Aloha! I hope your week has been blessed despite the ups and downs that life so often brings us. Several members of our St. Tim’s ohana have lost dear family members recently, so I hope you will keep them in your prayers. You may have noticed that we have added a Prayer Request section to our Epistle (see below), so please feel free to send your requests by replying to this email, or email me at [email protected]. We would be honored to lift up your needs to our loving God. Last Sunday we talked about thorns… not the ones Nancy Chun and I scraped off the Mother’s Day roses, but “thorns in the flesh”—weaknesses, physical traits, personality quirks, or even troublesome people—that can disturb us or distract us from what God calls us to do. The Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh, whatever it might have been, was given to keep him from being “too elated”; in other words, to keep him humble and dependent upon God’s power in his ministry rather than on his own. I also wondered what thorns Jesus had to deal with. Troublesome people like his former neighbors who seemed to reject him, keeping him from healing those in need? Perhaps. Of course, it occurs to me that Jesus also had literal thorns to deal with—the crown of thorns he was forced to wear as he faced the cross—a sign that Jesus dealt with all the pain of humankind on the cross. Have you been thinking about the thorns in your life, and how you respond to them? Do they distract you or do they help you focus on God, the source of our strength and sustenance? This coming Sunday we’ll look at two different dances: King David’s uninhibited dance of worship and praise to God upon the return of the ark of the covenant to God’s people… and the uninhibited dance that King Herod’s daughter offered in exchange for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Both it seems were rather wild dances, but performed for completely different motives. Take a look at 2 Samuel 6:1-5 and Mark 6:14-29 and see what you think, and we’ll compare notes on Sunday! As you know, this summer we’re offering a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the
announcement time. This is a way to introduce various ministries that help make St. Timothy’s the loving and worshipful church that it is, to honor those who serve, and to encourage you to pray about how you might serve here in the days to come. So far, we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry, the Welcoming Hearts Team, our Sunday School for keiki, the Eucharistic Ministers/Eucharistic Visitors/Lectors ministry, and this past Sunday Nancy Chun told us about the Bishop’s Committee. In coming weeks we’ll be hearing from other lay leaders about other ways people can serve here. I’m so grateful for all of you who serve, often in more than one way! I hope you will listen with an open mind and heart and respond to whatever new opportunities appeal to you. Mahalo! I’ll see you in church or on Facebook Live on Sunday at 9 a.m.! I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you all. Aloha Ke Akua! Fr. Pete+
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![]() Aloha! As we celebrate Independence Day, we pray that God will guide our nation forward in peace. I hope you have a wonderful and meaningful July 4th holiday. It was good to see so many of you in church on Sunday, and I know a good number of you also participated in worship on our Facebook page. We were blessed to baptize Angelica Jane Lasquite and renew our own baptismal vows. Please keep the Lasquite family in your prayers. Last Sunday we heard that life kicked David in the teeth—he was distraught over the death of King Saul and his beloved friend Jonathan. We also saw two people in our gospel story who were deeply grieving over their circumstances—until they encountered Jesus in faith. All of us at one time or another have been up all night, anxious and yearning for the coming dawn, for hope. But we wait for the Lord as the watchman waits for the dawn, and we trust that God will come. We hope in God—for hope is spiritual oxygen for our soul. This coming Sunday we will hear about humility—in particular, the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” which kept him humble and dependent upon God’s power rather than his own. Did King David have a thorn too? And what about Jesus—what thorns did he have to deal with? As we consider them, we can look at our own thorns—a weakness, physical trait, personality quirk, or troublesome person in our life—and see how God might use those thorns to help us serve God better. As you know, this summer we’re offering a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the announcement time. So far we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry, the Welcoming Hearts Team, our Sunday School for keiki, and this past Sunday Sue Ann Wargo introduced us to the Eucharistic Ministers/Eucharistic Visitors/Lectors ministry. In coming weeks we’ll be hearing from other lay leaders about other ways people can serve here. I’m so grateful for all of you who serve, often in more than one way! St. Timothy’s does need your active involvement so that we can grow and flourish as God’s ohana in ‘Aiea, so I hope you will listen with an open mind and heart and respond to whatever new opportunities appeal to you. Mahalo! I will see you in church on Sunday at 9 a.m., or on Facebook Live! I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you all.
Aloha Ke Akua! Fr. Pete+ Aloha! I’m thrilled to report that on Tuesday I finally tested negative on a Covid test! Mahalo for your prayers. I haven’t had serious symptoms for nearly two weeks, but I’m glad to be free of it. But several others around us do have Covid, so please keep them in your prayers. And please be careful yourself! I’m also grateful for those of you who attended church in person or by Facebook Live last Sunday. We continued in the story of Saul and David in 2 Samuel. David was seemingly fearless, courageously defeating the enemy giant Goliath and serving King Saul successfully as his army commander as well as his court musician. But Saul was afraid and angry at the popular David. To be honest, it’s difficult for me to identify with the fearlessness that David seemed to possess. We can probably identify more with the terror-stricken disciples in their storm-tossed boat, gripped by fear while their rabbi slept! Jesus asks them—and us, “Why do you fear? Why do you still not have faith?” In the midst of our fears, upon the troubled seas of our circumstances, Jesus invites us to stand strong in faith, to look to Jesus and grab on to his outstretched hand. That of course is a goal that we will aim for our whole life long. This coming Sunday, the story continues. But now, life kicks David in the teeth—he is distraught over the death of King Saul and his beloved Jonathan. We also see two people in our gospel story who are deeply grieving over their circumstances—until they encounter Jesus. Perhaps you, like them, have been up all night, anxious and yearning for the coming dawn, for hope. How do we wait for the Lord to come and relieve our grief? This Sunday we are also planning a baptism! Angelica Jane Lasquite will be welcomed into Jesus’ forever family. I hope you can join the celebration. As you know, this summer we’re doing a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the announcement time. So far we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry and the Welcoming Hearts Team (and we’re still hoping someone will hear God’s leading to help coordinate that ministry). Last Sunday Anne Kiyosaki shared about our Sunday School for keiki. This Sunday Sue Ann Wargo will introduce us to the Eucharistic Ministers/Eucharistic Visitors/Lectors ministry, and in coming weeks we’ll be hearing from other lay leaders about other ways people can serve here. I’m so grateful for all of you who serve, often in more than one way! St. Timothy’s does need your active involvement so that we can grow and flourish as God’s ohana in ’Aiea, so I hope you will listen with open mind and heart and respond to whatever new opportunities appeal to you. Thank you! I look forward to having you worship with us on Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your vicar. May God bless you all!
Aloha Ke Akua, Fr. Pete+ Aloha! Thank you for your continuing prayers for me as I complete my recovery (I hope!) from Covid! In light of the news reports of increasing and easily transmitted cases, I hope all of us will be extra careful in the coming days. What a wonderful Father’s Day service and fellowship we had this past Sunday! In the sermon we considered our Father God. We observed how God deals with Samuel in grief, comfort, promise, surprise, and blessing. God provides a model for all of us—not only for us fathers, but for all of us—to encourage and support those we love and encounter in our lives with that same grief, comfort, promise, surprise, and blessing. This week, we’ll continue with the Old Testament story (in 1 Samuel 17:57 — 18:5,10-16), and we’ll meet a fearless, victorious David, who managed to kill an enemy giant with skill and confidence. We’ll see how King Saul’s furious jealousy grows, and how Saul’s son Jonathan treats this already anointed shepherd boy in a far different way—with a covenant of love and support. David’s fearlessness may be an ideal, but it’s one I certainly have trouble experiencing myself, and maybe you do too. I much more easily identify with the terrified disciples of Jesus sailing in the midst of the storm while their loving rabbi sleeps (Mark 4:35-41)! So this Sunday we’ll be focusing on how we might deal honestly and realistically with our own fears and learn to look to Jesus no matter what storms we find ourselves in. As you know, this summer we’re doing a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the
announcement time. So far we’ve learned about the Outreach ministry and the Welcoming Hearts Team (and we’re still hoping someone will hear God’s leading to help coordinate that ministry). Last Sunday we skipped because of Father’s Day. This Sunday we’ll hear about our Sunday school for keiki, and in coming weeks we’ll be hearing from our lay leaders about other ways people can serve here. As I’ve said, St. Timothy’s needs your active involvement so that we might continue to grow and flourish as God’s ohana in ’Aiea. So I hope you will listen with open mind and heart and respond to whatever opportunities appeal to you, listening for God’s guidance. Thank you! I look forward to having you worship with us on Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live. I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for me. May God bless you all! Aloha Ke Akua, Fr. Pete+ Aloha! I hope you are enjoying our newsletter, which we’ve now dubbed “The Epistle of St. Timothy’s.” And we’re grateful for our keiki who illustrated the headings we’ll be using! First of all, can I tell you how much I missed worshiping with you on Sunday? I have never had Covid-19, but somehow it snuck up on me last week. On Thursday morning I felt something like a cold coming on, and out of an abundance of caution took a Covid test—it was negative. And I had a full day at the church. The next morning I felt worse, and that second Covid test showed a bright red positive band. I reached out to Nancy Chun and Paul Mahuka to let them know, and they scrambled to get a morning prayer service put together for Sunday. I am so grateful to them and to those who served on Sunday. And I’m especially thankful for your prayers! I’m already feeling better. I will be taking it easy and being careful to mask and distance for a while. But God willing I’ll be back on Sunday. This summer we’re doing a series of “Ministry Minutes” during the announcement time. We started with our Outreach program led by Lauralee Kawamata. Last Sunday Nancy Chun presented the “Welcoming Hearts Team,” and you can read more about that below. Because this Sunday is Father’s Day, we’ll be skipping the Ministry Minute, but in coming weeks, we’ll be hearing from others who will tell us about other ways people can serve here. St. Timothy’s needs your active involvement so that we might continue to grow and flourish as God’s ohana in ‘Aiea. So I hope you will listen to these Ministry Minutes with open mind and heart and respond to whatever opportunities appeal to you, listening for God’s guidance. Thank you! In case you are interested in reading it, I posted the sermon I was working on for last Sunday on our Facebook page. It’s about “Family Matters”—acknowledging the love and support our families give us, as well as the challenges. Even Jesus’ own family posed challenges for him. But Jesus in turn welcomes all of us, whoever we might be, into his forever family, his eternal ohana, so that we are all siblings together with him. This Sunday, Father’s Day, we’ll consider God our Father, and observe how he deals with Samuel in comfort, promise, and blessing. You might wish to read the Old Testament scripture, 1 Samuel 15:34—16:13, and think prayerfully about how God relates to Samuel in times of grief, as well as to us. We’ll also offer a special prayer for our fathers and celebrate them with a special treat at the fellowship time, so please plan on joining us! I look forward to having you worship with us on Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live. I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for me! May God bless you all. Aloha Ke Akua, Fr. Pete+ Bishop’s Warden Nancy Chun and Father Peter have been working on building a new team at St. Timothy’s that pulls together some activities that many of you are already involved in and doing well. The Welcoming Hearts Team would offer various ways of ministering to others:
Many of you are already doing many of these things. But sometimes things fall through the cracks, so it would help to have someone serve as the point person and help oversee and organize these activities to make sure that any needs of care, of welcome, and of simply helping are covered among our St. Tim’s family.
Could that point person be you? Or maybe you’d be interested in providing help in one or more of these areas? We’re all so grateful for everything each of you does to welcome and care for one another. Please pray and ask God, speak Lord, your servant is listening… is this a way that you might serve God here at St. Timothy’s? Let Fr. Peter or Nancy know. Thank you! ![]() Aloha! What a joy it was to worship with you on Sunday, when we began the liturgically green Season of Pentecost, also known as “Ordinary Time” (even though it’s always extraordinary time at St. Tim’s!). We heard about young Samuel responding to God’s call—though it took three times for him to really listen! Samuel was the son of Hannah, who begged God for a child for many years until God answered her prayer, and then she dedicated her son to serve in God’s temple. Eli the priest served as Samuel’s mentor, but then heard God’s judgment against him and his sons through young Samuel. Samuel went on to become an important prophet in the life of God’s people, ultimately anointing the first King, Saul (who had his own troubles). I encourage you in your prayers to say to God, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!” This Sunday our gospel lesson is Mark 3:20-35, and I encourage you to take a look at it sometime this week. We’ll be thinking about our family, and how we can more meaningfully serve as part of Jesus’s family. Ministry Minutes I want to thank Lauralee Kawamata for launching our Ministry Minute series, which will continue most Sundays during the Announcements for the next couple of months. She gave us a helpful overview of our Outreach Ministry, which provides groceries and meals to our neighbors in need. There’s more about the Outreach ministry in this newsletter. I hope you will prayerfully ask God how you might be part of this important service to our community. And for those who are already involved regularly, mahalo nui loa! During our Ministry Minutes in coming weeks, we’ll be hearing from more team leaders who will share other ways you might serve here as well. St. Timothy’s needs your active involvement so that we might continue to grow and flourish as God’s ohana in ‘Aiea. Which of these ministry opportunities appeal to you? How are you hearing God call you to take part in the ministry of this beautiful church? Remember Samuel: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!” I also want to shout a loud “mahalo” to several of our keiki who drew pictures of our beautiful chapel in Sunday School! They are posted on the Bulletin Board outside Sumida Hall, and you’ll be seeing them as our email announcements header over the next several weeks. By the way, you may have also noticed that “The Weekly Announcements” email now has a new name: The Epistle from St. Timothy’s! Don’t forget our website has an article about our patron saint here: https://www.sttimothysaiea.org/about-our-patron-saint-timothy.html I look forward to having you worship with us on Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Chapel, or on Facebook Live.
I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders. May God bless you all! Aloha Ke Akua, Fr. Pete+ Aloha! I hope you had a meaningful Memorial Day. We do give thanks—not only on Memorial Day, but every day—for the many blessings of freedom that we possess, purchased at the cost of many lives and sacrifices on behalf of our country. We honor those who died while serving their country, and we ask God for strength and wisdom to pursue peace and justice in our own lives. This past Sunday we observed Trinity Sunday, the only Sunday set aside by the Church to celebrate a theological doctrine. But that doctrine is anything but boring! The photos you see here reflect two attempts to imagine the Trinity: on the left, the famous icon of the Trinity by Rublev (this poster hangs in our robe room), and on the right, part of a stained-glass window at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, showing that each person of the Trinity is not the same as the others, but each is God. The Trinity reveals a loving and diverse divine ohana, a heavenly dance of the Three-in-One and One-in-Three—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We pondered how we might better realize that we are included in that triune love as a fourth member of the loving ohana of God. And we asked, how might we reflect and share the divine love that God so generously offers us with others? We also honored our graduates—those who advanced from any level of school to the next stage of their lives, whether near or far. Congratulations to them all, and our prayers are with them! This Sunday, June 2, we are in the liturgically green Season of Pentecost, also known as “Ordinary Time.” My sermon will focus largely on the Old Testament reading for this Sunday, 1 Samuel 3. You might enjoy reading this story ahead of time and ponder what it means for you. I hope you’ll join us on Sunday morning at 9 in the Chapel, or worship with us on Facebook Live. I am so grateful for the many ways you serve this church, through the Altar Guild, the Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, the Daughters of the King, the Sunday School teachers, the Music Ministry Team, STEAM (Audiovisual Ministry Team), the Outreach Team, and the Bishop’s Committee! Some of you serve in more than one way. To all of you, I say mahalo nui loa! We all bless you for your important ministries here. I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders. May God bless you all!
Aloha ke akua, Fr. Pete+ ![]() Fr. Pete has recorded a video version of this post. View and listen here. And read on for the text of the video. Aloha! What a glorious Day of Pentecost we had! All that red you were wearing—it was beautiful. And our keiki made colorful doves for the sliding doors. What made the day really special was the baptism of Ruthann, John, and Joy Ridge, as we welcomed them into God’s forever family. In the sermon we explored the events of the Day of Pentecost from Acts 2. This astonishing event was the culmination of a series of ups-and-downs that Jesus’ disciples experienced over the brief time they walked with their beloved rabbi. Yes, they had a yo-yo life (as I demonstrated with my toy yo-yo!). And certainly, each one of us could say our own lives have been like a yo-yo these past several years, as has our beloved St. Timothy’s. But the disciples’ path led to this glorious day when the “Paraclete”—the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, Helper, and Guide, whom Jesus promised to send to his disciples--descended to fill and embrace each believer. Including you and me today! We also heard Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones coming to life through the breath of God’s Spirit. Whenever we feel dried up, empty, and hopeless, God promises life and hope to us through the power of the indwelling Spirit. At baptism, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit as Christ’s own forever, and we witnessed that on Sunday—three times! Each of us renewed our own baptismal vows once again. In the sermon, I quoted Mennonite minister Melissa Florer-Bixler, whose words to her 10-year-old son recounted in a recent Christian Century article about baptism I found helpful: When we’re baptized, we’re saying ‘I love you’ back to the one who has always loved us and always will. And saying ‘I love you’ makes a kind of life. Those words make a home…. But we’ll never be able to figure everything out. Maybe this is the question: Do I want to keep figuring out my life with Jesus and with other people who also love Jesus? I hope your answer to this question is yes! That’s what living as a baptized Christian really means. ![]() After Pentecost, we put our Paschal Candle away, and after Trinity Sunday this week, we will enter the liturgically green Season of Pentecost—which some call “Ordinary Time.” This season will take us all the way to Advent. But first, the Church takes time this Sunday to consider a theological concept that is difficult for any human to truly comprehend, but which can nevertheless enrich our understanding of our relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On Trinity Sunday we’ll ponder what God as Trinity means to us as we strive to live as God’s people. We’ll also honor our recent graduates! I hope you’ll join us on Sunday morning at 9 in the Chapel, or worship with us on Facebook Live. I am praying for you, dear sisters and brothers, and I ask for your prayers for St. Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders. May God bless you all!
Aloha ke akua, Fr. Pete+ ![]() Here are some resources adapted from the Episcopal Diocese of Newark to aid you in your own observance of Memorial Day. Memorial Day may be observed through two lenses. On the civil calendar, it is a day for remembering and honoring those who have died in battle for our country. Originally called Decoration Day, it is a time to place flags and flowers or leis on the graves of those who died in the service of their country. This is different from Veterans Day, when we remember those who are serving or have served our country who are alive. On the church calendar, while Memorial Day has no liturgical observance, it can still be a time for healing of the pain of loss. Let us together pray for those we remember today, and be present with one another as we consider the war, loss, and devastation that plagues our world. O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 839) Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 816) God the King of Glory, in whose hands are the living and the dead: We give you our thanks for all those who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant them your mercy and the light of your presence; give us a sense of your will and purpose, that we may understand that the work you have begun in them will be perfected through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, in whom all strife is resolved. Amen. (Enriching Our Worship 3) As we pause to lift our hearts and minds in prayer, let us be mindful of those who have laid down their lives in the service of their country. O God, we ask your strength that we might dedicate ourselves to perfecting your Kingdom of Peace and justice among nations. Let us give thanks for the many blessings of freedom which we possess, purchased at the cost of many lives and sacrifices. Fill us with courage to fulfill our tasks and in no way break faith with the fallen. We commend the fallen to your mercy and ask that you give them eternal rest. This we ask and pray in your name, Amen. (From Refuge and Strength: Prayers for the Military and Their Families, Theodore W. Edwards Jr., Church Publishing)
What does that colorful Episcopal Church shield logo mean?As you may have noticed, our website now features a different and very colorful Episcopal shield logo in addition to the traditional logo. This is one way that we symbolize our warm welcome to anyone, regardless of how God has made them, to St. Timothy’s to worship and serve with us. St. Timothy’s has always been known as an open-hearted and welcoming congregation, and as a result we have a very diverse group of members of different races, nationalities, economic statuses, ages, etc. But we also want to be known as a safe place where all can find abounding aloha so that they can grow spiritually and serve meaningfully. As our tagline puts it, Loving God, Loving Others, Living Aloha! For more information about the logo, here’s an article from Episcopal News Service: In affirmation and celebration of The Episcopal Church’s LGBTQ+ members, the Office of Communication is pleased to unveil a new Pride shield for churchwide use. The design retains the upper-left blue corner of The Episcopal Church’s shield logo and incorporates elements of the traditional Pride flag as well as the Progress Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride flag. In their use of black, brown, pink, and light-blue diagonal lines, the latter two flags represent intersectional progress in acknowledging people who are often overlooked by the mainstream LGBTQ+ movement: communities of color; the transgender community; and the many thousands harmed by anti-LGBTQ+ policy—from those who lost their lives in the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, to those still disproportionately impacted today. For half a century, Episcopalians have been working toward a greater understanding and inclusion of all God’s children. Resolutions from General Convention in 1976 recognized LGBTQ+ people as children of God with an equal claim to the pastoral care of the church and equal protection under the law. In 1994, General Convention amended the church’s canons to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, providing equal access to the rites and worship of the church, including ordination. In 2015, General Convention voted to amend the canons that regulate marriage, permitting any couple the rite of holy matrimony. In June 2023, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry issued a video message of encouragement to “all of my LGBTQ+ family members,” noting, “I believe deep in my soul that God is always seeking to create a world and a society where all are loved, where justice is done, and where the God-given equality of us all is honored in our relationships, in our social arrangements, and in law.” Recently, the church announced the hire of its first gender justice staff officer, a new position called for by the 80th General Convention and dedicated to justice, advocacy, and inclusion work focused on women and LGBTQ+ people. “In the United States, the bodily autonomy of women and trans people is under attack, and fully 50% of LGBTQ+ Americans live in poverty,” said Aaron Scott, gender justice staff officer. “I am grateful for the care and intention that went into designing this new Pride shield as it not only represents the LGBTQ+ community more fully, but also lifts those who, out of sheer necessity of survival and dignity, have fought the hardest and sacrificed the most for the thriving of all of us.”
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