Are you serving this Sunday? Would you be interested in reading at either service (zoom or in person)? You can view what positions are

available here

We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church.

Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.

We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.

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CMEC annual meeting will be Sunday, Jan 29 at 11 am in the sanctuary.  Zoom will be available.   We will be electing annual diocesan convention delegates, giving a recap of our past year and talk about what’s coming up for us in 2023. Please put this on your calendar and attend if possible.  

Join our teaching series Thursdays at 9:00 am with The Rev. Lowell E. Grisham. The book of conversation and study will be “The Road to Character” by David Brooks.

More about the book 'The Road to Character'

What are the great virtues that exist at the core of our being? -- kindness, bravery, honesty, faithfulness. With a journalist's eye, David Brooks tells stories of great champions of character. 

The Road to Character was a 2015 NY Times #1 Bestseller. 

Each discussion will review approximately 50 pages of the book. This week will be covering pages 48-104 -- Chapters 3 & 4.

Calling all Youth!

The Diocese of Hawai'i invites all youth to take part in upcoming events. ALL youth means just that! You DO NOT need to be a member of a particular Episcopal Church. Those who already belong to a church youth group are invited to bring along friends from school or clubs! Welcoming youth who do not have a church home or who are just curious, provides an opportunity for all of us to share His love with others!

As a reminder, there are two huge events coming up with deadlines looming! Be sure to register for the February Diocesan Youth Retreat, the first retreat since the pandemic began, and/or apply to be a part of the Hawai'i delegation to the Episcopal Church's largest youth event, EYE23, taking place in Maryland this summer! This delegation will also take part in community service in the Washington, DC area following EYE23.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE! Don't let the cost of attending any diocesan youth event be an obstacle! Scholarships and grants are available, including airfare for neighbor island youth.

TIPS FROM LOT'S LIST - "Ride The Bus, ride a bike, walk more often. Consciously combine errands - grocery, bank, Longs, Macy’s, YMCA."

AT ONE WITH EACH OTHER AND GOD

by: Leslie Scoopmire

In this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus is referred to twice by his cousin John as the “Lamb of God.” The first time John adds the qualifier, “who takes away the sin of the world.” You might recognize the words from the “Agnus Dei,” which we sing or say at certain times during the year: 

Lamb of God who takest away the sin of the world, 

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God who takest away the sin of the world, 

have mercy on us.

Sin is an injury or rupture in relationship, which creates an imbalance requiring atonement. “Atonement” is an interesting word—and very much misunderstood. Atonement is too often seen as a bargain that lets someone avoid the consequences of their actions. 

Just the opposite. 

Atonement is an action or attitude that seeks to provide reparation for an injury or wrong that has been committed. Atonement means making amends, and being willing to sacrifice in order to restore a sense of wholeness. Atonement allows for reconciliation when one person owes another for a wrong or injury they have done. 

Consider the word with hyphens within it: “at- one-ment.” The suffix, “-ment”, is defined as “condition” or “the means of making or being.” So, the literal meaning of “at-one-ment” is “the condition of unity,” or “the condition of being ‘as one.’” 

Injury or wrong creates separation. When someone has hurt us, that hurt creates a divide or a gulf between us and the other person. That gulf might remain indefinitely, unless the hurt or injury of the offended party is alleviated or tended to in some way. This can be something as simple as expressing remorse and apologizing, or it can include attempts to restore what was damaged: if kids vandalize playground equipment by spray-painting graffiti on it, their atonement for their wrong can include paint removal, repainting the equipment themselves, or paying for said repairs. But atonement goes deeper. It means we are at one with each other—the offender and the offended—and thus we would never think of repeating the offense, for it would be the same as hurting ourselves.

The goal of atonement is to try as much as possible to return to the condition between the guilty party and the injured party as it was before the act that was wrong. The goal of atonement, in other words, is not about blood sacrifice and substituting an innocent victim for a guilty one. The goal of atonement is reconciliation and repair. It is about choosing to avoid harming another in the first place, in imitation of Jesus as Jesus exemplified during his earthly life and ministry.

Jesus will take away the sin of the world, and people may understand it in two helpful ways. First, Jesus is the incarnation of God in humanity, both fully God and fully man, living among us and teaching us. Second, Jesus’ teaching is revelatory—he reveals God to us in a new way as the Son of God, and as we say each Sunday in the Nicene Creed, as “very God.” He helps us to understand how God wants us to live our lives—by modelling it himself. Atonement leads to nothing less than mercy, justice, peace.

Lamb of God who takest away the sin of the world, 

Have mercy upon us.

No matter in what way you understand these phrases, we Christians see Jesus as the means for us to truly know God and to know how to live our lives, even though a hundred different Christians might interpret that second part a hundred different ways. 

Lamb of God who takest away the sin of the world, 

Grant us thy peace.

Check out the latest news from the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i here

TIPS FROM LOT'S LIST - "Traveling by Air? Travel less, Zoom or Face Time more. Pack lightly. Don’t pack in anticipation of emergencies."

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others. We remember especially those on our prayer list. Healing of body, mind and spirit for: Rosie, Sherry, Webb, David, Linda, David, Helen, Mary, Sandy, Bev, Jeanne, Chris, Carole, Elizabeth, Justin, Mike, Diane, Tony, Anthony, Paula, the Reverend Joseph H. Pummill and family, and for the leadership and people of Ukraine. We pray that you will bring people together in worship. Enliven your church and bless Michael our musician, our clergy and lay leadership. We pray for our sibling Episcopal congregations on Kauai: St John and St Pauls, St Michael & All Angels, and All Saints, and for all churches on the North Shore. We pray for our own congregation of Christ Memorial, Kilauea for those present, online and absent - that all of us together may be united in your ministry. 

THRIFT SHOP MISSION STATEMENT:

Our goal is to provide our community with reasonably priced, quality merchandise. We will reuse, repurpose and recycle goods and keep as much as possible out of the landfill in an effort to help Kauai and our planet toward Zero Waste. Above all we will show compassion, kindness and tolerance to each other and our community.