Our Clergy gather for a group photo with a beautiful Hilo Bay backdrop.  (Photo contributed by Bruce DeGooyer)

2019 ANNUAL CLERGY RETREAT
Hilo, Hawai'i

​[September 3, 2019]  Each year, clergy (active and retired) in the Diocese come together for a retreat to learn, share, catch up, relax and fellowship with their peers.  This year, the retreat was held in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i, August 26-28, 2019, where they were warmly greeted by Holy Apostle's 'ohana who hosted the Eucharist and dinner on the first day.

The guest speaker for the retreat was the Episcopal Church's Evangelism Officer, Jerusalem Greer.  The Evangelism Officer is a newly created position which began this past February.  The announcement in the Episcopal News Service said that Greer was selected from a field of nearly 40 candidates.  ​The Rev. Cn. Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for evangelism, reconciliation and creation, was thrilled. “She is an inspiring evangelist, teacher, preacher and lover of souls, and she brings a breadth of wisdom, creativity, organizational savvy and expertise that are beyond what we could’ve hoped for.” (ENS February 27, 2019)

Six months later, Greer found her way to the islands, and she shared her excitement.  "I was over the moon to be invited. This was my first trip to Hawai'i and I couldn't have been more thrilled."   

There were three main focuses of the retreat:  1.  The Way of Love (what it is and why it matters), 2. Episcopal Evangelism (sharing Good News for all to hear) and 3. What Now? (What does ministry look like in a changing world and changing church?)

I was very honored to meet so many people with an opportunity to get to know them better.  I also loved seeing people I have known for many years and it was good to catch up with their families and ministries.  Since I have been away from Maui for 8 years there has been a lot happening in the Diocese which I have not been a part of.  -- The Rev. Heather Mueller, Retired

​On the second day, attendees had an option to take an afternoon trip up to Mauna Kea where the TMT conflict has manifested, while others were able to explore Hilo town, or just relax.  Nearly all headed up the Mauna to witness and experience the cultural protocols and activity taking place there.  They presented ho'okupu and some took part in chant and dance.

For Greer, who joined the group going up to Mauna Kea, the experience was profound.  She shares her thoughts in "The Mountain" below.  After the retreat, she was able to spend time in both Hilo and Honolulu, thoroughly in awe of the beauty, the people, and the rich history of the islands. She especially loved learning more about the Monarchs.  "I am so honored to do this work and am grateful for each and every opportunity that I have to join what God is up to wherever I travel."  Going forward, she plans to "continue to teach and inspire the work of Episcopal Evangelism across the church, and to share and nurture all the ways The Way of Love is growing and the opportunities it offers for everyone to live into what it means to truly live a Jesus-centered life." ​

I really appreciated seeing Bishop Bob and my fellow clergy at the retreat.  The workshops were great.  The visit to Mauna a Wakea the next day was so meaningful, especially the honi greeting ceremony paying respect to the kupuna community there.  I also appreciate Rev. Katlin and the Holy Apostles community for hosting us for liturgy and dinner the first night.  -- The Rev. Raymond Woo, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Honolulu

Retreat Reflection by Bishop Robert L. Fitzpatrick

​Aloha o ke Akua,

The annual Clergy Retreat took place on August 26-28, 2019, at the Grand Naniloa Hotel, Hilo. It was an important few days.

Ms. Jerusalem Greer, the Staff Officer for Evangelism, lead us in conversation about both the Presiding Bishop’s The Way of Love and evangelism. I was reminded of the basic mission of the Church. We are to share the love of God in Jesus Christ.  In the Church, we forget that our mission is to share our faith stories one person at a time. Ms. Greer reminded us that small groups are an essential element of Christian community.  We too often think that evangelism is about websites and advertising.  That may be a very small part of the project. Most important is personal invitation, and providing safe small groups for people to share and support one another.  An hour of worship alone on Sunday morning does not make a healthy Christian community.  It takes daily prayer and Bible study.  It takes genuine Christian community.

She also provided data on the future of the Church that will not be based on stand-alone congregations in church buildings, but will be clusters of Christian communities praying, serving and worshipping in various locations and configurations in a geographic region, and then coming together for major celebrations (Baptisms, Christmas, Easter, etc.).  She encouraged us to experiment in creating new gatherings for Christian fellowship and faith formation outside of church buildings and Sunday mornings.  She dared us to try and not be afraid of failure.

I found her time with us invigorating and a joy.

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We did take time to go to Mauna Kea. We were with the “Protectors” for mid-day protocol and we talked with those on the mountain. As an interesting aside, Dan Leatherman talked with a young woman who was an ‘Iolani graduate during his days as chaplain. We saw people we knew and some encountered parishioners they didn’t expect to see. We also had a serious conversation with the clergy on Hawaiʻi about the care for those with differing views regarding the TMT.  I had conversations with folk of differing opinions at a dinner provided by the parishioners of Holy Apostles, Hilo. We came away knowing that folk can disagree with respect and love.

​We also engaged in theological reflection. As the Bishop, Priests and Deacons of the Church, we are called to care for God’s people and to preach the Gospel in a complicated world.  We must love amidst disagreement and remember that all human interactions (personal, familial, communal and political) have a theological reality that require reflection, prayer, and teaching.  When we “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being,” it means living in the reality of communities and with disagreement.  We are united by our faith as we “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.”  I hope our time together allowed us care for one another while respecting that the Gospel imperative can lead us to differing conclusions in our finite world and our limited human understanding.

​​I would like to thank the congregations that supported your clergy in attending the Retreat. I think it was a blessing for all who attended.

“No ia mea, e nā hoahānau, e kūpaʻa ʻoukou, me ka nāueue ʻole, me ka hoʻomau i kā ʻoukou hana nui ʻana i ka hana a ka Haku, no ka mea, ua ʻike nō ʻoukou, ʻaʻole i make hewa kā ʻoukou hana ʻana ma ka Haku.” Korineto I 15.58 “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko mākou Haku,

+Bob

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Mountain Top by Jerusalem Greer

The following reflection by Jerusalem Greer was written a day after her visit to Mauna Kea.

Photo by Damon Tucker

On August 27, 2019 I went to the mountain.

Specifically I went to Mauna Kea with clergy representatives from the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i.

I had little to no expectations other than to learn. To observe. To bear witness for my siblings in Christ as they entered into this very tender moment in time, in history.

What I saw yesterday day on the mountain was remarkable.

I think we probably all learned more things from those few hours than we can even process in the next few weeks. I know that I did.

But with my limited knowledge of the situation and all the nuances, and with my limited knowledge of Hawaiian culture and religion/spirituality, here is what I experienced and saw yesterday:

Those protectors live and move and have their being within something greater than themselves. They know it in their bones, in their spirits, from their heads to their toes. They know it in their waking up and in their going out. Based on what I saw yesterday they are writing it on their foreheads - and their arms, and legs, and backs - and they are teaching it to their children.

This knowing, it informs their actions in the world - it informs their deeds in regard to this mountain and this issue.

It also informs their words - words they are bold and courageous to share, words they were vulnerable enough to to use to educate those of us who know so very little about their beliefs, their passions, their lives.

At one point yesterday, I felt like I was at the best instructed eucharist ever. I thought “what if we did this for 30 minutes before every service for every visitor and cultural Christian that came through our doors…? What would happen?”

Thinking on the children I saw dancing hula and beating drums, I wondered “What if we let our kids come to the altar and pantomime blessing the bread and the wine, or follow on the heels of the Eucharistic Ministers and Crucifers, letting them cling to the hems of our robes… how much more would our children live and move and have their being in Christ?”

Yesterday the Protectors were evangelists. They invited me in to their experience. They invited me in to taste and see how they are experiencing freedom, belonging, transformation and love, and they invited me to taste it for myself. I will never be of Hawaiian heritage but I will be forever changed by their witness- in word and deed.

Right now - that group -those protectors and all that stand with them - living in tents, sacrificing their comfort and their stability, they are solid in what they believe - they are compelled to do what they believe is right and true. They are clear on their mission.

And I couldn’t help but wonder.

Are we?

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Sybil Nishioka, Editor and Communications Contractor, Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
​Photos contributed by Bruce DeGooyer, Sandy Graham, Jerusalem Greer, Damon Tucker