First
Christian Church of
HOA
ALOHA
VOLUME
114 ISSUE 7
JULY
NEWSLETTER
OVERHAUL
RECOMMENDED….
A blue, sporty,
1968 Pontiac Le Mans was my first car. It took me on my first date, among
other things, and was the car of my high school and college years. It was
a part of my “image”, which is so crucial to a teenager. I called her the
“Blue Goose” and she was more than a car to me, for this car had been the
backdrop for my adolescent years.
So it was with great grief that after 120,000 miles, I had to hear the
mechanic tell me it would probably be better to get a new car. However, for a
substantial sum, I could have the engine remade and the car painted and
detailed. I got another car. I have often regretted the decision, for if
the ’68 LeMans had been kept up, it would now be a
collector’s dream…and worth much, much more.
This past month our church got an uncomfortable look under its hood, and
discovered the engine is running…but in need of an overhaul. It was
not a pain-free experience; as neglect and lack
of fuel were evidence in the disrepair. One positive note is that it
still runs, although some major repairs are called for now. If these
repairs are not addressed, the recommendation would be to “get a new car”.
So, my friends and church family, we have been given a call to arms, so to
speak. Is the First Christian Church of
To meet this challenge and
find direction on what to do, small group cottage meetings are being planned.
We need wide spread participation in order to generate many ideas and thoughts.
After completion of the four session, eight-hour series, a decision regarding
the future direction of the church will be
called for and submitted. This crucial moment of decision needs to
be made with many voices, including yours.
Three cottage groups were selected at random. You will be receiving
information as to when and where your group will meet, or you can call the
church office for that information. Please be strongly encouraged to note
the time and place and make a commitment to attend. The church needs you.
In the meantime, I implore you to pray. Pray for me and other church
leaders. Pray for our people and our community. Pray for wisdom, courage and
faith as we enter into these historic decisions. Pray that the light of Christ
not be dimmed or cease to shine from our hearts to our church; from our church
to our neighborhood; and from our neighborhood to our community. Pray that we
become part of the beginning of the next century of growth
for our church. It all begins with the fervent prayers of the people. God
is willing to act, when we are ready to pray and serve.
It can begin for you this Sunday as we gather together and look at building
a vision. The service starts at 10:45, and I look forward to seeing you
there!
See ya Sunday!
Pastor Jimmy
UPCOMING EVENTS
July 4—Independence Day. Office closed.
July 5 –Sunday School
movie night.
July 6—Board Meeting
following church.
July 12—Swap Meet from 9:00
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. See Joan Hudson if you
would like to help or if you have items to donate.
July 19—Church Work Day.
July 20—‘Ohana
Night. Beach Activity at Queen’s Surf. Fellowship, food and fun!
July 20—Sunday school outing to the zoo.
NICK’S SEMINARY UPDATE
It is with uplifted spirits that I write this update to you. My
internship at Forest Hill Christian Church is going really well and Pastor
Susan Parsley is involving me in all of the aspects of church life. I
have represented the church at the neighborhood disaster preparedness group,
have volunteered at Project Homeless Connect, have attended an
ordination ceremony of a fellow
Disciples seminarian, and have
attended an area pastor’s meeting. I also have served various roles
in worship such as worship leader, liturgist, said the
words of institution for communion, have done the invitation to the table, and
have even co-led singing. This past Sunday, I
preached on Genesis 21:8-21, the story of Abraham casting out his wife, Hagar,
and their son, Ishmael, based on Sarah’s request. I also did the welcome,
prayers of the people, and the benediction. In addition, I have attended
the board meeting, and participated in an education planning meeting. In
September and October, I will be facilitating a Theology 101 class on Sunday
mornings before church. I also have gone on a pastoral visit to see a parishioner
in the hospital, and have attended a memorial service for a beloved sister of
one of the congregants.
Since the church office is rather small, I share
Pastor Susan’s office with her which is
great because I get to see everything that goes on
in the office. The church also has a secretary like Lorna at First
Christian Church.
I have joined the ten person choir which is a lot of fun. We have a
terrific choir director who also is the minister of music. My first choir
rehearsal, we had pizza and then ice cream afterward which was great.
Choir is on Wednesday evenings at the church. Because church lets out
around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, I am staying overnight in
Many blessings to you all!
Nick Kolivas
nicholaskolivas@aol.com
THANK YOU
MAHALOS go out to Dan Senger for preaching while Pastor Jimmy was away; to Don
Dewey and Rick Morse for their assessments of our church and for opening our
eyes to areas in which we need to improve, as well as seeing
the potential we have. We also want to thank Dawe and Jade Glover and Mea Moon for their
participation in worship and repeat our thanks to Mea for your many months of
service while John Fazakerley was serving our country
on deployment in
The pews and pulpit furniture
are beautiful and they add a lot to our worship. They were installed by
company owner Greg Lambrecht and Alan Feliciano and
assisted by Greg’s wife Kelly. One parishioner commented that she felt
like she was coming to a new church. Thank you, Alan and Winnie,
for making it happen. We invite you to come and see our updated look. For those unable to visit, be sure to look for our full color-pictorial insert
in next months newsletter.
Last of all, we want to thank
those of you who have been so supportive of our ministry in the
past, present, and as we look to the future.
BOARD BUZZZ…..
The pews are in,
the assessments done, and...we can relax...ah, if that
were only true! There is more work to be done! After a thorough
review of operations at our church, and several meetings with
Pastor Jimmy and a core group from our church, Rick Morse shared a
40–page long report with us. It opened our eyes to a lot of things, and
one of those things is that our quiet little church is
revivable. We have potential for growth.
In response to that, we will be having
‘cottage’ meetings to talk about how we can really minister to the people who
live in our neighborhood and beyond. We will soon be contacting each one of
you, so please think about how you can utilize your talents to help our church
grow!
BIBLE STUDY
COMING
UP—in August, Pastor Jimmy will be leading a study called Chasing
Daylight. This fresh, interactive study will help in discerning a good
idea from a God idea...and seizing the opportunities God has given each of us
to unleash our potential for His service. The study will include workbooks
for every participant and will be based in large on the characters, Jonathan
and Saul, in 1 Samuel 13-14. PLEASE LOOK FOR THE SIGN UP ON THE BACK
TABLE AFTER WORSHIP.
UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION!
Do you have
any updated information? Please submit any new information so we can put
you in the 2008-2009 Annual First Christian Church Directory. Wonder why
the newsletter is not getting to you? We probably do not have your correct
address. Please inform the office of any updates by July 15.
MAHALO!!!
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
Well,
it’s July! Half of our summer has come and gone. The highlight for
many of the children this past month was our camping weekend at Malaekahana on the
The children also had Bible studies
discovering Jesus’ miraculous powers. We incorporated stories about Jesus
healing the lepers and the blind man, and how Jesus walked on water, giving
Peter the power to do the same. The lessons also showed the
children how Jesus gives them power. By knowing what Jesus
has done and what he wants us to do gives us a clear
gauge as to what we should be doing as well. Overall, we learned that
Jesus gives us the power to be thankful, the power to be brave, and the power
to help others, important lessons indeed.
Yes, camp was a blast! Thank you to everyone who assisted with
and/or contributed to camp and our other June
activities, we are truly grateful. We are looking forward to the events
planned for July. A quick note concerning such: the water park field trip
has been cancelled. Many of the children are either too young to attend the
function or are unable to swim, making it a difficult event to chaperone. We will be going to the
Honolulu Zoo instead.
Sabrina
Feliciano
ELDERS,
DEACONS, WORSHIP LEADER SCHEDULE
|
DATE |
ELDERS |
DEACONS |
WORSHIP LEADERS |
|
JULY 6 |
LORNA SOONG |
|
TIFFANY SEBBERN |
|
July 13 |
TIM EARHART |
GAYLE SILVA—JOHN
HELLER |
LORNA SOONG |
|
JULY 20 |
LORNA SOONG |
ALAN
FELICIANO—MIGUEL SAYERS |
|
|
JULY 27 |
TIM EARHART |
JOE ROBERTS— |
LORNA SOONG |
PRAYER
REQUESTS
Debbie
Roberts
Ted Roberts
Lorna Soong
Jerrold
Sousa
Donald Blaser
Nell Silva
Dean Walker
Burnell Hutcherson
Pastor Jon
Al Gardner
Tamara Pomerantz
Melissa Lapinad
Louise Ondrik
Fran DeCosta
Jamel Sebbern &
The Sebbern Family
Ha Kyu Hyun
Isinory Manuel
& family
Charles
Chapman
Opal Terbeek
Tiffany
Sayers
Crystal
Sayers
Lana L.
Sayers
July Birthdays
7 Diane McGaughey
8 Al Gardner
8 Imani
Sebbern
17 Nori Sonoda
19 Nicholas Kolivas
27 Jon Bullock
28 Winnie Kam
Church
Schedule
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Adult Sunday
School 9:30 am
Youth
Activities 10:00 am
Worship
Service 10:45 am
Glory
Church
1:00 pm
(Presented in
the Korean Language)
Church
Hours
Monday-Friday
9:00 am -12:30 pm
Phone: 808-521-3500
Fax:
808-521-3600
www.firstchristianchurchhonolulu.org
(
first christian church
Newsletter and Calendar
available on
our website .
UPDATES AVAILABLE!
Join FCC’s email
list by emailing us at: fccoffice@hawaii.rr.com
FIRST
CHRISTIAN CHURCH STAFF
Pastor
Jimmy
Hutcherson
Secretary
Lorna Soong
Administrator
Ian McKnight
Musical
Director
John Fazakerley
Youth
Activities
Sabrina Feliciano
Facilities
Tamra von Blankenburg
Web
Site
Nick Kolivas
Board
Chairman ‘Terry’ Jeffrey E. Sousa
Co-Chair
Tamra von Blankenburg