by admin | Jul 11, 2019 | Message from Kahu
Simple Solutions
On Sunday, I shared a story told by Bryan Stevenson when two police officers pointed guns at him and threatened to “blow off your head.” They threw him up against his car and searched it without a warrant for illegal drugs and weapons. His crime: sitting in his car listening to music for ten or fifteen minutes in front of his home after a long day of work…and being Black. He had just moved into the Atlanta neighborhood and, apparently, a White neighbor saw a Black man sitting in a car and called the police. As the police officers were leaving—after all the neighbors got a chance to watch him in police custody for about fifteen minutes—they said to Bryan, “Consider yourself lucky.” His response: “They were right: I was lucky. I survived.”
This story was told by Bryan in the foreword of the book America’s Original Sin by Jim Wallis. Bryan is a Harvard-trained attorney and endured the above-mentioned injustice after a long day of practicing law. In the book, Jim Wallis shares his discover that virtually all African-American parents have what they call “the talk” with their children as they are entering their adolescent years. “The talk” involves telling their kids how to survive an encounter with a police officer—how to live through it. He asked parents if they have this talk with their kids and discovered that 100% of the African-American parents whom he asked did indeed have “the talk” with their children…and 0% of White parents whom he asked have ever had the talk with their kids.
These statistics alone should tell us that there is a huge racial injustice in our nation. In Jim Wallis’ book, there are many other statistics that shed light on how large and extensive the issues really are. Wallis gives insights into how some police departments operate according to racial biases and some politicians create laws and policies that are clearly unfair to people of color. He also gives solutions—things that have proven to work. Some of these are very simple solutions that we can begin enacting right away if we only have the will to do so.
I invite you to join me over the summer on Wednesday evenings at the Smith Memorial Parsonage for a group discussion on America’s Original Sin, beginning July 17, as we discuss racism in our nation and what we might do to overcome it. Please sign up at the church for a book ($14) and to let me know what evenings you plan to attend. We will begin with dinner at 6 p.m. (I’ll cook the first night.)
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
Click HERE to see a video of the message from Sunday morning. 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Jul 2, 2019 | News
Walkway Repairs
Tuesday & Wednesday
We are repairing and staining the cement walkway this week! This is the area by the main entryway of the church and the church office. Please note that there will be no access to the church office, sanctuary, or janitor closet on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, while the work is being done and the walkway completely dries. There will also be no access to Moore Hall from the north side, so if you need to enter Moore Hall or the kitchen, please use the south side entrances. This is the final large-scale project of our successful capital campaign, “Maikai Hana Hou” (Creating Goodness & Beauty Once Again). Thanks to everyone who helped and financially supported the campaign!
***Please do NOT walk on the walkway until Thursday morning!***
____________________________________________________
Happy
Independence
Day!
The church office will be closed on the 4th of July.
We wish you a festive holiday!
____________________________________________________
This is an Email Scam:
How are you..Have you got a minute ?
I need you to complete a task for me discreetly.
P.S. I am in a meeting now and can’t talk ,
so just reply here.
I will be expecting a read from you soon.
Thanks
Rev. Dr. Alan Akana
Although you should never let your guard down for email scams, summer is a particularly vulnerable time for church members, since church funds are often short and churches are asking members to catch up on pledges and even make additional gifts to help pay the bills. This is actually the case for us and you will be hearing more about it in our July newsletter next week. The scam above was sent to one of our members this week. For those of you who were around a few years ago, you may remember that someone created a fake Go Fund Me account with my name and photograph in order to receive money pretending to go to a family on O`ahu who had recently experienced the tragic loss of their teenage son. Unfortunately, there are people out there who will deceptively use the names of pastors and other leaders in order to illegally receive financial gain for themselves.
Here are some things to watch out for:
- When someone claims to be the pastor or church official but uses a different email address. (I will always use revdocakana@gmail.com or doctorakana@gmail.com.)
- When someone asks you to deposit funds electronically into an account. (I will always ask you to send a check to “Koloa Union Church,” unless we have a conversation about another way of giving.)
- When there are a lot of typos (especially in punctuation and grammar) or awkward language just doesn’t sound like the person who is sending it. (I might make a mistake or two, but a request with consistent errors is definitely a red flag!)
Unless you are certain of the sender, do NOT send money and do not click on any links! If there is ever any doubt as to the legitimacy of a request, don’t hesitate to contact me or Penny Osuga via phone or email. If you do receive a scam, we would like to know about it in order to warn others.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
____________________________________________________
COMING UP. . . .
DEACONS MEETING Sunday, July 7, at 9 a.m. in Kahu’s office
COCONUT WIRELESS Click HERE to see the latest issue of the CW (the weekly e-news from the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ).
LECTIONARY READINGS (Old & New Testament Readings for the Week) Each week, Christians throughout the world read biblical passages from the Revised Common Lectionary, including the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels. After three years, a good portion of the Bible is included and the cycle begins again. RCL passages are often read in church worship services, and Kahu Akana usually includes at least one of them on the following Sunday. This week’s readings are 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-20.
SUMMER BOOK CLUB This summer’s group will meet from July 17 to August 28. Join us as we read America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America, written by Jim Wallis. Kahu will once again host the group on Wednesday evenings, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Smith Memorial Parsonage, beginning with dinner. Please sign up at church so that Kahu knows how many to expect. Copies of the book will be available at church for $14 or Kindle versions are available on Amazon for $7.87.
KŌLOA PLANTATION DAYS RECEPTION Monday, July 22, 4-6 p.m. at the Smith Memorial Parsonage
KŌLOA PLANTATION DAYS PARADE Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. (Meet at church at 8:30)
____________________________________________________
“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, an Open and Affirming (ONA) Congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Please contact the church office if you would like to have our weekly news sent directly to your inbox. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Jul 2, 2019 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we read three conversations between Jesus and his disciples (or “would be” disciples) from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9. In the first conversation, the Apostle John was very concerned about a man casting out demons in the name of Jesus. He tried to stop the man because he didn’t hang out with Jesus and the disciples. Jesus responded to John, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” There are some people who say that these were literal demons: servants of Satan who were sent by him to torment people. Other people say that these were figurative demons: causes to which we assign negative spiritual energy. Whichever way you choose to interpret this passage (literally or metaphorically), the point is that the disciples encountered some people whose lives were tortured by forces that seemed beyond their control and a man who was freeing those people from their bondage of fear and pain—and he was doing so in the name of Jesus. Apparently, Jesus celebrates any time a person shows compassion to another person—even if that person isn’t the kind of person who hangs out with him and his disciples. The way of Jesus allows people—even if they are different from us, come from different places and backgrounds, and hang out with strangers—to show compassion to others. In our Scripture reading, Jesus also pointed out the importance of making the reign (kingdom) of God our top priority in life. Those who follow in the way of Jesus put the reign of God ahead of obligations placed upon us by family and friends. Seeking first the reign of God is the way of Jesus.
I wonder what our world would be like if we all truly put the reign of Christ ahead of all else. I wonder what our politics would look like if our political and religious leaders did that. I am pretty sure our world would look very different than it does today. Jesus made it clear that loving God and others were his top priorities. He also taught that we love God by loving others. Jesus celebrated and encouraged goodness and compassion wherever they showed up, and he wants us to do the same.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
Click HERE to see a video of the message from Sunday morning. 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
Recent Comments