October 17, 2023

Hi everyone,

I’m writing to introduce a meaningful change that I’ll ask us all to support ahead of the Christmas season. This Christmas, we need to rely on our church family to fulfill some roles that have traditionally been held by external contractors, especially in the areas of production and cameras.

At first, this felt to me like an overwhelming or daunting change to pursue. But Quinn recently helped me to remember that,

“The point of FPC’s Christmas celebrations is to come together to worship as a church family… enjoy God and enjoy each other… in the Christmastime.”

And I believe we can achieve this with the same heart and mind and togetherness that we bring to Sunday mornings.

The past few months of watching how our teams are growing and flourishing has brought me even greater confidence in this crew. Everyone's talents and devotion to serve God's church at First Prez is a picture of unity that we treasure. We are well-prepared, practiced, and ready for this mission of finding new ways to express the historical richness and Christ-centered vibrancy of our First Prez Ohana.

I’m aware of the time and effort this new direction will require from our staff and volunteer teams. Please know that we will be mindful in our “asks”, and highly regard your family and/or personal care. We are committed to making this a life-giving practice rather than a burdensome one.

So you can expect me to often inquire and invite dialogue especially to make sure we’re okay— as a team and as individuals. I will be as openly forthright as possible and I won’t fudge anything.

I hope this change ultimately helps us to foster a deeper sense of unity and shared purpose. I (along with our other church leaders) believe this will strengthen our community bonds and enrich our collective worship experience and bless the Lord. I’m going to be touching base one-on-one to ask if you would be willing to contribute your skills and gifts as we celebrate these significant seasons together.

We have service times that our Session has approved, and possible rehearsal times that I can point to.

Thank you for your dedication to our church family.

Please join me in eagerly anticipating the beauty and fellowship that is ahead.

Warmly,
Chevas

Chevas Wong
Director of Worship, Production, and Communications
chevas@fpchawaii.org
(808) 295-6033