On December 6, 2015, the Bishop and Standing Committee issued a Pastoral Memo on Congregational Membership that can be viewed on the diocesan website under Resources > Forms and Documents > Membership. You may also view the memo in its entirety by clicking HERE. Introductory excerpts:

The Office of the Bishop often receives questions about what needs to happen in order for a person to 'join' the Episcopal Church. The short answer is the person just needs to show up! The congregations of this Diocese welcome anyone and everyone to join us for worship on Sunday mornings or at any of our church activities. First and foremost, membership in the Episcopal Church means being part of a local congregation that helps people draw ever more deeply into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and in service to others.

The Bishop and Standing Committee have put together a brief summary of how the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Hawaiʻi define the terms of membership. The Chancellor has reviewed and approved the following for this Diocese. We have consulted with other dioceses, bishops and chancellors (including the Chancellor and Chancellor Emeritus of the Presiding Bishop). We agree that the [memo] reflects the practice and canonical intention for our common life as a Diocese and that it is consistent with the current general practice in the Episcopal Church throughout the United States. If you still have questions after reading it, please feel free to contact the Bishop by e-mail and he will be happy to talk more about it.

"The expansion of the Young Adult program is a recognition by the United Thank Offering board of this important ministry, and an indication of the board's support of their work," remarked the Rev. Heather Melton, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society's Missioner for the United Thank Offering.  READ MORE

The Pacific Islander Ministry (PIM) will be hosting a Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, December 19, 2015, at the Dole Cannery Hokulei Ballroom, beginning at 8:30 AM. The theme for the event is "Focus on Family" and will feature keynote speakers, a breakfast buffet, live music, and cultural presentations. Bishop Alfred Willis, the founder of PIM, will be honored through stories of his legacy. 

Funds raised from the breakfast will support PIM for the 2016 program year. For more information, contact PIM Missioner Fane Lino at (808) 548-1719.

National Homeless Memorial at St. Mary's

St. Mary's Episcopal Church invites all to attend the 2015 National Homeless Memorial on Monday, December 21, 2015, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM.  The memorial service is to honor those who have passed away. There will be gifts and a hot meal will be served.  St. Mary's is located at 2062 South King Street in Honolulu. For more information, download the flyer HERE, or contact the church at (808) 949-4655.

Members of St. Luke's and St. Mary's Episcopal Churches will join with the Good Samaritan Youth Group in the Japanese tradition of Kadomatsu building, to bring in good luck for the New Year.

The Kadomatsus are available for sale with pick up on Saturday, December 26, at 12:00 PM at St. Luke's located at 45 N. Judd Street in Honolulu.

To order your Kadomatsu, download the form HERE.

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St. Michael and All Angel's member Stephanie J. Castillo, will be returning to Kauaʻi after four years of travel and work on her tenth documentary, Thomas Chapin, Night Bird Song. 

On Sunday, January 17, 2016, the 24th annual Hoʻokuikahi Reconciliation Service will take place at the Harris United Methodist Church in Honolulu, beginning at 7:00 PM. This ecumenical event is held in recognition of the justice, nonviolence and reconciliation of Queen Liliʻuokalani, founded by the Hawaiʻi Ecumenical Coalition of the Hawaiʻi Council of Churches. 

Guest speakers will include Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick, Dean Walter Brownridge and Kahu Kaleo Patterson from the Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi, and will feature music provided by The Cathedral's John Renke and the St. Andrew Choir.

For more information, contact Kahu Patterson at (808) 330-3769, or download the flyer HERE.

A Music Conference will be held on Friday, January 22 and Saturday January 23, at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Aiea. Leading the conference is Dent Davidson, Associate for Arts and Liturgy on the bishop's staff in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

Join Dent for a day of exploring our role as leaders, teachers, inviters, and transformers as we preach the Good News through God's gift of song.  If you play an instrument, please bring it with you.

A professional church musician since his teens, Davidson's primary work is to unite voices in song with joy and passion.  He travels frequently as a workshop clinician and consultant in music and worship, and also serves as Chaplain and Musician to the House of Bishops. Having earned a degree in Composition and Vocal Jazz, Dent enjoys widening the scope and variety of music sung and heard in worship, and spends much of his time composing and searching for new resources.  His goal:  To touch hearts by embracing the beauty of the Anglican Choral Tradition and expanding it. (In other words, a Church that swings!)

In collaboration with Hawaiʻi Interfaith Power and Light, there will be a public screening of the movie Merchants of Doubt, at the Central Union Church Parish Hall, on Saturday, January 23, 2016. Doors will open at 5:30 PM and the movie will start at 6:00 PM.

Central Union Church is located at 1660 S. Beretania Street. Plenty of free parking is available on campus. For more information, e-mail Carolynn Bell-Tuttle.

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Discernment Day Workshop

All clergy and laypersons are invited to attend a special Discernment Day gathering on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at The Cathedral of St. Andrew. Join the Commission on Ministry (COM) to explore the questions:

The program will begin at 9:00 AM (registration at 8:30 AM), and will conclude at 1:30 PM. For more information and to register, click HERE.

ReSource for Christian Spirituality is offering a Molokaʻi and Kalaupapa Pilgrimage, April 11 - 15, 2016. Experience firsthand, places and stories of people who embody the history, culture and the spirit of Molokai.

The pilgrimage is hosted by ReSource founder, Rev. Phyllis Meighen, an ordained minister of the UCC and currently serving on the staff of St. Michaelʻs. This event is limited to 11 pilgrims, so register early to be assured a spot. Deadline for deposit is February 14. 

For more information, call (808) 647-4346, or visit the ReSource website HERE to download a registration form. 

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