by admin | Oct 28, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we continued our series on “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” Our focus was Sharing Aloha with Children and Youth. It was an honor to have four high school students from Kamehameha Schools join us to help lead our worship service with music and inspiring message. Each of the four shared about ways they have reached out into their various communities and also talked about their hopes for how churches will reach out to young people.
As I think about ways that we might reach out to the children and youth of our community, I invite you to be part of our vision. Most of our members and regular attendees have received a paper heart in the mail by now (and anyone can pick up a heart at church or make your own out of card stock); I invite you to write on your heart the kinds of people with particular kinds of needs that you think God might be calling us to pay attention to in the coming year. Please bring it to church on or before Sunday, November 6, so that we can put all of the paper hearts on a banner and ask God to give us compassion and wisdom for all of the people listed. Please also bring your commitment card for 2017 on November 6 so that we can include it in our “Blessing of Commitments” during our worship service on that day.
In the meantime, I invite you to continue praying the following prayer with me, as you consider your commitment to our church’s future outreach and mission:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will freely flow in and out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon on Sunday, click HERE.
“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 | Oct 28, 2016 | News
OUR NEW KOA FLOWER STAND As the latest addition to our capital campaign, we presented a beautiful koa flower stand to the congregation on Sunday. It was made from the same piece of wood as our koa pulpit and complements it perfectly! May thanks to Pat and Larry Chaffin who generously donated the flower stand as an “over and above gift” to the capital campaign in honor of their children and grandchildren.
KAHU’S SERMONS ON VIDEO Thanks to generous donors, we are continuing to record on video Kahu’s sermons each Sunday. We encourage you to share these videos with your friends and neighbors in order to encourage them to attend Koloa Union Church. For this week’s sermon, click
HERE.
CHRISTMAS OUTREACH “Spare Change to Help Needy Families” We plan to give gift cards to families in our community before Christmas so that they can have food and gifts for their children. Can you bring your spare change to church between now and December 11? Just place it in the Spare Change Jar as you enter or leave the church. We will add up our change on December 11 and purchase gift cards for local stores. If you know any families we can help, have any questions, or wish to volunteer, please contact Judyth Foley at 818-726-1344.
CHOIR PRACTICE: The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. Please come, and bring a friend.
ANNUAL SPRING RUMMAGE SALE: Saturday, April 22, 2017, 8 a.m. – noon. We are accepting your rummage sale donations at the church. Call the church (742-6622) or Judyth (818-726-1344) for drop-off times. We welcome all smaller items, larger items later (storage space is an issue). Our goal is to have both storage sheds full of your donations. Profits will be used for our youth activities.
____________________
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 | Oct 21, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we began our 4-part series on “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” I shared with the congregation about comments made by Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ—that we should listen to the cries of our neighbors when considering what our church’s mission is. Right after hearing these words from Dr. Dorhauer, I had dinner with a colleague, who spoke about his own tears when his wife and two children died. He also talked about his inability to cry when his first wife packed her bags and walked out the door for good, without any warning. It occurred to me that we must listen for both the audible and silent tears of our neighbors.
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), two priests walked on the other side of the road when they saw a man, bloody and beaten, lying on the opposite side. Then a man of Samaria (an enemy!) came near to the injured man, was moved with compassion and helped him. It is only when we draw near to those in pain that we have compassion for them. So let us draw near to our neighbors; let us listen for their cries; and let us act with compassion; for this is our calling as followers of Jesus.
I invite you to continue praying the following prayer with me, as you consider your commitment to our church’s future outreach and mission:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will freely flow in and out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
I look forward to seeing you in church as we seek together how we might bring aloha to the people around us who have deep longings for a better life. I hope you will join us as we welcome students from Kamehameha School to assist in our worship by providing music and stories.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon, click HERE.
“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 | Oct 19, 2016 | News
KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOL DEPUTATION TEAM
Four juniors from Kamehameha School will be assisting in worship this Sunday, October 23, by providing music and stories. They will be accompanied by Kahu Kordell Kekoa. The deputation team program began in the late 1940’s when Chaplain Rev. Stephen L. Desha, Jr. observed that many Hawaiian churches of the Protestant Congregational denomination were without pastors. He felt that Kamehameha Schools could extend its educational services and be sending students to churches that requested assistance. The program continues to grow throughout Hawaii with 75 students this year, as students visit and assist churches. Let us welcome the Kamehameha School students and share our aloha with children and youth this Sunday!
KAHU’S SERMONS ON VIDEO Thanks to generous donors, we are continuing to record on video Kahu’s sermons each Sunday. We encourage you to share these videos with your friends and neighbors in order to encourage them to attend Koloa Union Church. For this week’s sermon, click
HERE.
CHRISTMAS OUTREACH “Spare Change to Help Needy Families” We plan to give gift cards to families in our community before Christmas so that they can have food and gifts for their children. Can you bring your spare change to church between now and December 11? Just place it in the Spare Change Jar as you enter or leave the church. We will add up our change on December 11 and purchase gift cards for local stores. If you know any families we can help, have any questions, or wish to volunteer, please contact Judyth Foley at 818-726-1344.
CHOIR PRACTICE: The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. Please come, and bring a friend.
ANNUAL SPRING RUMMAGE SALE: Saturday, April 22, 2017, 8 a.m. – noon. We are accepting your rummage sale donations at the church. Call the church (742-6622) or Judyth (818-726-1344) for drop-off times. We welcome all smaller items, larger items later (storage space is an issue). Our goal is to have both storage sheds full of your donations. Profits will be used for our youth activities.
____________________
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 | Oct 10, 2016 | Message from Kahu
I am excited to announce “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” which is our theme for the next 4 weeks as we consider together as a congregation what God might be calling us to do for our surrounding community in the following year. Our mission and vision statements strongly focus on looking beyond ourselves to serve the community and bring aloha to our neighbors. Then, on November 6, we will be making our financial commitments for 2017 as we keep in mind our calling to serve others. In the meantime, I invite you to pray the following prayer with me:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will feely flow in and freely flow out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
I look forward to seeing you in church as we seek together how we might bring aloha to the people around us who have deep longings for a better life.
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.
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