by admin | Apr 11, 2017 | News
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING This special offering of the United Church of Christ supports disaster relief, refugee support, and development throughout the world. We will collect the OGHS offering this week on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. Please use the special offering envelopes or write OGHS on your check. Mahalo nui for your generosity!
MAUNDY THURSDAY On Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m., we will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. We will sing hymns, read Scriptures, reflect upon their meaning and celebrate Holy Communion. Join us in the sanctuary for this special service.
EASTER EGG DECORATING & LUNCH On Friday, April 14, at 11 a.m., the children of the church will gather in Moore Hall for our annual Easter egg decorating and lunch. The eggs will be used in the Easter egg hunt at the parsonage on Easter.
EASTER SUNDAY
6:00 Easter Sunrise Service at Kukuiolono Park in Kalaheo
10:30 Easter Worship Service at the church (NOTE: there will be NO breakfast served this year.)
11:45 Potluck Picnic and Easter Egg Hunt at the Smith Memorial Parsonage.
PARKING ON EASTER For those who are able, you are requested to park on Poipu Road and Waikomo Road on Easter morning, as well as at the Ramos’ residence (3303 Waikomo Road; next door to the parsonage), as well as the side and back of Moore Hall. We want to save parking spots at the church and in the parsonage driveway for those who have difficulty walking.
AND COMING UP….
ANNUAL RUMMAGE & BAKE SALE At the church on 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.
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.
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. 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 Congregations” (churches throughout the UCC that officially welcome LGBTQ people). Please let us know by Easter Sunday if you are planning to attend the Aha Mele and stay for a delicious dinner on Friday and/or have breakfast and lunch on Saturday. We need to make meal reservations.
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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“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 | Apr 11, 2017 | Message from Kahu
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD
MATTHEW 5:9
During our worship service on Sunday, the children of the church performed their Easter play for us called, “It wouldn’t be Easter without….” They talked about all of the things that children like about Easter: the Easter bunny, Easter baskets, candy, eggs and, of course, peeps! Yet the children reminded us that it wouldn’t be Easter without Jesus, and it wouldn’t be the same without everyone! It was a beautiful and meaningful play, as the children mentioned Palm Sunday, Easter, resurrection, Jesus and the importance of everyone feeling welcome.
I then shared briefly about Jesus’ message of peace as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey and as the crowd spread their branches on the ground before him and shouted “Hosanna!” His peace was very different from Pax Romana—the peace of the Roman Empire. The Romans used exploitation, oppression and intimidation to get what they wanted, and they called it “peace.”
Jesus taught an altogether different way of understanding peace. To him, peace meant life, love, and service to one another. As followers of Jesus, we too understand peace in this way. I invited everyone to look around and discover the places where peace is missing—and bring peace to those places: life, love and service to one another.
I invite you now to look around this week and do just that; I also invite you to join us on Maundy Thursday as we commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples…to our Easter sunrise service at Kukuiolono Park… and our Easter worship service at the church. May this Holy Week and Easter be filled with hope as we remember that life and peace are always possible—even when it seems like it’s the last thing that can happen.
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 | Apr 6, 2017 | Message from Kahu
JOIN US THIS WEEK FOR PALM SUNDAY!
___________________________
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD
MATTHEW 5:8
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation some of the writings of Soren Kierkegaard, the 19th century Danish philosopher. One of my favorite essays of Kierkegaard is called Purity of Heat. In it, he says “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” Kierkegaard argued that a person could not be pure in heart if he or she pursued many different things in life. On the other hand, if a person only willed one thing, that person would be pure in heart. According to Kierkegaard, the only way to pursue one thing was to pursue God; and Kierkegaard attempted to pursue God with his whole being.
In our Gospel reading on Sunday, we read from Matthew: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” I believe Kierkegaard understood these words of Jesus better than anyone else I have read. If we pursue God above all else, we will see God more clearly.
On Sunday, we celebrate Palm Sunday and begin Holy Week. I invite you to join us and invite friends and family members to church during this very special time of year. On Palm Sunday, we will remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. On Maundy Thursday, we will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. On Friday, our children will gather to decorate Easter eggs. And, of course, on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
I look forward to spending Holy Week with the people of Koloa Union Church!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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.
by admin | Apr 6, 2017 | News
JOIN US THIS WEEK FOR PALM SUNDAY!
_____________________
LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS This Wednesday, April 5, will be our last soup supper in Moore Hall at 6 p.m. After supper, Kahu Akana will lead a discussion on “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Will See God.”
PALM SUNDAY We will celebrate with the processional of palms and the children will perform their Easter play (“You Can’t Have Easter Without….”) this week on Palm Sunday, April 9.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING This special offering of the United Church of Christ supports disaster relief, refugee support, and development throughout the world. We will collect the OGHS offering on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. Please use the special offering envelopes or write OGHS on your check. Mahalo nui for your generosity!
ALAN AKANA GALLERY 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). NOTE: these are new hours for the gallery. A majority of the net profits from the gallery goes directly to the ministry of Koloa Union Church! For more information, click HERE.
MAUNDY THURSDAY On Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m., we will commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. We will read Scriptures, reflect upon their meaning and celebrate Holy Communion. Join us in the sanctuary for this special service.
EASTER EGG DECORATING & LUNCH On Friday, April 14, at 11 a.m., the children of the church will gather in Moore Hall for our annual Easter egg decorating and lunch. The eggs will be used in the Easter egg hunt at the parsonage on Easter. Please sign up on the bulletin board at church.
EASTER SUNDAY
6:00 Easter Sunrise Service at Kukuiolono Park in Kalaheo
10:30 Easter Worship Service at the church (NOTE: there will be NO breakfast served this year.)
11:45 Potluck Picnic and Easter Egg Hunt at the Smith Memorial Parsonage. Please sign up to bring something to eat on the signup sheet on the bulletin board by April 9, and our Aloha Hour Committee for that day will plan accordingly.
- PARKING ON EASTER For those who are able, you are requested to park on Poipu Road and Waikomo Road on Easter morning, as well as at the Ramos’ residence (3303 Waikomo Road; next door to the parsonage), as well as the side and back of Moore Hall. We want to save parking spots at the church and in the parsonage driveway for those who have difficulty walking.
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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