To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!

Aloha! We are just about to enter the home stretch of our “Walk in Love”
Stewardship Season. Our ingathering of pledge cards will happen during the service on
November 3, followed by a special fellowship time in Sumida Hall. Last Sunday, Claire
Parcon offered an inspiring and informative talk about what she learned at the Episcopal
Diocese of Hawaii annual convention, where she served as a delegate. This Sunday we’ll
have another speaker from our church ‘ohana sharing about their own “walk in love” here
at St. Timothy’s.

If you have already sent in your pledge card, MAHALO! If you haven’t yet, please plan
to do so by November 3. On the pledge card you may also indicate ministry areas in
which you’d like to participate, and special projects you may be interested in helping to
fund. Your faithful participation in this way enables our Bishop’s Committee to plan
prudently for our ministry together at St. Timothy’s in 2025. Thank you as always for your
generous spirit!

Coming this Saturday! St. Timothy’s is hosting a valuable workshop on Centering
Prayer this Saturday, October 26, 9-11:30 a.m., with Jean Benfer and our own Evan Barney.
Please join us for this motivating exploration of personal prayer—you can simply show up,
but it would be helpful if you would sign up at this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3FkdhGPBMfBGsJ0yyHLU7Zf9NxOgOVbh
ICTrh5nb33tyMDQ/viewform

I was honored to represent St. Timothy’s at the Foodland Give Aloha program
celebration on Tuesday. It was wonderful to meet so many other neighbors who do such
important work in the community. Our thanks to Foodland for their generous grant, and to
those of you who were able to shop there and donate to St. Timothy’s—mahalo!

Our final “Faith and Science” Adult Sunday School session will be this Sunday,
October 27. Rev. Dr. Nancy Duff will guide us via video and audio segments into a
discussion on “The Bible and Genetics,” and we’ll dive into ethical questions regarding the
treatment of animals, among other things. If you’d like to participate, grab your coffee and
refreshments in Sumida Hall, then head to the Vicar’s Office; we’ll start around 10:30 or
so. To prepare for this week’s conversation, please read Revelation 5:11-14. And
consider these questions:

- Do you have pets at home? How do you treat them? Do you think of them as members of your family? Will they be in heaven?
- Think about the nature of farming in the 21st century from what you know about it. How are animals treated on farms?
- Can you think of advantages and disadvantages of genetic research on humans and animals?
- Think about some of the many biblical passages that focus on animals. What images
are most meaningful to you?

This will be the last Adult Sunday School class until early next year as we have other
activities, gatherings, and fellowship opportunities between now and then. Be watching
for what’s coming next. See you in Sunday School!

​Last Sunday in worship, we explored Mark 10:35-45, in which James and John ask
Jesus for the places of highest honor in this kingdom of God. Jesus sets them straight:
he says whoever wishes to become great must be a servant. How might this radical
teaching affect our life and our ministry at St. Timothy’s? I hope you’ve been considering
your own answer to that question.

This Sunday, we continue in the gospel of Mark, digging into Mark 10:46-52, the
story of the healing of Bartimaeus, who suffered blindness but whose faith made him
well. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him, and unlike James and John, who were asked the very same question by Jesus, Bartimaeus responded in faith and followed Jesus on the way. How might Bartimaeus encourage us to reach out to Jesus in faith? Let’s see what we can discover. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday at 9 a.m. in church or on Facebook Live!

Dear sisters and brothers, you are in my prayers, and I ask for your prayers for St.
Timothy’s Church, for our dedicated staff and our devoted lay leaders, and for your
vicar. May God bless you all. 

Aloha Ke Akua!
Fr. Pete+