First Press First Press is the monthly newsletter of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu 45-550 Kionaole Road, Kane‘ohe, HI 96744
NOVEMBER 2014 | Volume 19 | Issue 10
f i r s t p r e z ' s g i f t c ata l o g f o r m i s s i o n pa rt n e r s
2014
IN THIS ISSUE
Look at who will be the guests at the Co-ed Christmas Dinner Have you taken Alpha?
CO-ED DINNER
Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn at the Annual Christmas Co-ed Dinner hosted by the Men's Ministry Dec 2, Tues, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall
ON THE COVER
Gifts of Love
Best-selling authors, popular speakers and nationally-renowned social researchers, Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn, are this year’s featured guests at the Annual Co-ed Christmas Dinner sponsored by our Men’s Ministry. This means men and women are welcome to come and listen to Jeff and Shaunti talk about the little things that make a big difference in making marriages happy and successful. Their talk will be based on Shaunti’s newest multi-year research projects published in their books The Surprising Secret of Highly Happy Marriages and The Good News About Marriage. The Feldhahns have become mainstays at HIM conferences and are back at First Prez by popular demand. Co-ed Dinner tickets are $15 each available online at fpchawaii.org and at the Men’s Ministry table in the Fellowship Hall on Sundays. Childcare available only upon request when you buy your ticket before Dec. 3.
2
NOVEMBER 2014
by Impact Ministries Team
Ribbons and bows or swaddling clothes? It’s that time of year when we begin to get ready for the upcoming holiday celebrations. Part of how we celebrate Christmas is the giving of a thoughtful gift. We search for just the right gift to give our family and friends and once found we wrap them with ribbons and bows to make the “perfect gift.” But the most perfect gift of all came to us not wrapped in ribbons and bows, but in swaddling clothes—God’s precious Son, Jesus—His gift of love to us. This Christmas consider giving gifts that will reflect the love of Christ into our dark and hurting world by giving “Gifts of Love”. Continuing our tradition of alternative gift ideas, Impact Ministries is excited to once again offer you the “Gifts of Love” catalog of unique gifts that support our church’s missions partners and shine the light of God’s love into a hurting world. Now in its tweleth year, the generous gifts given by you through “Gifts of Love” have resulted in over $200,000 of additional support for our missions partners. Thank you! We hope you will encourage and bless our partner’s ministries by continuing to give “Gifts of Love”. What better way to express your love of Christ than with a Christmas gift that ministers to the
| FIRST PRESS
poor, uplifts a needy child, cares for the sick or feeds the hungry. Beginning November 30th, you can pick up a copy of the “Gifts of Love” catalog at the Impact Ministries table on Sundays and at the front desk on weekdays throughout the holiday season. This year you can also view the catalog at www.fpchawaii.org, and give online. We hope you will take a few moments to browse through the catalog and prayerfully consider your gift giving this year. Select the gift most appealing to you and receive a card to give to the person you are honoring with your thoughtful gift. It’s a great way to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas with your family and friends. Whatever you choose to give, your gifts will have value long after the holidays and be treasured by those who receive them as well as the ministries they benefit. Make your gift giving more meaningful this year and be doubly blessed as you honor Christ and your loved ones with special Christmas “Gifts of Love”.
CHURCH NEWS
How to Have Healthy Relationships Being a believer in Christ means being part of the body of Christ, otherwise known as the church. A healthy church community draws from healthy relationships within the body of sisters and brothers in Christ— relationships that are authentic, and through which we can bring one another closer to Jesus.
PRAYERLINES
How to Pray for Our Enemies by Patti Marshall
In the Sept 15th issue of the Star Advertiser, First Prez member Linda Iverson wrote an editorial entitled, “We need to show more compassion.” She expressed how touched she was when a deacon prayed for our enemies with love and kindness. The prayer caused her to reflect on how self-centered and selfish we have become. In light of the chaos, unrest, disillusionment, and hate that permeate the culture, Jesus really is the only One, with His love, compassion, and hope, who can rescue, redeem, and restore a world that is in such pain. Can we pray? Absolutely. It isn’t just can we pray. It should be our first response to any challenge, dilemma, or concern. Our Lord is the “God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17b). Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that our enemies could ever turn away from evil and come to Christ. What seems impossible to us is possible with God. These passages from Colossians can help you to pray on their behalf: • Pray that God will rescue them from the dominion of darkness and bring them “into the kingdom of the Son He [the Father] loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14).
• Pray that they will “put to death whatever belongs to [their] earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5). •
Pray that they will rid themselves of “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [their] lips” (Col 3:8).
So come on Sundays and learn with us. Family and friends are welcome, too, so let's invite them!
• Pray that they will become one of God’s children, holy and dearly loved, clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col 3:12). •
Pray they will come to know the love of the Lord and the peace of Christ, and that it will rule in their hearts (Col 3:14-15)
Loving God, teach me to pray for my enemies, and show me how to love them as You do! Free them from darkness and draw them into Your light! Make Yourself known to them so that they will become Your precious children, clothed in holiness. Fill them with Your peace! Continue to use me as a conduit for Your love in their lives! In Jesus’s name. Amen. Adapted from the article Loving People into God’s Kingdom through Prayer by Kim Butts. Harvest Prayer Ministries prayer resources archives.
• Pray that they may “know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:2-3).
We have launched a new sermon series entitled,“How to Have Healthy Relationships,” which we hope will help us do life together and also help us get along better with each other. Sermon topics include community, commitment, hospitality, sharing, listening, gossip, and dealing with irritating people.
FIRST PRESS
Seekers & Joiners Class Nov 22, Sat, 9 am-4 pm, Makai In this class Pastor Dan Chun will talk about the vision of First Prez, our core values, the teachings of the Presbyterian church, the miracle of our move to Ko’olau, and other helpful information. If you’d like to join First Prez, transfer your membership, or just learn more about us, send an email to pkamahele@fpchawaii.org by Nov. 16. We will need your name, phone number, e-mail and childcare request (if applicable). No obligation to join the church after attending.
|
NOVEMBER 2014
3
,
The Moon by Pastor Sim Fulcher
...the faithful witness in the sky The night of Tuesday, October 7, 2014 was a very unusual night. At least for me it was. There was a total eclipse of the moon. That was unusual, but not too unusual for 2014 and 2015 because there will have been four total moon eclipses occurring within an 18-month period come next September. Now that occurrence— called a tetrad—is unusual. So unusual that there are stories circulating about what kind of omen this might portend for our planet. There’s enough scary stuff going on in this world, so I won’t be going there. No, what was so very unusual was the crystal clear sky. That’s a rare occurrence in Manoa. Whenever something exciting is happening in
This page: Lunar eclipse Oct 2014 Opposite page: Lunar eclipse Aug 2007 Photos by Sim Fulcher (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE) the night sky, I seldom see it up close. I, with my big telescope on our lanai, chase a comet (or Jupiter with its moons, or the rings of Saturn) through the clouds, hoping to get a glimpse and maybe a snapshot. I was tired the night of October 7. I was hoping for overcast skies so I wouldn’t have to drag out all my paraphernalia and stay up all night. No such luck. No way would I let that beautiful night with a total eclipse get away! But there’s always something. Deteriorating storage foam had gummed up the adapter linking my camera to the telescope. So without the telescope, and while almost flat on my back, holding my breath, pointing my camera 90 degrees up with a conventional lens, I shot the photo you see of the blood moon, known as such because of its copper tint, just peeping out from behind earth’s shadow. The bigger photo on this page is the blood moon I chased through the clouds some time back when my adapter was working.
In reflecting on all this I have realized again that “reflecting” is the key word. Our bright moon in the sky has no brightness. It all comes from the sun. The moon simply reflects the solar rays. Even the red color of the blood moon is the reflection of sunlight filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. In Psalm 89:37 God calls the moon “the faithful witness in the sky.” May we take a lesson from the moon. As God’s chosen, none of us have brightness of our own. It all comes from the Son, “the light…of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6) May God help us to be faithful witnesses in the dark night of this world. And may God make His face to shine upon us! Amen.
FIRST PRESS
|
NOVEMBER 2014
5
OUT & ABOUT
A Joy to the World Christmas Imua & Tiffa Garza • Dec 3, Wed, 10:30 am, First Prez
Imua and Tiffa Garza are the worship directors at Christ Centered Community Church, also known as C4, which was formerly known as New Hope Diamond Head. They have also been in the worship bands at HIM’s Honolulu conferences.
Tiffa started writing songs at age 8 and picked up the guitar at age 12. She comes from a musical family that includes her dad, famous guitarist Ernie Cruz, Sr., older brothers John Cruz and Ernie Cruz, Jr.—all beloved musicians in Hawaii. Imua is a vocalist, musician, producer, recording engineer, and composer. He first appeared on a professionally released CD at the age of 11, and since then has appeared on over three dozen albums and has performed all over the world. Imua and Tiffa will share their stories and talents through Christmas, Christian, and Hawaiian songs, so plan to join us on Wednesday, Dec 3rd. Performance starts at 10:30 am followed by a special Christmas buffet from Ko’olau Ballrooms, all for $18 per person, payable in cash or check. Sign up at the Out & About Ministry tables on Sundays, Nov. 23 and 30 after the 8 and 9:30 am services. NOTE: Out & About will not be having an event in November, but we encourage you to join us at the First Prez Thanksgiving Potluck Luncheon on Thanksgiving Day.
NOVEMBER 2014
All the Good Things by Marcia Wright
Christian artists Imua and Tiffa Garza will share their love of Jesus and love of music in a Christmas Lunch called “Joy to the World Christmas” sponsored by our Out and About fellowship group.
6
People What's the buzz with First Prez people HAPPY THANKSGIVING! “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150: 1, 2, 6) As you continue with your fast, give Him praise and thanksgiving. You might ask yourself where you were in your life when He found you and made you His own. Were you a child, a teenager, or an adult? Were you struggling with troubles and heavy burdens? Wherever you were in your life, God found you and gave you a reason to sing again and rejoice. Not only do we have a whole year with 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds, but we also have a special month and specific day in which to thank Him. Let us take every moment to acknowledge Him as present in our lives! Thank you, Lord! The San Benito County Today Hollister Free Lance newspaper had a wonderful article about “Pickle Lady” Leonora Ching. Reporter Katie Helland wrote: “For Hollister visitor Leonora Ching, life is a jar of pickles of the beets, okra, mango and, of course, cucumber variety.” Leonora visited her daughter in Hollister and demonstrated pickling at the San Benito County Free Library and Downtown Certified Farmers’ Market.
Ching bases her recipes on what she knows: her Chinese heritage, her husband’s Burmese traditions, and the flavors of the Hawaii she calls home. She self-published the first edition of her recipe book in 2005. When she’s not working on a pickling recipe, she teaches cooking classes to the blind, handicapped and autistic. Teaching—and talking with people— is a big part of why she loves sharing her recipes with the public.” Pastor Dan Chun came to the Singles Ohana Bible study to share and discuss his book How to Pick a Spouse. What a great exchange it was on topics ranging from how to pick a spouse, online dating, all the way to Revelation and the rapture! We ran the gamut. Thanks for coming and sharing with us, Pastor Dan. We also had three other guests who complimented our company. Keep that in mind if you are looking for a small group. We are all over 45; some more over than others. We have become a family. We look after each other and help one another as we are all single. Well, a hui hou, until next time. Keep sharing the good things God is doing in your lives and give thanks to Him for His excellent Greatness! Aloha no manoaw@hawaiiantel.net
"PICKLE LADY" LEONORA CHING; photo by Craig T. Kojima, starbulletin.com archives
“’I just love to cook. I’m the type, I can stay in the kitchen all day and I can multi-task,’ Ching said. ‘…I love people, so I love talking with them and I love teaching people, especially if they’re young.’
| FIRST PRESS
WOMEN'S MINISTRY
O Come Let Us Adore Him Women's Annual Christmas Brunch Dec 6, Sat, 10 am-12:30 pm, Fellowship Hall
Ladies, in the midst of all the Christmas preps, find an oasis of refreshment in our Women’s Annual Christmas Brunch! Dine at a sumptuous buffet with friends, old and new. Plus—back by popular demand—shop at our craft boutique, which opens at 9 am.
The 3:16 Appeal The 3:16 Appeal is a church-wide effort to raise $316,323 by Thanksgiving Day to take care of the dismissal fee to our former denomination. The numbers “316” remind us of John 3:16, the foundational Bible verse of our Christian faith: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” The 3:16 Appeal is centered around that vision of God having so loved the world that he wants
everyone to know about the salvation He offers through Jesus. As of this writing, we’re halfway to our goal, but we still need everyone’s help. Visit www. fpchawaii.org, click on the The 3:16 Appeal graphics, and that will take you to our online giving page. If you’ve already given, awesome! May our Lord richly bless you back.
The Brunch is an excellent opportunity to invite friends to First Prez. There is no speaker or program, just an elegant and festive occasion to hang out and enjoy a meal together. Visit the Women’s Ministry table on Sundays for more information and to buy your ticket. Cost is $14.
Images of Christmas by Rosella Shishido We’re doing a Christmas countdown this year, and we challenge you to join us! It will be a photo countdown called Images of Christmas, where we invite you to post photos on social media that have something to do with the Christmas word for the day. For instance, the photo prompt for Dec 1 is “angel.” On that day we encourage you to post a picture of either an angel ornament, your child in an angel costume, a Christmas card with an angel on it, or whatever you see around you that reflects angels and how it relates to Christmas. Of course, we want your original photos. Here are the photo prompts for the first week of December: Dec 1: angel Dec 5: celebration Dec 2: bells Dec 6: Christmas tree Dec 3: candle Dec 7: cookies Dec 4: carols
Post your photos on your own pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, and use the hashtag #FPCXmas2014. Very important that you use the hashtag so we can track your photos and feature them on the First Prez website and even at church on Sunday mornings. We'll give you the complete list of photo prompts on our church website soon. We hope you’ll take part in Images of Christmas. It’s a tool for us to share our Christmas experiences with each other. It's also our IMAGES OF CHRISTMAS chance to show off our creativity with photos.
Extra Christmas Cards? This month we are collecting unused Christmas cards to give to the 300 inmates of the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kaneohe. We are told the women really look forward to these cards because they use them to send Christmas greetings to their families and friends. If you have extra cards from last year or maybe you’d like to purchase a box or two of new ones, please bring them to the Women’s Ministry table in the Fellowship Hall on Sundays.
#FPCXmas2014 FIRST PRESS
|
NOVEMBER 2014
7
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID KANEOHE, HI PERMIT NO. 120
45-550 Kionaole Road Kane‘ohe, HI 96744 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
WORSHIP SERVICES
Sundays at 8 am, 9:30 am, 11:11 am Visit our website at www.fpchawaii.org
NOVEMBER 2014 Upcoming Events November 6 November 7-9 November 9 November 11 November 14-16 November 15 November 16 November 22 November 27 November 28 & 29 November 30
Caregiver Support Group Men's Retreat LOGOS Bookstore at First Prez Veteran's Day - Office Closed Jr. High Fall Retreat PGA Golf Outing Healing Service Seekers & Joiners Class, All-Church Work Day, Military Moms' and Dads' Night Out 40-Day Fast Ends Thanksgiving Potluck Luncheon Christmas Decorating Gifts of Love starts, Choir Christmas Concert
Recurring Events Sundays Worship Services at 8, 9:30 and 11:11, Life Training Classes Mondays MONDAYS: College-Age Bible Study and Fellowship Tuesdays Mighty Moms, DivorceCare Wednesdays Celebrate Recovery Thursdays Men's SPARTAN Group, Choir, Dance Ministry Fridays The Zoo (Jr. High), 5th Quarter, Gathering (High School) Saturdays GriefShare First Press is also available online or can be sent to you via e-mail. If you would like to opt out of receiving our newsletter by mail, please email pkamahele@fpchawaii.org or call 532-1111 First Press can be viewed online at www.fpchawaii.org/?page_id=19 Submit articles by Nov. 15 for the December 2014 issue to: rosella@fpchawaii.org. We reserve the right to edit articles submitted. Editor • Rosella Shishido; Art director • Shayna Kusumoto; Copy editors • Patty Kamahele, Julie Lockyer, Sarah Williams