Join Us in Walking the Labyrinth!
JOIN US on Holy Saturday morning, March 31, for a labyrinth walk on the church lawn (in Moore Hall if it rains). Bob Vlach, a labyrinth facilitator will give a talk at 10 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m., so come at either time, and then walk the labyrinth as you reflect upon the meaning of Holy Saturday.
I hope to see you there!
Kahu Alan Akana
“Holy Week and Easter”
Our children kicked off Holy Week with a very special Palm Sunday presentation called “The Colors of Easter.” I am so proud of our keiki, who are talented, articulate, and eager to participate in worship!
Every year, we spend time during Holy Week to reflect upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a special time to celebrate, remember, mourn and discover hope which is always in our midst because of God’s eternal love which can never be taken away from us.
We have a very meaningful week of events planned for people of all ages and ways of being spiritual and celebrating the traditions of this special season of the year. Please check out the Weekly News of the Church for all of the details. I hope you will join us for any of the events this week which you might find meaningful and enjoyable…and bring a friend!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and subscribe in order be notified when a new message is posted. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. Please feel free to “Like” any of the videos you see and share them on social media, such as Facebook, so that others will notice them.
“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.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
MAUNDY THURSDAY COMMUNION SERVICE
March 29, 7 p.m. We will celebrate Holy Communion in commemoration of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. Our choir will sing and we will reflect on the meaning of Jesus words that we should love one another even in times of darkness, fear and suffering, which is a part of all of our lives.
EGG DECORATING AND LUNCH FOR CHILDREN/YOUTH
Our children, youth, and their families will gather in Moore Hall on Friday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. for the annual Easter egg decorating party, which will include hot dogs for lunch this year. Please contact Tiffany Marrotte if you have not already signed up for this event!
GOOD FRIDAY MEDITATION
On, March 30, 7:00 p.m., Kahu Akana and Karen Johnson will lead the congregation in a time of quiet meditation and Scripture reading of the passion of Christ. In the format of “lectio divina,” period of silence follow Scripture readings, and a time of reflection and sharing at the end.
HOLY SATURDAY LABYRINTH WALK
March 31, 10 a.m. Kahu Akana will be at the church with Bob Vlach, a labyrinth facilitator. Bob will share about the history and purpose of labyrinths. Participants will then have an opportunity to walk on a portable labyrinth while contemplating the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.
EASTER SUNDAY — April 1, 2018
6 a.m. Sunrise Service at Kukuiolono Park (Kalaheo)
This years sunrise service will be led by Kahu Akana!
Doug will be playing music and singing!
Rose will be dancing hula!
10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Service
Come early on our best-attended Sunday morning of the year!
Welcome our newest members to our church!
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!
11:45 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt & Potluck Picnic
Gather at the Smith Memorial Parsonage lawn for this annual event!
Walk over after church if you can.
Parking at the parsonage is available for those who have difficulty walking.
Parking on the lawn just past the parsonage is also available.
Please sign up for the egg hunt!
Please sign up to bring something to the potluck!
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING The offering will be collected on Maundy Thursday (March 29), Good Friday (March 30) and Easter Sunday (April 1) . A gift to One Great Hour of Sharing enables our church to share God’s love with people in need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry and help empower the poor and oppressed. OGHS coin boxes are available for children. Thank you for your generous gifts!
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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!
KOLOA YOUTH TO ATTEND UCC EVENT! Every 4 years, the United Church of Christ Western Regional Youth Event is held in the western U.S. and includes high school students from UCC congregations from 13 states! Youth gather to learn new things in workshops, give back to the community through service projects, hear inspirational and informative speakers, musicians, and artists, and engage with one another, while growing and developing spiritually and emotionally. This event is a spiritual, fun, broadening, and transformative experience for all involved! We are happy to announce that three youth from our church will be joining a total of 20 youth and adult chaperones from Kaua`i to attend this year’s event, which will be held at University of Hawai`i at Mānoa from June 25-29! Our youth will be holding fundraisers between now and June, both at our church and other churches on Kaua`i. Our big island-wide fundraising gala will be held at Kapa`a United Church of Christ on Sunday, April 22, at 5 p.m. The youth will be serving a meal, providing entertainment and holding an auction with amazing ticket items, including a two-night stay in a suite at the “Moana Surfrider: A Westin Resort” in Waikiki! Please contact Kahu Akana if you would like to donate an item or know of an organization that would. Tickets for the gala and details of the event will go on sale soon.
MEN’S BREAKFAST The men of the church will gather for breakfast one more time on Tuesday, March 27, at 7:30 a.m. at Kalapaki Joe’s in Poipu. Men are invited for a time of fellowship and delicious food!
WEDNESDAY SOUP SUPPERS AND LENTEN REFLECTIONS Our final Lenten soup supper will be on Wednesday, March 21, in Moore Hall. Join us for soup and then spend time reflecting and discussing the theme of “Blessings.” Each Sunday during Lent, Kahu has focused on a particular kind of blessing during his sermon and then use that topic for our time together the following Wednesday evening. Throughout the Season of Lent, Kahu has been following one chapter per week of John O’Donohue’s book, To Bless the Space between Us: A Book of Blessings. This week’s theme is “States of Heart” (chapter 5). Tiffany and Kimo will be making beef stew for dinner!
PALM SUNDAY, MARCH 25 During our regular 10:30 a.m. worship service, the Palm Sunday service will be led by the church children and youth, including the processional of the palm branches and a skit called “Colors.”
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING The offering will be collected on Palm Sunday (March 25), Maundy Thursday (March 29), Good Friday (March 30) and Easter Sunday (April 1). A gift to One Great Hour of Sharing enables our church to share God’s love with people in need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry and help empower the poor and oppressed. OGHS coin boxes are available for children. Thank you for your generous gifts!
THE LATEST COCONUT WIRELESS The Council of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ shares news on the Coconut Wireless, the regular newsletter of the HCUCC. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE for this past week’s news. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically.
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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COMING UP……
MAUNDY THURSDAY COMMUNION SERVICE March 29, 7 p.m. We will celebrate Holy Communion in commemoration of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
EGG DECORATING AND LUNCH FOR CHILDREN/YOUTH Our children, youth, and their families will gather in Moore Hall on Saturday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. for the annual Easter egg decorating party, which will include hot dogs for lunch this year. Please sign up for this event!
GOOD FRIDAY MEDITATION March 30, 7:00 p.m. Kahu Akana and Karen Johnson will lead the congregation in a time of quiet meditation and Scripture reading of the passion of Christ.
HOLY SATURDAY LABYRINTH WALK March 31, 10 a.m. Kahu Akana will be at the church with Bob Vlach, a labyrinth facilitator. Bob will share about the history and purpose of labyrinths. Participants will then have an opportunity to walk on a portable labyrinth while contemplating the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.
EASTER SUNDAY — April 1, 2018
6 a.m. Sunrise Service at Kukuiolono Park (Kalaheo)
10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Service
11:45 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt & Potluck Picnic
ANNUAL RUMMAGE AND BAKE SALE This year’s sale will be Saturday, April 7, from 8 a.m to noon, and proceeds will go to support our youth ministry! Please sign up to bring something for the bake sale. We are just about out of storage space; if possible, please hold onto your rummage and bring it to Moore Hall on Monday, April 2. See Judyth Foley or Kahu Akana if you can’t wait until the 2nd and we will do our best to find room for your rummage; and please let Judyth know when you can volunteer during the week of April 2-6, and on the day of the sale. We appreciate your donations and volunteer time setting up and working the sale!
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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!
“The State of Your Heart”
On Sunday, I shared the story of how I came across the book, To Bless the Space between Us: A Book of Blessings, by the late John O’Donohue. This is the book we have been using as a guide throughout Lent this year in our worship services and on Wednesday evenings for our time of reflection and discussion. I also read a quote from the introduction:
It would be lovely if we could rediscover our power to bless one another. I believe each of us can bless. When a blessing in invoked, it changes the atmosphere….In the light and reverence of blessing, a person or situation becomes illuminated in a completely new way…. Let us begin to learn how to bless one another.
As we continue to learn how to bless one another, our theme on Sunday was “The State of Your Heart.” We spent time considering where our hearts were at and how we might bless our own hearts, as well as the hearts of others. We read the following words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, chapter 14: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; neither let them be afraid.” As we considered how we might rid our hearts of anxiety and fear, I mentioned that the beginning of the process is found in that same chapter. I pointed out the theme of welcome and hospitality: Jesus is in the Father; the disciples are in Jesus and he is in them; furthermore, the Holy Spirit will be in them as well. Miroslav Volf, a Croatian theologian wrote about this idea of the “interiority of personhood,” whereby a distinct person is welcome into the space, life or heart of another distinct person. It involves accepting the other person as he or she is; and it involves trust; and just as the three persons of the Trinity have this kind of relationship, so do we, not only with God but with others as well! When this is who we are being, anxiety and fear eventually disappear, because whatever else happens in our lives, we know that we are loved and accepted as we are!
In closing, I ended my message with three blessings, the final one being one that I wrote for the people of Koloa Union Church (members and visitors alike):
May you know at the very core of your being that God adores you and delights in you.
May all of your fears dissolve, for God is in you…and you are in God.
May peace fill your hearts and flow over into the lives of everyone you encounter today.
May your hearts invite and welcome others in, just as other hearts invite and welcome you.
And may your hearts always make room for the things in this world that are beautiful.
Amen!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of this week’s message. You may also see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and subscribe in order be notified when a new message is posted. Please share these videos with friends and invite them to church. Please feel free to “Like” any of the videos you see and share them on social media, such as Facebook, so that others will notice them.
“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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