from pastor liz leavitt - · pdf filevespers on the lanai continues on friday, december 9, 7pm...

December 2016 Volume 10, Issue 12

"The Messenger of Love"

Christ Church, Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians 1300 Kailua Rd, Kailua, HI, 96734-4356 Phone: 808.262.6911

Worship - Sunday, 10AM Email - [email protected]

www.ccukailua.org

Pastor Liz Leavitt www.facebook.com/ChristChurchUniting

from Pastor Liz Leavitt . . .

Dear CCU Ohana,

The liturgical seasons can be gifts in so many different ways. Each one with

its distinct focus can offer us an opportunity for development of and reflection

on certain sets of Christian disciplines. In Lent, repentance, fasting, and

prayer. In Easter, feasting, proclamation and rejoicing. And in Advent, waiting,

patience and watching. Sometimes, when these seasons intersect with the

seasons of our own lives that require similar disciplines, they can be a great

opportunity to draw from the deep wells of our Christian tradition in ways that

help us to grow personally.

But there are also communal aspects to our church seasons. When we come

together to festoon the sanctuary in particular colors and join in familiar songs,

we are agreeing to dwell in those practices side-by-side: to fast together and

feast together, to wait together and rejoice together. In this way, these times

can offer us opportunity for growth as a community of faith as we learn to

travel and practice together in these ways.

As you can imagine, this year, as we consider the Advent themes of

preparation and anticipation, my mind in on not only our ecclesial

machinations but on my own personal journey of preparation. There are big

changes ahead for our family and of course I recognize in those significant

implications for our church family. Though I have no reason to suspect this

child will have any messianic characteristics, we are nonetheless on our own

journey as a church anticipating a child who will change things for us.

I am so grateful for the ways you as a church community have already shown

so much support for Jason and I as we look forward to this new chapter. Your

kind words and excitement have meant a lot. I know by the time you read this

you will also have showered us with a great celebration and for that I am

already so thankful. I also feel deeply grateful for the church council approving

12 weeks of leave for me after the birth of our son. I trust this gifted time will

allow me to adjust to the new responsibilities of parenthood and prepare to

return with restored energy and vision to the important work of our ministry.

Some of you have asked (and, quite reasonably shared your hesitations) about

what such a time will mean for our church community. I want to assure you the

church council has been working hard to formulate a leadership plan during

that time: arranging to have a few familiar faces guide us through worship in

that time and a few others available to provide care for our congregation and

guidance for our various ministries. We hope to present a full schedule to you

in January of what we anticipate will unfold so you will know what to expect. It

is our hope that this will actually be a fruitful time for our congregation,

exploring new avenues and allowing new leadership to emerge.

But there is no questioning it will take us all working together to make it that

way. It will take folks stepping up to take on new tasks large and small (more

on that in January) learning disciplines that have typically fallen to our pastor. It

will also take a commitment on all our parts to remain engaged, to take

responsibility for our shared ministry and to trust in the idea that in each

season there are both challenges and also gifts.

To that end, I will be on the lookout this month for a few folks who would like to

join me in shaping a few of the worship services that will happen while I'm

away. I'd like to work with 3-5 folks closely over the next two months to share

some of the techniques and practices which I use to guide our worship

experience each week. If you think you might be called to learn something new

in this season--how to lead a service, how to share your story as a message or

how to create a sacred atmosphere in our time and space-I hope you will let

me know. If not, I may come looking for you!

Also this is to say, we are walking together through several important seasons

at present. But it seems the proclamation for them all is the same: God is with

December 2016 Ka Elele Aloha of 15

us! In unexpected times and places, God arrives. And as we draw around to

witness it, we are shaped in the ways of the one whose birth brought the

ultimate proclamation of those promises into this world and our lives. And it will

be cause for celebration.

Blessings to you in this Advent season and in the Christmas days upcoming.

With aloha,

Liz

December 2016CCU Event Schedule:

Sundays: 10 am, Worship &Aloha Fellowship

12/3, Sat: NO Fellowshipbreakfast this month. Resuming inJanuary.

12/4, Sun: 8:30-11:30 Hi5container day at CCU

12/9, Fri: 7pm Vespers on thelanai featuring Michael Tannebaum

12/10, Sat: 9am Family Promisesetup

12/11-12/18: CCU Hosts FamilyPromise

12/17, 2:30pm: G. F. Handel'sMessiah sing-a-long

12/18, Sun: Jan newslettercontributions due.

12/19, Mon: 5pm Stated CouncilMeeting

Monday, 12/26 thru Monday, 1/2: - Office CLOSED for holidays

December BirthdaysMelissa Belanger ...................... 2George Wyman ........................ 3Jill Bartow ................................. 7Beth Davidann .......................... 8Cheryl Renfroe ......................... 9Pat Gilbert ............................... 17Krissie Kellogg ........................ 22Carol Hanlin ............................ 26Laura Keirn-McCreanor .......... 31

Sunday, December 4th,8:30-11:30 am

HI-5 CONTAINER

PICK-UP DAY

at CCU.

No glass bottles, please.

Please put containers in

Heidels’ white pick-up truck,

which will be parked in the


KEEP SUPPORTINGCCU!

Amazon will donate 0.5% of

the price of your eligible

purchases (AmazonSmile) to

Christ Church Uniting

Disciples and Presbyterians

Start your Amazon online

shopping at

smile.amazon.com

On November 20 Paul Brennancreatively adorned the altar.

CCU is hosting Family Promise from

December 11 - 18. Setup for FP is

Saturday, Dec 10th @ 9am.

Contact Marian or Beth if you would

like to get involved.

CCU parking lot.

CCU has chosen to give all

recycling collections to the

Institute for Human Services.

~ an expression of compassion ~

~ a practice of eco-justice ~

Paul Brennan shared this exotic

arrangement on November 13th

On November 27th the P. M.Tchou family dedicated this

beautiful arrangement in lovingmemory of

Gregory K. H. Tchou.


Vespers on the Lanai

continues on Friday,

December 9, 7pm as

we welcome Michael

Tanenbaum, Celtic

Guitar! Invite friends

and neighbors, and

share our updates

through social media!!

Saturday, December 17th

A community Sing-a-Long. Open

at 2pm, singing begins at 2:30pm.

Singer and non-singers welcome!

Scores provided. FREE!

See you there!!

Christmas Eve service will be Saturday,

December 24 at 7pm: a service of singing and

storytelling. Join us and bring a friend. (And

yes, we will have a service on Sunday,

December 25: Christmas Morning! It will be a

brief, casual affair—you can wear your

pajamas if you want—where we'll share hot

drinks and treats and sing our favorite carols.)


Mahalo to Laurie, Heidi, Elayne, Fallon, Pat,

Beth, and others who packed an Operation

Christmas Child shoebox! CCU delivered 18

boxes to OCC. In a future newsletter we will

let you know where our boxes went.

2017 Flower sign up is available on the

bulletin board. Please sign up.

December is Poinsettia month!

The CCU Fellowship Breakfast is on break for

December. Join the gang on January 7th at the

Kaneohe Ruby Tuesday!


Gratitude Corner!

"Give thanks in all circumstances."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

This month, we give:

Thanks to Jamie Allen for his help arranging the Blessing of the Animals

service on Saturday, November 6 and for helping CCU to remember its

commitment to caring for all God's creatures.

Thanks to those who helped make this month's Vespers service another

success: to John Stiles for running our sound, Melody Heidel for helping with

set-up, Susie for staffing the kitchen, Rollo for introducing us to Harry

Koizumi...and all who attended and brought neighbors and friends.

Thanks to Susie Jannuzzi for helping to arrange our Stewardship Potluck

Lunch on November 13, to Dianne Brookins for running this year's stewardship

campaign and to those who made a financial pledge to the church for 2017!

Thanks to Kathy Summers who provides us fresh bread for communion each

week!

Thanks to Dick Walenta for undertaking some repair projects around the

church.

Thanks to all who turned out for the "Greening of the Sanctuary": John and Jan

Stiles, Dianne Brookins and Andrew Torres, Keith and Peggy Zeilinger and

Alyse, John and Marian Heidel, Jimzy Lui, Laurie Noda, Susie Jannuzzi,

Cynthia Tchou, Loren and Susan Wilson, Kathy Summers!

Thanks to the entire Walenta and McDonald families for working on the

wonderful drape behind our cross in the sanctuary.

A HUGE thanks to our outgoing church officers who have served the church

faithfully these past few years! They are: Susie Jannuzzi (having served a four

year term on council), Jane Muench (having served a three year term as a

deacon) and Cynthia Tchou (having served a three year term as a deacon).


Join us for a new series beginning January 8 on How to Be a Christian in a

Non-Christian World, led by John Heidel. We'll explore what it means to be

a Christian in a non-Christian world: discussing our core values and

welcoming outside speakers from other traditions to be in dialog with us as we

go along. Watch your inboxes and the Sunday bulletin for updates.

Facilities Updates (keeping you informed about

how our buildings and grounds are being

reformed!)

The leaking pipe under the kitchen sink has

been sealed by Dick Walenta.

The leaking water fountain outside the

restrooms has been shut off by Jason

Leavitt and Dick Walenta.

The shrieking smoke alarm in B3 has been

subdued by Keith Zeilinger and John

Stiles.

Dianne Brookins and Bill Muench are

continuing to work with Crown Castle on the

expansion of the cell tower at the back of

our property which is anticipated to begin

early in the new year.


An Interview with Sangeet Gellhorn, Advent Choral Director at CCU

By Marian Heidel

Spend a couple of hours with Sangeet Gellhorn and you will be entertained with a fascinating story of his family history and his own wide-ranging life journey. Born in London in

1945, he grew up surrounded by music. His father was Peter Gellhorn, a fine pianist (a child prodigy!) and opera conductor, who fled to England, a German-Jewish refugee from Hitler’s regime. (Did you know that the British had an internment camp on the Isle of Man, for “enemy aliens” from Germany, and Maestro Gellhorn was one of them? He was released only because Ralph Vaughn Williams, amongst others, wrote a letter to the government, vouching for him.) Sangeet’s English mother, Olive Layton, also had a family with a strong musical tradition. So any family gathering meant music making of some sort. Sangeet says his family would gather around the piano Sunday mornings to sing, rather than go to church, and at Christmas the whole extended family would gather to sing through the choruses of the Messiah or the Mass in B Minor, as well as traditional carols. Early on he learned to play both piano and flute. From his parents and their involvement in the music world, he had an early introduction to Mozart and 19th Century Opera, the whole classical and romantic piano repertoire, and later on a great deal of contemporary choral music. He attended Westminster School (‘A’ level in Math & Physics), and sang in the school choirs at Westminster Abbey, which was the school chapel. As a teenager he encountered the avant-garde and became involved with contemporary and electronic music. After a year in a music school in Berlin, he went on to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (the equivalent of an American BA) & won the School Piano Prize in London. He studied in Darmstadt and in 1972 he received his masters degree in Music Composition from York University, England. He has held teaching positions in music, music theory, composition, piano, flute and Electronic Music, at Goldsmith’s College, and City University, London, and Falmouth Art School in Cornwall, and York University, England. I can’t begin to cover all his performances in piano and flute, his compositions, nor detail his professional work (See me, if you want to read his resume!) or other activities. I asked Sangeet how he got his name (originally Martin Oliver). 1972 - 1985 was a time of spiritual exploration, which led him in 1974 to India, where, at the Shree Rajneesh Ashram in Poona, he learned meditation and the practice of music as a spiritual discipline. On arrival there he became a disciple of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (now known as Osho) who gave him the name Swami (Master) Anand (bliss) Sangeet (music). He returned to England in 1981, lived for a year in a commune there, then in 1982 moved to America and a commune in Oregon, where he utilized civil engineering and legal research skills! These experiences profoundly affected Sangeet and it shows in his gentleness, his spirituality, and integrating music and the spiritual experience. As you will see, he is able to move in the interfaith world with sincerity and appreciation, because he sees that music and the spiritual merge, and are common to all faiths and cultures.


Between 1985 and 1993 he spent time in Boulder, Colorado and San Diego, CA, using his musical talents in performance and teaching. He then moved to Hawaii and discovered it was for him! He has become an active part of the Honolulu music world, teaching flute, piano and voice, and his first position as a choir conductor was at the Unitarian Church (2001-2007). He has been active as director of Interfaith Choirs at the Nu’uanu Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Services and those at the Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church. He is the director of High Holy Days choir at Temple Emanu-El, and was Chancel and Oratorio Choir director at Central Union Church from 2009-2014. He was pianist for the Honolulu Chorale from 2007- 2010, and active in planning the Oahu ACDA Sacred Music Festivals and was accompanist one year. He was pianist for the Honolulu Chorale from 2007- 2010, and active in planning the Oahu ACDA Sacred Music Festivals and was accompanist one year. He played flute for the Dances of Universal Peace for many years, Mevlevi Sufi zikrs, as well as Indian Classical, Turkish and Middle Eastern music at various local events, and has performed at classical chamber music concerts. We are fortunate to have such a talented and broadly experienced musician directing our Advent music. Mahalo, Sangeet.


CCU had a great turn-out for the first Pau Hana Church Choir Sing on

October 28th in the CCU Sanctuary. Directed by Susan McCreary-Dupree.

Blessing of the Pets!

Nov 5, 2016


What an awesome turnout at the recent Vespers on the Lanai with Harry

Koizumi on Nov 11! Don't miss the December Vespers with Michael

Tanenbaum on December 9th @ 7PM.


Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Hawaiian conservation

organization whose mission is to practice and promote a modern Hawaiian

conservation ethic. They do this by working to ensure the preservation of our

native ecosystems and Hawaiian traditions alike through education, active

stewardship, and research.

They are co-curators along with the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club of the Ulupo

Heiau State Historic Park and are the curators of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine

along Kapaa Quarry Road in Kailua, Oahu. Both sites are under the control of

the DLNR Division of State Parks.

They also have a Right of Entry Permit to do wetland habitat restoration work at

the base of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine, and at the base of Ulupo Heiau in

Kawainui Marsh. We work closely with the State Division of Forestry and

Wildlife (DOFAW) to malama Kawainui.

Their website is at www.ahahui.net


Date Name Duty

4-Dec Liz Leavitt Minister

Keith & Peggy Zeilinger Usher / Greeter

Susie Jannuzzi Liturgist

Marian Heidel Keiki Sermon

Annie Walenta T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


Clancy Lyman & RichardSmith Usher / Greeter

John Heidel Liturgist

Kathy Summers Keiki Sermon

Dianne Brookins T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


Jimzy Lui & George Wyman Usher / Greeter

Courtney Nichols Liturgist

Liz Leavitt Keiki Sermon

John Stiles T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


John & Marian Heidel Usher / Greeter

Paul Brennan T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


Rollo Scheurenbrand &Charlene Hosenfeld Usher / Greeter

Susie Jannuzzi Liturgist

Beth Davidann Keiki Sermon

John Heidel T Prayer / Serve Comm. / Bldg Lockup


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from pastor liz leavitt - · pdf filevespers on the lanai continues on friday, december 9, 7pm...

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