Christ Church, Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians 2017 Volume 11, Issue 9 "The Messenger of Love"...

September 2017 Volume 11, Issue 9

"The Messenger of Love"

Christ Church, Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians 1300 Kailua Rd, Kailua, HI, 96734-4356 Phone: 808.262.6911

Worship - Sunday, 10AM Email - [email protected]

www.ccukailua.org

Pastor Liz Leavitt www.facebook.com/ChristChurchUniting

Greetings CCU 'Ohana,

My message this month is a simple one of thanks. I am so grateful for

the whole CCU community and its care and support last month around

the loss of my dad. Your kind words, cards, messages and affirmations

buoyed me up in this process and your compassion and understanding

were profound gifts to me during such a difficult time. Both reminded me

of the many blessings participation in a faith community can offer, things

we often take for granted. A circle of care to share one's joys and sorrow

as well as a living witness to human perseverance through all kinds of

loss, these are the gifts of the church and never have I been so grateful

for them.

You are a truly caring congregation active in sharing Christ's love. The

balance of this very full newsletter is proof of that. So know that I am

glad for my own place in that work and that my thanks are always with

you.

Blessings,

Liz

September 2017CCU Event Schedule:

Sundays: 10 am, Worship & Aloha Fellowship

9/2, Sat: 8AM CCU's Men's breakfast at Honey's at Ko'olau Golf course

9/4, Mon: Labor Day Holiday, Office closed

9/8, Fri: 7PM Vespers on the Lanai welcomes Kimo Hussey

9/9, Sat: 9AM, Family Promise set-up

9/10 - 9/17: CCU hosts Family Promise

9/18, Mon: 5PM, Stated Council Meeting

9/20, Wed: Contributions to the October newsletter are due

A few guests at the women's shelter have voiced an interest in learning to

knit. If there are any knitters among you or in your congregations who

could dedicate time to provide knitting classes or knitting supplies, it would

be greatly appreciated.

We also have a guest who is a fabulous artist. Her favorite medium is

watercolor, and she asked if I could help her find watercolor paper and

pencils.

Irene Willis Hassan

Chaplain | Community Liaison

Institute for Human Services, Inc.

O. 808-447-2842 M. 504-327-7498

2017 Sept Ka Elele Aloha of 18

With the end of Summer approaching, I wanted to give you an update on

where we stand financially, share a couple things we are looking at to

make it easier to give to CCU, and solicit some volunteers for an

important function in the financial life of our church.

First, we are doing fairly well in terms of our budgeted revenue and

expenses -- but the "Summer doldrums" have affected our pledged

giving receipts. If you have been away and fallen behind in your pledge,

please bring it up to date as soon as you can. We will be sending out a

report once we close the books on August, so please be looking for that.

To make it easier to give -- especially when you are traveling -- we are

exploring making online giving available on our website, and have looked

at several software solutions on the market. More on that later. They all

seem to have the option of texting a gift, although there is a monthly fee

for that service. Please let me know if you would use the "text to give"

option if we were to include it (in addition to a "donate" button on the

website) by sending me an email at [email protected].

Finally, we have a dedicated group of volunteers who team up to

count the pledges and loose offering received every Sunday.

Mahalo to Jon Davidann, Paul Haring, Susie Jannuzzi, Jimzy Lui, Clancy

Lyman, Ron Seiple and Richard Smith. Since we need to have two

tellers count every Sunday, they have to commit to covering about every

third month. It would be great to add to their numbers. The process

takes 10-15 minutes after worship, and is fairly straightforward. There

are detailed written instructions, and I will conduct a training for anyone

willing to volunteer. We also make a point of assigning a new teller with a

more experienced teller, to facilitate the integration process. Please let

me know if this is an area where you would be willing to support CCU's

financial programs and processes.

Thank you for all you do to support the mission and ministry of CCU.

Dianne


This spectacular floral

arrangement was shared by

the Brennan's on August 6th,

and were dedicated in

celebration of safe summer for

our keiki & opportunities to

return to school.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 9AM-2PM

Central Union Church

Sunday, September 3,8:30-11:30 am

HI-5 CONTAINERPICK-UP DAY

at CCU.No glass bottles, please.Please put containers in

Heidels’ white pick-up truck,which will be parked in the

CCU parking lot.CCU has chosen to give allrecycling collections to the

Institute for Human Services.~ an expression of compassion ~

~ a practice of eco-justice ~

SeptemberAnniversaries

Melissa & Paul Belanger........6

Deborah & Patrick Tom........11

September 1-30!

Foodland's Annual Community

Matching program. Every

Maika'i card holder can donate

up to $249!


11:00am @ St. John

Discussion with IHS on how the

churches can assist in a

constructive way (A continuation of

the discussion started in the fall of

2016).

Contact St. John at 808.261.5787

or [email protected] for more

information. St. John is located at

1004 Kailua Rd, Kailua

September 10-17

Contact Marian Heidel if you

can help

September

BirthdaysCarl Grantham .....................2Jean Tsuji ............................2Carleigh Grantham...............3Peggy Zeilinger ...................6Jon Davidann .....................12Elayne Cho .........................29

Join the men of CCU at their monthly men's

fellowship breakfast on September 2nd at

8am at Honey's at the Ko'olau Golf Course.

This month's topic "President Carter, Am I a

Christian?", by Nicholas Kristof (shared by

Paul Haring). View the article on our website

at: www.ccukailua.org/ministries/mens-

fellowship-breakfast-topics/.


Mark your calendars for

the September Vespers.

CCU welcomes Kimo

Hussey on Friday,

September 8. Opens at

6:30PM, Music at 7PM.

Bring a lawn chair, a

dessert and a friend!

See you there!

We'll continue with our bible study on Mark through the month of September,

meeting after worship for 30-40 minutes. No preparation or prior attendance

required, so join us as we romp through the gospel together!

Coming up in October, we'll be offering a special series on Race and Racial

Privilege. Back at our 8:30-9:30am slot, we'll begin October 1 to discuss how race

plays a role in our lives, in our community and in our country and to ask how racial

conversations unfold in the unique setting of Hawai'i. Pastor Liz will be leading our

discussions assisted by Lisa Strong, a new participant in our community currently

working on her Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution. Please plan to join us and

look for more details in your upcoming eblast and your October newsletter.


Christ Church Uniting will be hosting Family Promise

September 10 - 17, 2017

It is getting closer to the time that our guests arrive. Marian Heidel and Pat Gilbert

need to hear from YOU! We still need 9 overnight hosts and have four nights

open for providing dinner. Also, Saturday, 9/9, 9 a.m., we are setting up the

rooms for our guests. Please let Marian know if you are coming to help. Mahalo

for your continuous generosity of spirit and time.

Marian Heidel Pat Gilbert: 254-3509

261-4585

[email protected]

This is the offering we make for Peace & Global Witness (PC/USA) and

Reconciliation (Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Half of which we give goes to

each denomination. The Presbyterians ask us to take a quarter of their half, and

donate it to a local organization doing peace work. (If you have a suggestion

for the latter, please let the Mission Elder, John Heidel, know.)


The Presbyterians’ Peace and Global Witness

Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of

Christ by addressing systems of injustice across the

world. The offering is used by the Presbyterian Mission

Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of

violence, including our own, through collaborative

projects of education and Christian witness. In the

coming weeks bulletin inserts and moments for mission

will provide examples.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has a

history dating from the 1960s of sharing our resources

to address the racism of our society and the racism

within our own church. They have called this process

the Reconciliation Ministry. The form of this ministry

may be changing, but the need for addressing racism

has never been more obvious. The 2020 Vision

adopted by our denomination names this work as one

of the four priorities of our mission together as a whole

church. We receive this offering in the fall and use the

funds throughout the year to give grants to the pro-

reconciliation/anti-racism initiative to organize to

dismantle systems and structures that perpetuate this

sin of division within the Church. This voluntary annual

offering is the only source of funding for this ministry.

Your gifts may be given any Sunday this month or on Oct. 1st; offering envelopes will

be provided. Checks may be made out to Christ Church Uniting, and Peace-making

Offering written in the memo line at the bottom lower left corner.


New this year...Currently customers who shop using their own reusable bag have

the option of receiving a 5¢ credit or 3 HawaiianMiles for each reusable bag they

bring and use. During September, customers may choose to donate their 5¢

bag credit to the Give Aloha matching gifts fund!

Make sure that your receipt has your name on it before turning it into the

office. Copies are okay.


Gratitude Corner!

"Give thanks in all circumstances."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

This month, we give a huge:

MAHALO to those who were able to help with the Marsh Clean-Ups organized by

the Kailua Historical Society on Saturday, July 29 and August 5. CCU made a great

showing caring for the earth and our community.

MAHALO to those who helped, and brought desserts and friends to our August 9

Vespers event with the Saloon Pilots! A wonderful night!

MAHALO to Lauren Buck Medeiros for an wonderful sermon on August 20th.

MAHALO to all of the people who provided special music this summer.

MAHALO to Paul Brennan for his seemingly unending supply of beautiful altar

flowers.

Facilities Updates

(keeping you informed about how our buildings and grounds are being

reformed!)

Sanctuary flooring is on-going. A asbestos and moisture test will be

done.

Looking into installing additional spigots along-side the Seagull/CCU

fenceline. Estimates are being gathered.


Charlene Hosenfeld

As I said in the last column, I believe we should ask thequestion: What is the Christian response to violenceagainst God’s Creation, against our planet and all itsinhabitants? Despite all the attacks on the environmentemanating from the White House, the EPA, theDepartment of Interior, and Congress, there are manyhopeful signs. Here a just a few:

1. Hawaii was the first state to enact portions of the Parisclimate agreement into law with Senate Bill 559 signedby Governor Ige. Staff and funds are now available for theOffice of Climate Change, Sustainability, & Resiliency.

2. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and representatives of allof the other Hawaii mayors signed proclamationssupporting efforts to combat climate change and toprepare for its effects.

3. The bipartisan group of over 250 mayors at the U.S.Conference of Mayors in June adopted a “100%Renewable Energy in American Cities” resolution. Andat least 140 mayors have signed the Sierra Club’s“Mayors for 100% Renewable Energy Pledge”. MayorCaldwell supported both.

4. Honolulu City Council passed a new plastic bag baneffective January 2018. Stores will no longer be able tooffer the heavier “reusable” plastic bags — a loopholefrom the previous ban. Customers can take their own bags(Yes!) or buy one for 15 cents from the store. Eliminationof plastic and compostable bags will be effective in 2020.


5. Based on scientific predictions that by 2050 there could bemore plastic in our oceans than fish, the SurfriderFoundation launched a program in California in 2015 toaddress this issue. In April 2016, the Hawaii chapter begantheir Ocean Friendly Restaurant program. The basiccriteria: no polystyrene (aka Styrofoam) use; only reusabletableware for on-site use; no plastic bags; and properrecycling practices. They have certified 125+ Hawaiirestaurants as Ocean Friendly Restaurants.

More next month…..

Keep Hope alive!

And go see "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power".Excellent!

Every one of our actions matter — now more than ever.

Central Union Church Women's Retreat

October 20 -22, 2017

Each October, the women of Central Union Church and their friends set a weekend

aside to relax and renew in the beautiful North Shore setting of Camp

Mokuleia. Our Retreat Planning Team has been joyfully working to bring this year’s

weekend to life, using the theme: SISTERS OF THE SPIRIT!. We are delighted to

share that Rev. Liz Leavitt will once again be sharing her thoughtful insights.

Additionally, we will discover new ideas in mindfulness and navigation from our dear

sister, Marion Lyman-Mersereau! Plan now to come, relax, and grow while you

are surrounded by women “Seeking to Embody Christ.” Registration is open.

Go to https://docs.google.com/forms

/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDYQFdEDP2W2fUNHnAfHC0HK_Xxzn8Xu556qEnZwcoCZg4WQ

/viewform to register..


The mission of Family Promise of Hawai’i is to mobilize existing community

resources to aid families with children experiencing homelessness and help them

transition to sustainable independence.

Family Promise of Hawai’i is an innovative program to help families with children

escape homelessness by providing safe spaces. FPH provides a safe space during

the day at our two Family Centers, and partners with local congregations, churches,

synagogues, temples, mosques and community groups to provide safe places to

sleep at night. Founded in Hawai’i in 2006, we opened up our first Family Center in

Kailua, and then in 2007, we expanded to our second Family Center in Honolulu.

Due to our unique model, we operate at 1/3 the cost of traditional homeless shelter

programs because we seek the support of existing community resources.

Reflection from Bob GranthamIn response to our summer sermon series, "How to Argue about the Bible and Other

Things," Bob Grantham submitted this reflection about his recent experience caring

for a friend, Kenny, through his sudden sickness and death this summer. Bob's

thoughts here raise the necessity of taking more time to discuss the topic of

physician assisted death, and thus the church would like to extend an invitation to

anyone who is interested to join in such a discussion to meet for a salad potluck

supper on Thursday, October 5th at 5:30pm. We'll hear from Bob and some

others with experience in this field, and we will make room for open discussion

about the moral and ethical implications of such programs.


Robert Grantham

When you are retired, Saturday mornings no longer have an attraction for sleeping

late and getting a slow start to the day. Saturday, May 27, 2017 turned out to be a

special Saturday that I will not forget for a long time. About 8:30 AM I found myself

sitting in the passenger side of an ambulance speeding down Kalanianaole Highway

toward Castle hospital. With sirens blaring, the EMT driver did an amazing job of

sorting his way through very close knit traffic. My friend Kenny Glover who had been

visiting with me for the past month suffered a massive stroke and was promptly

admitted to Castle hospital.

Kenny, a lifelong resident of Baltimore, Maryland, had arrived here on April 21,

2017. I met Kenny when he was about 14 or 15 years old and a member of my Boy

Scout troop in Baltimore. Kenny’s mother died when he was four years old. He

quickly gravitated into my family and has remained a close family friend. Recently

retired at age 63, when Kenny spoke to me about coming to Hawaii to visit me I

asked him how long he could possibly stay, and he promptly said “I will stay as long

as you need me.”

Kenny’s only living relative is his brother Ray who is a few years older than Kenny. I

spoke with Ray on the phone each day to bring him up to date on Kenny’s condition,

which unfortunately had not changed; he was in the Intensive Care Unit at Castle

hospital. A few days later his brother called me and told me that the resident

physician at Castle told him that Kenny had had a stroke that caused colossal

irreversible brain damage and that he was in a condition described as “locked in

syndrome”. His brother further told me that the doctor had advised him that Kenny

did not desire to continue his life in this condition. I was asked to speak to the doctor

personally and determined if these were Kenny’s wishes.

The “locked in syndrome” is a condition in which the physical damage results in total

paralysis of your entire body: you cannot move, you cannot speak, but you can hear

every word that is said in your presence. Dr. Roman Cortez, a staff physician at

Castle, told me that Kenny can only communicate by blinking his right eye. If you

asked him a question and the eye remained closed the answer was no; if the eye


blinked open the answer was yes. I leaned down very close to Kenny with Dr. Cortez

on my right side and listened carefully as the doctor went through many questions

and demonstrations; for instance pressing on his chest and asking Kenny if he knew

that that was artificial respiration. The blink of the eye indicated yes. This

examination lasted about 15 minutes and I was able to listen carefully and be

satisfied and convinced that Kenny not only knew how bad his condition was, but

also that it was not treatable, and that he had no desire to live that way and wanted

to die.

Outside the room I spoke with Dr. Cortez and thanked him and said that I would call

Ken’s brother, who said he would feel comfortable in giving permission for the doctor

to withdrawal all forms of life support. Surprisingly, Dr. Cortez told me that this was

not necessary because he had a clear indication that Kenny was fully aware of the

injury and the prognosis, and that he was perfectly mentally capable to give them

permission to remove life support.

When I arrived to visit Kenny the next day the respirator had been removed, the IVs

had been removed, and the feeding tube had been removed. I visited Kenny almost

every day and spoke with him, and our conversation was of a type that I had never

experienced before. Needless to say this was one of the most dramatic and stressful

situations that I had ever been involved in.

Nine days later, July 5, 2017 Kenny died.

The main thing that ran through my mind during this incident was: for many years

our legislators here in Hawaii have been trying to address this problem and still my

friend, fully aware of what was happening to him, took nine days to starve to death.

Something certainly needs to be done. I fully realize that in any situation involving

physician-assisted death you will find many pitfalls and dangerous situations. The

inability of our legislators to solve this terrible problem is something we should all be

vitally concerned with showed that no person with his full mental capacities should

be faced with the loss of the dignity of death.


Help with Hurricane Harvey Relief: Donate to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

(PDA) or Week of Compassion Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, PCUSA's national

disaster assistance program, stands ready to assist. PDA is able to deploy

resources at a moments notice through our One Great Hour of Sharing offerings

collected at Easter each year. PDA has already set up a designated fund to give

to Hurricane Harvey relief: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/prayer-

midst-hurricane-harvey/

You can also contribute through the Disciples of Christ's Week of Compassion

fund (it is the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ). You can designate your offering for Hurricane Relief by

using this link:

https://docgeneralassembly.webconnex.com/weekofcompassion.


Date Name Duty3-Sep Liz Leavitt Minister

George Wyman &Clancy Lyman Usher / Greeter

Richard Smith LiturgistJohn Heidel T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup

10-Sep Liz Leavitt Minister

Rollo Scheurenbrand &Charlene Hosenfeld Usher / Greeter

Paul Haring LiturgistPaul Brennan T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup

17-Sep Liz Leavitt MinisterKeith & Peggy Zeilinger Usher / GreeterCourtney Nichols LiturgistCourtney Nichols T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup

24-Sep Liz Leavitt MinisterRichard Smith & Paul Haring Usher / GreeterMarian Heidel LiturgistJohn Heidel T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


Christ Church, Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians 2017 Volume 11, Issue 9 "The Messenger of Love"...

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Transcript of Christ Church, Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians 2017 Volume 11, Issue 9 "The Messenger of Love"...