St. John s Journal Epiphany 2014 Making God Manifest this Epiphany UPCOMING EVENTS... > Praying with Scripture Class Beginning January 16, 2014 ursdays 9:30-11am Church Office - Drop-ins welcome > Annual Meeting Sunday January 26, 2014 After single 8:30am service Potluck lunch follows. Parish Hall > Monthly Fellowship Dinner Friday Jan. 31 & Feb. 28, 2014 5:30-7pm, Parish Hall > St. John s Vestry Meetings Tuesdays Feb. 11 & March 11, 2014 6:30pm, Parish Hall > St. Valentine s Dinner Friday February 14, 2014 Dinner & Music, Tickets $30 See yer and p.5., Parish Hall > Worship Leader Training/ Retraining Sunday February 23, 2014 11am, St. John s Church > Safeguarding God s Children Training Saturday March 1, 2014 1-4pm, St. John s Parish Hall > Retreat: Reading the Lord s Prayer in Aramaic March 7-8, 2014 at St. John s Friday 7-9pm, Saturday 9am-3pm > For ongoing events, please see the Calendar section of our website. Story By Rev. Kerith Harding When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. [Matthew 2:9-12 ] At the feast of the Epiphany, we imagine the wise men as they arrive at the manger scene. They have come, along with untold other sorts and conditions of shepherds and angels, men and beasts, to kneel in the hay at the feet of the Christ child. Continued on Page 2 IN THIS ISSUE... > Epiphany p.1-2 > Welcome Clay Logue p.3, 9 > Stewardship Success p.4 > Christmas Eve with R. Wills p.5, 9 > Photos: Christmas Eve p.6 > Photos: e Pageant p.7 > Photos: More Christmas p.8 St. John s Episcopal Church ~ An Inclusive and Caring Christian Community 8992 Kula Highway, Kula, Maui, Hawai i 96790 808.878.1485 www.stjohnsmaui.org stjohnskeokea@yahoo.com
NEW ELEMENTARY SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS Making God Manifest this Epiphany Continued from Page 1 On January 5, we added a new class to our Sunday School offerings. This new class is for youngsters in Elementary school, roughly ages 7 or 8 to 12. The Primary class will continue with ages 3-7. We want to be giving our young people lessons that are age appropriate and offer a friendly and welcoming environment where they can feel comfortable as they learn more about our faith and the Good News of God s love. We will be seeking more teachers to allow this improvement. If you think that God may be calling you to this ministry, please talk to Marilynn Hirashima (878-1866) ST. JOHN S ANNUAL MEETING JANUARY 26, 2014 All are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting which will begin after the one service at 8:30am on Jan. 26. Come participate in selecting our Vestry members and Convention delegates for 2014. Enjoy listening to updates and news from all the various ministries at St. John s. A potluck lunch will follow. Childcare provided. The season of Epiphany begins on January 6th and continues until Ash Wednesday. The word Epiphany means making God manifest. What we do in this season is in response to God s great gift to us in Christmas. In the same way that the wise men traveled to kneel in the hay, so too do we consider how we will respond to this gift, and how we will work to make God manifest in our lives and in the world. As many of you already know, this season I have encouraged those who are interested to join me in honoring God s gift by taking part in a ritual of life we are calling 2014 (or 20-1-4). About 15-20 people have committed themselves to the ritual, which involves 20 minutes of prayer a day, one hour of worship a week, and four hours of service a month (or one hour a week). Some have also taken on a commitment to pray for a fellow participant throughout the process, and others have chosen to join in the forum I am offering on Thursdays called Praying with Scripture. If you are interested, and haven t decided yet to make the commitment, please don t hesitate to come in and meet with me so that I can help support you on your journey. We remember the words of our guest preacher from January 5th always, begin again. It is never too late to start or re-start a spiritual practice. I am also aware that for some, this ritual of life may feel like too much to take on at this point. For those of you who fit this description, I d like to commend to you another simple and yet powerful practice this Epiphany. As you go through your days, consider this: as you sit this season in the hay at the feet of the Christ child... as you follow him through his Baptism and early ministry... look around you. Who else kneels next to you on the hay? Who else, like you, is simply a pilgrim trying to do their best, and likely, like you (and me!) falling short more often than not? As you do this; as you begin to be conscious on a daily basis that all God s children are very much like you, at some unique place on their own spiritual pilgrimage, you will slowly begin to see the eyes of God behind the eyes of every person you meet. And in doing so, the way you relate to others, the ways you negotiate potential conflict and other circumstances, will change in positive and life-giving ways. What a great and amazing gift. Page 2
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE CLASS Rev. Kerith will facilitate Praying with Scripture, Thursdays from 9:30-11am, beginning January 16. All are welcome. No sign-up necessary. The class will explore and practice various methods for praying with scripture. Topics include Lectio Divina, Praying the Psalms, Praying the Creation Stories, and others. ST. JOHN S IS SEEKING DELEGATES FOR CONVENTION XLVI The 46th Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai i October 24-25, 2014 Please call the church office if you are interested in serving as one of St. John s delegates to Convention this fall. St. John s Welcomes New Organist/ Choir Director Clayton Logue St. John s is pleased to welcome Clayton Logue as our new Organist/Choir Director! Clay is a native of Georgia, where he studied music at Andrew College and Valdosta University. Clay began his career as a church pianist at the age of 12, playing for his hometown United Methodist church. Clay was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1983. For over 40 years, Clay has accompanied choirs & congregations, with the past 14 years serving Maui congregations. After moving to Maui from Georgia in 1999, Clay immediately recognized that all three Maui pipe organs were in need of total renovation. Clay initiated and helped organize the maintenance and renovations of the pipe organs of Makawao Union Church, Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, and St. John s. Clay is very familiar with the organ at St. John s, having scheduled, trained with, and assisted the organ technicians (originally recommended by his organ teacher, Katherine Crosier, of Honolulu) for the past 14 years. Clay continues to study organ with Mrs. Crosier monthly, after receiving and completing a three-year scholarship from the Hawaii Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Clay is very knowledgeable in sacred choral music and hymnology, and takes his position at St. John s very seriously. Before selecting the weekly preludes, congregational hymns, choral anthems, and postludes, Clay studies the weekly scripture lessons and chooses corresponding music with much thought and prayer. Clay says that even the organ preludes and postludes are related to our Sunday scripture lessons! Clay stresses that his music (and that of the choir) is not a performance, but rather is intended to assist parishioners in prayer and meditation. God has blessed me with this opportunity to assist with His work, and I continue to strive and seek education to be a better church musician, he says. One of Clay s goals at St. John s is to not only integrate music from our existing hymnals, but also to introduce new hymns from other resources. It s very important to choose hymn tunes Continued on Page 9 Page 3
Please remember to record your pledge number on your check or on your envelope to make sure you are credited for the donations you give. If you have forgotten your number please contact the office. It is easier for the bookkeeper if you have a Giver number for even periodic donations. You do not need to be a pledger to St. John s in order to have a number. So, if you don t currently have a Giver number, please let the Office know, and we will take the steps necessary to assign you a number. You will also receive a statement at the end of the year that you can use for your tax deductible donations. Attention Money Counters: The rules and procedures have been revised and anyone who is currently counting money should make sure they familiarize themselves with the rules. The Treasurer has received approval from the Vestry to form an Ad Hoc Committee to review the Church s fund structure with the objective of clarifying fund definitions which will enable the Finance Committee to present clearer information on the Church s financial status in future reports and statements. The Committee has been formed; however, the process is expected to last several months. Stay tuned for updates. - e Finance Committee Celebrating our Stewardship Success Story By Bill Bonnet, Stewardship Chair Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back. --Luke 6:38 Rejoice with me! You have made our 2014 stewardship campaign a success. As of December 18 we have 88 pledges totaling $161,310 for an average pledge of $1,833. Of these, 56 or almost two-thirds are new or increased pledges. New pledges total $11,955. Two of those new pledges come from very young members. What a joy to watch St. John s renew itself! Pledge increases total $34,264. These new and increased pledges make us eligible for the generous matching pledge of $15,000. When we add that amount the total is $176,310 or 100.7% of our goal. Bless you for your generosity and your commitment to St. John s future. We believed...and together we did! Special thanks go to Jane Santiago, who organized the stewardship parties, and to Pete and Julie Peterson and Segolene and Sean Wilson, who opened their homes to us. Sarah Shim, Rick Collins and Terry Williams shared their personal stories of stewardship. What generous gifts! And somewhere among us is a mysterious benefactor, who cared so much about us that he or she pledged $15,000 in matching funds. Each of these, and all of you, are the people who said YES to our belief in ourselves and our vision for God s work through St. John s. So, what happens now? Our campaign spoke with enthusiasm about returning St. John s to full parish status. We also noted that a single year does not give evidence of financial self-sufficiency. St. John s must demonstrate that it can sustain the wonderful momentum you have generated in this campaign. Your Finance Committee is now preparing a three-year projection based on this recent campaign success. That projection will be presented to the Vestry for approval. Upon approval it will be shared with the congregation at our annual meeting on January 26. The approved financial projection will form the basis for next year s stewardship campaign target. If we are successful with that campaign we plan to submit an application to the Diocese of Hawaii for reinstatement as a full parish, having demonstrated over two consecutive years our ability to sustain ourselves as a parish. Your Priest-in-Charge and Senior Warden will keep you informed as we move through this process. This successful stewardship campaign is evidence of your belief in the importance of regaining our identity as a vibrant and vital faith community with full parish status. For what you have done and for your continued participation in the work that lies ahead: God bless you. Page 4
MAHALO FROM JUDY Christmas Eve with Robert Wills A very heartfelt mahalo to everyone who helped make our Thanksgiving Fellowship Dinner a success. We had 68 people who got a free dinner, our largest attendance of the year and many who were able to take food home. By having so many of our parishioners contributing to the meal, it truly was a community effort. - Judy omson, Meal Coordinator ST. VALENTINE S FRENCH DINNER FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14 5:30 PM - Parish Hall The 3rd grade class of Carden Academy will serve a 6 course French dinner accompanied by French music. Tickets: $30 per guest, limited seating, first come, first serve, no corkage fee. Checks to be made to St John s. Reservations, call Segolene Wilson at 264-2313. All proceeds will be donated to St John s. Robert Wills leads the choir at St. John s at the Candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Story By Paul Janes Brown, Photo: Kay Kunisawa What an honor it was to have Robert E. Wills as our soloist and choir master for the 10:30pm Christmas Eve service! Mr. Wills prepared the choir rigorously for several weeks on the Sussex carol. While the work was quite simple compared to other pieces the choir has sung at Christmas, it was a challenge because many members were away for the holiday. Rev. David Kawika Jackson (Associate Priest at St. John s and Chaplain of Seabury Hall) and his son Caleb took part to swell the men to three. Wills also sang with the men. Joy Sarrell Au (who Mr. Wills recruited for the occasion) and Gloria Mason joined with Cathy Burton, Joy Williams and Adele Kunisawa to round out the women. Mr. Wills was a joy to work with. Like all great artists he has some very strong feelings about how best to prepare. For example, no humming before starting to sing, no tapping of the feet and no highlighting of one s part. Apart from the music and the notes, he worked very hard on proper pronunciation. He encouraged us to roll our R s in Christ and Christmas and to say nyews instead of news. It made a big difference, not only in our sound, but also in the clarity of our enunciation. Mr. Wills, who is Roman Catholic, hails from Minneapolis. He has been a member of the Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Chorale, and the Edgewater Eight as well as the music director for the Minneapolis JCC Orchestra, the Nativity Choir, Maternity of Mary Choir, the St. Paul Community Orchestra and the 3M Women s Chorus. Mr. Wills has been a church music director for 42 years. His baritone solo and conducting career have given him the opportunity to give five concert tours of Europe including conducting twice at the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican and concerts in Dublin, Rome, Assisi, Venice, Vienna, Munich, Lucerne and Jerusalem. Mr. Wills has appeared as Soloist for the opening concert of the Sixth World Choral Symposium with Minnesota Orchestra, Chanticleer and Harlem Boy s Choir. Continued on Page 9 Page 5
Highlights from Christmas Eve at St. John s Photos by: Kay Kunisawa Page 6
Highlights from the Annual Christmas Pageant Photos by: Kay Kunisawa Page 7
Highlights: Preparing St. John s for Christmas Highlights: Christmas Caroling Photos by: Kay Kunisawa Page 8
Welcome Clay Logue Continued from Page 3 that are easily recognized and singable for the congregation, he says. Clay encourages our parishioners to stand up, perk up, and look up when singing from their hymnals. He also reminds us to be sure to look at the words of the hymn text, as they include meaningful lyrics & profound insights, deep affirmation of faith, reminders of God s Word, and passages from Holy Scripture. While Clay has had a relationship with St. John s for well over a decade, frequently playing for weddings, funerals, and many other special occasions over the years, he stresses that he still has many people to meet, and is hopeful the members will introduce themselves. We wish Clay, his partner, Bill, and dog, Walter, a warm welcome, and look forward to getting to know them all in the weeks and months to come. SUBMIT TO ST JOHN S JOURNAL: stjohnskeokea@yahoo.com > SUNDAY WORSHIP 7:30am 9:30am Sunday School & Child Care available during the 9:30 service. > 3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Kula Hospital Service 10:45am Christmas Eve with Robert Wills Continued from Page 5 He has also appeared as a soloist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Duluth Symphony, Austin Symphony, Rochester Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Music Fest and the Maui Pops. In 2009 in won the Hawaii Art Song competition, joining other Maui champs, Leighanna Edwards Locke, Debra Lynn and Lisa Paulson. He is the founder and director of the Maui Summer Masterworks Festival with performances in 2010 of Mozart Requiem K. 626 in 2010, in 2011 of Vivaldi concerto for two trumpets, Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore K. 339 and Bach Magnificat in D major BWV 243 and in 2012 with performance of Haydn The Creation. Bob is founder and director of the newly formed Maui Chamber Orchestra. Bob was the music director and conductor for the August 2013 MAPA production of Les Miserables at the Castle (MACC). As a matter of musical interest, the Sussex Carol is popular St John s is a community that is celebrating God s love, nurturing spirituality and proclaiming the Gospel through worship, word and works. > 4TH SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Healing Service > WEDNESDAYS Communion & Healing Service 8:30am > LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH Evensong 5:30pm in Britain, sometimes referred to by its first line On Christmas night all Christians sing. Its words were first published by Luke Wadding, a 17th-century Irish bishop, in a work called Small Garland of Pious and Godly Songs (1684). It is unclear whether Wadding wrote the song or whether he was recording an earlier composition. Both the text and the tune to which it is now sung were discovered and written down by Cecil Sharp in Buckland, Gloucestershire, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, who heard it being sung by a Harriet Verrall of Monk s Gate, near Horsham, Sussex (hence Sussex Carol ). The tune to which (St. John s Choir) sang is the one Vaughan Williams took down from Mrs Verrall and published in 1919. VESTRY MINUTES & CHURCH FINANCIALS Vestry minutes and monthly financial reports are posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Everyone is invited to attend Vestry Meetings which are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Parish Hall. JOURNAL CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR: Julenne F. Mounts CONSULTING EDITOR: Alison Donohue CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR/ CONTENT COORDINATOR: Janet Makua PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kay Kunisawa, Janet Makua, and others as submitted. Page 9