by admin | Aug 25, 2016 | News
Music Director. Plan to be in church on Sunday, August 28, to meet the candidate for the position of our permanent music director. As part of our interview process, Kathleen Dahill will be providing our music during the worship service. She will then stay for lunch and meet with the choir after that.
Weight Watchers meets at Koloa Union every Saturday morning, weigh-in at 7:30 am, meeting at 8:00 am. Join Romae and her team. Questions? 1-800-651-6000.
Exterior Painting of the church begins August 29. So many changes happening at Koloa Union Church! Have you noticed all the new gutters installed and the new plants?
Salvation Army Servers Needed on Wednesday, August 31. Contact Judyth Foley if you can help.
38th Labor Day Breakfast at Lihue United, Monday, September 5, 2016, 7 – 10 a.m. In the parish Hall 4340 Nawiliwili Road. Adults $8, Keiki $4 (ages 5-11), children under 4 free. Part of the proceeds will help fund The Bridge: From Kaua`i to College (one of the ministries in which several of our members are involved).
Fall Youth Camp Registration is September 1!!! The Hawai`i Conference Fall Youth Camp will be October 9-12 (during fall break) at Camp Mokule`ia on O`ahu. Middle and high school students are invited to register. The cost, including airfare and ground transportation, is $200. The Kaua`i Association is offering $50-$100 scholarships for all Kaua`i students who attend and Kōloa Union Church is offering the same for our own youth who attend. An October fundraiser for Fall Youth Camp is also in the plans at Kōloa Union Church!
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“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 | Aug 25, 2016 | Message from Kahu
LIKE A WATERED GARDEN!
On Sunday, we read from Isaiah 58, where the prophet tells the people of God that they are like a watered garden when they worship well; and he makes it very clear what kind of worship he is talking about! It is not just going through the motions of worship, but showing compassion to others. It is relieving the pain and suffering that people are enduring and also removing the causes of that pain and suffering. If we are like a watered garden when we do these things, I hope that we will remind ourselves of this every time we take notice of the beauty all around us on this magnificent Garden Island on which we live! If you would like to see the sermon on video, click HERE.
As our landscaping project is unfolding before our eyes, as the result of our successful capital campaign, it appears that our church grounds are becoming a beautiful and well-watered garden! What a wonderful symbol for us to have as we approach our sanctuary on Sunday morning: we walk through a well-watered garden on our way to become one! (Actually, I think we already are that garden, but we come to church for more watering, fertilizing, and maybe even some pruning.)
I hope you will join us on Sunday as we learn to become a well-watered garden!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
You are invited to join us for worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
“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.
by admin | Aug 17, 2016 | News
Toyo Turns 100! We will celebrate Toyo Nishida’s 100th birthday this Sunday, August 21. Come celebrate this special occasion during worship and Aloha Hour. Also, Becky Sakimae and the Baldwin Family will be providing our special music this week!
Music Director We now have a candidate to be our next Music Director! As part of our interview process, she will be playing in church on Sunday, August 28. After church, she will visit with members of the congregation during Aloha Hour and then meet with choir members in Kahu’s office.
Weight Watchers meets at Koloa Union every Saturday morning: weigh-in at 7:30 am, meeting at 8:00 am. Join Romae and her team. Questions? 1-800-651-6000.
Salvation Army Servers Needed on Wednesday, August 31. Contact Judyth Foley if you can help.
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“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 | Aug 17, 2016 | Message from Kahu
OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN?
On Sunday, we considered how the world around us has changed in the last century. Just think of the events that caused a major shift in the way we see: World War I and the major social changes that followed; World War II with the Holocaust and atom bomb; the Cold War, anti-war demonstrations, the pill, the Civil Rights movement, the LGBT Rights movement (just to name a small handful!).
With all these changes also came changes in how we see God and the universe all around us. Diana Butler Bass, in her book Grounded, Finding God in the World, writes: “During the last century, the three-tiered universe and its orderly certainty crumbled.” She is referring to the way people formerly saw the universe: God up in heaven, people on earth, and the underworld where no one wanted to go. In this universe, people needed the Church to help get them to heaven where God is and avoid going to hell where God is not.
People now tend to think of God as being omnipresent—filling all space everywhere at all times. So, if God is always everywhere at all times and forever, what is the point of the Church these days? I shared with the congregation that I need the Church (I need them!) to remind me that God is everywhere, because it’s easy for me to forget this when I listen to the news and hear about cruelty, hate crimes, religion-inspired killing, refugees who are turned away from safe places, and so much more. I do believe that God is always with me…always with each of us…but the Church helps remind me of this when it is hard to see God amid the experiences of our world.
I hope Koloa Union Church will always be a place that will help us see God! I invite you to come and see God for yourself!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu Akana’s sermon from past Sundays, scroll down to earlier entries of “A Message from Kahu Alan Akana.” There is no video this week due to the electricity not working at the church on Sunday morning.
You are invited to join us for worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
“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.
by admin | Aug 11, 2016 | Message from Kahu
ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about my difficulty reading through the Old Testament because of the violent and brutal actions people believed God wanted them to do. Over and over again, the people of God believed that God gave them not only permission, but instruction, to kill others with God’s blessing and guidance. This theme begins in Genesis. The book of Joshua (chapter 12) actually lists 31 kingdoms that were defeated in battle by Joshua alone. The first verse of the next chapter states: “and very much of the land still remains to be possessed.” In other words, in terms of slaughtering people of different kingdoms, ethnicities, cultures and religions, the Israelites were just getting started!
The people of ancient Israel were not all that different from others, who believed that their gods rewarded them for appropriate sacrifices, prayers and worship by giving them success in battle over their enemies. The main difference was that the Israelites believed in one God (who also rewarded for the same things in the same way). Throughout history, the Christian Church has also continued this pattern of belief and action. I am opposed to killing others in general; I am also opposed to killing others because “our country, culture and religion” are believed to be superior to others and more dear to God.
I am encouraged that there is another perspective in the Scriptures regarding why we worship and what makes God really happy with our worship. In the opening pages of Isaiah, we read that God is not pleased with sacrifices, offerings, festivals and prayers if they are not accompanied by justice and compassion. When our worship leads to the opening of our eyes and hearts to people in the world who need justice and compassion, then God is truly pleased!
May we open our eyes and hearts this week to people all around us and show them justice and compassion—regardless of their citizenship, ethnicity, culture or religion…or anything else that might make them different from us!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu Akana’s sermon from this past Sunday, click HERE.
You are invited to join us for worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
“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.
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