STAY FAITHFUL, STAY CONNECTED, STAY COMMUNITY!
ALOHA FROM PASTOR HOLLY
Aloha CCH Ohana!
What an absolutely amazing Sunday that I had with all of you! My heart is so completely full from all of the worship and fellowship experiences that we had. I was so grateful for all of you who were able to watch the worship service and be together with me in praise to our God. I’m grateful for all those who were they are live with me on the Facebook and those who took a peek at it afterwards to see what we talked about. I am more than impressed with the number of people who jumped into the Zoom fellowship gathering. A Big shout out to Wayson who actually got the zoom meeting up on his television! Can you just picture our big faces on a life-size TV screen? How cool is that! The willingness for so many of us to jump into the world of virtual connection with just a few days’ notice is a testament to how important God is in our lives and how essential worship is to keep this congregation together. We will only get stronger, the participation will only get bigger, and we will find more and more and more ways to build our relationship from such a great distance.
This week will be full of more opportunities to try our hand at building this virtual connection. For those of you who are already on Facebook, you will find a few videos On the church Facebook page throughout the week talking about things like how to create a worship space in your home for these next few months of virtual worship together, little 30 second reminders of God’s love, lunch live with me Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 and so much more. For those of you who do not yet have Facebook and might be willing to explore what it means to do so, I hope to be able to have a conversation about what Facebook is, why it is so beneficial as an Internet medium, how easy it is to have and how much control you have over what you do, and if you try it and don’t like it how easy it is to delete it. For the videos that I am able to offer through the YouTube option I will send those links out with Ardis’ help as well. For those of us who did not get the chance to try any of the worship or fellowship opportunities, or had some issues connecting or figuring it out, let’s touch base together this week so I can offer some assistance, or if you have some super brilliant techie persons in your household, maybe you could arrange a date with them to learn some more.
During the zoom fellowship, we had some fruitful conversation about recognizing that not all of our congregants have the technology necessary to connect with us in this way. We talked about organizing an “electronica share.” I know that if I take a look around my home taking in consideration my kids and the technology I’ve needed to work over the years, I can think of at least two devices that I have that I no longer use. Perhaps some of you have a device that you don’t use too much or have a duplicate of such as an older computer, and older Smart phone with Internet capability, and iPad or Kindle, and other such devices. We wanted to try and gather some of those devices and loan them out during the pandemic to members of our congregation who do not have any technology so they might participate with us as well. If you have any such devices and you are willing to share them with your Ohana please let me know. I will coordinate with those there to disseminate them.
Don't forget, join me for lunch this Wednesday. Pop on the church Facebook page at 12:30pm and let's have lunch. Then, join in on the Zoom lunch with me at 1:00pm using the following link or phone number...
Join Zoom electronically by clicking this link
https://zoom.us/j/683998801?
-OR-
https://zoom.us/j/683998801?
-OR-
Call join in using this phone number and meeting ID
1 253 215 8782 US
Meeting ID: 683 998 801
Meeting ID: 683 998 801
Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, and we begin our Holy Week journey together, you will find the worship and fellowship schedule below for Holy Week. This Sunday is also communion Sunday, and I am so excited to celebrate the Lord's Supper with you. In preparation for communion together, please consider finding time this week, perhaps with your family, to bake or cook something specifically for communion. On Sunday, I will ask you at the beginning of service to bring what you have prepared to your sacred space for worship, and when we celebrate communion during the worship, you will bless the elements along with me and partake, and perhaps serve one another. You can cook, bake, or prepare anything that you would like - communion is not about WHAT we use, it's HOW we God blesses. So, anything that you intentionally prepare, or designate, and pray over, is fit for God's grace. It can be bread and juice, a musubi and guava drink, poke and water - anything you like! Get creative! The important thing is you either prepare it intentionally, or choose it and designate it. Let's build some anticipation for our first communion together as Pastor and Congregation as we explore what is truly means to be a community of believers.
During the worship service I challenged all of us to find a way to be an act of God in this challenging time. In just my short time with you on Sunday I was surrounded by acts of God through the love and fellowship and determination of this congregation. To be able to sit in my home and in your homes all at the same time to worship and fellowship is beyond anything I could’ve imagined just a few short weeks ago. God is indeed in the midst of what is happening in the world and has called the church out of his comfort zone and into a place of curiosity, bravery, and love. Thank you so much for being a part of this new journey.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Rev. Dr. Holly Norwick
Virtual Holy Week April 5th – April 12th
April 5th9:00am: Sunday morning worship – look for link
10:00am: Virtual Coffee Hour – LIVE on Facebook
10:30am: Zoom Coffee Hour – look for link in email and on Facebook
April 8th12:30pm: Lunch with Pastor Holly LIVE on Facebook
1:00pm: Zoom Lunch with Pastor Holly – look for the link in email and on Facebook
April 9th6:00pm: Maundy Thursday worship available – look for the link
April 10th6:00pm: Good Friday worship – look for the link
April 12th6:00am: Easter Sunrise Celebration – look for the link
6:30am: Virtual Easter Fellowship – LIVE on Facebook
9:00am: Easter Worship! – look for the link
10:00am: Zoom Easter Fellowship – look for the link
We are all trying to get the hang of our virtual community. If you have any questions about the worship or fellowship opportunities, please reach out to Pastor Holly for help:
Call or Text: 808-371-4701 -OR- Email: hollynorwick@gmail.com
YOUTHFUL VOICES
A REFLECTION FROM KIAN KATO
(Editor’s note: I asked Kian to write a reflection on the personal effects of the corona virus daily life restrictions. This is his searingly honest, wise, and masterfully written final product. THANK YOU, KIAN!)
When I first learned about the coronavirus, it had only struck China and a few other parts of Asia. I didn’t think anything of it like most people probably would. I thought that it would easily be contained in Asia, and soon, a cure would be found and no one else would suffer. Everyone would forget about it and then move on. I could never have guessed that it would come to the U.S., let alone Hawaii and impact everyone this much.
The social distancing hasn’t been easy at all. I just started dating this girl who I’ve liked for a while, and since we’ve gotten together, we were only be able to see each other for two weeks before spring break was extended and we were then mandatorily kept at home. We’ve turned to facetime just to keep in contact with each other, but it’s never the same as being face-to-face.
I’ve never been allowed to leave the house since the start of spring break so it really has caused a feeling of loneliness and frustration. I’ve spent my days sleeping until 11:00, staring at the T.V. or my phone, facetiming friends, and doing anything that can fill my day. With nothing to do, my mind constantly wanders so I’ve spent my days also battling worries that come into my mind. But there is never really anything to keep me distracted throughout the day. It’s funny because as a little kid, I always told my parents that I would love to stay home all day, every day. They would always tell me that I would get really bored, but I always denied it. However, after the first three days of quarantined spring break, I was bored out of my mind and was very much ready to go back to school.
In terms of education for the rest of the school year, Mililani High School officially announced that the remainder of the school year would be conducted online. This was hard for me to take because this meant that I most likely wouldn’t be able to see my friends for the rest of the school year. This also meant that I would be cooped up in the house for another two months, just like these past two weeks. I was also kind of scared for this new idea of online education for the rest of the school year because self-discipline has been one of the most challenging things for me. I’ve always had a hard time being super disciplined and efficient when doing homework with all the distractions at home. But now that this is going to be the norm for the rest of the school year, I’m uncertain about how effectively I’ll be able to do work at home and how my grades will turn out. This has really affected my sister though, because she is missing out on prom, and she hasn’t been able to take the ACT yet.
My family has been trying to support me through this whole time that I’ve been staying at home. My dad has helped me make a schedule to be productive throughout my time at home. They’ve just been trying to make sure that I’ve had to stuff to do with all this extra time. I’ve been trying to rely somewhat on faith to get me through this time and reassure myself that things will be okay and will soon return back to normal.
I’ve been worried about how long this would last and worried that my family members or friends would get sick with coronavirus. I’ve tried to tell myself that God would help me pull through and help everyone that I care about also pull through. I always try to tell myself that God wouldn’t present me with something that I couldn’t overcome. I’ve just had to trust that he would make things right, and there is a plan in place that will help everyone pull through. Other than that, I haven’t really had time to think about faith with everything that has been happening. I’m just trying to get through this day by day.
To cope with this, I’ve just been trying to hope that this coronavirus doesn’t last long. I just really want the virus to peak so that it can only go down after that. So many things have been affected because of this virus. I’ve hardly gotten to experience my relationship with my girlfriend. I really don’t know how long this virus could last. I could be on the fourth month of my relationship and would’ve only seen her face-to-face for two weeks.
Our marching band also had a trip planned for April. We were supposed to go to Ohio to compete in WGI (Winter Guard International) as an indoor percussion ensemble. This meant so much for me because at the start of this past fall season, the percussion group was the weakest part of the marching ensemble. However, through all of our hard work, we became much stronger, and now we were about to compete in a national competition along with the winds and guard groups. We’ve also had a big family trip to Maine and Massachusetts planned for this summer. It’s supposed to include my Grandma and everyone on my mom’s side of the family. Now we don’t know if we can still go on this trip. Marching band season also starts this summer so I don’t know if it’s going to be postponed and what will happen if it is.
This virus has caused so much disappointment for me, and I’ve hated every moment of it. But I’ve just had to trust in my faith, knowing that everything will be okay, and God has a plan. Everything that happens in the future will happen for a reason.
EVAN GRAD CLARIFICATION
Evan is not yet graduated but will graduate on May 8th with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Words of encouragement can be sent now and anytime. Words of congratulations can be sent in early May!
Evan Uyeno
2167 Houston Ave
Norman, OK 73071-3317
THE PARTY LINE
(Interim editor: Frances Wong)
FRIENDS: this is YOUR column. Send in announcements, joys, concerns, whatevers to the church. Email: ardisg@cchonolulu.org Phone number: (808) 595-7541. Mail: 2345 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Report from the Front Lines of Protecting CCH by Vernon Chock
Wielding bleach spray, Ron and volunteers sanitized the Sanctuary; SM Hall; kitchen; Admin. ext.; Makai Bldg., including: door hardware, pews and pulpit, stainless steel counters, toilets, faucets, grab bars, refrigerator, sinks, railings, light switches, aircons, tables and chairs. Thanks for the equipment, Ryan! Used about 1 1/4 cup of bleach for the whole place and took a couple of hours. Also nuked the mattress the nightly visitor uses and dragged outside near the playground. Can’t take it to the dump without being covered in virus, or worse. Working in exposed feet will likely wipe out Athlete’s Foot and produce nice pink toes. Anyway, a good start - something to incorporate into ongoing activities. This is symbolic and psychological —that we have a high level of expectation about the condition of the campus and we expect no less of those who share our facilities. CCH is not a public park or a vending machine where you put in a quarter, get your hour’s worth, then split. Publicizing this sanitizing foray and (infrequent) work days, places the care of the treasure front and center—we’re not cleaning up after you; we’re cleaning up for all of us and we expect everyone to do the same. Members keep asking for nicer bathrooms and upgraded common areas but today we wrestled with the homeless bed and a clogged SMH men’s toilet - again. "Leave it alone, it’ll take care of itself" is ok advice for the virus, but not for much else.
Ron working with bleach and rubbah slippahs.
The Hayashis at Home
(Editor’s note: The Hayashis submitted a selfie of them looking somber around a video screen for the last week’s STAY COMMUNITY! THE PARTY LINE. I asked them to send their first photo.)
Find attached the first photo--I told you we all looked horrible, or even worse than in the latter...
Thanks for including our submission!
Ty, Dawn, Phoebe, and Jared
Not a Lawyer Joke
(Editor’s note: The editor of The Christian Legal Society’s communications recently sent this out.)
Trust that you and yours are well in the Lord. Thought you would be blessed by this attorney's testimony. When she was being beaten and tortured, she told her torturers that God loved them, and so did she. They turned their heads away and shed tears. On another occasion, an assassin [from the Ceausescu’s regime] pointed a gun at her, and when she shared the message of Christ, he accepted Christ. May we be vessels of His love and grace even in the midst of hardship, pain and persecution.
Virginia Prodan doesn't hide the fact that she should be dead. In her book, Saving My Assassin, Virginia shares the incredible story of death staring her in the face, and how she fought back with nothing but the word of God. "I am not a hero, God gave me this mission and I was a tool in God's hands," Virginia tells CBN News.
Federal Aid Information from Senator Schatz
(Editor’s note: I receive regular updates from the Senator’s office. All of his updates can be found on his site—above. I have included this in this STAY COMMUNITY! because of its general application.)
Health Information and Resources
Overview
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provide important protections for individuals to receive testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and other services.
Testing for COVID-19
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires health insurers to cover the COVID-19 diagnostic test at no cost to individuals. This includes private health plans, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, veterans’ plans, federal workers’ health plans, and the Indian Health Service.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provide important protections for individuals to receive testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and other services.
Testing for COVID-19
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires health insurers to cover the COVID-19 diagnostic test at no cost to individuals. This includes private health plans, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, veterans’ plans, federal workers’ health plans, and the Indian Health Service.
- This means that individuals are not responsible for deductibles, coinsurance, or co-pays for a COVID-19 test or for the visit associated with receiving that test.
- Plans may not use tools like prior authorization to limit access to the test.
- Insurers must also cover the cost, without cost-sharing, of a patient’s visit to a provider, urgent care center, or emergency room to receive this testing.
- However, these requirements do not apply to certain types of private health plans that are not in compliance with requirements of the Affordable Care Act, such as short-term limited duration plans. Please contact your insurance plan with any questions. For the purpose of testing, these individuals count as uninsured under the Families First Act. See below.
- Please note that a doctor’s order is currently required to receive a COVID-19 test in Hawaii. Please click here for more information on the criteria for testing.
What if I am uninsured?
The Families First Act provides funding to reimburse providers for testing uninsured individuals, including those enrolled in short-term limited duration plans. If you are uninsured, please talk to your provider about receiving a test.
In addition, states have the option to extend Medicaid eligibility to uninsured populations for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, and this testing would be available with no cost-sharing.
Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare Beneficiaries
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, a senior on Medicare can get up to 90 days of a prescription if that is what their doctor prescribed, as long as there are no safety concerns. Medicare drug plans will also allow beneficiaries to fill prescription early for refills up to 90 days, depending on the prescription.
In the past, Medicare drug plans only let beneficiaries receive a 30-day supply of their prescription.
Over-the-Counter Medical Products
The CARES Act allows patients to use funds in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRAs) for the purchase of over-the-counter medical products, such as non-prescription pain relievers and cold/flu medications, without a prescription from a physician. In addition, menstrual care products have been added to the list of qualified health care expenses under FSAs, HSAs, and HRAs.
Telehealth
The CARES Act provides new options to use telehealth. More information is available here.
In addition, states have the option to extend Medicaid eligibility to uninsured populations for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, and this testing would be available with no cost-sharing.
Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare Beneficiaries
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, a senior on Medicare can get up to 90 days of a prescription if that is what their doctor prescribed, as long as there are no safety concerns. Medicare drug plans will also allow beneficiaries to fill prescription early for refills up to 90 days, depending on the prescription.
In the past, Medicare drug plans only let beneficiaries receive a 30-day supply of their prescription.
Over-the-Counter Medical Products
The CARES Act allows patients to use funds in Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRAs) for the purchase of over-the-counter medical products, such as non-prescription pain relievers and cold/flu medications, without a prescription from a physician. In addition, menstrual care products have been added to the list of qualified health care expenses under FSAs, HSAs, and HRAs.
Telehealth
The CARES Act provides new options to use telehealth. More information is available here.
The Last Word
AND THE REAL LAST WORD
Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
You’re my servant, serving on my side.
I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.
Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
Thanks be to God, AMEN!
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