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Stewardship University will be taking place on Saturday, February 28, 2015, and will be held at The Cathedral of St. Andrew, Von Holt Room, from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM.  

Stewardship University will be conducted by the Rev. Canon Timothy M. Dombek, Canon for Stewardship and Planned Giving for the Diocese of Arizona. Nationally known for stewardship development, Dombek will delve into topics such as "How To Talk About Money" and "Year-Round Stewardship That You Can Do," which will help participants to build up the stewardship programs they already have in place.  He is the author of Making the Annual Pledge Drive Obsolete, published earlier in 2014.

Although all individuals are welcome, Clergy and lay leaders are encouraged to sign up as teams to strengthen their stewardship programs. Participants will gain a common understanding of stewardship possibilities and reap the benefits all year long!  

The workshop is free of charge. Airfare stipends are not available.  Neighbor island participation will be via a live-stream internet connection. Please contact Bill Skelton directly by e-mail for live-stream access. To view a detailed schedule of the event, click HERE, or to register click HERE.

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Trinity By-the-Sea in Kihei, Maui, will be holding a Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 7, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.

Proclaim, Seek, Strive: Justice as Sacrament

We will explore how our baptismal covenant sends us forth to "seek that of Christ in all people." Following the teachings of Jesus, we are called to serve and to be the voice of those in need. How do we, as modern believers, answer the call for justice in the complex world today? This Lent, instead of giving something up, how do we give to?

Registration is requested. Brown bag lunch. Beverages provided. Donations gratefully accepted to further the outreach work of A Cup of Cold Water Care Van, a joint outreach of Maui Episcopal and neighbor churches.

For further information and to register, e-mail Deacon Cris South or call (808) 281-7170.

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One grant will be awarded in each of the nine provinces of The Episcopal Church.
 

For more information click HERE, or e-mail the Rev. Heather Melton, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society's UTO Coordinator.

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This fund is available to individuals seeking to prepare themselves for a life of Christian service or mission. Ms. Hartman's expressed objective for all of the recipients of the monies from the fund was that they develop a personal Christian rule of life, support Judeo-Christian values, come to know Jesus Christ and the "fun" of life, experiencing the joy which comes from serving both God and humanity as summed up in the two great commandments.

For more information and to obtain an application form, visit the Holy Nativity website, or call Holy Nativity Church at (808) 373-2131. 

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Altar Linens and Stoles Available for Purchase

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Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori 

Lent Message 2015

Lent is about to begin. That word in English comes from an Old English word that means "to lengthen," and it's a reminder of the days getting longer as we move toward summer out of the dark of winter. 

But in a number of other languages, particularly Spanish and French, the word for "Lent" reflects "forty days," "cuaresma." Forty days of wandering in the desert, forty days of Jesus out in the desert. 

It's also about a journey.  And it's a journey that is about enlightenment if we're willing to think about it that way. 

Lent is an ancient tradition of solidarity and preparation for those who look forward to Baptism at the Easter Vigil.  It has always been a time for prayer and study, fasting, self-denial, and alms-giving, sharing what we have with those who do not have.  Prayer is an opportunity to reflect on who walks with us in the desert, who brings light into the world. Study is an opportunity to do the same kinds of things looking at the history of our tradition, where have human beings found light and direction in their journey through this world.  Fasting and self-denial are an inward-reflection on what it is that keeps us in the dark, or what it is that keeps us directionless, or that keeps us overly self-focused.  And it becomes an invitation to turn outward and share what we have with those who have not.  To build solidarity among God's people and the rest of the earth. 

One of the most memorable Ash Wednesdays I ever spent was in San Jose, Costa Rica, in a school for children. I was asked to place ashes on the foreheads of toddlers.  It was a provocative experience in the deepest sense, reminding very small children that they are mortal. 

That cross that comes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday is a reminder of the cross that's put there at Baptism.  You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever.  The cross that comes at Ash Wednesday is a reminder that you are dust and to dust we shall return, that we share that dust with every other human being who has ever walked this planet, that we share that dust with the stars and the planets, that we share that dust with all that has been created.  We are made for relationship with creator and creation. 

Lent and cuaresma is a journey to walk toward that light.  May it be a blessed one this year. 

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

Presiding Bishop and Primate

The Episcopal Church

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Developed by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and authorized by the 77th General Convention in 2012 (Resolution A055 here), the prayers in Daily Prayer for All Seasons are presented according to liturgical season beginning with Advent and progressing through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.  In addition, two sections are offered for Ordinary Time: Creation and Rest.

In each, all prayers are grouped according to eight particular themes: praise, discernment, wisdom, perseverance and renewal, love, forgiveness, trust, and watch.

Daily Prayer for All Seasons "was compiled and written by a diverse team of people from all over the United States," according to the Introduction of the book.

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Healing is the primary work of people of faith and the communities of which they are a part.  Christians, as disciples of One who came to save (rescue, heal, make whole) the world and its inhabitants, seek to heal their relationships with one another and with all that is.

Episcopalians believe this is God's mission and we are its ministers or servants.  We are meant to seek to repair what is breached and broken, to stitch up what is torn, to heal what is sick, to release what is imprisoned and oppressed, to comfort the dying, to encourage the ignored, forlorn, and grieving.  Our life finds meaning in responding to the cries around us and within us, as individuals in community.  We follow One who was himself vilified, tortured, and finally executed for proclaiming the possibility of reconciled relationships in communities divided by poverty, violence, and religion.

The tragic death of Thomas Palermo challenges us all to attend to the work of healing.  We cannot restore what is past, but we can seek reconciliation and wholeness for all who have been affected - the Palermo family, Heather Cook, the biking community and others in Baltimore, the Diocese of Maryland, bystanders and onlookers who have witnessed any of these traumatic events.  READ MORE

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[February 11, 2015] The proposed budget for The Episcopal Church in the 2016-2018 triennium is available for viewing HERE.  The document was approved by The Episcopal Church Executive Council at its January meeting.

The proposed budget is now submitted to the General Convention through the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance, which will meet to consider the proposed budget February 23 - 25.  That committee will conduct hearings at General Convention and present a Budget to a joint meeting of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies on July 1. READ MORE

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The 90-minute live webcast will originate from Campbell Hall Episcopal School, North Hollywood, CA. In partnership with Bishop J. Jon Bruno and the Diocese of Los Angeles,The Climate Change Crisis will begin at 11:00 AM Pacific.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will present the keynote address.

Two panels, each 30 minutes, will focus on specific areas of the climate change crisis: Regional Impacts of Climate Change; and Reclaiming Climate Change as a Moral Issue. READ MORE

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[Episcopal News Service] The A050 Task Force on the Study of Marriage is recommending that the 2015 meeting of General Convention authorize Episcopal Church clergy to officiate at same-sex marriages.

The task force proposes the change in its just-released Blue Book report by way of a resolution (numbered A036) that would revise Canon I.18 titled "Of the Solemnization of Holy Matrimony" (page 58 of The Episcopal Church's canons here).

The revision removes, among many edits, the language of I.18.2(b) that requires couples to "understand that Holy Matrimony is a physical and spiritual union of a man and a woman." Removing that and other gender-specific language from the canon, the report says, addresses the mandate in the group's enabling resolution that it "address the pastoral need for priests to officiate at a civil marriage of a same-sex couple in states that authorize such."  READ MORE

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The Annual Chrism Mass and Education will take place on Saturday, March 21, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Honolulu. The day will begin with the Chrism Mass where the Bishop blesses the oils of chrism (for baptism), healing and the catechumenate.

Following Chrism Mass will be an Education Day featuring guest speaker, the Rev. James W. Farwell, Professor of Theology and Liturgy at Virginia Theological Seminary. His work is in liturgical and sacramental theology, theories of ritual and religion, comparative theology and theologies of religious pluralism.  The topic for Education Day will be Liturgical Enculturation Regarding Rites of Initiation. This event is open to all clergy and lay people.  For more information and to register, click HERE.

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