Volume 6, Issue 50
December 10, 2021
THIS SUNDAY: December 12, 2021
Third Sunday of Advent


Judges 13:2-7
This story describes the birth to a barren woman of someone who will grow up to be great, the judge (leader) Samson. This is an imperfect foreshadowing of the angel's announcement to Mary that she would give birth to God-sent son, Jesus.

Psalm 115:9-15
Those who trust in Adonai will increase and know abundant blessings.

1 John 3:1-3
As imperfect as we are, God has given us such love that we are considered God's children and thus we know we belong to God.

Luke 1:46-56
Mary breaks out into song with "The Magnificat," an ode of praise to God that echoes previous ones from such famous women as Miriam (Moses' sister) and Hannah (the mother of the prophet Samuel). She sings of the day when God will bring down those with privilege and will raise up those whom the world regards as lowly.
ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICE
WITH COMMUNION

8:00AM
Mark Cain (EM)*
Jeff Albao (U)
Diane Sato (AG)
Muriel Jackson (DM)

9:30AM
Dileep Bal (EM)
Mario Antonio (U)
Rachael Secretario (LR)
Faith Shiramizu (AG)
Vikki Secretario, Mabel Antonio (HP)
Carolyn Morinishi, 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

Advent Formation Class
The Tales of Mother Mary - Exploring Our Advent Gospel Stories
Sundays
Church lanai canopy
8:45 - 9:15AM
  • Advent 3, December 12th: Luke 1:46-56
Mary's Song of Praise
  • Advent 4, December 19th: Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph's Support of Mary

Saturday Workday
December 11th
8:00 - 10:00AM
Gym and Church

Dance Ministry Christmas Dance Practice
Sunday, December 12th
10:30AM
Memorial Hall

Project Vision Hi`ehi`e Mobile Showers with Laundry Love Go-Bags
Thursday, December 16th
11:00AM - 4:00PM
Church Lawn

Dance Ministry Performance
Sunday, December 19th
9:30AM service
church


Advent Scripture Readings from
A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church
Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney
"A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church for the Whole Church is a completely new lectionary built from the ground up that includes a new gender-expansive translation of the biblical texts: the four traditional weekly readings..., all of the Principal Feasts of the Church, and the daily readings for Holy Week and Easter Week."
Many of the All Saints' `Ohana know Wil from her frequent visits to Kauai and All Saints'. Wil spends a good deal of her time on Kauai writing her many books and articles. She is a renowned Hebrew scholar and is The Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School.
Recurring Events
Aloha Hour
Every Sunday after the 9:30AM service
Church Lanai

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
You care for the sick and suffering in body, mind, and spirit, especially Grace, Phyliss, Lorraine, Cathy, Diane, Jeffrey, Ronald, Mario, Carmen, Sachi, the Nakamura `Ohana, 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 Joseph, Paul, and others we name silently or aloud. We thank you for their example and rejoice in their lives. We pray to you, O Lord. 
Upcoming Christmas Events
Mark Your Calendars and Celebrate!
December 24th
  • 5:30PM `Ohana Christmas Eve Service in-person and livestreamed
  • 10:30PM Midnight Mass with Choir in-person and livestreamed

December 25th
  • 9:30AM Eucharist: in-person

Livestreaming services are available via links on the All Saints' website: allsaintskauai.org
Saturday Workday Scheduled
Saturday, December 11th, 8:00 - 10:00AM
We will have an Advent Preparation Workday on Saturday, December 11th, 8:00AM-10:00AM in anticipation of the Christmas season. We will be focused on clearing out the stuff on the Gym stage. We also need volunteers to clean the windows of the sanctuary. Please note: If you have been storing any personal belongings on the gym stage, they should be removed prior to 12/11.

-Buildings and Grounds
Reflections from Kahu Kawika
RSVP: Get into God!
The Epistle offers both video and text versions of Kahu's sermon presented each Sunday. To watch this week's engaging sermon, click on the link below. To read the text, please scroll down.
Luke 1:39-45
Genesis 17:15-22
Romans 8:18-19, 22-25
Advent 2C w/ Women’s Lectionary
5 December 2021
All Saints’ Church, Kapaʻa

Muriel and I just started binge-watching this show on HGTV called “My Lottery Dream Home,” featuring people who have come into a sudden windfall of money from the lottery, inheritance, etc., and from there choose a home to buy. Some of the stories are really inspirational --- one noteworthy example is a houseless man from Portland, Oregon, who inherits $1.4 million and subsequently looks for a house in Florida for up to $500,000. Several times, the man is literally in tears due to the joy in the amazing change of direction his life has taken. Another is a struggling single mother of three who is working while going to school to become a nurse – she wins $3 million and finds a house worth about $400,000, transforming the lives, lifestyles, and prospects of herself and her three daughters.

Maybe not many of us can directly identify with people like them who suddenly come into a fortune, but I think we all have had times in our lives in which we truly feel God has smiled on us for a tremendous blessing. Maybe it is hearing the happy news that we are finally in remission of cancer. Maybe it is receiving a surprise check in the mail just when we didn’t know how we would make it to the end of the month. Maybe it is the joy of healing a long-standing tension-filled family relationship. Maybe it is in giving of ourselves to help others financially or in other ways – knowing that uplifting and exhilarating feeling when we look beyond ourselves and know that we have just made a positive impact on someone or on our world.

If so, then maybe, just maybe, this morning we can somewhat identify with our friends Mary and Elizabeth from our Gospel reading from Luke 1. Many of us are familiar with this account as part of the general Christmas birth narrative of Jesus from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew – that after hearing the news from the Archangel Gabriel of her own pregnancy from God, Mary goes from her town of Nazareth down south to the region of Judea to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also with child – none other than the future John the Baptist.

I must have heard or read this particular story a thousand times in my life. And yet, something new jumped out at me in this year’s reading – the excited and immediate responses of Mary, Elizabeth, and even baby John the Baptist! Much like our lottery winners today, Mary is excited at God’s news to her that she would be none other than the bearer of God’s son to the world. In her excitement, in the first line of our story we encounter a key prepositional verse – we read that Mary sets out “with haste” to go see her cousin Elizabeth to share the news. Notice that her fiancé Joseph is nowhere in the picture here – we don’t even know if she checks in with him before setting out, she is so much in a hurry! 

Notice also that part of Mary’s excitement may be seeing God’s word to her from the angel coming to pass before her eyes. Gabriel had told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was miraculously six months pregnant (with John the Baptist) in her barrenness and advanced age (like Abraham’s Sarah before), so possibly Mary couldn’t wait to get down to Judea to see if, in fact and against all odds, the angel’s word is true and Elizabeth is indeed pregnant. If truly this is the case, then the rest of the angel’s words therefore would be vindicated as well – that Mary, in fact, would miraculously give birth to none other than the world’s Messiah!

Lest we think Mary is the odd duck here and simply given to histrionics, we find the same reaction with Elizabeth’s yet-unborn baby John the Baptist as soon as Elizabeth hears the voice of her cousin Mary – “the baby leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41). His reaction, like Mary’s earlier, is both joyful and immediate, knowing even in the womb that something great from God is going on! And let’s not leave Elizabeth out of this joy-fest – Luke says that she immediately gets filled with the Holy Spirit and, in fulfilling the role of a prophet, starts pronouncing blessings upon Mary as a prophet of God.

Even our friend Abraham from our first reading from Genesis 17 shows this level of excitement about what God is doing. Abraham literally “falls on his face and laughs” at the news from God that his wife Sarah and he are about to become parents to Isaac in their old age – some think Abraham’s response is out of derision and disbelief, but I think it is simply that God’s news is so incredible that Abraham reacts to this turn of events that will finally bring to fruition God’s original promise to Abraham and Sarah of so many descendants too numerous to count – that this amazing promise of God is finally becoming tangible and real! Abraham is so excited that God is doing something this incredible and that he is a part of God’s grand designs, that his only immediate reaction is to fall down laughing in joy and happiness!

I call this sermon “RSVP,” or répondez s’il vous plait in French. We’re used to seeing “RSVP” on invitations we get or send, but the initials really point to a phrase with a certain sense of excited urgency in tone – “Respond, please!” Our biblical characters today – Mary, Elizabeth, baby John the Baptist, and Abraham – all respond immediately and joyfully to God’s call on them. They don’t mess about!

My question for us this morning is simply this – what gets us excited! What makes us respond immediately with joy? I confess that for me it is often lesser things like windfalls of money, a good book, winning a contest, an adventurous TV show or movie, the prospect of travel, or even things more mundane like scoring a great parking spot or getting a reservation at our favorite restaurant. Don’t get me wrong – these are good things in and of themselves, and we should be grateful for any bounty we receive from God’s hand – but how excited do we instead get about God and the more spiritual things of God? Absolutely nothing in this world can compare to those. THAT’S what’s got Mary, Elizabeth, Abraham, and John the Baptist excited – they are excited about God and what God is doing TO them and THROUGH them. 

We could even say that they are highly enthusiastic with God in their lives. This word “enthusiasm” at root comes from the original Greek, en theos, literally meaning “into God.” In short, how “into God” are we, especially in this holiday season of Advent and Christmas?

If we find our faith-life blasé or we feel we are lacking in God’s purpose and direction, let’s pray for a fresh infusion of God’s Holy Spirit – like Elizabeth got upon hearing the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let’s also take advantage of this holiday season by giving of ourselves more to others – personally speaking, often when I am feeling down on myself, the best way to pick myself up again is to look outward and help someone else. This takes our focus off our own perceived troubles by living into Paul’s quote from Jesus in Paul’s final address to the Ephesian elders: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

In our “enthusiasm” about God and the things of God, let’s not wait to offer our “RSVP.” Amen.


Laundry Love Volunteer Opportunities
Please Support Our Ongoing Ministry
The recent collaboration with Project Vision Hawai`i on our campus has created an opportunity for a small, core group of volunteers who collectively can commit to staffing a table for three hours (noon-3:00) on the first and third Thursday of each month. Your service would include distributing to our houseless population the materials needed to do their own wash. Rolls of quarters will be in your possession and part of the distribution, so comfort with this responsibility is something to consider. Other than that, the only prerequisite is a giving heart, which I know exists in great quantity within the All Saints' `Ohana.

Please contact the office to have your name added to the list. We need to have this team assembled as soon as possible, at which point we can develop a schedule of solo or paired volunteers, however the team members prefer to operate.
 
Mahalo in advance for this contribution of your valuable time.

Blessings,

-Geoff Shields
Laundry Love Ministry Lead

New Advent Formation Class
The Tales of Mother Mary - Exploring Our Advent Gospel Stories
Please join Kahu Kawika and Seminary Intern Suzanne Kobayashi during the Advent Season between our Sunday services (8:45 - 9:15AM) under the canopy as we explore in greater depth our last two Advent Gospel lessons, as follows:

Advent 3, 12 Dec.: Luke 1:46-56 - Mary's Song of Praise
Advent 4, 19 Dec.: Matthew 1:18-25 - Joseph's Support of Mary

This is your chance to discuss with the preacher each sermon, which will all be based on the Advent Gospel accounts. A hui hou!

Sign Up for 2022 Altar Flower Donations Now
Donation Forms Available Online or at Church
Ever wonder where all our beautiful altar flowers come from each Sunday? 

Our flowers are lovingly arranged by Mrs.Tanaka or by JC Flowers. These flowers were all donated by members of the congregation. To participate with a donation in 2022 sign up on the form outside the sanctuary before or after services. You may also contact Pam Sokei at psokei@gmail.com or Kathy Miyake at 808-652-9393 to request a date.
'Tis the Season! Christmas Flower Request
We Need Your Help Decorating our Sanctuary for Christmas
The Altar Guild will be decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas with island flowers of red ginger and anthuriums, adorned with greenery. We are kindly asking for donations of the following: 

  • 50 Medium Size Red Ginger
  • 50 Leather leaf or similar Ferns
  • 50 small ti leaf bunches
  • 8 Potted Red Anthurium Plants.

​You may sign up on our website HERE or call Diane Sato at (808) 651-6484 or Lorna Nishi at (808) 651-1573. The flowers/greenery may be dropped off at the Memorial Hall lanai on Wednesday, December 22. Anyone interested in sharing their talents of arranging flowers, please join us on Thursday, December 23, to work on the arrangements. 
All Saints' Sloggett/Wilcox `Ohana Organ
A Vision Becomes Reality
Please enjoy this video of Hank Curtis ringing in the sounds of our newly installed Rosales Opus 41 Organ, AKA the Sloggett/Wilcox `Ohana Organ. We are blessed to have Hank's talents enhancing our worship experience.

Mahalo nui loa Hank!
The Reverend George Lee
Rest eternal grant him, O Lord
The Reverend George Lee (age 94) died on Friday, December 3rd. George was ordained a Priest in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts in 1958. He arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1966 to oversee the Urban Ministry Program (a ministry initiated throughout the Episcopal Church by the Executive Council). Through the years, he was the Vicar of St. Luke’s Church, Honolulu; Vicar of St. Philip’s (now named St. John the Baptist) Church, Māʻili; and Campus Minister at the Canterbury House (UH Manoa). In retirement, he was an active “member” (always in the pew and not at the altar) of St. Mark’s, Kapahulu. 
 
Please keep Grace and the Lee family in your prayers.  
 
O God, who hast made thy servant George to flourish among the Ministers of Apostolic Succession in the honorable office of a Priest: grant, we beseech thee, that he may also be joined with them in perpetual fellowship. Through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Rest eternal grant him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
 
-The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
 (Pronouns: he, him, his)
This issue's header photo was taken at Tenney Theater during a live performance of Anchored, a play about three remarkabe women (Queen Lili'uokalani, Queen Emma, Julian of Norwich) and the deep faith that got them through tragic circumstances. (Photo by S. Nishioka)
Available for Purchase!
Hawaiian BCP & Gospels
The Diocese has made available two very special publications for purchase:

  • The Hawaiian Book of Common Prayer, with over 400 pages of translated biblical scirpture liturgical prayers and orders of service, including King Kamehameha IV's preface as translated by him into English.

  • Nā ‘Euanelio Hemolele - This lectionary-sized book contains the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in the Hawaiian-language, complete with diacritical marks. The book was a project of the Rev. Cn. Malcolm Naea Chun, 20 years in the making, and whose publication was funded by the Diocese's Commission on Native Hawaiian Ministry.

There is also an option to buy these as a set for a discounted price. To order your copies today click HERE.
Cathedral Artistry
The afternoon sun paints the interior columns and floors of The Cathedral with a vibrant abstract from the reflection of the magnificent stained glass window.  (Photo by the Rev. Cn. Heather Patton-Graham from the Cathedral Facebook page)
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Magnificat

This song of praise, also known as “The Song of Mary,” is from the account in Lk 1:46-55 of Mary’s visit to her relative Elizabeth when Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. It is attributed to Mary in the Lucan narrative, but a minority of ancient authorities attributed it to Elizabeth. The term is from the opening words of the passage in the Latin Vulgate, Magnificat anima mea Dominum (“My soul magnifies the Lord”). The Magnificat strongly resembles and may have been modeled after the Song of Hannah (1 Sm 2:1-10), which is quite similar in its structure and themes. Both songs emphasize God’s holiness and power, God’s option for the poor and judgment on the rich, the fulfillment of God’s promises, and the redemption of God’s people.

The Magnificat is the traditional canticle of vespers. It was the only canticle for use after the first lesson of Evensong in the 1549 BCP. It was not used in the 1789 American BCP, but it was restored in the 1892 BCP. The 1928 BCP allowed its use as the only canticle at Evening Prayer when one lesson was read. The 1979 BCP permits use of the Magnificat at both Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. It appears as Canticles 3 and 15 in the BCP, and it is printed in both the Rite 1 and Rite 2 forms for Evening Prayer. It may also be used at the Act of Thanksgiving in the Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child (BCP, pp. 441-442).

The Hymnal 1982 has a variety of settings for the Magnificat (S 242-S 247), including Plainsong, Tonus Peregrinus, adapted by Bruce E. Ford (S 242) and the setting Cathedral of the Isles by Betty Carr Pulkingham (S 247). The hymn text “Tell out, my soul” by Timothy Dudley-Smith (Hymns 437-438) is based on the Song of Mary.


FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÈ
Of Justice and Joy

Leslie Scoopmire
December 9, 2021
Of Justice and Joy: Zephaniah 3:14-20

The season of Advent could be subtitled, “the season of the prophets.” On Advent 1 in year C, we read the selection from Jeremiah 33 predicting that a sprig will sprout from the stump of Jesse. A new king will be born from David’s line, given that Jesse was David’s father. On Advent 2, we read from either Baruch or Malachi. This third Sunday, we read the Song of Joy from the prophet Zephaniah. Then there is John the Baptist, with his “voice [as] one crying out in the wilderness,” pointing to the coming Messiah.

As we hear new warnings about the omicron variant and tension in the Ukraine, it feels as though this time of fear and anxiety may never end. Fear can be so debilitating, as both God and the prophets know. Think of that oft-repeated admonition in scripture, “Do not fear,” spoken 55 times (NRSV), and, “Do not be afraid,” spoken 67 times. Note v. 16: “Do not fear,” spoken to Jerusalem. This passage was written during a time of oppression, death, destruction, and corruption. This is not simply talking about adding to our comfort, but calling its listeners from a very real valley of the shadow of death into life in God’s kingdom.

The book of Zephaniah, which provides the first reading this coming Sunday, was believed to have been written sometime before 640 BC, when King Josiah, who was the last great king of Israel, and the “finder” of the book of Deuteronomy, ascended to the throne. However, Zephaniah makes clear that in the years before Josiah, the people of Jerusalem are awash in corruption and oppression. The Book of Zephaniah focuses on a future day of judgment, although for us in the throes of Advent, the orientation is toward future salvation.

This section is subtitled, “A Song of Joy.” It follows a long series of warnings and threats of judgment and proclaims that now is time for a word of hope. The prophet has just expressed the expectation of God drawing all nations together and unifying them. Now, God will save a holy remnant. Echoing language in Psalm 23, the last part of v. 13, “Then they will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” All of this is to say promise that God is in the midst of us through the Incarnation of God’s Son, whose birth we await, that justice and peace may reign on the earth. A reminder we all need, especially now as the shadows lengthen both literally and figuratively—and a reminder that is reinforced and expanded in the First Song of Isaiah which is our canticle.

Even though most of us stand in a position of privilege and power relative not only to the people to whom Zephaniah was speaking, but relative to the vast majority of the world population, we can rejoice that God’s promise is for all of us—for all nations and all peoples. Combined with John’s proclamation that we hear in today’s Gospel, it is also a reminder to us to never stand on the side of the oppressor, even passively; do not just pray for those who are the victims of fear, terror, and depression, but to work alongside them and stand with them through our actions, not just our words or our prayers. We hear again, as we do repeatedly throughout scripture, that we never stand alone, and that at times of crisis our part is to not stand aside but stand for justice. Then truly the dawn from on high may break upon us.
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.
Third Week of Advent
Journeying with Community
As we continue our Advent walk, we invite you to see the Way of Love as a journey that includes the community. The witness of Zechariah and Elizabeth who bring infant John to the Temple to be circumcised reminds us of the importance of our faith community to sustaining the Way of Love. Just as the community did for John’s family, communities provide a place for discernment, sometimes challenging us and other times affirming us. Communities celebrate and mark important moments along the journey. For more Advent resources related to the Way of Love, visit episcopalchurch.org/wayoflove. There, you’ll find links to the full Advent curriculum Journeying the Way of Love, as well as Living the Way of Love in Community, a nine-session curriculum for use anytime.
Sunday, December 12
WORSHIP
Imagine the faces you’d like to see at church — an all-star list of folks you want to worship with. This could be people you know from summer camp when you were a kid, people who might have already died, people you work with — all your favorites. Commit to pray for those folks this week. And make a commitment to ask one of your all-stars to come to church with you in the next month.

Monday, December 13
GO
Take a new or different route to work, or school, or out to run errands. See how using a different route requires you to see the world differently — to pay a different kind of attention. What do you notice along the way that makes you stop and take a second look? Does anything on this new route inspire your faith journey or remind you of lessons learned?

Tuesday, December 14
LEARN
Read Luke 1:59-80. When Zechariah’s speech returns, he praises God. If you lost the power to speak for nine months like Zechariah did, what would be your first word of praise? Share this with your family, friends, and on social media.
Wednesday, December 15
PRAY
Pray along with the Collect for Advent 3, found on page 212 in The Book of Common Prayer. How will prayer guide you through the rest of the week? Set aside special time today to focus your intentions on stirring up peace and spreading joy.

Thursday, December 16
BLESS
Spend a significant amount of time today discerning if there is a special blessing or gift you can share with your church, a local ministry, or with your community. Ask God to inspire and equip you with the fortitude and tools to make this gift something truly memorable and heartfelt.

Friday, December 17
TURN
Turn away from the busyness of the world right now. Turn your heart and mind toward giving thanks for this time of reflection, refreshment, and renewal. Turn your attention toward how you will be resting tomorrow, and put things in place so you can make the most of your sabbath time.

Saturday, December 18
REST
Spend at least 45 minutes outside today, without doing yard work or fixing lights or redoing bows on the garland. Take some time to just sit outside and let the air wash over you, taking away the stress and worry of the moment. Read Psalm 100 before and after your outside time. See how this psalm may help you rest and recharge your spirit.
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.
Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits Create Culture of Connection for Dogs and Humans

December 8, 2021
A new customer samples the product at the Blessing of the Animals at St. Luke’s, Jamestown, on Oct. 3.

[The Dioceses of Western New York & Northwestern Pennsylvania] 2021 may be receiving mixed reviews from humans, but at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, New York, everyone agrees it has been a good year for dogs. Last spring, the parish partnered with the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Chautauqua County to create Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits, all-natural dog treats produced by a social enterprise that aims to create employment and training opportunities for people in recovery from addiction or mental health issues. The biscuits — made with gluten-free flour, oats, peanut butter, and water — debuted at the Jamestown Public Market in June, and since then, the initiative has expanded to include pop-up kiosks at local holiday events, a mail-order business that ships the dog biscuits across the country, and even T-shirts.

“We’re creating kind of a socially conscious enterprise that is really not designed to make a profit, but it was designed for two particular audiences: one is conscientious consumers looking for ways to make the kind of world they want with their dollars, and then also for folks who are on the other end and perhaps have fallen out of the workforce due to internal or external barriers,” said the Rev. Luke Fodor, rector of St. Luke’s, who conceived of the initiative. “Father Bernard’s exists to change our community for the better by creating a culture of connection.”

The hub of those connections is the kitchen at St. Luke’s, where a crew of MHA clients gathers twice each week to bake, package and fulfill orders for the dog biscuits. Along the way, they learn employment-related skills such as workplace ethics, maintaining proper boundaries and digital communications. This summer, participants sold the biscuits at the market, practicing customer service skills and meeting satisfied two-legged and four-legged customers.

Opportunities for supportive connection can be hard to come by for people in recovery, says Steven Cobb, executive director of the MHA.

“The lack of opportunity for our participants to work is an issue in a community where poverty is so prevalent,” he said. “Adding the support that a church can bring increases our participants’ opportunities to deepen their recovery and find long-term wellness. We believe that by partnering in this social enterprise we will be able to provide a different type of support for people returning to the workforce that we could not do by ourselves.”

Sean Jones, a parishioner at St. Luke’s and certified recovery peer advocate at the MHA, knows firsthand about the value of community connections for people in recovery. Jones, who oversees the crew of MHA clients that produces Father Bernard’s biscuits, got his culinary start at his family’s bakery in Jamestown and spent more than two decades in the restaurant industry until being sidelined by his own struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues.

“The turmoil and pain were always there and dragging me down time after time,” he said. “During this battle I had to deal with many different legal issues, being on the verge of homelessness, family issues and deep depression. In 2015 I was charged with my third DWI, and that is when I finally realized my life had to change for the better.”

After celebrating his second sobriety anniversary, Jones began volunteering at MHA, teaching a cooking class for people in recovery to help them prepare healthy meals on a budget. After he had volunteered for a year, the agency hired him full-time.

Father Bernard’s, he said, gives him the ability to use his culinary skills to contribute to the community that supported him in his recovery. “Being able to bake the biscuits and work alongside the participants and to move forward in life with them while helping to teach them the baking skills I was taught many years ago is a great way for me to give back,” he said.
Fodor, volunteer Nichole Gustafson, Jones and Cobb in the kitchen at St. Luke’s, Jamestown.

Word about Father Bernard’s is spreading across the Episcopal Church. Nearly 30 congregations from Alaska to Massachusetts distributed Father Bernard’s Biscuits at their St. Francis Day pet blessings in October, and the reviews, at least from humans, were excellent.

“I was so excited to learn about the mission behind Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits,” the Rev. Michael Way, priest-in-charge of Christ Episcopal Church, Middletown, New Jersey, said after sharing the biscuits with more than a dozen dogs at the parish’s pet blessing. “An enterprise like Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits demonstrates how we can be joyful and creative in our efforts to build community, care for the planet and provide practical help to those in recovery from addiction.”

The biscuits have also won the approval of Dr. Robert Goodell Rappole, a veterinarian who owns Moonbrook Veterinary Hospital in Jamestown and serves as adviser to the project. “Father B’s Biscuits are made from human-grade ingredients in a kitchen, not a factory,” he said, calling them “a healthy, safe treat that will get a wag from your pet and help our community, as well.”

In the new year, Fodor hopes to create an even bigger network for Father Bernard’s. The circular biscuits, he says, “represent the ecosystem of connection and wellness that forms when those of out of the workforce — isolated by mental health and recovery struggles — are reconnected and resourced by community. Making people part of a bigger system is what helps them find meaning and purpose in the world.”

Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits are available online. Order by Dec. 19 for delivery by Christmas.
IN BRIEF . . .

These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"
From The Epistle, December 3, 2021

KIA Thanksgiving Luncheon a Great Success
Mahalo Nui Loa to All the Volunteers
Words cannot express my appreciation to my All Saints' `Ohana for all their support, donations, and assistance for the Thanksgiving Day Community Feast. With both delivery and takeout box lunches, we served 1375 Thanksgiving meals!

Mahalo Kahu+ for organizing all the ministers for our Interfaith Service, Wayne for cleaning the kitchen and taking care of the "elephant", all our drivers for making kūpuna and shut ins have a yummy holiday, Cami for always helping me with printing, Mary Margaret for name tags and card layout, David C. for organizing the drive through (no mud/rain this year!), for Linda, Max, and Larry for gym assistance, Ron for set up on Wed, and a 'save', Pam and Jeff for years of Home Delivery packing, Chris for sweeping the gym clean likity split, and of course for the Sato Family who organize Home Delivery and without whom we could not be successful. Many thanks to everyone who helped get meals to cars, direct traffic, and to Mark's Place for providing the delicious Thanksgiving meal.

Mahalo Nui Loa.

Sincerely,
Sarah Rogers
Thanksgiving Chair
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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