THIS SUNDAY: November 1, 2020
24th Sunday after Pentecost
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ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICES
with COMMUNION
8:00AM
Chris Neumann (EM)*
Judy Saronitman (U)
Marge Akana (AG)
Muriel Jackson (DM)
9:30AM
Mario Antonio (EM)
Linda Crocker (U)
Nelson Secretario (LR)
Faith Shiramizu (AG)
Nelson Secretario, Mabel Antonio (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
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ON-SITE CHURCH SERVICES WITH COMMUNION
8:00AM and 9:30AM
Memorial Hall
Aloha Hour
Every Sunday
10:45AM - 12:00PM
Tent
Monday Crew
Every Monday
8:00AM
Church Office
Online Communication Workshop
Saturday, November 14th
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Church
EAM/ACAM Meeting
Sunday, November 22nd
1:00PM
Zoom meeting
Those who are interested in the Youth Group Meetings may contact Cami at Cami@allsaintskauai.org for login information.
Kauai Interfaith Association Thanksgiving Service
Thursday, November 26th
10:30 -11:00AM
Under the false kamani tree
Kauai Interfaith Thanksgiving Luncheon
Drive Through Box Lunch Pickup
Thursday, November 26th
11:00AM - 1:00PM
Gym Parking Area
Daughters of the King
Thursday, November 26th
7:00 - 8:00PM
Rectory
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For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering, especially Glen, Jody, Milfred, Linda, Larry, Bill, Nancy, Kalani, Maka, Nathan, Kellen, 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.
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Reflections from Kahu Kawika
Waiting on God
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Proper 27A
Matthew 25:1-13
8 November 2020
All Saints’ Church, Kapaa
Over nine years ago, I had the privilege of being part of a delegation of religious leaders from Hawai‘i to attend a national interfaith conference in Washington, DC. I landed on Saturday, May 21st, 2011 – this date is significant because at that time there were quite a few news reports of a “church” (really, a cult) in Northern California, whose founder and pastor, Harold Camping, predicted that the Second Coming of Christ (and thus the end of time) would occur on – you guessed it – Saturday, May 21st, 2011, at 6pm Pacific Time. In the run-up to this date, Camping made his followers liquidate all their financial assets – pensions, stocks portfolios, property – and give the proceeds to the church, as a “demonstration of faith” that they did not live for this world but for the next. Later that evening, I went out to dinner with one of the Buddhist representatives, a guy who is now a friend of mine named Blayne Higa and who is now a Buddhist priest on the Big Island. When we got to the restaurant, we noted that the time was about 8:30pm Eastern Time – meaning that it was also 5:30pm Pacific Time, and thus only 30 minutes to go before the apparent fulfillment of Camping’s prediction to his followers. As time moved on to 9pm/6pm, Blayne and I jokingly speculated what might happen at the hour change – supposedly would some people just disappear, would the earth shake, would we hear a massive noise from the heavens? Of course, 9am/6pm came and went without incident. Camping the next day then “updated” his prediction to later in the year on October 21st, 2011. But his followers meanwhile were all the poorer for their blind allegiance to their pastor.
There has been no shortage of speculation in Christian circles about when Jesus’ second coming would usher in the end of time. Since the 1970s, there has been a whole cottage industry of books and films coming out, asserting that we must be living in the End Times and looking for clues and signs as to the exact date of the End. This is nothing new – many times in church history there has been such similar speculation, especially during traumatic and catastrophic times like the Black Death of the 1300’s in Europe and North Africa, in which more than a third of all inhabitants died from the pneumonic plague. Even further back in time, people were wondering if the End was nigh when the year changed to 1000 CE, citing New Testament predictions of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth as a sign indicating the end was near.
Our Gospel reading today, from Matthew 25:1-13, has the writer recalling 60 years after the fact the words of Jesus to his followers about how to deal with the End. By Matthew’s time in the 80’s CE, Christians were wondering were God was, in light of the great persecution they were suffering at hands of the Roman Emperor Domitian – why would God allow for their intense suffering and many deaths? In addition, several followers of Jesus had died of natural causes, again raising the question of what would happen to them after death since Jesus had not returned to make all things right. Many Christians were going through crises of faith, and so Matthew wanted to bring Jesus’ words from 60 years earlier to encourage them to keep faithful.
But as Matthew recorded in the previous chapter and later on in this passage, Jesus says that he as the Son of Man doesn’t know the day and time when God would send him back to earth to restore all things and to execute ultimate justice, nor can anyone else make a similar claim – Harold Camping notwithstanding!
So Jesus goes on to tell a parable (an earthly story with a spiritual point) here in Matthew 25 of the 10 Bridesmaids (not to be confused with the Broadway show “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!”). They are all waiting for the bridegroom to arrive for the wedding and reception – both of which in the Ancient World would last several days! Jesus describes them in two groups – foolish and wise, with the only discernible difference in the story being that the 5 wise ones happened to have secured for themselves enough oil for the wedding and festivities, whereas the 5 foolish ones had not. I’d like to draw out three points from Jesus’ story that can help us understand what it means for us to be “Waiting on God.”
The first point is that Jesus says the groom is delayed in arriving. This, however, would not have been that unusual at that time, given the less exact reliance on precise time than we have in our current Western culture, as well as the fact that the groom was coming from a great distance and so could easily get delayed due to road conditions (mostly not paved), a breakdown of his wagon or chariot or horse, the possibility of a bandit attack along the way, or simply the groom underestimating the time it would take to make the journey. Those attending a wedding and reception knew to expect such delays and to make contingencies just in case. For Matthew’s Christian church, he quotes Jesus to make the point that the apparent delay of the return of Christ is actually on time according to God’s timetable, so don’t be surprised about it and don’t speculate as to the exact time of its culmination.
This leads me to the second point – the fault of the 5 foolish bridesmaids for having no oil with them for the lamps that would be used in the wedding and subsequent reception. Again, they would have needed quite a bit of oil with them in order to have enough for the whole duration of the wedding and reception, which could be up to a week. They failed to have any beforehand, nor did they bother to get some while they were waiting on the groom’s arrival. Only when someone announces that they could see the groom’s entourage coming in the distance that the 5 foolish bridesmaids start to get busy – but, as we find out, by then that is too late. They ask for some from the other 5 wise bridesmaids, but the latter group say that they only have enough for themselves for the several days of festivities about to happen. So, the 5 foolish ones go out to try to buy some in the marketplace, only for the groom’s entourage to arrive and, together with the 5 wise bridesmaids, go inside, lock the doors, and begin the wedding ceremony. It seems that Jesus’ point here is that his followers are always to be ready in their lives, to live with a vision of heaven in their hearts, and not to wait until Jesus’ arrival to get their lives together. Matthew records Jesus’ story here as a clarion call always to be on alert and responsive to how God wants us to live in the here-and-now, rather than to have a fatalistic desire to wait on the arrival of heaven and to give up on earth. As I like to quote Jesus from the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are to live as citizens of heaven now, rather than disengaging from this world and passively waiting for heaven.
Finally, Jesus’ third point is to do with the 5 wise bridesmaids – he seems to commend them for seeing to themselves. Now, a surface reading of this story would make it seem as if the 5 wise bridesmaids are somewhat stingy and even mean to the 5 foolish ones – why not share what they have? But as Jesus makes clear, the 5 wise bridesmaids each only have enough oil to perform their duties over the course of the coming days – which probably would have meant having the heavy burden of quite a bit of oil on hand. Rather than being stingy, it seems that they instead take it upon themselves to take ownership of what they had to do to be ever-ready for the arrival of the groom and his entourage. To me, this is a word from Jesus that we are each responsible for our own walk with God and to allow God’s spirit to work in us to keep choosing the will of God in our lives – we cannot make that choice for our spouses, children, siblings, parents, or friends. We need to live for heaven now and not passively regard it as the “sweet by and by.” We always are to show both who we are and whose we are as we make our daily journey toward heaven.
By the way, Jesus may “return” in two ways – either for everyone at the end of time, or for each of us when we die and pass on to the Grander Life. Either way, we are to ready ourselves to meet Jesus, which is a certainly one way or the other.
This brings me to one other thing. The story of Harold Camping’s church did not end with October 21st, 2011. There was also a Baptist church down the road who had heard about all this and took it upon themselves to hire grief and financial counselors as well as stockpile on food supplies to help those who had mistakenly followed after Harold Camping’s predictions of the End by liquidating their assets. This church was there to help the people pick up the pieces of their broken lives from the broken lies of Camping. To me, this is a great example of true Christian waiting on God – being busy with aligning our hearts, minds, and hands with what Jesus would do for one’s neighbors in need.
This year of 2020 has had its share of gigantic problems – the Pandemic, the partisanship of the General Election and its aftermath, the festering sore of racial enmity in our history and current times, massive storms and weather events in light of climate change. These things are too large for us if we divide into our separate camps and silos – it calls us to work together. The fact of the matter is that we need the wisdom to find a way through together.
Like the 5 wise bridesmaids and the Baptist church above, let’s daily make ourselves ready for Jesus – because one day he will indeed return for us. Amen.
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All Saints' is Blessed with Two Sanctuaries
Memorial Hall Becomes Location for Services
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Memorial Hall has become the site for Sunday church services during the installation of the Rosales Opus 41 pipe organ. All Saints' is blessed to have this small chapel space for our services. Often used as a general purpose building, it has been transformed into a true sanctuary for our spiritual time together. Technology has enabled us to extend the worship space outside to maintain social distancing while including everyone in our Sunday worship. Mahalo to all who helped transform this space into a sanctuary to praise God.
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As a reminder: The All Saints' congregation will be providing lunches for the organ installation crew while they are on site (11/30/2020-12/16/2020, 1/4/2021-1/15/2021). If you are willing to help, please look for the sign up sheet on the table outside Memorial Hall on Sunday.
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Bring In Your Pledges of Time, Talent, and Treasure to the Honor and Glory of God
This Sunday November 15th
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This Sunday, November 15th, is the day when we join together at church for the ingathering of our pledges to the church for the new year. Our pledge cards came this year with an accompanying list of the many ministries active at All Saints’. We can choose to pledge ourselves to help with one ministry, or several, and we can choose to make a financial contribution to the church, and we can pledge our skills and talents to help the church. Prayerfully consider pledging your time, talent, and financial resources. Join us Sunday to celebrate God’s gifts.
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Mālama Matters
Thoughts on Stewardship from Kahu Kawika
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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
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Risking Our Lives to Find Them
November 15, 2020
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The Rev. Chris Harris (right), husband Joseph Bruglo and twin daughters Aleena & Gianna.
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By The Rev. Chris Harris
How do I find greater meaning and purpose in my life? Why is happiness so fleeting and a lasting joy so elusive? Who am I and what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?
These are some of the big questions of life, and many of us begin to wrestle with them as we reach middle age and beyond. The best-selling book The Second Mountain, by David Brooks, suggests that we come to these questions most urgently when the “first mountain” of our life fails us either because we discover it to be ultimately unfulfilling (such as a life focused on financial success or career goals) or when it crumbles beneath our feet (as the result of a divorce or a life-changing health crisis).
According to Brooks, most of us don’t come looking for the “second mountain” of our lives until we’ve been thrown off the first somehow. Until then, when life is still going our way, we don’t have the eyes to see or the ears to hear. But when we finally are forced off our perches, we have the chance to discover for ourselves what Jesus has tried to tell us all along — that meaning and purpose come not from our accomplishments, our perfect families, or even perfect health, but by risking all that we are and all that we have for the sake of others.
If you are someone looking for the second mountain of your life, the question at the heart of our Gospel this week offers all the directions we need:
How will I risk the gifts I’ve been given, to do the work God is calling me to do?
Notice that the story turns on risk. Playing it safe, worrying about ourselves and what others will say about us, is the first mountain all over again. And a life of tepid generosity, one that is constrained by fear and our need for control, leaves us languishing in the valley.
Unless we are willing to risk it all for the sake of others – to take a leap into a Faith-Filled Generosity – we never reach the summit of a truly abundant life.
Chris Harris is Associate Rector of Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He serves on the board of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship and the steering team for Invite-Welcome-Connect, a national evangelism ministry, and is creator of Living Wi$ley, a faith and personal finance ministry.
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Below is a synopsis of the most recent church and preschool financials compiled by Jan Hashizume, parish treasurer.
Note that the preschool is not at previous enrollment capacity due to COVID distancing restrictions resulting in a below budgeted income.
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Confirmation Classes and Baptisms to be Scheduled
Call Cami to be Included
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In preparation for the February 7th visit of Bishop Fitzpatrick to All Saints’, Kahu Kawika is planning on conducting confirmation classes. The classes will be open to candidates of all ages. The baptisms may be held before the Bishop’s arrival or during his visit.
The confirmation classes will probably be in three sessions, one hour each, in December/January. The location will be determined after the number of participants is finalized. We currently have 3 candidates for confirmation and two candidates for baptism.
-Cami Baldovino
Church Administrator and Youth Minister
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ALL SAINTS' VIRTUAL SWAP MEET
A Service of the All Saints' `Ohana
From time-to-time certain items like furniture, appliances, or other items of value become surplus and we need to repurpose them but we don't have the time, knowledge, or energy to do that work. Fortunately, the All Saints' Virtual Swap Meet is here to help. If you have items you would like to see in a new home or if you need items to repurpose, turn to your Epistle and we will publicize your need. As items are requested from, or contributed to, the Virtual Swap Meet, we will keep you informed.
This week's entry is displayed below.
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An anonymous couple has generously donated a used Ford E-350 work van to All Saints’. We now have a church vehicle dedicated to the moving and hauling projects that are so often a part of church life. Many thanks to the kind couple who chose All Saints’ to be the recipient of this gift.
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Kapa`a Interfaith Thanksgiving Luncheon
Covid-Style
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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.
- 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.
- Individual juice boxes. We already have 1200 donated but will need 300 more.
- Brown paper bags with handles – thy type used by Safeway or Longs.
- 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
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Upcoming Holiday Events
Mark Your Calendars and Join Us
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Interfaith Service: Thursday, November 26th, 10:30AM, All Saints' under the false kamani tree by the gym.
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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
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Sunday School Restarts in November!!
Looking for Teacher Volunteers
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Aloha Everyone,
Kahu Kawika and Cami plan on restarting Sunday School on November 29, 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.
-Cami Baldovino
Church administrator and Youth Minister
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Coming Soon!!
New Church Directory
November 30th Deadline: Get Your Information in Now
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Cami is working on updating the Parish Directory with a projected deadline of December 1st.
To check if your information is correct, see the electronic copy emailed by Cami to you last week or refer to the printed directory available at Memorial Hall on Sunday, and make any corrections necessary. If you'd like a different picture, please email it to Cami (church@allsaintskauai.org). Please reach out to any church members you who may not have access to email and have them contact Cami with their information.
As a reminder, this information is only for our church family. Please treat this as confidential.
If you have any questions please let Cami know.
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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."
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Advent and Christmas Resources
New and updated Advent and Christmas resources for congregations, dioceses, and communities of faith are available, with additional resources coming soon. Available now: Preparing to Become the Beloved Community Advent curriculum; Way of Love Digital Invitation Kit; updated Journeying the Way of Love Advent calendar and curriculum; AdventWord 2020. Be sure to sign up for daily Advent and Christmas emails. Find Advent and Christmas resources from The Episcopal Church here: iam.ec/advent.
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New for Advent 2020 is a five-session podcast series, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community, hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, Episcopal Church staff officer for Racial Reconciliation. Prophetic Voices explores where that dialogue intersects with faith. Join Brokenleg and invited guests as they share prophetic voices and explore the readings for each week of Advent and Christmas Day through the lens of social justice. The following resources are also available now:
Preparing to Become the Beloved Community: Revised to reflect the Year B readings, this resource features reflections by people from across The Episcopal Church who are committed to the work of fostering Beloved Communities where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God. The Episcopal Church Racial Reconciliation Department will produce a version of the curriculum for Year C in 2021, and a version for Year A in 2022.
Journeying the Way of Love Advent curriculum and Advent calendar: A four-week Advent curriculum and Advent calendar pegged to readings and themes from the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke that incorporates Way of Love practices and the nativity/infancy narrative of Jesus.
Digital Invitation Kits for Advent and Christmas: Continuing the invitation to connect The Way of Love more deeply to the seasons of the year, these kits include customizable posters, postcard, and flyer; a social media-ready graphic; and a Facebook cover image.
#AdventWord: For the seventh year in a row, #AdventWord will gather prayers via a global, online advent calendar beginning Sunday, November 29.
Daily Advent and Christmas emails: From Advent 1 through Christmas Day, daily emails will feature the reflection from AdventWord, the daily practice from the Journeying the Way of Love Advent calendar, and a resource from The Episcopal Church. For the Twelve Days of Christmas, the newsletter will highlight one new Way of Love resource from the last year.
Watch for these resources in the coming weeks: Sermons for Advent and Christmas from Sermons That Work; bulletin inserts; EMM Advent Vigil; Episcopal Church Global Partnerships Global Advent Reflections; a Christmas video message; Christmas readings; and a digital Christmas card.
Published by the Office of Formation of The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017
© 2020 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
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Archdeacon Steven Costa's Journey of Salvation
This article is about the Diocese's Archdeacon, the Venerable Steven Costa, whose face is familiar to many in the Diocese. As the Archdeacon, he assists at official services where the Bishop is the Celebrant, including those held on the neighbor islands. On any given Sunday, he can be seen at a service somewhere in the Diocese. As a deacon, he has dedicated his life to serving others in the community, and fills his time volunteering in countless outreach efforts.
But not many know about Steve's remarkable journey to a life of service and prayer. It's a riveting story ─ one that movies are made of ─ filled with drama, crime, guns, drugs, illness, despair, romance, hope, and salvation! It is an inspirational journey and a powerful example of God's grace and love overcoming adversity. It is also a deeply personal story of a man's battle with his demons, his unshakable faith, and an unyielding commitment to serve God and community. READ MORE
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Native Hawaiian Clergy in Hawaiʻi’s Episcopal Church
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The Episcopal Church has a long history in Hawaiʻi. King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma were close friends with the British Royal family and were familiar with the Anglican Church in England.
They invited the religion to the islands in 1862, where it became the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church, now known as the Episcopal Church. The priests that came here to run the services were not Native Hawaiian. READ MORE
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Episcopal Priest Wins Election, Becoming Georgia’s First LGBTQ State Senator
By Egan Millard
Posted Nov 10, 2020
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The Rev. Kim Jackson speaks during a campaign meet-and-greet event.
[Episcopal News Service] In last week’s general election, LGBTQ candidates made history with milestone victories around the United States. Among them was the Rev. Kim Jackson, a priest in the Diocese of Atlanta, who is now the first out LGBTQ person ever elected to the Georgia state Senate.
Jackson won with nearly 80% of the vote in the race to represent Atlanta’s eastern suburbs, where she lives with her wife. It’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Jackson, who has wanted to be both a pastor and an elected official since she was a girl. In addition to her new job at the Georgia Capitol, she will continue in her role as vicar of the Church of the Common Ground, a congregation of homeless and vulnerable people that worships in a park a few blocks away.
Jackson ran as a Democrat in a reliably blue district, so her election was no surprise, but she was blown away by the “extraordinary” voter turnout, a phenomenon that rippled across the state and country.
“[About] 90% of registered voters turned out in my district, and that’s unheard of,” Jackson told Episcopal News Service. “I was really committed to trying to do my part to turn out my district, because getting people out to vote is just so crucial to our democracy.”
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Talents and Gifts
November 12, 2020
Leslie Scoopmire
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This Sunday we will hear the Parable of the Talents. I will be honest: when I was a child and heard this parable, I had a hard time with it, and I am not sure that I have ever outgrown my discomfort. But one word in the reading always caught my attention: “Talent.”
It was usually not explained to me that a talent was a unit of currency. Instead, as I would listen to the preacher drone on and on, I would think about what I understood to be talent: an ability with which you are born, a potential for excellence in some endeavor such as sports, or music, or art. My Mom raised us to believe that our talents were gifts from God, and that it was a sin to not use them to the glory of God.
That is why I, who did not like to draw attention to myself with my homemade haircut and homemade dresses which I hated, found myself with my sibling shoved up in front of my mother’s adult Sunday School class, playing guitar and singing in harmony the 70s folk-rock classic “Put your Hand in the Hand of the Man from Galilee,” trying to avoid eye contact with the parents of my friends and classmates, and knowing that this was going to be legendary in the halls of my junior high by the time Monday rolled around.
Talents were gifts. But they were also responsibilities.
Now I look at this year, and the irony that I am a priest and, in order to stretch the restriction on attendance due to the Coronatide restrictions on worship, I am called upon sing and play guitar in worship frequently, and worse, to do it on camera. Ha ha ha, God. Thanks for your faith in me.
But seriously, talents and the gospel are both gifts from God—and they are both things I do believe we are called to share with others, no matter how uncomfortable that may make us. And it does make us uncomfortable. Actually thinking of these things as gifts rather than obligations might help encourage us more in overcoming out natural circumspection in using these gifts to the glory of God, who gave us memory, reason, and skill, as Prayer C in the Book of Common Prayer so beautifully puts it. And so, perhaps we could ask God to help us have the faith and courage to share God’s gifts that have been given to us with those around us.
Holy One,
You are the author of all our hopes
and the ground of our Being:
we rise to give you thanks and praise.
We thank you for this day to come:
may we serve you in newness of heart with joy.
May we offer You
our talents, time, and treasure,
transformed by the power of your love.
May we work for justice and mercy,
having faith in each other
and in Your holy goodness and lovingkindness.
May we strive to purify ourselves inwardly,
to be worthy vessels for your gospel
of peace and compassion.
Live in us, Lord Christ,
and make us wholly yours:
take all that we are
and renew it through your love.
Send forth your Spirit
to lead us into new life,
that we may walk in the way of Jesus
prayerfully, reverently, and mindfully.
Heal us of our hypocrisy,
and open our hearts to your truth and transformation
as children of Light.
Amen.
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Hale Ho`omalu Accepts Donations
All Saints' Restarts Donation Collection
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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.
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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.
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IN BRIEF . . .
These news briefs were featured in previous issues of "The Epistle"
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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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