Ka Ha ilono. Ellen s Corner

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1 Ka Ha ilono Volume No. 45 Article No. 1 February 2014 Table of Contents Ellen s Corner pg 1 Membership.. pg 4 Quiet Disciple... pg 9 Vice President.. pg 2 Social Action Coordinator. pg 5 Assembly poster.. pg 10 Treasurer. Pg 3 Committee on Nominations... pg 5 Mission u forms pg 11, 12 Mission Education Coordinator pg 4 Communication Coordinator pg 6, 7 Reading Program... pg 13, 14 Program Resources.. pg 4 Spiritual Life Retreat.. pg 8 Gifts & Graces... pg 15 Ellen s Corner Aloha Sisters in Christ! Our Hawaii District United Methodist Women Mid-Winter celebration with Bishop Minerva G. Carcano was terrific. Many thanks go to the women of Kailua and Keolumana churches, who supplied our food; to Maxine Wheeler and the Cal-Pac (California-Pacific) Conference officers, who planned the event; and all the other people who helped to make the day a success. We had over 150 people registered for the day and almost that number in attendance. Our challenges for 2014 as outlined by Bishop Carcano are: 1) to help alleviate POVERTY, 2) to fight deportation and allow IMMIGRATION to the United States, and 3) to work to change perceptions about LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) people. This is the area most threatening to the organizational units of the United Methodist Church today. We need to consider our feelings and beliefs about the lesbians, gays, bisexual, transvestites, and queer people who populate our world and nation. These are large areas to deal with for all of us, but we should find it in our life s work to advocate passionately for people who has to deal with these issues on a daily basis. Other challenges to be considered by churches in the Hawaii District: 1) Find ways for your local church UNIT to fulfill the pledge to Cal-Pac Conference; 2) Support our National Mission in Hawaii, Susannah Wesley Community Center, with your prayers, your donations, and your service; 3) As individuals, participate in the UMW READING PROGRAM! There are many books available for this program and I strongly urge everyone who is able to read at least five books during the year 2014! Keep track of them and earn a certificate from the Program Resource Coordinator. Our next meeting will be Saturday, April 5 th, when we will be honoring our Quiet Disciples. Please read about the qualifications for your Quiet Disciple and plan to attend the meeting. More information is to be found later in this newsletter! Aloha! Ellen Owens, Hawaii District United Methodist Women President

2 Aloha my sisters and brothers in Christ, Rejoice in God who is Lord of all As United Methodist Women, we speak of faith, hope and love in action. Let s use those four words to help ourselves as well as others transform into great witnesses of God s goodness, grace, and mercy. FAITH: Our Faith helps us to do what is right and important. When we know God, we glorify Him with our praise and prayers. HOPE: When we know God, we feel His deep love for us, secured and sustained by our relations with Him, and we will naturally share our gratitude and generosity. The God we serve offers hope for a better future, and that includes you. LOVE: We love God because He first loved us. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you desire of your heart. God's greatest message to us is to love God and to love our neighbor, in loving spirit expand in us. Yes, love can make a way when there's no way. ACTION: Like in Mark 9: 35, we need in this time to be silenced and listen for God's call. Anyone who wants to be the first must be the very last, the servant of all. To be first in God s Kingdom, we have to live a life of humility and service. God calls His followers to share the good news of faith with others. We United Methodist Women are called to turn faith, hope, and love in action on behalf of women, children and youth around the world. Hawaii District Calendar: Spiritual Life Retreat, April 5, 2014, Wesley UMC, Honolulu Assembly, April 25-27, 2014, Louisville, KY Mission u, July 18-20, 2014, Biola University, CA Mission Festival, August 23, 2014, Trinity UMC, Pearl City Annual Celebration, Sept 27, 2014, Christ UMC, Honolulu Hope to see you there!! God bless, Vila M Vakauta, Vice President {vilavakauta@yahoo.com} current cell { } Cal-Pac Conference suggests ways to attend the 2014 April Assembly: Be sponsored or sponsor someone to attend in your behalf. Don t forget to also sign up for Mission u to be held in July forms available here.

3 TREASURER Aloha and thank you to all who had faithfully contributed to the work of the United Methodist Women. Our work and support were not in vain. Lives of unseen women, children, and youth were reached and touched with love. We may never know who they are, but we know that God knows and that He keeps records of everything. During our Local Leadership Training on January 18, 2014 at First United Methodist Church, the following were awarded certificate of 5 Star Unit for Much MAHALO and congratulations! 1. Aiea UMW 2. Alalani UMW 3. Aldersgate UMW 4. Christ Korean UMW 5. First Tongan UMW (Waimanalo) 6. First United Methodist Women 7. Kailua UMW 8. Keolumana UMW 9. Kilohana UMW 10. Trinity UMW 11. Wahiawa UMW 12. West Kauai UMW The Summary of Remittance 2013 that was sent out to the California-Pacific Conference is available here for your view. Also included in the report was how much had been given to local missions. For 2013, we were not able to meet our pledge of $40, We were short of $12, This year 2014, let s move on and continue to give the best that we could. Our pledge is also $40, It would be best if we work on our pledges first, and then contribute to the designated missions that we so desire to bless. God s work and love for the suffering women, children, and youth is not done. Let s all be His tools as givers and partakers of this noble task. God bless us all beyond measure, Emma Gaboy Hawaii District UMW Treasurer fgaboy@hawaii.rr.com Cel No Ohuohu Road C3 Koloa, HI 96756

4 Malo e lelei / Aloha to everyone, Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happen, always be thankful, for this is GOD's WILL for us who belong to CHRIST. God has been good to United Methodist Women. We finished the Local Leadership Training, and I am extremely pleased and honored to announce the two UMW units for their hard work and inspiration, as they went above and beyond to complete the criteria to qualify for MISSION TODAY UNIT 2013: First and Keolumana United Methodist Church UMW units. Please encourage your local unit to participate with Mission Today Unit For more information regarding the Mission Today Unit, do not hesitate to contact me. Finally, the educational opportunities and resources are still available for you in events such as the Life Spiritual Retreat, Assembly, Mission u, District Mission Festival, and in other sources like the Reading Program, Prayer Calendar, response magazine, etc. Looking forward to a wonderful Life Spiritual Retreat! For the love of God, Kuenilingi Maka Mission Education Coordinator Ph: (808) kuenilingi@hotmail.com Program Resources Mission u & Spiritual Growth books will be ordered for pickup at Hawaii's Spiritual Life Retreat. Payment must be made on this day. Form for 2014 Reading Program Report of Completion is included in this newsletter. UMW 2014 Reading Program: Plan 1 5 Books per Year -- One book from each category; Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action and Spiritual Growth. -- Selections can be from the reading lists if not included in previous reports (including youth titles). -- Regular reading of response magazine. Aloha, Sylvia Contact: Sylvia Himeda 4308 Papu Circle Honolulu, HI sshimeda@aol.com Phone: (808) It was great seeing you at the Local Leadership Training in January, and I look forward to seeing you again at the spring retreat at Wesley United Methodist Church. At the training, I read "Rights of Membership" and "Responsibilities of Membership". I will share one this month and the other in the next district newsletter. RIGHTS OF MEMBERSHIP Through membership in United Methodist Women, a woman has the right to expect: + Education, training, and experience in understanding the organization and fulfilling the PURPOSE; + Resources that nurture growth and inform, and stimulate for example, response magazine; + Information that relates to world issues and leads to increased identification with women around the world; + Recognition of her contribution as a member of the organization; + Ways to communicate her concerns to the Women's Division; + Opportunities for a variety of ways to serve or volunteer; + Membership in Church Women United and the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (As members of these two organizations, women strive for an ecumenical and international community through unity of spirit and purpose, understanding the meaning of justice and freedom, and a commitment to the Gospel). If you are reading this and not a member of a local organization, please contact me so your church women will be able to charter. Looking forward to hearing from you, Beverly Aiwohi, Membership Coordinator mrsaiwohi@gmail.com

5 Call to Action Greetings lovely ladies! What an awesome Mid-Winter event we just had! Wouldn t you agree? Also, to have our very own Bishop Minerva Carcano as guest speaker, it truly was a blessed day all praise and thanks to our heavenly Father. I am so happy, glad, and thankful that Bishop Carcano s message that day was all related to social action! It just encouraged us to believe, stand strong, and put our faith into action by helping our fellow sisters in Christ. In case you didn t attend the Mid- Winter event, here are three main issues Bishop Minerva Carcano stressed for us to do in our ministries today: 1. Stand with women who live in poverty Stand up and stand with women who are living in poverty. These are women we see every day nannies, cleaners, care givers, babysitters, dog sitters, and many more jobs out there that pay is less than minimum wage and/or paid under the table in order for their families to survive. As our action to help these women out of poverty, let's demand for minimum wage and let's commit to bring one woman out of poverty every year. 2. Stand up with immigrant women In our country, immigrant status pushes immigrants both women and male into the darkness. This President's Day holiday, our own Bishop Minera Carcano along with other leaders on our United Methodist Women and churches will pray in front of the white house for our President Obama to stop deporting our undocumented brothers and sisters, breaking up families, friends, and children. 3. Stand with LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer), especially the mothers of lesbian and gay children. These are the people that really need our love and attention because we are all people of God created in His image doesn't matter what homosexuality, gender or age, skin color, family background, and whether rich or poor. God accepts all women, children, and men as they are, and we must follow His rule of loving our neighbors as ourselves. That means anyone and everyone we accept to love because he or she, like us United Methodist Women, is created in the image of God. Let the Spirit of God be upon you and your ministry, so that you can stand in action to share your faith and love from God above. Fusi Ta'ufo'ou Social Action Coordinator Hau oli Maka Hiki Hou UMW Sisters, It s great to have this opportunity to serve our Lord in the capacity for Him as chair, with my very special United Methodist Women Committee on Nominations team. I am very thankful to be a part of the district. Our group has been such a great help and inspiration to me and others in the Lord. More than ever, I m glad we can show our love, thankfulness, and appreciation for Jesus by working together in different positions and missions for His kingdom. I m grateful we can all willingly and lovingly support UMW by praying, and filling out our Gift and Graces form in choosing positions for each person who wants to do their part on our district team. They can use their valuable time and talents not only for the Lord and others, but for his or herself to achieve a more meaningful life with Him. This is the time! God is calling us for this time to do his work because He always gives us His all and we owe Him everything, and to do our very best being UMW sisters together to become a greater family of God. Lord Bless You All in Jesus Love, Penny Brouillette

6 Communication part 1 A calling for this time, leads the United Methodist Women of 2014 to expand in such topic. While the simplicity of its meaning refers to the calling of women today, the concept entertains the thought to examine things happening around the world at this time. At the same time, it hinders recognition to be habituated with establishments that great people from yesterday have long carried forward. UMW participants have fought a good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith [2 Timothy 4:7] for addressed issues of immigration rights, human trafficking, minimum wage, disease preventions, climate change, etc. Needless to say, the battle goes on and requires for a willing and able person with a particular talent, to serve and maintain God s calling for these purposes. During the February Mid-Winter event held at Kailua United Methodist Church, Bishop Minerva Carcano voiced concerns that immigration rights are still being handled unfairly, concluding with her expediting plan to mark a change as she prepares for next stop, to stand a peaceful rally in front of the White House gates which later ended with legal matters. Local pastors and churches are inclined in the same manner to be an advocate for victims of arbitrary enforcement, especially the minor children left behind due to deportation of immigrant parents. On the other end of the scale, education has its role in levering support to all problems facing today like Kilohana UMC, where accredited individuals give their volunteered time to train and educate women most of them are Tongan, in attaining licensure of a certified nursing assistant (CNA), as an initiative of the retired Rev. Alan Mark that goes back to the late 90s. Focus on education and healthcare are similarly emphasized in a Spargue and Maclennan article, The Courage to Speak, commencing on an organization founded in 1982, Educacion Popular en Salud (EPES) in a Chilean community, that led to collaboration with United Methodist Women, to partake in their growing success of empowering women and children (response, Jan 2014 issue). As a reflection to climate change, UMW encourages protecting and preserving a greener environment. In essence, the world had this winning thought in mind in their production to harness efficiency by making use of renewable energy methods such as wind, wave, solar power, etc. Its rewards resulted to reconsider in wealthier countries like Japan, Australia, and Switzerland. Following with the trends, the United States are in the advantage of using advanced ENERGY STAR products that validate an improvement to energy usage. Likewise in televised programs from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) channel, as modernized inventions are taking off in less fortunate countries: Women in Africa use recycled shredded paper to make wood for fuel, one among all efforts is to minimize excessive trimming of trees for fire logs; Mongolia produced affordable and efficient United Methodist Women sites Cal-Pac: Facebook: Assembly:

7 Communication part 2 stoves to take away the older models most commonly used in lower income districts, as a measure to control the life threatening cause of air pollution in their country. These are crucial evidence to influence all future generations, and promote broadening of horizons to the extent possible. Local social service, Susannah Wesley Community Center (SWCC), takes a stand to motivate Hawaii s youth in difficult circumstances with their propelling programs, Youth Development, Project Ho omohala, Hawaii C BASE [Competency Based High School Diploma], ESL [English as a second language] Classes, Evening Counseling, and Home Based Parenting. Learn more about these and other services available through the SWCC website, A very small, but practical implement, is the UMW team s online submittal of the Ka Ha ilono newsletter, as it serves with positive outcomes such as less cost effective and use of less paper or paperless. In any fashion, every effort helps, and little ones goes a long ways The UMW April Assembly to be held in Louisville, Kentucky, will have relevant talk on the matter, along with other issues addressed in first paragraph. The district team is moving along with considerable care, as in a recent Hawaii District UMW Executive Meeting, it was highly recommended for the district UMW s youth leadership group, normally referenced to as LIMITLESS Team, the need to interact with local unit or church group events. Concurrently, the district team asks leadership in local units or churches the same. To be frank, the youth groups needs to team up! The Hawaii District UMW President and Committee on Nominations shall appoint the LIMITLESS Team, in the case a source was brought to the table: the Revelations, an ongoing youth event recently held at the Aldersgate UMC, would be a start. The mentioned event consisted of more than eight church groups coming to unity at Aldersgate, and is known to have been held year-round, on a quarterly basis at a designated church. The LIMITLESS Team did not attend and construe announcement for both party, local units or churches and the district UMW s youth leadership group, to be inclusive. Nevertheless, the district team is inclusive in the preparation of the Spiritual Life Retreat, giving recognition to all individuals, young or old, that have met the criteria described of a Quiet Disciple. The 2014 Spiritual Life Retreat will be held at the Wesley UMC, and registration form along with the Quiet Disciple criteria is included in this Ka Ha ilono issue. A calling for this time may come with or impose the need for new ideas, but also to utilize and modify those well-established ones that are already in our midst. UMW empowers women, children, and youth to explore for social justice. Mahalo & God bless, Lucy I. Aholelei Communication Coordinator For online subscription of the Ka Ha ilono Send to: carebylucylei@yahoo.com

8 United Methodist Women Spiritual Life Retreat April 5, 2014 Wesley United Methodist Church 1350 Hunakai St., Honolulu, Hawaii Register by March 28 Cost $15 Lunch will be provided Register by March 28 to guarantee lunch Registration begins at 8 8:30am Program: works in progress ********* ***********************************************cut here********************************************************************** Church Contact Person Name, Address, Phone, & Name (s) Total payment Make checks payable to United Methodist Women ~Quiet Disciple booklet will be available for $5 ea. Childcare: Mail your registration & payment to: Total children (Please provide your child with a snack) Gwen Maka kuenilingi@hotmail.com $25 deposit is required, to be reimbursed at the date of the event Waimomona Pl. Phone: (808) Ewa Beach, HI For inner island travels, please let us know if need ride to & from airport. Air-fare scholarships are limited and available upon request.

9 Quiet Disciple 2014 Criteria Hawaii District United Methodist Women will again honor our Quiet Disciples during the Spiritual Life Retreat. It is the local unit who selects their special Quiet Disciple: A quiet disciple can be any woman in your church who supports the mission of United Methodist Women. She can be any age, as we also welcome young women in their teens. She blesses others with the gift of enriching their lives with the unassuming servant heart of Christ. Her example is one who truly lives the heart of God. There will be one Quiet Disciple per unit. The only requirement is that your Quiet Disciple write-up is on a half sheet size of paper 5.5 x 8.5, positioned vertically (booklet page size). You may include a picture, as long as the picture and words fit on the half sheet size page. Your photo ready copy is what will be printed in the Quiet Disciple booklet. The booklet is free for honorees only. Others will be pre-sold at $5 each Contact Ellen Owens. All bios with pictures will also be printed in the May Ka Ha ilono. Please send all bio date/photo to: Ellen Owens 6488 Hawaii Kai Drive Honolulu, Hawaii (808) ecowens@mcowens.com PURPOSE OF THE UNITED METHODIST WOMEN The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

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15 Gifts & Graces For Potential Leadership on the Hawaii District UMW Team Talent Bank Form Please type of print neatly Name Date: Address Telephone: Home Cell Work Local Church Member: yes / no Age: (20 s,30 s,40 s, etc.) Languages Spoken Racial/Ethnic Group Employed: Yes No Full-Time Part-Time Retired Professional skills, job experiences Offices held in United Methodist Women Local (office/dates of service) District (office/dates of service) Conference (office/dates of service) Additional experience on the local, district, conference or general church level (other than UMW) or in the community: Areas of Special Interest and/or Concern secretarial creativity administration computer community newsletters nominations retreats spiritual life workshops global issues music social issues acctg/bookkeeping recruiting members community bldg. Other (please list) Which office(s) on the Hawaii District UMW Team would you most like, given the opportunity to serve? (Please number 1,2,3 etc. for preferences, #1 being top choice.) President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Social Action Spiritual Growth Ed.& Interp. Membership Nurture Outreach Program Resources Communication Nominations Young Woman Why are interested in this position and what qualifications do you feel you have for your office(s) of choice? Is it possible for you to be away from home or employment? (yes / no) Full Day Week-end Extended time Please give any other information you feel is pertinent on the back: Return to Nomination Chair., Penny Brouillette, 3029 Puiwa Lane, Honolulu, HI 96817, Phone Rev. 8/16/12