Weekly News of the Church
SPRING `AHA MOKUPUNI Hanapepe United Church of Christ, April 28-29, 2017
Everyone is welcome to join us for our spring gathering of all of the United Church of Christ congregations on Kaua`i! This year’s theme is “Justice Depends on Just-Us.” `Aha Mele is our annual musical celebration and will be on Friday evening, beginning with dinner at 5:30, followed by music from all of our UCC Churches on Kauai. KUC’s chancel choir will be singing a song written by our very own Kathleen Dahill! Those wishing to carpool should meet in the church parking lot and be prepared to leave at 5:00 sharp. Saturday morning will begin at 9:30 a.m. and include workshops on “justice,” including teen suicide, incarcerated women, Marshallese Health, and “Open and Affirming Churches,” which is a designation in the United Church of Christ for congregations who officially welcome everyone, including LGBTQ persons.
AND COMING UP….
MOTHER’S DAY LUNCH Join us for a special lunch on May 14, immediately after church services. The men (with a little help from the ladies) will be preparing a delicious meal to honor the moms, grandmas, aunties.
FAREWELL LUNCH Sadly, Mike and Fran Johnshoy and JoAnne Machin are moving to the mainland. We will be serving a special lunch in their honor on Sunday, May 21, immediately following church services. These three church members have been the epitome of volunteerism, and Koloa Union Church and members will certainly miss their presence.
PRAYERS & SQUARES Contact Angela Dressel if you would like to get involved in praying for and helping to make quilt squares for those in crisis.
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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
The Earth Our Home
Psalm 104
How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures!
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation that Martin Luther, often called “The Father of the Protestant Reformation,” was once asked what he would do if he knew Jesus were coming back tomorrow. He responded that he would plant a tree! You might ask, “Why plant a tree if Jesus is returning and the world as we know it might come to an end?” I believe the most appropriate response is: ” That’s what we are here for.”
In the creation story found in the book of Genesis, chapter 2, God created an earthling (Hebrew: adam) from the ground (adamah) and breathed life into it. Then the earthling, later called Adam, was placed in a garden called Eden; and the Scriptures tell us that the reason Adam was there was twofold:
- First and foremost, Adam was to care for the garden.
- Secondly, Adam was to eat from the garden.
In our Judeo-Christian tradition, Adam has become the symbol for humanity and Eden the symbol for the Earth; and we humans have been placed on the Earth for the same reason Adam was placed in the garden:
- To care for the Earth.
- To eat from the Earth.
We have done a pretty good job at eating from the Earth but not so good at caring for it. As we celebrated Earth Day this past weekend, I challenged us all to consider the words of Martin Luther: Let’s plant trees… today… tomorrow… and each and every day until Jesus returns… and do whatever else we can to care for this beautiful Earth that feeds us and gives us such joy and pleasure. After all, that’s what we are here for!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Click HERE to watch a video of Sunday’s sermon. Videos of Kahu’s sermons are available most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. You can also subscribe on YouTube anytime you watch a sermon; that way you can easily watch any past sermon and even receive a notification when a new sermon is posted.
“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
By the Grace of God, I Am What I Am
1 Corinthians 15:10
Easter Sunday was a very special day in the life of Koloa Union Church! During our worship service, we baptized five children and two adults, and we welcomed 6 new members! The service was filled with hopeful and beautiful music.
My message focused on the Apostle Paul’s message to the Corinthians: how the risen Christ appeared to so many people at different times and in different ways. Paul says that Christ even appeared to him—not that he deserved it. And then Paul says, “But by the grace of God, I am what I am.” I shared that this is the idea is the point of our baptisms: I am what I am, you are what you are, we are what we are, by the grace of God. As you read Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, it is apparent that God’s love flows into our lives and fills us up, so much so that this love spills over into the lives of others; for we are all God’s beloved children.
I shared the story of Louie Zamperini, the American Olympian who survived 47 days in an inflatable raft on the open ocean and then two years in a POW camp during World War II. He left for the war as a national hero, but came home feeling broken and ashamed. His depression, PTSD and inability to sleep drove hime to drinking, and his life was quickly spiraling downward. Yet, he remembered a promise he made to God while he was floating at sea: “If you save me, I will serve you forever.” He found his old Bible and started attending church services, and he too encountered the risen Christ. He no longer saw himself as a national hero or a broken person who barely made it home from the war alive. Rather, he was a beloved child of God; and God’s love for him was so immense he found himself sharing it with others. He too came to realize what the Apostle Paul realized: “By the grace of God, I am what I am.”
May you also realize that those same words are for your life as well. I invite you to say them over and over—and then just see what God might do with your life.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Click HERE to see a video of Sunday’s sermon. Videos of Kahu’s sermons are available most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. You can also subscribe on YouTube anytime you watch a sermon; that way you can easily watch any past sermon and even receive a notification when a new sermon is posted.
“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
ANNUAL RUMMAGE & BAKE SALE at the church this Saturday, April 22, 8 – noon. We offer old, new, ordinary and unique items for sale. Proceeds to be used for our church youth. We are asking for volunteers all week to help carry, sort and organize our donations, and then to help out on the day of the sale. Contact Judyth Foley for more information: 818-726-1344.
KAHU’S NIECE TO DANCE Ana Akana, Kahu’s niece (and Palani’s cousin) will dance hula as part of our worship service this Sunday, April 23. She grew up dancing in a halau in the San Francisco Bay Area. She will be visiting from Detroit where she now lives and does mission work.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Sunday, April 23, immediately following the worship service. The Church Council has called a meeting to discuss the possibility of allowing Alan Akana Gallery to remain in the Smith Memorial Parsonage after June 2017.
ALAN AKANA GALLERY OPEN HOUSE The gallery will host an open house fundraiser for National Tropical Botanical Gardens on Sunday, April 23, from 3-5 p.m. Join Kahu and Palani for a fun gathering of live music, hula and art giveaways! The watercolors of the beautiful flowers of Hawaii which are painted by our Kahu are on display at Alan Akana Gallery, located in the Smith Memorial Parsonage at 3281 Waikomo Road in Koloa. The gallery is open on Sundays through Thursday 1 p.m..-5 p.m. (closed Fridays and Saturdays). A majority of the net profits from the gallery goes directly to the ministry of Koloa Union Church! For more information about the gallery, click HERE.
AND COMING UP….
TREE TRIMMING The monkey pod trees in the church parking lot will be trimmed on Monday and Tuesday, April 24 & 25. There will be no parking available those two days.
SPRING AHA MOKUPUNI Hanapepe United Church of Christ, April 28-29, 2017 (“Justice Depends on Just-Us.”) `Aha Mele will be on Friday evening, beginning with dinner at 5:30, followed by music from all of our UCC Churches on Kauai. Those wishing to carpool should meet in the church parking lot and be prepared to leave at 5:00 sharp. Saturday morning will begin at 9:30 a.m. and include workshops on “justice,” including teen suicide, incarcerated women, and Marshallese Health. There will also be a workshop on the recent assessment of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ.
PRAYERS & SQUARES Contact Angela Dressel if you would like to get involved in praying for people in crisis or helping to make quilt squares for those in crisis.
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