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In This Edition
- Upcoming Events at Trinity
- A Message from our Vicar
- Christmas at Trinity
- With Great Sadness...
- ACCW Update
- Know Thy Neighbor
- A Message from the Diocese
- Stewardship Campaign Update
- The Quietest Place on Earth
- Channels of Communication
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Upcoming Events
- December 6, 5:00pm: Advent Soup Supper and Prayer Service
- December 9, 9:00am: ACCW Sandwich Making Work-party
- December 13, 5:00pm: Advent Soup Supper and Prayer Service
- December 17, 10:30am: Annual Christmas Party Brunch
- December 19, 5:30pm: Bishop's Committee Meeting
- December 20, 5:00pm: Advent Soup Supper and Prayer Service
- December 24, 9:00am: Sunday Morning Service: Said Service
- December 24, 7:00pm: Christmas Eve Service
- December 25, 9:00am: Christmas Service: Said Service
- PLEASE NOTE: TASTEFUL BENEFIT CHANGE OF DATE
Please correct/mark your calendars. Due to a conflict, the date of the Tasteful Benefit has been changed to Saturday, January 27th from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
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Aloha Family and Friends of Trinity By-the-Sea,
We are in the season of Advent... but have you ever wondered what that means?
 Our word 'Advent' is from the Latin 'Adventus,' which means 'coming.' Advent is the beginning of a new church year, which began the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and lasts until the Nativity of Our Lord is celebrated... Christmas Eve here at Trinity By-the-Sea. This year, the 4th Sunday of Advent actually falls on December 24th... and so we will have a quiet, simple service on Sunday morning celebrating the end of Advent, and a festive Christmas Eve service at 7:00pm. Christmas morning, Monday December 25, we will also have a quiet, simple service.
Like Lent, Advent is a season of preparation, and we look forward expectantly for the annual celebration of the event of Christ's birth, and also for the time when Christ will come again in glory.
We don't know exactly when the season of Advent began to be observed. The earliest Christians were much more interested in the anticipated return of Christ, very soon. It was not until the later 4th century that the celebration of the Nativity and Christmastide began.
The themes and traditions of Advent have evolved throughout the history of the church.
The early Advent season was mainly penitential, close to the theme of the Lenten season. Today a penitential theme still exists, primarily in the first two weeks, but it is blended with the theme of prayerful, spiritual preparation for the second and final coming of the Lord, as well as the joyful preparation for the annual festive remembrance of the Incarnation and Christ's birth.
Advent celebration and traditions can vary from place to place, but the Advent wreath is likely the most universal and popular tradition, and wreaths are typically present in both the parish church and in some homes. The wreath is circular, representing God's eternity, and it includes 4 candles - one for each Sunday of Advent, and a candle in the center representing the light of Christ entering the world.
During Advent we ask the Lord to help us see future possibilities in spite of the things right now. A Jesse Tree, named for the father of David, is a tree that is decorated gradually throughout Advent with symbols or pictures of biblical persons associated with the gradual coming of the Messiah, Christ; and can include, among others, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Joseph and Mary.
A third tradition is the Advent calendar, which begins with the First Sunday of Advent in November. Using the calendar, each day during Advent calls us to reflect of the coming birth of our lord into the world, and helps us prayerfully prepare. There are many types of Advent calendars; this year we will have a very simple calendar available for you to pick up at the Welcome Table and Book Pavilion. Use it each morning to help center your thoughts and prayers on scripture and Advent themes.
The collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 24, this year) says, "Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself..."
This Advent, I pray that God will give each of you a strong sense of His presence and peace. As you prepare for the Lord to come, once again, as a child this Christmas, may God bless you richly in every way.
Blessings,
Bruce+
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 Christmas at Trinity
Wednesday’s in Advent December 6, 13, 20, we will meet at 5:00pm in Kilolani Hall for a light soup and salad supper and evening prayer. Please sign up at the welcome table or contact Barb Zipf to sign up to bring something.
Annual Christmas Party Brunch: December 17th immediately following the 9:00 service. BRUNCH - SONGS - PRESENTS - FUN! Please bring a $5 to $10 wrapped gift. All are welcome, but PLEASE SIGN UP at the Welcome Table to let us know what you can bring. Any Questions, contact Barbara Zipf or Joan Vila
The “Giving Tree”: Each year our tree is filled with tags for children in need. All you have to do is remove a tag from the tree where you will see the age and sex of the child. Purchase a gift and place the original tag back on the present. All presents should be here by December 17th so we can sort and deliver.
Advent Offering Boxes: The four weeks of Advent are a time for us to prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is a time of waiting and usually a time of hurry. Here is a suggestion to help us focus, to get ready for the new life that is coming. We have Advent Mite boxes ready at the Visitor's Table. Take one home. Put your change in it instead of in your wallet. Every Time you stop for a minute and think about what new life means put some change or maybe a $1 bill. Say a prayer of thanks for what God gives us each day and put in some money. We will collect the boxes at the end of the season and donate all contributions to the Maui Food Bank.
Help Decorate for Christmas Eve! Many hands make light work! Please come help decorate the Church for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Services. Friday, December 22, 9:00am to Noon. Any Questions, contact Ruth Eisen or Peggy Medeiros
Christmas Services:
Sunday, December 24, 9:00am: Said Service
Christmas Eve Service: Sunday, December 24, 7:00pm
Christmas Day, Sunday, December 24, 9:00am: Said Service
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With Great Sadness...
By Chuck Spence
In case you missed our earlier announcements, we all are so saddened by the loss of our long-term congregation member, Terri Pike. Terri was also the Treasurer of Trinity Episcopal Church By-the-Sea for many, many years. Terri passed away on Sunday, November 12th.
Terri’s memorial service was attended by over 180 people and the committal service of her ashes to join those of her husband, Allan, in Trinity’s Columbarium occurred a week and a half ago. With great sadness, we all miss Terri so much but rejoice that she is in the nearer presence of God, where she knows eternal peace.
One of Terri’s many passions was her beloved church, Trinity By-the-Sea. Terri always cared so much about the beautiful church grounds. So much so, the following poem was sent to Terri Pike’s family with a memorial contribution to the David Malo fund designated for use in the beautification of the parish grounds that Terri so loved:
 To the Family of Terri Pike,
Your Mom earned the respect of many people and made significant contributions to both Trinity By-the-Sea as well as the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii. When I lost my wife, I found the following poem meaningful:
As they gathered on the shore watching the sailboat sail off toward the horizon
they were sad, thinking they would never see it again.
Tears flowed freely as they waved goodbye
and then it was gone from view, no longer visible
as it disappeared from them over the horizon.
Only the memories remained of times gone by.
Someone shouted, “there it goes!”
But on a faraway shore on the other side,
a crowd was gathered, waiting patiently.
Suddenly, they saw a speck on the horizon coming towards them.
As it came closer, it was in full sail, and so beautiful.
Someone shouted, “Here it comes!”
And the crowd cheered joyfully as it approached
for they had waited so long for this day.
Anyone wishing to add to the ground enhancement memorial should make contributions payable to Trinity Episcopal Church By-the-Sea with a notation that it is a donation to the David Malo Funds in Honor of Terri Pike. Memorial checks can be mailed to Trinity Episcopal Church By-the-Sea, PO Box 813, Kihei, HI 96753
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An Update from A Cup of Cold Water
This thank you note from A Cup of Cold Water client was given to a team member on a recent run. I am humbled by its sincerity and truth. I would like to add my thanks to all the people of Trinity who support our ministry—there are too many of you to name who are a blessing. For the water, the kekei gifts, the financial donations, the prayers, the PBJ’s, the countless hours of time and talent, Mahalo nui loa. Paula Baldwin
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In Honor and Memory of Terri Pike
The normal column "story" never got completed this month - because time ran out.
 This lovely picture was one of several taken by me last spring when I was still on-island and planning future columns to be written from New York. Terri carefully scrutinized the photos and picked this one as her favorite. She was planning to send me some facts about her life just as soon as she had completed the Corporate Tax season and she was to have been featured as Trinity's December "Neighbor". A subtle and debilitating pneumonia began instead.....
I know that all the warm descriptions and fond memories that I personally ache to write here have undoubtedly already been shared by others at her Memorial Services. Suffice it to say that we have all been changed by knowing Terri and that Trinity by the Sea will be changed by losing her.
May her beautiful soul Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory!
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A Message from the Diocese:
Because of issues around the loss of the lease on the land, St. George’s Episcopal Church, Pearl Harbor, closed over two years ago. That Church was originally built as a memorial to those who died on December 7, 1941. A new Memorial to those who died on December 7, 1941 has been installed in the Cathedral of St. Andrew (see the attached photo). The artist has included the cross that was embedded in the altar at St. George’s Church. The metal of the cross originally came from USS Arizona. This Memorial will also be dedicated in thanksgiving to all those who worshipped at St. George’s Church through the years. The new Diocesan Pearl Harbor Memorial will be dedicated on Sunday, December 10, 2017, 5:30 PM, during Evensong at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, Honolulu. Members of the Diocese are encouraged to attend.
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Stewardship Campaign Update
We've received 26 pledges totalling $56,930.00. You can still turn in your pledge card. If you have misplaced yours and need another one, please contact our office.
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The Quietist Place on Earth
By Paula Baldwin
There was an article recently in the New York Times about the rain forest in the Olympic Peninsula. It was described as beautifully filled with varieties of trees, ferns, water, ocean. There is also a spot there where there is no human sound (the airlines have agreed to alter course, so planes do not fly over).
You can go there and listen in different ways, listen with a relaxed body, listen to nature, listen to your inner voice. Maybe tell your inner voice to quiet down. And there is actual scientific proof that constant noise and distractions can cause illness and physical pain. It’s a very healing place.
We are blessed here to live in equally quiet places. Yes, we have airplanes, cars and trucks, but we can get away into nature. I thought I had read that there is a spot in Haleakala which is the quietest spot on earth. Walking Woody, my dog, every morning at 5:30a on Halama St. and again in the afternoon by the ocean is beautifully quiet and revives my soul.
I would like to offer you a chance to practice a type of prayer, whose purpose is to quiet us, so that we can listen and sense God with the ears and eyes of the heart. Centering Prayer has been around literally since the 1400’s. The Desert Mothers and Fathers went into deserts, caves and monasteries to get away from the hectic life of the city; when civilization decided the mind was all important and the value of contemplation and silence was lost. However, thanks to monks such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating, there is more balance now.
Centering Prayer is exactly what it says. We quiet our bodies, quiet our minds, relax and invite God to come close. Now that’s not as easy as it sounds. There are skills that help and with some guidance, your practice, particularly in a group, is soulfully enriching!
There are 2 centering prayer groups on Maui. One meets Thursday at 4 pm at Holy Innocents, Lahaina. At Trinity we meet Monday at 6:15p. We spend about 30 minutes reading, reflecting, discussing a poem, a story from the Bible, a meditative story. Then we center for 20 minutes. And leave quietly usually around 7:15p. You are welcome to join us or talk to me if you would like more information.
I have centered for about 18 years. I know I am more aware of God in all things, I know I try and react in a calmer fashion to life, and I know I can always sit down for 20 minutes and be quiet if life is getting too rough. Come and experience the peace with us. Your soul will be ever so grateful.
Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot or a few
small stones, just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
- Mary Oliver
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Trinity Donation "Wish List"
Are you looking for a special need you can contribute toward at Trinity? Here is a list of some specific items we are needing:
- Desktop computer for the Vicar's Office
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Channels of Communication
Vicar-Reverend Bruce DeGooyer
Administrative Assistant-Mark McDill
Bishop's Warden-Chuck Spence
Junior Warden-Barb Zipf
Communication Coordinator -Anne Kasin
Board Secretary-Joan Vila
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