"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."

Luke 24:5

  

The proclamation of Easter is a statement about life. In the brokenness and loss of death, betrayal and weakness, Jesus is faithful to the end and the promise of life is fulfilled.

  

I am now officially back in the office from sabbatical leave. Bea and I were able to travel to the Philippines and to Taiwan. I was able to exercise and to read. We went to the movies and began dance lessons. I prayed. In our family, Ed's deployment to Afghanistan safely ended in March and he has returned to Germany, and James added another part-time job working with FACE (Faith Action for Community Equity is a faith-based grassroots organization in Hawaiʻi founded in 1996). I have much for which to be thankful. It has been a time to look for the living.

  

  

Paul (in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56) reflects on Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 to tie the corporate reality of death to the personal experience: "And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can't decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can't die, then this statement in scripture will happen: Death has been swallowed up by a victory. Where is your victory, Death? Where is your sting, Death? (Death's sting is sin, and the power of sin is the Law.) Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn't going to be for nothing in the Lord."

  

In these months away, I have renewed confidence in the God of life. I have remembered the promise. You and I are the Body of Christ in this world. It is all too easy to get caught up in death - or, more often, the fear of death. Whether it be in the global scheme of things where war and greed seem to dominate, or at the local level where the pressure of traffic and the cost of living seem to take everything, or even the personal with illness and, sometimes, betrayal can take your very breath, death seems to have the final word. The experience of Easter is the great "NO" to death. We refuse to give in to despair, cynicism or, even, boredom.

  

Being away, I was reminded of the life of Christ I see in you - the Body of Christ called "The Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi." You share the love of God in thought, word and deed. By your actions and joy, you celebrate the defeat of death. It is with renewed commitment to you that I affirm this Easter that we will remember "his words" and take the love of God into the world. You and I are the Body of Christ in these Islands. We have the joy and the life that the world needs. We must be the truth of the resurrection. We are Easter made real and present in the world today!

  

In the words of Hymn 182 (The Hymnal 1982): "Christ is alive! No longer bound to distant years in Palestine, he comes to claim the here and now and conquer every place and time. Not throned above, remotely high, untouched, unmoved by human pain, but daily, in the midst of life, our Savior with the Father reigns."

  

It is with joy and life, I am thankful God has called me to be your servant and bishop. It is with joy and life, I invite you to be joy and life in the world.

  

It is good to be home with you.

  

  

  

The overall theme of Ask, Thank, Tell is that if stewardship is to be effective and if we are going to thrive in mission and ministry in the church, we have to change our paradigm from church membership to discipleship.  Some characteristics of membership are giving money to support others who do ministry, maintaining the institution, living an upright life and being good citizens. Some characteristics of discipleship, on the other hand, are doing ministry ourselves, giving as a part of a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and living life in community.

  

"...and if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least, you will surely be rewarded."

Matthew 10:42

  

Proclaiming the gospel through acts of service to others is an affirmation of humanity's dignity in the eyes of God. A kind heart cultivated by love and faith clearly defines our relations with our fellow men.
 

This attitude of selflessness gives us the capacity to see people as they are and to serve them as they really need. In that spirit, retired Maui County Deputy Chief of Police Kekuhaupio "Keku" Akana formed A Cup of Cold Water: Community Care Van. Akana is head coordinator and president of the board of this new outreach ministry. He is an active member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Wailuku, where he serves as a Eucharistic minister and visitor. He also volunteers in the church's 'Ohana Kitchen Outreach Feeding Program, the Salvation Army and other programs.

  

Akana's vision is to create a new food and clothing distribution service for the poor and needy in our community. He plans to use a care van to deliver essential food, hygiene and clothing items throughout the island.
 

"A few years ago, I began to develop an outreach ministry that would be shared between the four Maui Episcopal Churches," Akana said.
 

Episcopal Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick in Honolulu has approved this ministry for Good Shepherd Church in Wailuku, Trinity-by-the-Sea Church in Kihei, St. John's Church in Kula and Holy Innocents Church in Lahaina. This sharing arrangement will allow the churches to serve their respective local communities on a weekly basis.
 

"Our ministry seeks to promote the dignity of human beings through its service to people of all convictions," Akana added.
 

One person really can make a big difference. That's the message that Akana hopes will inspire those in the community to join in A Cup of Cold Water. To date, volunteers are retired police officers, fellow Episcopalians, other church members, and those from all backgrounds and ethnicities.

  

"We are all sojourners, especially those of us involved in A Cup of Cold Water," said Paula Baldwin, prayer leader at Trinity-by-the-Sea Church. "It is my grateful task to pray to God in thanksgiving, in petition and in intercession for A Cup of Cold Water, our volunteers and our clients," she said. "Of course, all are invited to join in this prayer."
 

"We welcome donations, which are tax-deductible. They can be monetary gifts or items we need to stock and distribute," said Akana.  Checks can be made payable to A Cup of Cold Water: A Community Care Van, 2140 Main St., Wailuku, HI 96793.

St. James Episcopal Church, Kamuela/Waimea, with Bishop Bob's blessing, is taking the initiative to "replant" St. Columba Episcopal Mission along the Hamakua Coast Mission Enterprise Zone of the Big Island of Hawai'i. 

St. Columba, founded in 1898, through the generosity of the Theo Davies family and the Hamakua Sugar Company, has been a Preaching Station of St. James for the past few years. Since the 1970s it has been known as the Filipino Church on the Big Island. The last sugar cane on the Hamakua Coast was harvested in 1996 and the mission has struggled to keep its doors open.

With population demographics along the Hamakua Coast indicating a 33% increase since the 2000 census, the St. James/St. Columba congregation has asked the Rev. Tom Buechele to help Fr. David Stout, Priest-In-Charge at St. James, with the "replant". Fr. Buechele has been Vicar at St. Augustine, Kapaau,  Interim priest at Holy Apostles in Hilo and St. Jude in Ocean View.  Fr. Tom will be called the Missioner of the Hamakua Mission Enterprise Zone. The zone, with St. Columba as it's center, will extend from Kukuihaele and Honokaa in the north to Laupahoehoe in the south. St. Columba will provide the bulk of funding from the rental proceeds of the Vicarage on the property. St. Jude, Ocean View has also committed outreach donations. Any congregation or individual who wants to assist with the mission replant can forward donations to St. James, Kamuela. Indicate St. Columba replant.

The Mission Enterprise Zone will develop resources for evangelization to under-represented groups, especially the youth and elderly, diversity training, and ministry outreach in cultural diversity. New liturgical forms of emergent Church worship and facility use will be explored.  A critical part of the Mission Enterprise Zone is to form local lay volunteers in evangelical teams, outreach teams, worship teams, pastoral visitation teams and administration. Where home churches are established up and down the coast they will be linked to St. Columba.

Kickoff will be Easter Sunday at 9:30 a.m. All are invited.

  

  

By Kathleen Matsuda, Lani Bowman, John & Cindy Sakai, Robert Morrison

and the Rev. Heather Mueller

St. Augustine's celebrated another year of an expanded Christmas outreach on the Big Island this season with the following programs:

  

Food Vouchers:  One of the church's outreach programs included a partnership of Christmas food vouchers donated by St. Augustine's and administered by Sacred Heart Parish-Hawi (a local Catholic Church).  There were 40 food vouchers delivered to needy families in the community and redeemable at three local markets. St. Augustine's also contributes monthly to the Food Pantry at Sacred Heart Parish.

  

Operation Christmas Child: Another exciting outreach program St. Augustine's participated in was a partnership with Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. We gathered St. Augustine's children and some members to collaborate putting together 44 shoeboxes of toothbrushes, toothpastes, combs, tablets, pencils, crayons, toys, soaps, washcloths, pencil sharpeners, etc. to send to children in a foreign country. St. Augustine's will continue this program and hopefully expand it in 2013.

  

Angel Tree: St. Augustine's participated in The Salvation Army Angel Tree whereby gifts were provided for local children on the Big Island. Although the time was short in collecting these gifts, we were able to provide gifts for 6 boys and 6 girls. Gifts included: clothing, an Etch-a-Sketch, art supplies, air hockey tables, games and a bicycle. Children requested a gift they would like to receive for Christmas and we were able to grant their wishes.

  

Bell Ringing:  20 volunteers from St. Augustine's participate in The Salvation Army Kettle Drive Bell Ringing. There were four Fridays leading up to Christmas where there were teams of two or more at different shifts. St. Augustine's brought in over $1,600 of donations from our community to help further The Salvation Army mission. (Pictured above are John Cole and Jeannette Hensel.)

  

Inter-Faith Celebration:  There were several opportunities for Ecumenical gatherings with the other Christians in North Kohala. We had an Advent gathering at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in December to share with other Christians the Advent preparations for Christmas. Emmanuel!

  

Poinsettia Delivery:  Poinsettia flowers were also delivered to the rooms of patients at Kohala Hospital who were spending the holidays at the hospital and not with loved ones at home. Fifty bright, red poinsettias were delivered to the hospital to be enjoyed by these patients.

  

Feast of St. Nicholas/Keiki Shopping Spree:  Our Sunday School and children from the community were invited to St. Augustine's Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6, 2012. Children were visited at the church by Saint Nicholas (aka John Cole). Saint Nicholas shared his story and gave children gifts of cookies and a voucher to buy gifts for their loved ones on December 15, during our thrift shop's Keiki Shopping Spree. Children also brought gifts of canned goods for the Food Pantry to help feed local families. Children later gathered at James Walker Hall to decorate the Jesse tree with ornaments they made out of clay. Families joined together for a pizza dinner.

  

Children's Christmas Pageant:  Finally, but not least, St. Augustine's had its Children's Christmas Pageant, compliments of a new Sunday School program that was initiated this year. St. Augustine's Sunday School children rehearsed for two months in preparation for their first Christmas Pageant entitled "The Birth of Jesus".