Weekly News of the Church

WAINEKE WORKDAYS September 25 & 26.  Koloa Union Church is so fortunate to host several church events at Waineke Cabins throughout the year.  It is time to show our appreciation by volunteering on these workdays.  Please check with Uncle Diki for details.
SALVATION ARMY SOUP KITCHEN
On the 5th Wednesday of the month, our church volunteers to set up, serve lunch and clean up at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Hanapepe. Please talk to Judyth Foley if you are able to help on Wednesday, August 30th. Volunteers typically meet in our church parking lot at 9:30 a.m. to carpool.
UCC PRESENCE AT CHARLOTTESVILLE United Church of Christ ministers, lay leaders and national staff were present in Charlottesville over the weekend. Click HERE to see the article of what is like from the perspective of the Rev. Traci Blackmon, who serves as Executive Minister of Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ.
COCONUT WIRELESS The Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ sends a regular newsletter to people in UCC congregations throughout Hawai`i. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically.
FREE SMOKE ALARMS Click HERE if you or a neighbor on Kaua`i might like a free smoke alarm installed by a volunteer from the Red Cross.
AND COMING UP…

YOUTH SUNDAY The church youth will be conducting the entire Sunday service on August 27.  Any youth wanting to participate, contact Tiffany Marrotte.

CHOIR REHEARSALS begin on Thursday, September 7, at 7 p.m.  Please join us, bring a friend.  You will enjoy being part of this melodious group under the direction of Kathleen Dahill.

 

_______________________

“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

IMG_1932

“Pilgrimage of Compassion”

On Sunday morning, I led the congregation in a time of guided silent meditation as we considered the violence, racism and unrest in our nation. I began by sharing about Mother Teresa and her intentional practices of silence. Her time alone with God aloud her to hear God’s voice and find strength, direction and wisdom. I hope our time of silence and reflection will do the same for us.

I have been deeply troubled since Saturday by the overt racism displayed in Charlottesville, VA, and the ensuing violence and death. I have always known that racism exists in our country, but I never dreamed that I would see a crowd of White supremacists publicly marching with torches and chanting racist slogans on American soil.

If there is anything good that came out of the events on Saturday, it is that the darkness among us has been brought to light. We now see clearly the racism, hatred and bigotry that is deeply held by some of our fellow Americans. As much as I dislike the fact that these things are out there, I am glad they have become visible; for now we who follow the way of Jesus (and all others who value each and every human life) can see more clearly our mission and the work that is before us. As we consider this time in our nation’s history, now is the time to say “yes” to compassion, peace and justice; and now is the time to say “no” to any form of racism, hatred and bigotry.

As I participated in the Pilgrimage of Compassion at the Lawai International Center on Sunday, I felt deeply connected to people of all faiths, ethnicities, political persuasions, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities. While Riley Lee played the shakuhachi flute and led people among the 88 Japanese shrines on the hillside, I imagined extending the pilgrimage throughout the world and inviting all people to walk on a pilgrimage of compassion. We were all there for one reason on Sunday: to acknowledge compassion in our world and to commit ourselves to being more compassionate. This is certainly a pilgrimage on which is worth inviting others to participate.

May we each look around us today and notice someone who needs compassion…and offer it to them…knowing that we who give compassion are just as blessed as those who receive it from us.

Aloha nui!

Kahu Alan Akana

_______________

Videos of Kahu’s sermons are uploaded onto YouTube most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to our church. You can also subscribe on YouTube ; that way you can 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

SCHOOL STARTS this week.  Be careful of children walking to and from school.
COCONUT WIRELESS The Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ sends a regular newsletter to people in UCC congregations throughout Hawai`i. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically.
FREE SMOKE ALARMS Click HERE if you or a neighbor on Kaua`i might like a free smoke alarm installed by a volunteer from the Red Cross.
OFFICE HELP We are looking for a volunteer(s) who can sit in the office while Penny will be on vacation this fall and in the future. We are asking the volunteer(s) to pick up and sort through the mail, pay bills when they are due, answer the phone, do light office work and chat  with visitors. Most of the time, Penny will be available by phone or email if you have questions while volunteering.
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.  The ladies have recently made and delivered two beautiful prayer quilts to two church members.
COMING UP:

YOUTH SUNDAY The church youth will be conducting the entire Sunday service on August 27.  Any youth wanting to participate, contact Tiffany Marrotte.

_______________________

“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!

Weekly News of the Church

SCHOOL STARTS on August 7.  Be careful of children walking to and from school.
COCONUT WIRELESS The Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ sends a regular newsletter to people in UCC congregations throughout Hawai`i. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically.

FREE SMOKE ALARMS Click HERE if you or a neighbor on Kaua`i might like a free smoke alarm installed by a volunteer from the Red Cross.

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.  The ladies have recently made and delivered two beautiful prayer quilts to two church members.

A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

loaves_and_fishes_43

“Compassion for Everyone”

 

On Sunday, we heard the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. It was actually a lot more than that, according to the text, as there were women and children there as well. In order to understand this story, it is important to look at who these people were in the crowd and what was going on with Jesus at the time.

Most likely, the crowd was made up of the poor people of Galilee. They were the ones who had little or no healthcare and barely enough food for their families to survive. They were not Roman citizens and so had no say in public policy. Most were the desperate poor and powerless living on the margins of the Roman Empire. They came to Jesus because he provided the healthcare that they needed. He healed just about everything imaginable: illnesses, injuries, mental and spiritual sicknesses. They also came because Jesus offered them words of hope—words which were an alternative to what the Empire provided.

Jesus had just gone home to Nazareth after a very successful tour where he preached and healed. However, he was not welcome at home. He must have felt deep disappointment and rejection. He also knew that his enemies were planning on killing him and had just killed his cousin John. Knowing he was not welcome at home, Jesus went out on a boat to find a place to be alone in his grief and rejection. However, the crowds were already there when he arrived, and so he healed them for the rest of the day.

When dinnertime came along, Jesus’ disciples pointed out the time of time and encouraged him to send the crowds home to eat. But Jesus, who had compassion for the people, decided to feed them himself, with the help of the disciples. Though the disciples claimed to only have two fish and five loaves of bread. In other words, “There is only enough for us.” Nevertheless, Jesus blessed the fish and loaves and had the disciples distribute them among the crowd. When dinner was over, it turned out that there was more than enough. Everyone had their fill and the disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers.

The lesson here is that when it comes to compassion, there is always enough for everyone. May we look around us this week and notice the people who need  compassion…and may we share some of ours with them.

Kahu Alan Akana

_______________

Videos of Kahu’s sermons are uploaded onto YouTube most weeks. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to our church. You can also subscribe on YouTube ; that way you can 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.