Serving Hilo since 1869 ~ Serving you today
Days of Awe and Wonder
Would you like us to e-mail our most recent newsletter? or have us put you on our e-mail newsletter mailing list?
Days of Awe and Wonder
September - October 2007
Being together in Worship, half a world apart!
When Rev. Walter went to Jerusalem on a short study leave to participate in the celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles, and in the Day of Prayer for Peace for Jerusalem, he worked out ways how we could directly participate in his experiences. Rev. Walter preached to us, and celebrated communion with us, live from Jerusalem, via a telephone hook-up, while, in our sanctuary, we projected pictures he had e-mailed to us. We were together, in a very immediate and meaningful way, even though we were literally half a world apart, with a time difference of 12 hours. It was an incredible experience for all of us, a realization that in the presence of God time and distance are meaningless.
For our children, there was an additional concrete connection. Rev. Walter had told them about the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and the ancient custom of putting prayers into cracks of the wall; and he invited them to write prayers he could take along. Instead of writing prayers, our children made colorful "prayer cords", and these cords traveled to the Wall in Jerusalem, and back to Hilo.
Following is our record as it appeared in the "Recent Events" section of this website.
If you would like to know more about how we set all of this up, please, contact us.
September 16: "Wall to Wall Faith" - Dedication of Prayer Cords Going to Jerusalem!
In two weeks, Rev. Walter will be on his way to Jerusalem. He will travel to Jerusalem to share in the celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles. Rev. Walter will participate in various aspects of the celebration with both Christians and Jews. He will also revisit historic places that have had so much impact on our faith. While he is there he will participate in the international Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. We here at FUPC will be able to share in this during our worship on October 7th. We will include special prayers that morning for those gathered in Jerusalem and for peace in that land. If the technology works, Rev. Walter will deliver the sermon on September 30th and October 7th via telephone from Israel.
We are very excited about Rev. Walter's trip, and especially, how much we are able to share in it. One way of sharing happened today. Our children and young people made colorful prayer cords, which Rev. Walter will take with him. Today, we dedicated them.
|
{photos pending} |
|
|
Rev. Walter explained about the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and the ancient Jewish custom of placing prayers into the cracks of that wall - where he is taking our prayer cords. In the picture on the right, you see a projection of a segment of the Western Wall in the upper left.
In two weeks or so, they will be in cracks in the Western Wall in Jerusalem!
September 30: A Sermon from Jerusalem!
Today, we were able to share in a very direct way in Rev. Walter's trip to Jerusalem. All the technology worked, and Rev. Walter preached to us, live, via telephone! During the sermon, we saw pictures Rev. Walter had e-mailed to us; some of them were taken this morning!
The sermon is about to begin. On the screen is a picture of dawn in Jerusalem, taken this morning!
 |
 |
 |
||
some of the pictures from Israel; and, on the right: before the worship service, we could chat with Rev. Walter in the church office via webcam!
At the end of the worship service, Rev. Walter read to us the column he wrote this morning for our October newsletter (see the "Pastor's Message" on this website). In it, Rev. Walter tells us about this thoughts and feelings when he brought our children's, and our, prayers to this special place early this morning.
thanks to Rev. Walter for photos 3, 4, and 5
October 4: "Wall to Wall Faith"
The prayer cords our children and young people made have arrived at their destination!
|
|
|
From our sanctuary wall..... |
 |
 |
....to the Wall in Jerusalem! thanks to Rev. Walter for the pictures!
October 7: A Day of Awe and Wonder
Again, as on September 30, Rev. Walter preached to us live via telephone from Jerusalem, while we watched projections of the pictures he had e-mailed us from there. Rev. Walter had a small group with him there in Jerusalem, who shared this worship with us. Again, it was a miracle how time and distance became meaningless in the presence of God. Today is a worldwide day of prayer for peace in Jerusalem, and there is particular relevance that we could share in it so directly, even though we are half a world away.
 |
 |
 |
pictures from the "Day of Prayer for Peace in Jerusalem" event that Rev. Walter attended there earlier today, which we saw on our screen - and a projected picture in our sanctuary.
The most moving part of this morning's worship was that we could share communion together.
thanks to Rev. Walter for some of these pictures
October 14: Youth Sunday........
This wonderful morning was full of contagious joy and energy. Our children and youth did the entire worship service - the sermon (given by our recent confirmants, who gave hearfelt insights into their understanding of Ecclesiastes' "For Everything there is a Season"), the music (including hula), the ushering, the refreshments.... They did a wonderful job, and we were so proud of them!
|
|
|
... and we had the joy of welcoming back Rev. Walter from his long trip to Jerusalem. Here, he is greeted with a Hawaiian chant of welcome.
October 21: A Gift to the Children
Before Rev. Walter left on his recent trip to Jerusalem, the children had made prayer cords, which Rev. Walter placed on the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
|
 |
A surprise waited for our children behind these drapes this morning. During Children's Time, Rev. Walter gave them gifts: each child got a card with pictures of their prayer cords on the wall in Jerusalem. And Rev. Walter had brought their cords back home again after their visit to the Western Wall - and each cord had added to it a beautiful little carving made out of olive wood from Jerusalem.
(page updated 02/09/09
