 3:30PM Keiki Service led by the Ke Akua Youth Group
  • 5:50PM Festive Eucharist
  • 10:30PM Carole Prelude and Festive Eucharist

December 25th
  • 9:30AM Eucharist
Sunday School Restarts in November!!

Looking for Teacher Volunteers
Aloha Everyone,

Kahu Kawika and Cami plan on restarting Sunday School on November 26, 2020. Plans are to hold classes on the deck under the false kamani tree until they can return to Memorial Hall. In case of rain, class will be moved to the Youth Room or the gym. Cami will lead the first class.

This year the curriculum will be reading stories from the “Spark Story Bible” that correspond to the lectionary readings for that Sunday. Kahu and Cami have planned out the first few months which will be posted to the All Saints’ website soon. Sunday School teachers can use http://textweek.com/ to incorporate podcasts, videos, reflections and discussion questions, and prayers into your lessons. They can also research their own activities online. 

Please let Cami know if you are interested in returning as a Sunday School teacher or would like to join the ministry. Returning teachers should feel free to reach out to their original partner to see if you can return as a team. All are welcome to join the first class to help watch the keiki and see how the curriculum is offered.

If you are interested in this ministry, please contact Cami with any questions: church@allsaintskauai.org, 808-822-4267

-Cami Baldovino
 Church administrator and Youth Minister
This year's Annual Meeting of Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i, our first virtual convention, is over. For his Monday message, Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick shares his Convention Address. To view it, click on the image above or visit his message web page on the Diocesan website HERE.

The news wrap up of Convention 52 will be coming out this week with links to the full live stream and individual videos that appeared during the meeting. If you don't want to wait, the livestream and videos (Address, Response, Necrology, and Highlights) are already posted on the Diocese's YouTube channel HERE. Mahalo to everyone for their participation and support!
Province VIII logo
Young Adult and Campus Ministry
Ages 18-25
All Souls Distance Retreat, November 7th
all souls distance retreat
We will gather, at a distance, for a day of prayer and rejuvenation.
Times of reflective prayer will be offered at 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 2:00, and 3:30 over Zoom. (all times Mountain)
 
This will have a dual track approach:

Track 1: A Quiet Day Option for Everyone. Participants will curate their own quiet day activities to take up during the four 'hours' between our times of prayer. This can be a time for spiritual journaling and reading, meditation, gentle yoga, or any reflective activity for personal refreshment. This is open to any and all who wish to join. You do need to register to receive the link to attend here.
 
Track 2: A Directed Option for Young Adults and College Students. Reflections on theologies of life, death, and the afterlife. This will include two specific plenaries, at 10:50 AM (about Samhain, All Hallows, and All Souls), and at 12:20 PM (Life, Death, and Pandemic). There will also be a time for Open Space, to discuss what you feel we should discuss. Although this serves in the place of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona's Young Adult and Campus Ministry November Retreat, it is open to any young adults or students who wish to join. Register here. You can register at any point prior to the event to attend.
 
Want to visit the Facebook Event? Click here.
To attend, you must register here.
Young adults and Students: For you to receive the physical Retreat Package (think: amazing), you must register by October 29th. 
 
If you have any questions, please email Ben Garren at ecmtucson@gmail.com.
 All Saints' Day
November 1, 2020
Lives Shaped by The Beatitudes
By Mary MacGregor 

Today’s Gospel recalls Jesus’ sermon on the mount, commonly referred to as The Beatitudes. In his usual manner, Jesus surprised his followers by uttering godly, countercultural truth. In essence, his teaching that day laid the foundation for what it means to live a Christian life. 

What does it mean to be merciful, pure in heart, meek, poor in spirit, mournful, to be a peacemaker, to hunger and thirst for righteousness and be willing to be persecuted for it? The Beatitudes are a guide that, when studied, reveal layers of meaning for us as believers. They challenge many of our basic human desires and behaviors. Of ultimate importance, they clearly reveal what God seeks to bless.

Aren’t we fortunate that our God is forgiving and full of grace as we strive to be transformed by these teachings? Our journey of formation requires change and opening our eyes to see God in action all around us. Included in this change is seeing God’s endless blessings poured out upon us and developing a posture of gratitude in return. 
Being thankful changes us for the better. Being thankful changes our perspective on life and can profoundly impact our understanding of God’s generosity. Being thankful can shape us to be stewards of all God has entrusted to us. Being thankful softens our fears. Being thankful turns fear of scarcity into joyful gratitude for God’s abundance. 

We remember the saints who have gone before us on this All Saints Day. Some were revered as saints of old. Some were modern day saints. Some were simple folks like you and me. One distinguishing characteristic of saints is that we can see how they embodied and lived Jesus’ teachings, these very Beatitudes. They generously gave of their lives so much so that we remember them today. We are confident they were blessed by God for their faithfulness. May we be thankful for their witness and see in them lives shaped by The Beatitudes and be willing to do the same.

Canon Mary MacGregor is a member of the board of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship. She has been deeply involved in congregational development for over 25 years, and served as Canon for Congregational Vitality and Mission Amplification for the Diocese of Texas.
ALL HALLOWS' EVE
October 31, 2020
All Hallows' Eve is the evening of Oct. 31, which precedes the church's celebration of All Saints' Day on Nov. 1. The Book of Ordinary Services (BOS) provides a form for a service on All Hallows' Eve. This service begins with the Prayer for Light, and it includes two or more readings from scripture. The options for the readings include the Witch of Endor (1 Sm 28:3-25), the Vision of Eliphaz the Temanite (Jb 4:12-21), the Valley of Dry Bones (Ez37;1-14), and the War in Heaven (Rv 12:[1-6]7-12). The readings are followed by a psalm, canticle, or hymn, and a prayer. The BOS notes that "suitable festivities and entertainments" may precede or follow the service, and there may be a visit to a cemetery or burial place.

The popular name for this festival is Halloween. It was the eve of Samhain, a pagan Celtic celebration of the beginning of winter and the first day of the new year. This time of the ingathering of the harvest and the approach of winter apparently provided a reminder of human mortality. It was a time when the souls of the dead were said to return to their homes. Bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits. Samhain was a popular festival at the time when the British Isles were converted to Christianity. The church "adopted" this time of celebration for Christian use by observing All Saints' Day on Nov. 1, and All Hallows' Eve on the evening of Oct. 31.
ALL SAINTS' DAY
November 1, 2020
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” (BCP, 15). 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” (BCP, 862).

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.
Multi-Stakeholder Climate Justice Workshop in Jordan Brings Learning, Connection and Inspiration

21 October 2020

Taking part remotely and in person at the climate justice workshop in Jordan


As the Season of Creation drew to a close, a climate justice workshop convened in Jordan by ACT Alliance Middle East drew together ACT members, church leaders, environmental NGOs, the Director of the Climate Change Directorate of the Ministry of the Environment and an expert from the UNFCCC (the UN body on climate change) to look at how climate change is impacting the country, how different stakeholders are responding and what the future might look like – including how participants might work together to influence that future. There was specific focus on areas such as loss and damage, adaptation and mitigation, with sessions taking the form of dialogue and the exchange of knowledge.

To learn more, please click HERE.
Western Louisiana Opens Homeless Shelter in Partnership with Rural Community

By Heather Beasley Doyle

Posted October 29, 2020
Friends pose for a photo with the Rev. Christie Fleming during lunch Oct. 22 at The Lighthouse, a shelter Fleming opened in Bastrop, Louisiana. Photo: Maple Jones

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Christie Fleming had just officiated a funeral when she saw Sylvester White for the first time. The two were in a cemetery when Fleming, then-vicar of Christ Episcopal Church in Bastrop, Louisiana, noticed White passing time amid the gravestones. “And we started talking, and we stayed connected after that,” Fleming recently told Episcopal News Service. White, who is 62 and homeless, began attending services at Christ Church. “And then when I finally decided that I wanted to start the shelter and all of that, of course he wanted to be a part of that,” Fleming said.

The shelter is now The Lighthouse, Bastrop’s only homeless shelter, which opened about a month ago amid the pandemic in the annex of a former school building. Fleming, who is now the Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana’s missioner for community care and reconciliation, was a driving force behind the community project. The day shelter is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers three meals a day. Plans are underway to open an overnight wing.

Click HERE to read more.

FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÉ

Willing With God's Help

October 29, 2020

Leslie Scoopmire
One of the things I love most in the Episcopal Church is the way our liturgical year circles around repeatedly to remind us of our entry into the Church through baptism. This Sunday, the Feast of All Saints, we will again repeat together and affirm for ourselves the covenant made in our names at the time of our baptism. These promises are usually made in our stead—but several times a year, we get a chance to commit ourselves anew to those markers of a Christian life.

Especially as we face the strains and anxieties of the last week before this election, and as we watch COVID19 infections spiral upward, we may wonder what we can do, right now, to enact peace and justice in our communities. Our worship gives us guidance, and specific guidance, at that.

The first three questions, found on pp. 304-305 in the Book of Common Prayer, recapitulate the Apostles Creed by asking, “Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?” The last five questions then move to actions that flow out of those beliefs—actions that outline the wisdom of God that bears good fruit in our lives. We know that these questions shift from beliefs to action by the change in the question words themselves, in the shift from “Do you believe?” to “Will you?”

Listen to the active verbs in these questions:

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

And in answer to each question, we answer “I will, with God’s help.” That’s also key. 

The life of faith is NEVER a life lived in isolation, thrown upon our own meager and faltering resources. The life of faith is always strengthened and aided by God’s abundant mercy, grace and love. The life of faith is lived in community with God and with each other. That’s why we celebrate baptism in the midst of community. That’s why the wisdom of welcome and love is so important. And that also why the wisdom of welcome and love we are called to practice as a community of wisdom seekers is so extraordinary when actually put into practice.

Will you continue in learning, in fellowship, communion, and prayer?

Will you persevere against sin, repent, and return when you miss the mark?

Will you proclaim God’s good news of reconciliation by who you are and what you say?

Will you seek, and serve, and love all persons as much as seek, serve, and love yourself?

Will you strive and respect every human being, and not just tolerate but celebrate their dignity—rich or poor, sick or well, friend or stranger, old or young?

This is the wisdom of welcome, beloveds, that we are called to commit to as disciples. Wisdom that doesn’t seek advantage or calculation, but, always and everywhere, serving each other in purity, gentleness, and love.

Ultimately, as we recite these statements again, we are called to reach down deep inside ourselves and determine if we are, indeed willing—to commit an act of will—to dedicate ourselves 

to learn, 
to worship,
to pray, 
to persevere,
to repent,
to return,
to proclaim,
to seek,
to serve,
to love,
to work for God’s values,
to respect each person?

The heart of the Christian life is shared life. A shared life is an abundant life. The promises we make as Christians we make with one voice in community at baptism– as individuals, yes, but also as the community of Jesus in this place, within the universal Church that exists through time. With God’s help, may we always re-member and embody the welcome we have received into Christ’s Body, and continue to witness to the abundant welcome and love of God we each ourselves receive, again and again, through our Savior, Jesus. No matter what the coming days might bring, we have hope, because we have God’s help.
The Rev. Leslie Scoopmire is a writer, musician, and a priest in the Diocese of Missouri. She is rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville, MO. She posts daily prayers, meditations, and sermons at her blog Abiding In Hope, and collects spiritual writings and images at Poems, Psalms, and Prayers.
Souls to the Polls – Prayers for an Election

October 25, 2020

The Episcopal Church offers prayers for an election (PDF) written by the Rev. Shannon Kelly, Director of Faith Formation and Officer for Young Adult and Campus Ministries. A sample,

Loving God, creator of this world who is the source of our wisdom and understanding, watch over this nation during this time of election. Help us to see how our faith informs our principles and actions.

Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.

We give thanks for the right to vote. Help us to hold this privilege and responsibility with the care and awareness it merits, realizing that our vote matters and that it is an act of faith.

Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.

Guide us through this election as a nation, state, and community as we vote for people to do work on our behalf and on the behalf of our communities. Help us to vote for people and ballot initiatives that will better our community and our world so it may reflect the values Christ taught us.

Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.

Help us create communities that will build your kingdom here on earth – communities that will protect the poor, stand up for the vulnerable, advocate for those who are not seen and heard, and listen to everyone’s voice.

Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.

We pray for this nation that is deeply divided. May we come together for the common good and do as you have called us to do – to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you through creation.

Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.

The prayers are a part of the church’s Vote Faithfully Election Toolkit (PDF). This and further resources are available here.
Hale Ho`omalu Accepts Donations
All Saints' Restarts Donation Collection
COVID-19 changed our ability to collect donations since on-site church services were canceled. Now that we are open for on-site worship, our Hale Ho`omalu donations will be collected again for delivery to this worthy program. We are grateful to our wonderful Monday Crew that takes the donations to Hale Ho`omalu each week.

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.
canned goods
All Saints’ has had a long relationship with Hale Ho`omalu, a Child and Family Service program that provides families with the tools and resources they need to create meaningful and lasting change in their lives. Over the years, our `Ohana has collected donations specific to requests provided by Hale Ho`omalu.
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.
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.