CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Transcription

1 Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June 2017 Ka Leo Mekokiko THE VOICE OF UNITED METHODIST Hawaii District May - June 2017 VOLUME 33 NUMBER 5 CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC ANNUAL CONFERENCE Wednesday-Saturday, June University of Redlands, 1200 E Colton Ave, Redlands, CA Tuesday, June 13, 2017: Leave Honolulu to LAX on American Airlines Flight #162 at 1:05 p.m., arrive at 9:35 p.m. Sunday, June 18, 2017: Leave LAX to Honolulu on American Airlines Flight #143 at 2:00 p.m., arrive at 4:52 p.m. Online registration is up to May 22, After the date, there will be a fee of $50. THE HAWAII DISTRICT CONFERENCE Saturday, May 6, :00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Christ United Methodist Church, 1639 Keeaumoku Street, Honolulu ANNUAL HAWAII UNITED METHODIST UNION [HUMU] MEETING The Annual HUMU Meeting will be held on the same day with the Hawaii District Conference. HUMU MEMBERSHIP: Registration Fee for either meeting: $15.00 (Includes materials and lunch) Deadline to register for District Conference is: Monday, April 24th. Registration form will be ed to all pastors and posted on the Hawaii District website: CANDIDATE SUMMIT in the HAWAII DISTRICT Is God calling you into the Ordained Ministries of The United Methodist Church? You are invited to the CANDIDATE SUMMIT. There is no registration fee. Wednesday May 17, 2017; 10:00a.m. - 3:00p.m.; Christ UMC, 1639 Keeaumoku St.

2 Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June Ministry Musings from the District Superintendent ANNUAL CONFERENCE MISSION STATEMENT: Inspiring the World as Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ So All May Experience God s Life-Giving Love Do you remember the story about the new father of triplets who met his pastor on the street? The pastor congratulated the young man by saying, Well, Jim, the Lord has certainly smiled on you! The proud but baffled father answered appropriately, Smiled at me, you say? I think God laughed out loud at me! In the month of May, we celebrate Mother s Day in homes where our children are loved and nurtured by parents and siblings. Thank God there are homes where the spirit of God abides, homes where doors and windows are wide open to the world, and families who share their love with neighbors and with the stranger in need. Thank God there are homes and families through whom God blesses the world and brings light to the darkness in which people dwell. Napoleon once said, Let France have good mothers and she will have good sons, and, I may add, daughters. Today, more than ever, we need mothers of character, mothers who will nurture their children in the ways of God. The successful mother is the key to a successful home and nation. I salute all mothers in the District who are the backbone of the church and the district. I would like to especially express my congratulations to those who are newly mothers in the month of March and April, Mrs. Ashley Belting at Kilohana UMC and Shannon Ku uipo Gorospe at Aldersgate UMC. A popular singer, Barbara Streisand, sings, You don t bring me flowers any more. It is assumed behind these words that a man s love is expressed by bringing flowers to his lover, and that his love for her supposedly ceases when he stops bringing flowers to her. Giving flowers, of course, is not the only way we can express our love to others; but we continue giving flowers to our parents and loved ones. I now realized how true that is! Whenever I visit my mother s gravesite at Rose Hills in Los Angeles, I buy a bunch of flowers to express my love to her. What is important is for us to express our love through our actions. It is important to express our love to our children, loved ones and to the church to show in explicit ways how much they mean to us. Let s celebrate Mother s Day in our Christian homes where our hearts dwell as we are keeping our love to God. Rev. Dr. Se Hee Han District Superintendent BISHOP S CONFIRMATION RETREAT There is an exciting opportunity for Hawaii youth to meet with Bishop Grant Hagiya and learn about the meaning of confirmation. Your church is invited to offer this exciting spiritual journey opportunity to your youth. Date: September 22-24, 2017 (Friday thru Sunday) Place: Camp Mokuleia, Farrington Highway, Waialua, Hawaii Who: Ages 11 thru 16 years old or someone looking for confirmation Cost: $100

3 Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June MESSAGE FROM THE DISTRICT LAY LEADER HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Easter greetings to you all, Hawaii District! The Easter Season is upon us! It s a joyous time to celebrate the risen Christ and the promise of everlasting life. There s a fresh, crisp feeling in the air that makes us feel more alive. This is the Spirit of God giving us hope and true joy. The sting of death has been conquered by the resurrected Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters--the Laity of our United Methodist churches in the Hawaii District, we must join in shining Christ s light in our neighborhoods. We must encourage one another to be faithful and generous with our time, talent, gifts, grace and finances to support our local churches and ministries. Let s learn more about the youth of today their trends, their fears, their outlook so that we can relate to them and help them see God s presence in their lives. We must share our faith stories with the youth and with unchurched and doubting friends, so that they will come to know that God IS good, that His Grace IS real, and that they can transform their lives by learning about Jesus and following Him. Isn t that why we all continue to praise, confess our sin and worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit every Sunday? Many people make new year resolutions when January rolls around. Although I m not convinced that we become better persons when we make these resolutions, I think that Easter is a more meaningful time to commit to doing something new. I ll share my resolution with you all to hopefully motivate you to renew your faith journey. To help remind myself to commit to growing disciples of Jesus Christ, my resolution is to post scriptures on my desk, my bathroom mirror, my binders.and I ll memorize a few. 2 Corinthians 5:17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect. Acts 3:20-21 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus, must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. Galatians 5:22-23 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Friends, renew your minds! Revitalize your faith! Trust and obey God! Tell others about how God touches your life. CHRIST IS RISEN! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen! Aloha and Blessings, Lynn Owan Sanctuary Training Three Sessions: Beginners, Allies, & Sanctuary Date: May 20, 2017 Time: 9:00A.M. - 2:00P.M. Place: Nuuanu YMCA, 1441 Pali Hwy # 3 Parking available at Harris UMC. The Hawaii District, Harris UMC, and Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) have joined together to sponsor a training on how to offer sanctuary to those in need. Rev. David Farley, Director of Cal-Pac JCEMT, will be in Hawaii to lead the workshop. Come and learn about how we can help the least and most vulnerable in our midst.

4 The Hawaii District: Faithfully following Christ As mission advocates for the Western Jurisdiction we had the opportunity to learn, share, preach and promote participation in global missions with the Hawaii District from February 25 to March 8 of this year. One of the five Districts of the California-Pacific Conference, the Hawaii District includes 40 congregations in the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, and Saipan. Their vision statement, Inspiring the world as passionate followers of Jesus Christ so that all may experience God s life-giving love, rings true to our experience. The district superintendent, Rev. Dr. Sehee Han, grew up in a Korean Methodist family and helped pave the way for Korean women pastors in the 1980s. She served at many California- Pacific mainland churches, then was called to Hawaii to serve as district superintendent in We were privileged to stay at Harris United Methodist Church, which has covenant relationships with three missionaries. They are involved with local issues, such as housing for people who are without a place to live, and have a weekly meal program. As one of two reconciling churches in the district, they share their work with many other churches so that they might be better able to show God s love to all. The people of Harris UMC are in the process of discerning whether to become sanctuary church for undocumented immigrants at a time when U.S. policies are terrifying immigrants and splitting families. This May they will help other Hawaiian churches explore what it means to become a sanctuary church by hosting an in-depth workshop. Nan and Miguel, the youth and young adults at Aiea Korean UMC. Photo: Nan and Miguel Aiea Korean UMC supports many missionaries around the Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June world and has a large active group of youths led by young passionate pastors and laypersons. The youth want to go on a mission trip abroad. Their ministries with Korean-US citizens and Korean immigrants have gone so well that they are reaching out to the community with an English language ministry called Renew. Tongan youth and young adults at First UMC Honolulu. Photo by Nan and Miguel First UMC in downtown Honolulu has 350, most of whom have a Tongan background. The congregations show God s love to others in so many ways Their youth and young adults are in ministry out in the community getting to know people without homes and sharing food through what they call passing the peace. This congregation also has a strong legal aid program for immigrants. --Nan McCurdy and Miguel Mairena Calling All Leaders of Young People! Are you currently working in youth ministry? Do you have a passion for young people? Are you seeking to be in ministry with passionate Christians? If YES, please join us for our first Youth & Young Adult Leadership Meeting Date: April 29, 2017 Time: 9: 00 am Noon Place: Aiea UMC, Laulima St. The Hawaii District is looking to rejuvenate our Young People Ministry and we need your help! So please join us for a morning of planning, seeking new ways to do youth ministry in our communities and having fun! We are requesting that all churches send a Youth and Young Adult leaders or representative from your church to our meeting. For more information please contact: Pastor John Finau jfinau@live.com Russ Langas rlangas808@yahoo.com

5 Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June Hawaii United Methodist Men Helping men grow in Christ, so others may know Christ. be given to organizations with annual budgets less than $500,000 with priority given to smaller churches and agencies. For questions about this grant, contact Patricia Perez (pperez@calpacumc.org ), Administrative Assistant in Connectional Ministries. Hawaii District United Methodist Men gathered at Aldersgate UMC on March 27, Shown in the photo is DS Han with the members of Hawaii District UMM. Apply Online Now for the 2017 Justice & Compassion Grant The Justice and Compassion Grant is for the purpose of empowering, connecting, and resourcing laity, clergy, congregations and communities as they meaningfully engage in ministries of justice and compassion both locally and globally. We want to encourage and give preference to cooperative ministries, i.e., those involving several UM churches or Christian churches of several denominations. Please be aware that the Justice and Compassion Grants given in 2017 will be no more than $5,000 per grant. Given the small size of the grants, grants will only Seeking Micronesian Ministry Coordinator Our district is dedicated to creating new places for new people and reaching more diverse people who become more like Christ in the world. To this end, we are launching a new ministry to develop a United Methodist Micronesian faith community in Honolulu. Our next step in this process is to hire a Micronesian Ministry Coordinator who will lead this new venture. The Micronesian Ministry Coordinator will be responsible for building a Micronesian faith community by launching new small groups while serving as the coordinator between Calvary UMM and the Micronesian parents whose children attend Calvary s Sunday School. We are looking for a bilingual leader who has a heart for evangelism and the ability to develop new small groups. Candidates should their resume to the District Office: info@hawaiidistrictumc.org (Attention: Micronesian Ministry Coordinator). For more information, please contact Rev. Tim Ellington, at or pastortim@kailuaumc.org. Bits and Pieces Congratulations to Rev. Brian and Mrs. Ashley Belting who are blessed with a baby girl named Stella who was born on Saturday, March 25, weighing in at 7lbs and 8oz. Congratulations to Shannon & Joey Gorospe who have welcomed their new baby girl, Grace who was born on Wednesday, April 12. Congratulations to newlyweds, Pastor In Kwon Jun and Deborah Jun who have gotten married in early January of this year. Retired Rev. Ronald Faux and his wife Joan have a new address at 555 E Memory Lane Apt D209, Santa Ana, CA He can be reached at (909) Rev. Ron served at Lahaina UMC, Wahiawa UMC, and Kailua UMC. Former Hawaii District Superintendent Rex Britt & Bonnie Britt have a new address at 680 Avery Rd. Claremont, CA Rev. SonHye Kim has a new address at 1621 S Pomona Ave Unit D22, Fullerton, CA Rev. Kim served at Harris UMC and Kapolei Korean Mission.

6 Ka Leo Mekokiko May-June Apr. 29 May 3 or 4 or 16 or 17? Youth & Young Adult Leadership Meeting; 9:00 am DISTRICT CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2017 Aiea UMC July 7-9 DPAS Meeting; 6:30 pm District Office July 29 UMW Mission U English/Spanish/Tongan YMW: Car Wash Fundraiser Thousand Oaks Retreat, California May 6 District Conference Annual HUMU Meeting Christ UMC Aug 12 YMW: Back to School Bash May 17 Candidacy Summit; 10 am - 3 pm Christ UMC Aug Women s Walk to Emmaus St. Anthony s Retreat Center May am - HCOM Training 1 pm - Mentor Training Christ UMC Sept 16 YMW: Diversity Talent Show/Bake Sale May 20 Sanctuary Training, 9AM-2PM Nuuanu YMCA Sept Bishop s Confirmation Retreat Camp Mokuleia May Men s Walk To Emmaus St. Anthony Retreat Center Sept 23 UMW District Annual Celebration May 29 Memorial Day District Office closed Oct Strength For The Journey Camp Mokuleia June July 6-8 Cal-Pac Annual Conference Redlands, California Nov 4 UMW Mission U Korean Thousand Oaks Retreat, California Nov UMW District Leadership Team Meeting/ Retreat YMW: Next Generation Limitless Event If you would like us to promote your event or extend congratulations, or if you have a prayer request to lift up to our District churches, please to hawaiidistrict@calpacumc.org by the third Monday of each month. Thank you! HAWAII UNITED METHODIST UNION 20 South Vineyard Boulevard Honolulu, HI Phone: (808) hawaiidistrict@calpacumc.org KA LEO MEKOKIKO May-June 2017 Upcoming Events p. 1 Sanctuary Training-.. p. 3 Leaders of Young People p. 4 Justice & Compassion Grant...p. 5 Micronesian Ministry Coordinator p. 5 Bits and Pieces....p. 5