Ka Elele Aloha€¦ · November 2014 “The Messenger of Love” Vol. 8, Issue 11 Ka Elele Aloha...
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November 2014 “The Messenger of Love” Vol. 8, Issue 11 Ka Elele Aloha Christ Church Uniting 1300 Kailua Rd., Kailua, HI 96734-4356 Worship—Sun.10 am Rev. Dwight Morita, Interim Pastor Phone: (808) 262-6911 [email protected] Pastor’s Cell Ph: (808) 561-0063 www.ccukailua.org www.facebook.com/ChristChurchUniting from Pastor Dwight. . . "None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratude. Gratude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy." - Fred De Wi Van Amburgh There is a Hassidic tale about a man who complains to the rabbi that he is jealous of his friends who all seem more successful than he with larger businesses and bigger houses. He tells the rabbi that every day he looks around his small house and feels like a failure. “There isn’t enough room in my small house for my wife, my two children, and myself to live out my dreams." The rabbi gave the man a prescripon that would solve his problems: go home and let his two pet dogs, his pet cat and the family goat live with them in the house. The man looked cross-eyed at the rabbi but was willing to try applying the rabbi's wisdom. So, he went home and brought in the dogs, the cat and the family goat. Aſter a week he couldn’t stand it anymore and came back to complain to the rabbi about chaos at the house with the animals and the noise. “Oh, yes,” said the rabbi, “I now see that I forgot something. You are also to bring your horse into the house as well. Everything will now go according to plan.” Though he was confused and irritated the man went home and brought his horse into his house as well. By the third week he was going out of his mind, so he ran back to the rabbi and explained, “First I complained that my house was too small, so you had me bring in my two dogs, cat and the family goat. Then you had me bring my horse into the house as well. Now I can’t sleep, can’t eat, can barely think at all from all the noise, the chaos, and the mess that is everywhere. Rabbi, it’s driving me crazy!” So the rabbi took the man by the hand and said, “The me is right now. Go home immediately and take out the two dogs, the cat, the family goat and the horse from your house. The man ran home as fast as he could, emped the house of all but his wife and two daughters and himself. Then with a giant sigh of relief, he looked around his empty home and said, “Thank God for this beauful home with all this luxurious space in which my family can live. What a lucky man I am!” Gratude is not the same as giving thanks, but sincere thanksgiving emerges from that deep sense of gratefulness and appreciaon for what one has. That deep sense of gratude begins by recognizing the ways in which God abundance has already provided for our lives. When the man in the story only saw the size of his neighbor's homes, he couldn't see past the size of his house. But once he saw his home for what it was - a secure place for his family and his dreams - his understanding and appreciaon of his life was enlarged. And, in turn, that new vision enlarged his life. May we all find similar joy during this season of Thanksgiving. Amen.
Transcript of Ka Elele Aloha€¦ · November 2014 “The Messenger of Love” Vol. 8, Issue 11 Ka Elele Aloha...
November 2014 “The Messenger of Love” Vol. 8, Issue 11
Ka Elele Aloha Christ Church Uniting 1300 Kailua Rd., Kailua, HI 96734-4356 Worship—Sun.10 am Rev. Dwight Morita, Interim Pastor Phone: (808) 262-6911 [email protected] Pastor’s Cell Ph: (808) 561-0063 www.ccukailua.org www.facebook.com/ChristChurchUniting
from Pastor Dwight. . .
"None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy." - Fred De Witt Van Amburgh There is a Hassidic tale about a man who complains to the rabbi that he is jealous of his friends who all seem more successful than he with larger businesses and bigger houses. He tells the rabbi that every day he looks around his small house and feels like a failure. “There isn’t enough room in my small house for my wife, my two children, and myself to live out my dreams." The rabbi gave the man a prescription that would solve his problems: go home and let his two pet dogs, his pet cat and the family goat live with them in the house. The man looked cross-eyed at the rabbi but was willing to try applying the rabbi's wisdom. So, he went home and brought in the dogs, the cat and the family goat. After a week he couldn’t stand it anymore and came back to complain to the rabbi about chaos at the house with the animals and the noise. “Oh, yes,” said the rabbi, “I now see that I forgot something. You are also to bring your horse into the house as well. Everything will now go according to plan.” Though he was confused and irritated the man went home and brought his horse into his house as well.
By the third week he was going out of his mind, so he ran back to the rabbi and explained, “First I complained that my house was too small, so you had me bring in my two dogs, cat and the family goat. Then you had me bring my horse into the house as well. Now I can’t sleep, can’t eat, can barely think at all from all the noise, the chaos, and the mess that is everywhere. Rabbi, it’s driving me crazy!” So the rabbi took the man by the hand and said, “The time is right now. Go home immediately and take out the two dogs, the cat, the family goat and
the horse from your house. The man ran home as fast as he could, emptied the house of all but his wife and two daughters and himself. Then with a giant sigh of relief, he looked around his empty home and said, “Thank God for this beautiful home with all this luxurious space in which my family can live. What a lucky man I am!” Gratitude is not the same as giving thanks, but sincere thanksgiving
emerges from that deep sense of gratefulness and appreciation for what one has. That deep sense of gratitude begins by recognizing the ways in which God abundance has already provided for our lives. When the man in the story only saw the size of his neighbor's homes, he couldn't see past the size of his house. But once he saw his home for what it was - a secure place for his family and his dreams - his understanding and appreciation of his life was enlarged. And, in turn, that new vision enlarged his life. May we all find similar joy during this season of Thanksgiving. Amen.
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2014
Nov. CCU Event Schedule Key: K = Kitchen L = Lanai O=Ohana Rm PS = Pastor’s Study S = Sanctuary B3=upstairs classroom Sundays: 8:30 am, O Adult Study 10 am, S Worship & Aloha Fellowship Wednesdays: 6:30pm Chancel Ringers (bells) rehearsal 7:30pm Chancel Choir rehearsal 11/1, 8 am Men’s Breakfast @ Honey’s @ Ko'olau Golf Club Tues, 11/4 General Election Day
11/8, 10:30 am Women’s Fellowship Brunch at Zippy’s Kailua Tues, 11/11 Veteran’s Day Holiday-Office closed 11/18, 6:30pm, O Stated Council Meeting Thurs, 11/20 December newsletter info due 11/27 Thanksgiving Day-Office closed 11/28 Day after Thanksgiving - Office closed 11/29, 9-3pm CCU Craft Fair 11/30 First Sunday of Advent
ADULT STUDY CLASS: Continues through Sunday, November 16th Where: Ohana Room Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Class Leader: Paul Haring Join us in this engaging and visually rich adult study class to learn about the History of Christianity as presented by Diarmaid MacCulloch, an Oxford University history professor and one of the leading historians of the Church, in the BBC documentary, “A History of Christianity”. Even an avid student of the history of Christianity will gain new knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith and practices and what it means to be a Christian from this documentary.
Nov. 2: Reformation: The Individual Before God Nov. 9: Protestantism: The Evangelical Explosion Nov. 16: God in the Dock
ADVENT STUDY FOR ADULTS While the first four Sundays in November will see the continuation of the DVD series on “The History of Christianity”, the last Sunday (November 30) is the first Sunday of Advent and will begin a new series.
Our Advent Study this year will explore the messages of four short stories that have a Christmas theme. The details are still being planned by Dwight Morita and John Heidel and this is our “Save the Date” announcement. We’ve chosen three of the stories: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, “Where Love is, God is” by Leo Tolstoy and “Why the Chimes Rang” by R. M. Alden. Several stories are being considered for the fourth Sunday. There are several ideas suggested by each story that provide fresh insights into the message of Christmas but the common theme that ties them together is the spirit of giving. We hope you’ll join us on the Sunday mornings of Advent (Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, and 21) at 8:30 in the Ohana Room.
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1300 Kailua Road, Kailua
Singers gather Sun.
11/24, 3:15 pm
Save the date!
This Sunday, 11/2, 8:30-11:30 pm
HI-5 CONTAINER PICK-UP DAY at CCU.
Please put containers in Heidel’s white pick-up truck, which will be parked in the CCU parking lot the first
Sunday of the month.
No Glass, please.
CCU has chosen to give all recycling collections to the Institute for Human Services . . .
~ an expression of compassion / a practice of eco-justice ~
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From Marian Heidel…
Thanks to your financial support, we have been able to send nearly all of the budgeted mission funds to these selected local service organizations:
We still have $750 each to go on our Basic Mission giving to our two denominations. In addition, we have sent $500 to the American Baptist International Ministries to support the agricultural and literacy work being carried out by Ed and Miriam Noyes. They have come to speak to us several times about their work and we want to have a personal connection to missionaries. (They happen to be my nephew and his wife.) The Peacemaking Offering received amounted to $555, and this will be split between the Presbyterian and Disciples denominational work, with part of the PC(USA) half being kept here to support local peacemaking. We have not yet chosen an organization or person to receive this. If you have a suggestion, please let Mari-an Heidel know. In our Outreach work, small pew cards which invite visitors and members to indicate ways we may contact them, and new brochures about CCU, were created, and pew card holders were purchased and attached to the pews. Many thanks go to Pastor Dwight and his technology team who continue to make CCU visible to the community through our website, Facebook, and Newsletter. Last, but not least, the coffee you drink each Sunday is Fair Trade, organic coffee, which helps to support small farmer cooperatives, mainly in Latin America.
Faith Action for Community Action $1,750 Hawaii Nature Center 250 Honolulu Habitat for Humanity 500 Institute for Human Services 1,000 Interfaith Alliance Hawaii 100 Interfaith Power & Light 150 Kahumana Community 1,000 Windward Coalition of Churches 200 Counseling & Spiritual Care Center 500 (Name has been changed back to Samaritan Counseling Center) Hawaii Coalition Against Legalized Gambling 1,000 Lanakila Pacific Meals 500 Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi 250 (Kawainui Marsh environmental care) Additionally, we added $300 to the special offering taken for the Spouse Abuse Center’s emergency need for roof repair.
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Memories By Rosemary Allen
(Originally published in the May 2008 newsletter)
The recent—& memorable—baptisms at CCU of baby Ella Barnhill & young lady Angyl Magbee by Buddy Summers & Paul Snipes made me think of the many baptisms through many years in the CCU sanctuary. Most were celebrated at the baptismal shell, but some were immersion baptisms (following our merger of Disciples & Presbyterians). And this led me to exploration of the good old church register—the book of records of membership (ins & outs), pastors & officers, marriages, etc., etc.—and baptisms!
In March of 1964, just months after Christ Presbyterian began meeting—at Kailua High School cafetorium—baby Nancy Moore was our first baptism. She was the new daughter of our choir director Lea Moore & husband Duane & was “sprinkled” by pastor Bill McClellan.
Bill McClellan & his associate pastor Abe Dohi celebrated
several baptisms in those early years, using our beautiful clam- shell bowl which was a gift from Kaneohe churches when we were a brand new church in the mid-’60s. They were the first of a long line of pastors & interim pastors, all of whom have celebrated baptisms at CCU—most were infant baptisms, but several immersion baptisms were celebrated after 1984 when we installed the large baptistery just behind the pulpit & beneath the cross.
Many of us & our families were baptized before coming
to Kailua & CCU. Only my youngest son, Jeremy, was
baptized from the clamshell font—by Warren Studer in 1970. Among present members Kay Brewbaker & Bill & Jane Muench were part of ‘70s baptisms—Kay’s son Stephen in 1973 & the Muenches’ Ron in 1974 & Michelle in 1977.
Both Clancy & Cathy Lyman’s sons were baptized here—
Jason in ‘79 & Christopher in ‘81. In 1986 CCU had installed the Disciples-style baptistry & a group of young people
wanted to initiate its use. Among them was Dawn Zeilinger. A few years earlier, in 1982, her baby brother Adam was baptized from the shell font. Parents of both are Keith & Peggy Zeilinger (3rd child Kerri was baptized in Nebraska).
The youngest Renfroe (Rennie & Cheryl), Lacy, was
baptized in 1986. And just last summer the Renfroes’ first grandchild, Milo Johnson, was baptized at CCU with all grandparents in attendance. Milo is the son of Erin Renfroe Johnson & husband Eric.
The grandparent “prize” however goes to the Granthams
(Bob & June). Of their 11 grandchildren, 7 have been baptized at CCU in the ‘80s & ‘90s. These include Tyffany & Allyson O’Connell, Logan, Carleigh & Skylar Grantham, & Jarryd & Angyl Magbee. The Tchous (Peter & Cynthia) have celebrated all 3 grandsons’ baptisms here in the ‘90s also—Aaron, Alex & Austin Tom.
Ian Lansdown, son of Jeff & Rhonda, was baptized in
2004. Which brings us up to 2007 & 2008 with Milo, Ella & Angyl. Our tradition of singing as the newly christened were carried & walked through the sanctuary & introduced to the church family was a very welcome renewal for all of us that day.
About Presbyterians
by Rosemary Allen
Returns next month...
Claire Schrader provided this colorful flower arrangement on October 5th in memory of her father, Ralph Schrader.
On October 12th, Elayne Cho created this beautiful flower
arrangement using CCU’s very own flowers and foliage!
This fall arrangement was provided on October 26th, and designed by Jane Muench (lemongrass) and Jan Stiles (wreath)
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Divestment Revisited by Charlene Hosenfeld
The worldwide movement of removing investment funds from fossil fuel companies continues to gain momentum. Timed to coincide with the September U.N. climate summit in New York City, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a $860 million philanthropic organization, is joining the divestment movement. This is all the sweeter because the Rockefeller fortune was built on oil.
According the the NY Times (9/22/14),180 institutions (philanthropies, religious organizations, pension funds, and local governments) plus wealthy individuals have pledged to divest. This amounts to a total of over $50 billion. The Times reported that people selling energy stocks are “well aware that their actions are unlikely to have an immediate impact on the companies”. Nevertheless several important reasons for divesting are ‘fueling’ this movement -- to:
align assets with environmental principles shame companies that are destroying the environment encourage new regulations spur international debate shift money to clean energy and provide solutions to global warming/climate change.
The Unitarian Universalists, the United Church of Christ, and the World Council of Churches are on board. One of Sweden’s national pension funds recently announced their plan to divest their $116 million fund. Colleges and universities are under pressure from alumni and students to divest. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Shalom Center and the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have also approved divestment. And the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly voted in June to study the possibility. Not everyone agrees that divestment is the answer. Timothy Smith, director of environmental, social, and governance engagement at Walden Asset Management, and the former executive director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, has a different view: use the “economic power and moral might” in churches’ investment portfolio to have a voice with the fossil fuel companies, with companies who use fossil fuels, and with legislators. One of the most convincing arguments for divestment however is that dirty energy companies are funding climate changes deniers. According to Bill McKibbon writing in Presbyterians Today magazine, companies such as Exxon spend millions of dollars to fund climate change deniers, and Chevron gave the largest corporate campaign contribution in history—money designed to make sure that climate change deniers retain control of the U.S.Congress. The moral argument is that dirty energy is wrong. Climate change hurts people (and other living things). To do so is not loving thy neighbor, or thyself, for that matter. How better to love than to take actions that might protect, but at least do not actively harm, them (and us).
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Lay & Elder Worship Assignments for November 2014
If you are not able to fill your assignment, please try trading with someone and/or notify the church office.
T Prayer = Prayer of Thanksgiving
Date Name Duty 11/2 Dick Walenta Minister Melissa Belanger Ushers/Greeters Claire Schrader Ushers/Greeters Beth Davidann Liturgist Beth Davidann Scripture Reader Paul Brennan Keiki Sermon Susie Jannuzzi T Prayer/Serve Comm./Bldg Lock-up
11/9 Dick Walenta Minister Clancy & Cathy Lyman Ushers/Greeters Susie Jannuzzi Liturgist Susie Jannuzzi Scripture Reader Brian McCreaner Keiki Sermon Aly Miles T Prayer/Serve Comm./Bldg Lock-up 11/16 Dwight Morita Minister Richard Smith & Elayne Cho Ushers/Greeters Paul Brennan Liturgist Paul Brennan Scripture Reader Kathy Summers Keiki Sermon Aly Miles T Prayer/Serve Comm./Bldg Lock-up 11/23 Dwight Morita Minister Rollo Scheurenbrand Ushers/Greeters Charlene Hosenfeld Ushers/Greeters Courtney Nichols Liturgist Courtney Nichols Scripture Reader Beth Davidann Keiki Sermon Jon Davidann T Prayer/Serve Comm./Bldg Lock-up 11/30 Dwight Morita Minister Keith & Peggy Zeilinger Ushers/Greeters Dianne Brookins Liturgist Dianne Brookins Scripture Reader Susie Jannuzzi Keiki Sermon Marian Heidel T Prayer/Serve Comm./Bldg Lock-up Susan & Loren Wilson Advent Candle lighting
November Birthdays
Richard Smith..........................3 Peter Tchou .............................5 Paul Brennan ..........................6 Angyl Magbee ......................7 Rennie Renfroe .................... 11 David White ........................ 16 Jane Muench ........................ 28
November Anniversaries
Elayne Cho &RichardSmith.11 Laura & Brian McCreanor..20
November Tellers: Jon Davidann & Susie Jannuzzi
November Flower Calendar
Nov 2 Stiles Nov 9 Open Nov 16 Open Nov 23 Tchou Nov 30 Open
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