by admin | Mar 28, 2016 | News
LIMITED HOURS AT THE CHURCH OFFICE
The Koloa Union Church office will be operating on limited hours until April 21. Dollie Brierley will be filling in as her schedule permits and will be checking messages on the church phone (742-6622) Monday through Thursday while our Administrative Assistant, Penny Osuga, is on vacation.
Kahu Alan Akana will be in the office this week Monday and Tuesday (8-11 a.m.) and in meetings and appointments away from the office most of the rest of the week.
Please leave a message if you wish to speak with Auntie Dollie or Kahu Akana.
WAINEKE WORK DAY
The Waineke Cabins Committee (including our own Uncle Diki Sugawa) will be hosting a special event this weekend, April 1st and 2nd:
- Friday, beginning at 3 p.m. Games, free time, singing, sharing about the cabins, and Uncle Diki’s famous oxtail soup for dinner!
- Saturday: Painting, cleaning, fixing up the cabins and grounds, plus some free time for hiking and relaxing. Bring a brush if you want to paint.
Added Bonus: There is no fee for spending the night at the cabins on Friday night!
For additional info or to register to attend, contact Rev. Glenn Frazier (634-0041).
“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Mar 28, 2016 | Message from Kahu
Mary Magdalene on Easter Morning
I love this picture of Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning. Without seeing her face, we can feel her sense of loss, grief and utter despair. Jesus, her beloved teacher and mentor, is dead and someone has stolen his body. What more could be taken from Mary?
On Easter Sunday, we read the story of the resurrection from John’s Gospel. John’s account is unique in three particular ways: Mary Magdalene is all alone at the tomb of Jesus; it is still dark when she visits it; Jesus is there at the tomb. The other 3 Gospels portray Mary with other women at (or after) dawn, and Jesus never meets her there. John is painting a picture of Mary all alone in the darkness of her grief; and yet (to her surprise), Jesus is alive and visits her at the tomb. She doesn’t recognize him at first, even as he talks with her; but then, when she hears Jesus calling her by name, she suddenly recognizes him and her life is changed forever.
There is an important message in this story for us: Even in our darkest and most alone moments in life, God continues to be present. We may not recognize God’s presence. We may not be able to see at all in our darkest moments. Nevertheless, God is always there…always loving us…and always inviting us to open our hearts to receive and give love.
May we recognize God’s loving presence during this Easter season, and may our lives be changed forever!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Mar 28, 2016 | Newsletter
Please click April 2016 to see the April newsletter.
The Newsletter is provided monthly by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Mar 24, 2016 | Message from Kahu, Uncategorized
During this very special week, we will celebrate Holy Communion at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening…decorate Easter eggs and enjoy lunch with our children and their families on Friday from 10 to noon…and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ with an Easter sunrise service, breakfast, worship and luncheon/Easter egg hunt. See our NEWS page for all of the details.
During our worship service on Easter, I will wrap up our time with Diana Butler Bass’ book Grounded: Finding God in the World, A Spiritual Revolution. Resurrection and the message of Easter is not an escape from the world but an call to fully live in the world and care for it as God’s beloved creation. Come and find God in the world! Join the spiritual revolution!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Mar 16, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about the neighborhood in which I was raised. I was supported, encouraged and given guidance and wisdom from other neighbors. The couple who owned the neighborhood grocery store even gave me a weekend job for a year so that I could save up money for college. Because of my neighborhood, I became who I am today.
Diana Butler Bass, in her book Grounded, writes:
When we love our neighbor as ourselves, we build sacred connections between the spaces we inhabit.
There was something sacred, something spiritual happening in the neighborhood of my childhood and teenage years. It was sacred because of the connections that happened when people loved their neighbors. And I am very grateful!
In our Gospel reading on Sunday, a man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life; and then he answered his own question, based upon the teachings of the Old Testament:
Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.
This man wanted to know who is neighbor was. Jesus moved the conversation from drawing circles around our homes in order to define our neighbors to discussing the importance of acting with compassion toward all people.
Who is your neighbor today and this week? How will you act with compassion toward him or her? How will you build sacred connections with this person…and help him/her to become who he/she might be in the future?
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Recent Comments