September 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!
Weekly News of the Church
CHURCH AT THE BEACH, Poipu Beach Park
Our worship service will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 11, at the main pavilion at Po‘ipu Beach Park (across the street from Nukumoi Surf Shop). Sign up to bring something to share for our potluck luncheon afterwards. Bring beach chairs too. There will be no worship service at the church that day.
FALL YOUTH KICK-OFF PARTY at the Smith Memorial Parsonage, 3281 Waikomo Road in Koloa, Saturday, September 10, 2016, 5 – 7 p.m.. Come enjoy good food and beverages, games and icebreakers, really cool prizes and music. Please bring a potluck dish to share, bring friends, parents and pastors and ideas for future activities. See you there!
NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR. We welcomed Kathleen Dahill as our new music director. She comes to us with a B.S. in theater education and a wealth of successful experience writing and arranging music, including a Mokihana Award for best new Hawaiian song.
CHOIR REHEARSAL BEGINS THIS WEEK! Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. at the church. Please come…and bring a friend.
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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!
A Message from Kahu Alan Akana
Poipu Beach Pavilion
CHURCH AT THE BEACH ON SEPTEMBER 11th
I am grateful for your prayers this past week after a minor outpatient procedure. I am back at work and feeling great!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone AT THE BEACH on Sunday morning. Please bring something to share for the potluck and be sure to bring a beach chair if you want something comfortable to sit on. We have reserved the main pavilion from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. THE WORSHIP SERVICE WILL BEGIN AT 11:00 A.M., but feel free to come early and stay afterwards.
See you on Sunday!
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.
A Message from Kahu Alan Akana
A BLESSING THAT KEEPS ON BLESSING!
My message on Sunday focused on how we are very blessed in this life, and how those blessings come to us even more when we bless others without expecting anything in return. I shared a story of two friends of the church, Mike and his wife Judy, who recently died. Mike and Judy invited me to dinner at their home in Poipu before they returned to their other home in Washington State; and I shared on Sunday about the blessings I have seen from that one simple act to bless me, two of their other friends and Mike’s niece. It was a magical evening on their lanai…next to the lawn…next to the ocean…(much like to picture above)…with wonderful conversation and an over-the-top catered dinner created by Chef Tom Ryan of Custom Catering Hawaii. Sadly, Judy died on the evening of April 30. I remember sharing the news of her unexpected passing in church the next morning.
During the following week, I began planning a way to honor Judy. One of the last things she said to me as I was leaving their home on the night they treated me to dinner was, “I just LOVE Hawaiian flowers!” (I had just given Mike and her a set of greeting cards from the Hawaiian flowers I had painted.) So I asked Chef Tom if he would be interested in helping me to create a special gift to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Judy’s memory. Since their annual fundraising event was coming up in August, I asked Tom if he would consider donating a meal that would be combined with one of my paintings (below). Tom told me that he would be honored to donate a meal in Judy’s memory. The gift grew, with the help of others, and the blessings continued. Rather than writing down the rest of the details, I am attaching a video of Sunday’s sermon HERE, so that you can hear all about it.
As you watch the video, I invite you to consider how you might be a blessing to others, knowing that you will be blessed in return. I also invite you to pay attention to the ways you are blessed…and give thanks.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
P.S. In my sermon, I mistakenly referred to Mike’s “daughter”; I meant to say “niece.” I also referred to seeing the island of “Lanai”; I meant to say “Niihau” (although that would be really cool to see Lanai from the south shore of Kauai!).
‘ILIAHI © Alan Akana 2016
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon on 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.
Weekly News of the Church
KAHU RECUPERATING: Kahu Alan Akana had a minor medical procedure done on his mouth this week and is recuperating very well at home. He is not taking calls. Please contact Penny at the church office if you have an emergency. Kahu plans to be back in the office on Tuesday, September 6.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NEWS THIS WEEK: As part of our capital campaign projects, we are painting the entire exterior of the church and Moore Hall this week. We have also installed a welcoming sign on the arbor (“Hawaiian Hospitality Since 1835”). Landscaping continues! Thanks to all who have contributed to “Maika`i Hana Hou!” (“Creating Goodness & Beauty Once Again!”); you have certainly made a HUGE difference in making Koloa Union Church a more welcoming and beautiful place!
38th LABOR DAY BREAKFAST: Lihue United Church is hosting breakfast once again this year! You are invited to support their ministry to the community on Monday, September 5, 2016, from 7:00 – 10:00 a.m. Breakfast will be in the Parish Hall, 4340 Nawiliwili Road. Adults $8, Keiki $4 (ages 5-11), children under 4: free. Part of the proceeds will go to “The Bridge: From Kauai to College,” a ministry to high school students which Koloa Union Church and many of our members are supporting.
CHURCH AT THE BEACH: Join us NEXT week at Poipu Beach Park for our annual worship service at the beach. We will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 11, at the main pavilion at Po‘ipu Beach Park (across the street from Nukumoi Surf Shop). We start a bit later than usual in order to give people a chance to find us if they show up at church at 10:30. Sign up to bring something to share for our potluck luncheon, which will follow the worship service. Bring beach chairs too if you want a comfortable chair. There will be no worship service at the church that day.
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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!
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