Mindfulness according to the dictionary is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. One of the key elements of being good stewards of OLGC Church is how mindful we are in overseeing this facility that has been entrusted to us.

This article came about upon the requests of several parishioners who had asked me to gently remind the congregation about the upkeep of our place of worship and also of the restrooms. That being said, we at times are complacent about the condition of our church which we often consider as our second home or a safe haven to escape from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Let us all strive to be more mindful in keeping the church interior clean and free of clutter such as tissue left in the pews, scratch paper inserted in the missals, cereals, candy and gum wrappers dropped on the floor. I know most of us do some light housekeeping in the restrooms, picking-up up toilet paper from the floor, replenishing toilet paper and paper towels, to name a few. Although our church has a cleaning contract, we still need to do our part to help maintain its cleanliness.

The church is the house of God and rightfully so, it is our responsibility as His children, to keep His house clean and tidy.

Below is an article by Rose Galera of the Health Ministry.
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness”

by Rose Galera, Health Ministry Member

When I learned of our OLGC Health Ministry and its purpose to educate and create awareness for healthy and safety living, I felt compelled to join and serve in the Ministry to share my “Cleanliness next to Godliness” gifts of my years of educational learning, training, working experiences and awareness of my cleaning profession passion and the beliefs of its values, for Health, Safety and Wellness. I felt that with the Health Ministry I could serve and give back for all the joys and blessings received, to our OLGC community.

Stewardship it is said, is a theological belief that humans are responsible for the world, and should take care of it. I believe in God who created the universe and all that is within it, also believing that we must take care of creation and look after it. Everything we have belongs to God; we are to manage it for His glory. Stewardship helps me to recognize the miracles in my life. Very simply, it feels good to be grateful, serving the Lord and giving back for all of His blessings of “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

Cleaning provides well documented benefits in terms of creating cleaner, safer and healthier surroundings by extracting harmful pollutants from the indoor environment. An improperly maintained indoor environment could give rise to biological contaminants, and buildup of particulate matter and gases which can have serious health effects. Such negative impacts along with Hawaii’s viruses outbreak awareness in the news; as the mumps, flu, hepatitis A, rat lungworm, Noro, dengue & Zika viruses may have adverse effects on our OLGC parishioners.

These are concerns that may impact on the health and safety of our OLGC Church, God’s Home attended by many parishioners.

The following standard cleaning precautions are shared to maintain the value of cleanliness: image and cleanliness; health and wellness; safety and comfort; morale and happiness. Surfaces that can spread diseases;

1) Dirty soiled floor surfaces
2) Dusty sitting, praying and kneeling surfaces
3) Used & dirty facial tissues left in book slots
4) Candy / Gum wrappers dropped and left on floors and in book slots
5) Dead Bugs on floor surfaces
6) Dirty Restrooms

PERSONAL HYGIENE
Practice good personal hygiene such as frequent hand washing to prevent disease transmission. It is important to wash hands correctly.

1) Wet hands with water
2) Apply liquid soap to hands
3) Rub your hands vigorously for at least 15 seconds, covering all surfaces of the hands and fingers
a) Use soap and warm running water;
b) Scrub nails by rubbing them against the palm of
your hand.
4) Rinse hands with water
5) Dry hands thoroughly with a paper towel
6) Turn off the faucet using the paper towel