Volume 6, Issue 48
November 26, 2021
THIS SUNDAY: November 28, 2021
First Sunday of Advent


Genesis 16:7-13
Hagar, a slave who runs away from the abuse she suffered under Sarai, Abram's wife, encounters "the God who appears," who tells her to return but promises abundant blessings, including that of many descendants.

Psalm 71:4-11
The Psalmist, on the run from their enemies, appeals to God as the ultimate helper.

Philippians 2:5-11
The oldest Christian hymn still existing, this ode lifts up Christ's humility to give up his divine throne to become human, suffer and die as such, and then to be raised up by God back to his rightful place.

Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel appears to Mary to announce that she would become the mother of the Messiah. Mary willingly agrees, despite the difficulties of misunderstanding that would lie ahead with Joseph her fiance' as well as her wider family and townspeople.
ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICE
WITH COMMUNION

8:00AM
Mark Cain (EM)*
Jeff Albao (U)
Lorna Nishi (AG)
Suzanne Kobayashi (DM)

9:30AM
Linda Crocker (EM)
Mario Antonio (U)
Chris Wataya (LR)
Faith Shiramizu (AG)
Mabel Antonio, Nelson Secretario (HP)
Jan Hashizume, Larry Richardson (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

Dance Ministry Christmas Dance Practice
Sunday, November 28th
December 12th
10:30AM
Memorial Hall

Advent Formation Class
The Tales of Mother Mary - Exploring Our Advent Gospel Stories
Sundays
Advent 1, November 28th: Luke 1:26-38
The Annunciation to Mary
Advent 2, December 5th: Luke 1:39-45
Two Cousins and Two Pregnancies
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
8:45 - 9:15AM
Church lanai canopy

Project Vision Hi`ehi`e Mobile Showers with Laundry Love Go-Bags
Thursday, December 2nd
11:00AM - 4:00PM
Church Lawn

Daughters of the King
Wednesday, December 8th
6:00 - 7:00PM
Zoom Meeting
Contact Mabel Antonio for login info.

Columbarium and Church Closed
Tuesday and Wednesday, December 7th
and 8th
all day
Tenting for termites



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 Melvin, Diane, Jeffrey, Ronald, Mario, Cameren, Sachi, the Nomi `Ohana, 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 Jennie, 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. 
Reflections from Kahu Kawika
Queen Emma’s ‘Secret Sauce'
The Epistle will now offer both video and text versions of Kahu's sermon presented the previous Sunday. To watch the sermon, click on the link below.
Matthew 25:31-46
Christ the King & Holy Sovereigns
21 November 2021
All Saints’ Church, Kapaa


As many of you already know, I grew up in an Air Force family and thus moved around a lot. By my preteen years, we ended up in the Southern California town of San Bernardino, located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. To be honest, there is not really much remarkable about it, and I was glad to move away when I could. However, San Bernardino has two claims to fame. The first is the famous Route 66, built before the Interstate Highway system, runs through San Bernardino. It even got immortalized in the song by the Nat King Cole Trio, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” with this lyric: “Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.:

The second claim to fame may come in part because of Route 66 – the very first McDonald’s restaurant was built in San Bernardino by the McDonald brothers, who later sold it to Ray Kroc, who in turn later developed the worldwide chain of restaurants. As a kid, I remember a couple of jingles used in their commercials – one had the tag line, “You deserve a break today, so get up and get away to McDonald’s,” composed by none other than by a pre-famous Barry Manilow! The other jingle divulged the key ingredients to McDonald’s signature Big Mac burger: “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame-seed bun!” Of course, everyone wondered what could be in that “secret sauce.”

All this is my long-winded way to segue to our honorees this morning in our Holy Sovereigns service – Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV. I would argue that Queen Emma had a “secret sauce,” or a much-overlooked ingredient to her personality that makes her beloved and honored by so many here in Hawaiʻi nei. She does have a couple of more well-known qualities: (1) Her compassion – everything she did was about serving her people rather than holding on to the prerogatives and accoutrements of royal life, establishing The Queen’s Hospital as well as schools and houses of worship; (2) her humility – as I mentioned, she had a heart for those suffering terrible diseases like small pox, and so she literally humbly went cap-in-hand begging high and low for funds to build what would become The Queen’s Hospital; she wasn’t too proud to abase herself in this way for the blessing and benefit of many.

However, I would argue she also had a “secret sauce” that we often overlook: her grit, resilience, determination. In ōlelo Hawaiian, we call it hoʻomau. The fact of the matter is that without her secret ingredient of hoʻomau, nothing would come of her compassion and humility. She could feel those things, but unless she had the grit to bring them about in tangible ways, they would not have the positive impact that they have had and that still resound today.

Queen Emma’s trip to our island of Kauaʻi in December 1870 – April 1871 is a case in point. She arrived at Lawai and soon afterwards, at the suggestion of her brother-in-law King Kamehameha V, proceeded to trek up to the Waimea Canyon. This is especially noteworthy in its timing: it comes a few years after several momentous events occurred in her life. In August 1862, the future heir to the throne and only child of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, the four-year-old Prince Albert, passed away. It takes someone who has lost a child to know this as one of the worst pains one can experience in this life. Just two months later, she and the king were both baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal tradition within the Christian faith, thereby establishing the Episcopal (Anglican) Church on these islands, and remaining the longest-running non-profit organization here. Then shockingly, in just a few more months, her husband the king also died, leaving her bereft of immediate family and the loss of her title as ruling sovereign.

Now after all that, we could understand it if she had just curled up in a ball and stayed out of sight, away from society and her subjects. Instead, she determines to work for her people and has the hoʻomau in the next few years to establish the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Honolulu, the building of St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls in 1867, a little later erecting ʻIolani School for Boys (as it was then), and as I said before, the founding of The Queen’s Hospital. All this within just a few short years after Queen Emma’s agonizing setbacks.

And so after that, she follows her brother-in-law’s recommendation and sets out for the Waimea Canyon. To me, this really symbolizes her grit, her hoʻomau. She has an entourage of no less than 100 people that she leads through dense foliage growth. Today we have a nicely paved road and automobiles to take us up there, but imagine back then making such a trek by foot! Something beyond a suggestion must have impelled her to make such a difficult trip. I think it is knowing that Waimea Canyon has been such a holy place for Kanaka Maoli, indigenous Hawaiians, that as an outgrowth of her faith in our Creator God she wants both to honor the Divine Hand of all things as well as to motivate a large group to follow her to be in touch with our loving Creator God.

John Maxwell, a well-known contemporary author on leadership, says this: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Certainly Queen Emma qualifies in anyone’s book as a role model of such leadership, which is sorely in need among leaders of our society, politics, and industries.

Queen Emma’s “secret sauce” of hoʻomau is also evident in our Gospel reading this morning from Matthew 25:31-40, which in my halting ōlelo Hawaiian I tried to read aloud. While we as Christians often hear that our salvation is free and unconditional, the fact is that here Jesus tells his followers that there is, in fact, one key condition to our salvation: extending ourselves for the least, the last, and the lost around us. While we can feel compassion and humility, they don’t get realized unless we have the hoʻomau – grit, determination, resilience – to extend ourselves even if we don’t happen to feel like it. It is those who do that Jesus says become the sheep of his fold, because as well as they treated those on the margins, they did it as unto Christ himself.

Let us continue to pray for our leaders today, and ask God for more of them with huge doses of the compassion, humility and hoʻomau that our beloved Queen Emma had. Leaders that work for the common good rather than for their own pet interests; leaders who respect and learn from the opposition rather than belittle them, or even threaten them with physical violence. As the writer of 2 Samuel 23:3-4 puts is, “The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: ‘One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”

But even more importantly, let us ask God’s Spirit to embolden us to be such leaders of hoʻomau in whatever circles of influence we are placed – among our families, friends, clubs and associations, and workplaces. While we may not always feel compassion and humility, we can nonetheless act on hoʻomau – and by so doing, often stoke up within ourselves those feelings that we may have lacking at a particular time.

Let us look to our holy sovereign, Queen Emma, who in turn looked to her Holy Sovereign, Jesus Christ, as a role model for a hoʻomau that puts legs to our compassion and humility. In so doing, let us shine like the stars in our night sky, and proudly take our places at Christ’s right hand as sheep within his fold. Amen.
2021 Holy Sovereigns' Celebration
Sunday, November 21st
All Saints' Episcopal Church held its annual celebration of the lives and accomplishments of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma - the Holy Sovereigns - on Sunday, November 21st. Mahalo nui loa to all who made this celebration a great success!

To enjoy the Pū, procession, and hula, please click on the link below.

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 four Advent Gospel lessons, as follows:

Advent 1, 28 Nov.: Luke 1:26-38 - The Annunciation to Mary
Advent 2, 5 Dec.: Luke 1:39-45 - Two Cousins and Two Pregnancies
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 get to respond back to the preacher to the sermons, which will all be based on these four Advent Gospel accounts. A hui hou!

Vestry Meeting Synopsis
October 24, 2021
Finance Committee: Nothing new to report.

Solar Panel Roof Project: Work completed, awaiting County inspection. Raised more than enough money to cover the project.

Columbarium Termite Treatment: Tenting arranged for December 7th-8th.

Audio Mics in Sanctuary: Looking into improving audio for recordings and filming.

Organ Committee: Vestry authorized setting up an Organ Committee to deal with working out financial, booking, and logistical arrangements for organ concerts.

Keiki Chapel: Kahu has started a monthly Keiki Chapel for the Preschool keiki in the church Sanctuary.

Widsom of Kalaupapa: Presentations will take place on Mondays November 1st and 8th, 5pm-6:30pm, in the Sanctuary.

Project Vision Mobile Shower Station: Continuing onsite every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, subject to renewal decision at our next Vestry meeting.

Sanctuary Carpet Runner Removal: Vestry approved the removal of the sanctuary carpet runner, with a donor offering to cover the cost.

New Candle Stands and Snuffers: Vestry approved ordering new Sanctuary candle stands and snuffers, to be paid from the restricted account for worship supplies.
All Saints' Dance Ministry to Perform during Advent Season
All are Invited to Participate
Japanese dance Christmas
Aloha All Saints' friends,

We are preparing a Christmas dance to be performed at service on December 19, and we would like to invite you to participate. This dance can involve people both on-island and remote, both female and male. We will mix a video of the remote dancers (to be shown on the sanctuary screens), and the on island dancers will perform live. So, whether you happen to be on Kaua'i, O'ahu, or the mainland, you can participate!

Background: In 2019, we choreographed a super-simple hula to "Angels from the Realms of Glory." A hula to this song had been taught by Mrs. Punua as part of the Christmas pageant back in the 1960s -- all wearing white -- so we decided to recreate that dance in 2019.

For this year, we decided to keep the same choreography. Instead of live music, we will all dance to the same recorded track, which will enable the live and video dancers' timing to match.

If you would like to participate:
  • Please buy or borrow all white clothing (see photo)
  • For on island dancers, please attend one or more short practices at 10:30AM on Sundays: Nov 28, Dec 12
  • We will record a video of the steps so you can learn/practice at home.
  • For remote dancers: by Dec 5, please record a video of you dancing this dance, wearing all-white clothing, preferably in front of green plants/trees

Please reply to Carolyn (bmori.16@gmail.com) by Nov 28 and let us know if you will participate. When you reply, we will send you a practice video and give you instructions to record/submit your video. Thank you!

-Carolyn Morinishi
This issue's header is of the folks of St. Nicholas decked out to wish all a Happy All Hallow's Eve during their service in the community park in Kapolei on Sunday, October 31.
Retired Clergy Families
Talk Story Project
Did you know there is a ministry in the Diocese dedicated to our retired clergy, their spouses and widows? The ministry now has its own page on the Diocesan website that can be found HERE.

On top of keeping their community informed, socializing (online during pandemic times), and offering pastoral care and support, they have embarked on a new Talk Story Project. The project, spearheaded by the Rev. Canon Frank Chun and the Rev. Heather Mueller, is a (growing) collection of stories from retired clergy, spouses, and widows, in either audio or written formats. 

Inspired at the 2019 Triennial National Chaplains’ Conference by the Rev. Laura Queen who had encouraged, “Tell Me Your Story” and Story Corps, an audio venue with over 400,00 life stories housed at the American Center, Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Rev. Canon Frank Chun thought it would be a great idea to tap into the Diocese's retired clergy, who undoubtedly have many interesting stories to share. But the idea was not a new one. Some time ago, the Rev. Brian Grieves had proposed it, and more recently, the Rev. Alison Dingley encouraged it. Freshly motivated, Chun and the Rev. Heather Mueller made a concerted effort to put the wheels in motion. Together with others, they have been busy gathering stories and making them available for all to enjoy! To read the first two installments, visit the Talk Story webpage HERE.
No background

The Feast of Saint Andrew
November 30
Saint Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. They were both fishermen. It was Andrew who brought the boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus for the feeding of the multitude. The tradition claims that Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Andrew has been the patron saint of Scotland since the middle of the eighth century. St. Andrew the Apostle is commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of the church year on Nov. 30.

Advent
Advent is the first season of the church year, beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continuing through the day before Christmas. The name is derived from a Latin word for “coming.” The season is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord's nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in power and glory.”


FROM THE EPISCOPAL CAFÈ
Every Perfect Gift

Karla Koon
November 24, 2021
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

We all have our unique ways of living into or experiencing Thanksgiving. For some, it is a time to gather with family and friends. For others, it is the beginning of a bustling shopping season leading up to Christmas. Some simply enjoy having a long weekend, while for others it is just another day of work. Though not universal, gathering and eating seem to be at the heart of this holiday. 

Especially this year, gathering seems to be on the hearts, minds, and lips of so many. Last year’s pause on so many holiday gatherings have us clamoring to reconnect and have a taste, once again, of how things “used to be.” I long for the familiar and a small sense of normalcy. I also recognize that I have been changed by this past year and a half. I am no longer the same person. Perhaps, we all have changed. 

There will be joy and happiness as new members are folded into our circle of friends and family. There will be sadness and heartache as we remember those whose chairs will be empty for the first time this year. There may be uncertainty and trepidation as we navigate our way around in-person, virtual and “hybrid” gatherings. It is hard to imagine anything feeling exactly the way it “used to be.” So much has changed and through it all, God is constant. 

As we enter this time of thanksgiving, may we find moments of stillness and quiet gratitude. May we find a way to share God’s love with all who we encounter as we maneuver through blending hints of what was with the newness of what is before us. May we lift our hearts and voices in gratitude for those who have walked beside us on this winding and lingering journey. May we show grace and kindness to a stranger. In all these spaces and places, regardless of how we gather, God is with us, abundantly and perfectly loving us all. 
Karla Koon is a Worship Leader and Eucharistic Minister at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. When not serving at church or working as the Director of HR Operations and Administration for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (Catholic Charities), you can find Karla, reading, quilting, golfing, hiking, kayaking, and (safely) gathering with friends and family.
First Week of Advent
Saying “Yes” to the Journey
As Advent begins this week, we invite you to orient yourself to the coming of Jesus at Christmas through the practices of Journeying the Way of Love. This journey begins by saying “yes” to God’s call to birth new life into the world—a call that is both powerful and gentle, a call that will, if fully embraced, grow beyond our imaginations, spilling out of ourselves and into our family, friends, community, and the whole world. Over the course of this holy season, we invite you to respond to that call using these daily practices, and encourage you to offer them to your friends, family, and neighbors.

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, November 28
WORSHIP
Read Luke 21:25-36. How do the symbols of the Advent season help you understand the story of Jesus? Where do you see them in your worship today?

Monday, November 29
GO
Go out of your way to have a conversation with someone you might not normally visit with today. Ask God to open your heart to hear this person as God does.

Tuesday, November 30
LEARN
Read Matthew 4:18-22. How do these verses from Matthew inspire you to read Scripture with new eyes? Try reading several different translations of this passage. See how the language might change your reading of it.

Wednesday, December 1
PRAY
Pray along with the Collect for Advent 1, found on page 211 of The Book of Common Prayer. Set a timer for three minutes to sit in silence and hear what God might be saying back to you.
Thursday, December 2
BLESS
We know that angels are God’s special messengers to us, and that Gabriel spent intentional time with Mary, helping her to understand her part in God’s story. Who has shared an important lesson or their presence with you this week? Thank them today with a call or note.

Friday, December 3
TURN
Read Isaiah 58. How does this reading challenge you to think about feasts and festivals differently? How might this lesson change the way you celebrate or recognize this holy season?

Saturday, December 4
REST
Put your phone on airplane mode and leave it in a dresser drawer for an hour or two. Whatever happens in that time, you can handle later. Give this time to yourself and Jesus, to rest and recharge for the week ahead.
Navajoland’s Feeding Ministry Resumes for Winter, with Fixings for Families’ Thanksgiving Meals

David Paulsen
November 24, 2021
Genevieve White and her son, Ryan, volunteer at Good Shepherd Mission in Fort Defiance, Arizona, to fill boxes of food for delivery to Navajo Nation residents as part of a feeding ministry of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland. Photo: Leon Sampson

[Episcopal News Service] Last year, the Episcopal Church in Navajoland launched an emergency feeding ministry to help families weather the turbulent early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a summer 2021 hiatus, the ministry is resuming – just in time for Thanksgiving.

Episcopal leaders serving the Navajo Nation gathered with volunteers Nov. 18 at the mission’s headquarters in Farmington, New Mexico, to sort a final shipment of food items and load them onto trucks to take to Navajoland’s three regions. The food then was divided further into individual portions for distribution to about 300 families last weekend and this week.

Among the items: turkey, potatoes, dressing and pie for the families’ Thanksgiving dinners on Nov. 25.

“This is really about getting the food and resources to those who need the most,” the Rev. Joe Hubbard, vicar at St. Christopher’s Mission in Bluff, Utah, told Episcopal News Service. Elders and families with small children are among the ministry’s priorities. The Thanksgiving week deliveries contain enough food for families to “get them through the holidays, and we’ll have another distribution in December,” in time for Christmas, Hubbard said.

Navajoland leaders had conducted similar monthly food distributions for about a year, starting in May 2020. More than 3,800 boxes of food, as well as clothing, hygiene items and toys, were provided to families in 25 communities, including more than 1,650 children, according to a Navajoland summary. Those deliveries were put on hold in May 2021 “in hopes to save some money to help families during the holiday season,” G.J. Gordy, Navajoland’s communications director, told ENS.

The winter months often are the most economically difficult for Navajo families, Gordy said, because the growing season is over and families face the added cost of buying firewood or propane to heat their homes. With the feeding ministry resuming, “we’re hoping to continue this for the next six months.”
The Rev. Leon Sampson helps load a trailer with food on Nov. 18 to be boxed and delivered to Navajo Nation residents. Photo: G.J. Gordy

The deliveries this week were made possible in part by donations of nonperishable foods from the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church. Other food was purchased directly from wholesaler Sysco, with help from the monetary donations that Navajoland continues to receive from around The Episcopal Church.

“We have been blessed with just an outflowing of love from the wider church, with donations that have allowed us to purchase the food,” Navajoland Bishop David Bailey told ENS. “There’s not enough words to say thanks.”

That financial support was especially welcome in the months after the March 2020 start of the pandemic, when the rate of COVID-19 transmission on the Navajo Nation reservation was among the highest in the United States. More than 1,500 Navajo Nation residents have died during the pandemic. Daily cases have risen again this fall, though not as high as last winter, and 58% of residents are now vaccinated.

“So many people have lost loved ones and friends and family members to this virus,” Hubbard said. “We’re seeing that this virus is not going away.”

The reservation covers more than 27,000 square miles in the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. More than 30% of households lack running water, and many of the 175,000 residents live below the poverty line in isolated villages far from the nearest grocery store.

The Episcopal Church created the Navajoland Area Mission in 1978 by carving out sections of the dioceses of Rio Grande, Arizona and Utah, in an effort to unify the language, culture and families of the region. The churchwide triennial budget now includes a $1 million block grant to support Navajoland.

“The Episcopal Church Office of Development continues to partner with the Episcopal Church in Navajoland to support fundraising efforts for core operations and essential ministries,” Cecilia Malm, the office’s associate director, told ENS by email. “Development staff provide professional consultation in areas such as annual giving, major gifts and endowment fundraising and encourage support for Navajoland through social media and other communications channels.”

Episcopalians interested in supporting Navajoland’s ministries can donate online.
For the week of Thanksgiving, the food assembled by Navajoland leaders was divided to feed about 100 families in each of the mission’s regions. All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Farmington was used as the operation’s Nov. 18 staging ground, and food for the San Juan region in New Mexico was distributed from there on Nov. 21. A no-contact process was established, with volunteers placing boxes in the backs of recipients’ vehicles due to the region’s elevated COVID-19 case count.

The boxes included a mix of canned goods and other nonperishable items, as well as fresh produce and meat. “We really wanted to make sure people had turkey and fixings for Thanksgiving,” the Rev. Jack Chase, the priest serving the region, told ENS.
Chase praised Gordy’s work in coordinating the food distribution. “She really is the engine behind it all, the one who makes it happen,” he said.

In Navajoland’s southeast region, based in Fort Defiance, Arizona, the Rev. Leon Sampson and volunteers finished packing and delivering boxes of food to far-flung families on Nov. 22.

“It’s not that we’re expecting them to come to church, to be Episcopalians,” Sampson told ENS. “We’re showing them that God is still in the midst of them.” Sampson also planned to cook turkey dinners for delivery on Thanksgiving to about five families who do not have the means to cook the meals themselves.

Many families in the Utah region, in and around Bluff, lack fresh water plumbing and are receiving gallons of drinking water with their food boxes. Hubbard, church volunteers and a 10-member crew from AmeriCorps worked together to deliver nearly 300 boxes of food, or four boxes per family, on Nov. 19 and 21 to the Utah communities served by St. Mary’s in the Moonlight Church in Oljato and St. John the Baptizer Church in Montezuma Creek. Among the nonperishable items were staples like rice, dried beans, flour and sugar. More boxes are being distributed this week.

Going forward, the distributed boxes will contain about enough food to assist families for two weeks, Gordy said. Navajoland also is raising money to help Navajo Nation families pay to heat their homes during the winter.

– David Paulsen is an editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.
Church Welcomes Welsh Government Pledge on Fossil Fuels

Provincial News: 23 November 2021
Christians in Wales are welcoming the Welsh Government’s pledge to end oil and gas exploration within the next 15 years.

The Church in Wales is commending its decision to sign up to the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA). BOGA is a coalition of 10 nations and regions including Denmark, Costa Rica, France and Ireland who have pledged to end oil and gas exploration by 2035.

The Welsh Government announcement was made during the recent COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

The Bishop of St Davids, Joanna Penberthy, who chairs the Church in Wales’ climate group, CHASE, says, “This is a step in the right direction for Wales and we are delighted the Welsh Government has shown such visionary leadership.
"The pledge is an example of the necessary action needed at every level of society to stop catastrophic climate change.”
Following the conclusion of the COP26 talks, the Church in Wales is calling for a renewed determination to keep global warming below the relatively safe level of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
IN BRIEF . . .

These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"
From The Epistle, November 19, 2021
Pledge
A Commitment to Respond to God's Generosity 
On All Saints' Sunday, Bill Caldwell presented his view of Stewardship and the Church budget. To hear his take on this subject, please click on the video link below.
Covid Safety Protocols Eased
Let Them Sing!
Bishop Bob has eased some of the Covid safety precautions for churches in the diocese. Here are the highlights:

  1. Congregational singing is now allowed if everyone is masked.
  2. Preaching and reading behind a plexiglass protector without masks is allowed.
  3. Aloha Hour can be resumed outdoors.
  4. Current communion protocols remain in place. Remove your mask only to consume the elements.

All Saints' will resume congregational singing on November 14th. Come and join the joyful noise!
Kapa`a Interfaith Alliance Wins Challenging Religious and Political Extremism Award
Congratulations to the Kapaʻa Interfaith Association (KIA) for being named the 2021 Recipient of the "Challenging Religious and Political Extremism" Award from The Interfaith Alliance of Hawaiʻi (TIAH), in recognition for KIA's years-long commitment to bring local houses of worship of different faiths together for interfaith dialogue, worship, and social outreach during the Thanksgiving holiday! A big shout out especially to our own members Sarah Rogers and Mary Margaret Smith for their leadership, coordination, and vision.

-Kahu Kawika+
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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