by admin | Nov 23, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we celebrated and gave thanks for the many blessings in our lives. We read the passage from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, chapter 4:
- Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I shared with the congregation about my experience of returning to joy and gratitude as often as possible. There have certainly been times in my life when joy and gratitude seemed far away—and I’m pretty sure that has been the case for you as well! But I have discovered that when we return to joy and gratitude as quickly and as often as possible, we find deep and lasting peace.
Two special things happened early in the week that brought me great joy and gratitude. First of all, I was at the church on Tuesday when the volunteers returned from delivering boxes of food to families on the south shore who are struggling financially. I got to hear firsthand how much joy our congregation brought to some families that would likely have little to eat on Thursday. Secondly, I was in my office on Tuesday morning, meeting with Dan Giovanni regarding our capital campaign projects, and a visitor on vacation from Idaho walked up and told us what a beautiful church we had. She was so moved by the beauty of the outside of our building and our new landscaping that she wanted to see the inside of the building. Afterwards, she commented that we have such a beautiful and special place and said that she will join us for worship on Sunday morning when she returns to the island. As she walked away, I turned to Dan and said, “Well that just made my day!” All of our generosity and efforts to create a welcoming and inviting space are certainly paying off!
This coming Sunday, we begin the Season of Advent, in which we celebrate the coming of Christ. Even though Christ is always with us and never leaves us, Christ also seems to come in new and surprising ways. This is the season to be open to those surprises. I hope you will join me in our Sunday morning worship services during the next four weeks as we discover how Christ comes to us and surprises us with hope, peace, joy and love. This year during Advent, I have invited some of the artists among us to light the Advent candles and share with us how Christ comes through our art.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Click HERE to see a video of last Sunday’s sermon.
by admin | Nov 23, 2016 | News
ADVENT BEGINS ON SUNDAY! This year during Advent, some of the artists among us are sharing their art in order to help us fully enter into the spirit of the season. This Sunday, Karen Johnson will share with us her poetry. Advent means “coming.” Christ is always present and yet coming to us in new ways all the time. We invite you to come, open your hearts to the art and the artists among us, and see how Christ might come to you in a brand new way during this special season.
THE BRIDGE: FROM KAUA`I TO COLLEGE You are invited to the First Annual Gala Fundraiser for “The Bridge: Kaua’i to College!” The event will take place at Gaylord’s at Kilohana on Sunday, December 4, beginning at 4 pm. There will be a silent auction, a delicious three-course buffet dinner prepared by the talented kitchen staff at Gaylord’s and performances by Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina`ala! Tickets are $75 for open table seating—or buy a reserved table of six for $600 and introduce your friends to The Bridge! Bonnie Kakinami and Kahu have tickets for sale. Please contact Susan Davis at 650-464-1654 or susandavisphd@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to donate an item to the silent auction. Join us for a wonderful evening to support Kaua`i’s high school students who want to go to college!
- NOTE: Kahu invites you to join him in reserving THREE tables as “Koloa Union Church.” That’s $100 per person ($25 more than an individual ticket) in order to show our congregation’s over-the-top support for the young people on Kaua`i. You will sit at a better table and receive a gift for your special generosity.
PRAYERS & SQUARES On Sunday, our Church Council gave its blessing to a group of church members to begin a new prayer ministry. The group will create beautiful quilts for people in crisis and invite members of the congregation to tie knots in each quilt as they pray for the person in need. The recipient of the quilt will be “covered” in prayer! Angela and Bill Dressel have donated the membership dues to the Prayers and Squares organization, and Angela has agreed to be the initial coordinator for the project. Many hands and hearts will be needed to make this program a success. The first and most important thing we ask for are your prayers. Let’s watch how God leads us in the weeks, months, and years ahead to serve our church family and larger community. Stay tuned for information regarding future meetings and plans.
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. Just place your change before December 11 in the Spare Change Jar as you enter or leave the church. We will add up our change 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.
CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE PARSONAGE Friday, December 9, 2016, 6:00 pm. Join us at our annual Christmas party at Kahu’s home—the Smith Memorial Parsonage (3281 Waikomo Road). Bring a dish to share and your singing voices, as we plan to sing Christmas carols!
THE CHRISTMAS FUND Each year at Christmastime, congregations of the United Church of Christ across the country take up a collection to provide pension and health premium supplementation to lower-income retired church workers, and emergency assistance to clergy and lay church employees in need, as well as “Thank You” gift checks to hundreds of faithful retired church workers. The fund is administered by the UCC Pension Boards. We will collect the Christmas Fund offering on December 18, 24 & 25. Please give generously to help faithful church workers who are experiencing difficult times.
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-offs. 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.
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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 | Nov 16, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, I began my sermon with an honest assessment of what has been happening in our country this past week. I also pointed out that I am both a citizen with a vote and a voice, as well as Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church. I then made four commitments to the congregation:
- First of all, when it comes to publicly speaking about politics, I will never speak as your Pastor, but rather as a citizen. For I believe that each of you is entitled to speak your own mind; and just as I don’t want you to speak on my behalf politically, I can’t imagine that you would want me to speak on yours.
- My second commitment is that I will never tell you who to vote for or what to vote for…for that is entirely up to you.
- Thirdly, I will encourage all of us to be who we are and believe what we believe in a safe and supportive environment…and love each other deeply, even when our political opinions may be very different.
- And finally, I will encourage us, beginning today, to dream together—dreams of a better nation and a better world—and to share our dreams with one another….
I then shared a few dreams—dreams that most of us have heard before. I shared the dream of Isaiah from chapter 65, a seemingly impossible dream where there is no more pain or tears, and everyone lives a long and full life. I then shared a portion of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, another seemingly impossible dream in which all racism and prejudice comes to an end. Finally, I shared my dream for our country and world, which also seems rather impossible. I hope I remembered to mention in my sermon that I am so glad that we dream our impossible dreams, for they give us hope, focus, vision and invite us to live our lives according to our highest values. At the end of our worship service, I invited the congregation to share their dreams with me. For those who would like to participate, please send me your dreams, and let me know if I have your permission to share your dream (in whole or in part) with others. I think it is important that we share our dreams with others in a safe and supportive environment. Feel free to mail, drop off or email your dream to me at the church.
If you would like to see a video of Sunday’s sermon, please click HERE.
Finally, I hope you will join us this coming Sunday for a special time of gratitude. We will worship with gratitude and then feast together as a congregation on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I think it is especially important to focus on gratitude during these challenging times in the life of our nation. Come and be thankful! Come and give thanks!
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.
by admin | Nov 15, 2016 | News
HOLIDAY CLEANING & CHRISTMAS DECORATING Saturday, November 19, 8 a.m. – noon. We want to spruce up the church and sanctuary before the holidays. Uncle Diki will provide the tree that will need decorating; also the Advent wreath will need to be created. We hope to dust, polish, power wash, decorate. Please tell Penny if you are able to help. Lunch will be served.
ANNUAL KOLOA UNION CHURCH THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION
We will celebrate Thanksgiving together as a congregation this Sunday, November 20! Our worship service will focus on gratitude. Our meal during Aloha Hour will be a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Please see Penny to sign up for food. Come and be thankful!
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE If you have any articles for the December newsletter, please turn them in to Penny by November 20, 2016.
THANKSGIVING DINNER IN A BOX Thanks to the overwhelming response by our congregation and the donor who gave a very generous donation toward feeding hungry people on the south shore, we will be creating “Thanksgiving Dinner in a Box” for ten families next week! Each box will include a turkey and other menu items for families to cook traditional Thanksgiving dinners! The Outreach Committee will shop for anything that might be missing on Monday, November 21, and then deliver the boxes to families the next day. If you would like to donate a menu item, help with the shopping, organizing or distribution of the boxes, please call Judyth Foley at 818-726-1344.
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 have already filled it up once—along with some generous checks! We will add up our change on December 11 and purchase gift cards from 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.
THE BRIDGE: FROM KAUA`I TO COLLEGE You are invited to the First Annual Gala Fundraiser for “The Bridge: Kaua’i to College!” The event will take place at Gaylord’s at Kilohana on Sunday, December 4, beginning at 4 pm. There will be a silent auction, a delicious three-course buffet dinner prepared by the talented kitchen staff at Gaylord’s and performances by Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina`ala! Tickets are $75 for open table seating—or buy a reserved table of six for $600 and introduce your friends to The Bridge! Bonnie Kakinami and Kahu have tickets for sale. Please contact Susan Davis at 650-464-1654 or susandavisphd@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to donate an item to the silent auction. Join us for a wonderful evening to support Kaua`i’s high school students who want to go to college!
PRAYERS & SQUARES Cathy Evans met with a small group of church members on Sunday to provide details and information about this new prayer ministry we are considering. The consensus at the meeting was to move forward, after we receive formal approval from the Council. Angela and Bill Dressel will donate the membership dues to the Prayers and Squares organization, and Angela has agreed to be the initial coordinator for the project. Many hands and hearts will be needed to make this program a success. The first and most important thing we ask for are your prayers. Let’s watch how God leads us in the weeks, months, and years ahead to serve our church family and larger community. Stay tuned for information regarding future meetings and plans.
ANNUAL SPRING RUMMAGE SALE Saturday, April 22, 2017, 8 a.m. to noon. We are accepting your rummage sale donations at the church. Call the church (742-6622) or Judyth (818-726-1344) for drop-offs. 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.
______________________
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 | Nov 13, 2016 | Message from Kahu
What a week this has been! I never imagined that an election in the United States would elicit so much emotion, drama, pain, anger, and even violence. I believe it is essential that we come together as a congregation and pray for peace, justice and unity, express our fears and concerns, and maybe even be a sanctuary where people in our community can come to meditate and pray. Please join us on Sunday as we reflect on what is happening around us and how God might be calling us to respond.
Regardless of what happens in the country, let us remain committed to being agents of peace, remembering that we are to love our enemies, while at the same time take a stand for justice. Let us remain committed to loving our neighbors and always widening the fences and opening the gates until they all come down. Let us remain committed asking the question (as we have done for the last 4 weeks) “And who is my neighbor?”
That question has been our theme this fall. Thank you to everyone who has made a financial commitment to our mission in 2017, as we continue to support ministry that reaches out to neighbors as Jesus did. Thank you also to all who continue to commit your time, energy and your love to this wonderful community of faith which I have come to deeply appreciate and love as “Koloa Union Church.”
Aloha nui!!!
Kahu Alan Akana
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“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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