by admin | Oct 9, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Abundance”
We had a meaningful and joyful worship service on Sunday. We welcomed Steve Sparks and Norma Doctor Sparks into our church membership. (There are a few others planning to join later in the fall as well!) We collected over $500 for the “Neighbors in Need” special mission offering for the United Church of Christ. We celebrated World Communion Sunday, with special emphasis during the service on our abundant world.
In my message, I talked about this beautiful and amazing world in which we live. In traditional Hawaiian culture, people were aware of the abundance of these islands but also knew that the resources were limited, so they only took what was needed for family and community. When the chiefs, with the help of the priests, saw that any resources were getting low, they would declare “kapu” on them, thus forbidding anyone from taking any more. These practices were part of a larger worldview of stewardship and respect for the Earth and her waters. Today, it seems that the mentality is to acquire as much as you have room for, and when you run out of room then build or rent space to store even more.
Jesus talked a lot about abundance and life, believing that abundant life is found in love, generosity and joy—and definitely not in acquiring more and more and more…. In Luke, chapter 12, he said to the crowd,
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
for one’s life does not consist
in the abundance of possessions.
Jesus wanted people to have abundant life while they experienced God’s abundant love as they lived on this abundant planet. Apparently, it was a temptation way back then to give all of this up in order to acquire possessions. My prayer is that we would all truly live abundantly by focussing on the things that Jesus focussed on, including generosity and joy!
Aloha nui!
Kahu
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Click HERE to see Sunday’s message by Kahu Akana. 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 | Oct 2, 2019 | News
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY
NEIGHBORS IN NEED OFFERING
WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS
October 6 is World Communion Sunday when churches throughout the world celebrate Holy Communion as a way of remembering Christ’s wish “that they may all be one.” Everyone is invited to come and partake of the Lord’s Supper as we remember Christ’s love and sacrifice, as well as his wish for unity among all of his followers.
The Neighbors in Need offering will also be collected on Sunday. Neighbors in Need is the United Church of Christ’s annual offering to support ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States, including the Council for American Indian Ministries, justice and advocacy efforts and direct service projects. Special offering envelopes will be provided in your bulletins on Sunday. Also, checks may be sent to the church made out to “Koloa Union Church” with “Neighbors in Need” written in the note section.
Finally, we will welcome new members to our church on Sunday morning as well. Members and friends are invited to celebrate and welcome those who will be joining our church on Sunday!
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS . . . .
COCONUT WIRELESS Click HERE to see the latest issue of the Coconut Wireless (the weekly e-news from the Hawai`i 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 Lamentations 1:1-6 and 3:19-26, Psalm 137 or Psalm 37:1-9; Habakkuk 1:1-2:4; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10.
COMING UP . . . .
LECTIO DIVINA Lectio Divina is the practice of hearing a Scripture text read several times with a pause for silent reflection after each reading. A chance to share is offered at the end of the final reading. The next session of Lectio Divina will be at the Smith Memorial Parsonage, 3281 Waikomo Road, on Wednesday, October 9, 7-8 p.m.
ALL CHURCH BREAKFAST Our next breakfast will be Tuesday, October 22, at 7:30 a.m. Join the church members and friends for a fun, relaxing breakfast at the Holoholo Grill located in the Koloa Landing complex on Poipu Road. Please let Michael Horning or Penny Osuga know if you would like to join us so that we can notify the restaurant ahead of time.
SALVATION ARMY LUNCH The next time our church is scheduled to serve lunch at the Salvation Army in Hanapepe is Wednesday, October 30. Volunteers who carpool usually meet at the church at 9:30 a.m. Please check in with Suzanne Pearson if you can assist.
FALL `AHA MOKUPUNI Each year in the fall, the churches of the Kauai Association of the United Church of Christ gather for a time of learning, sharing, worship and a delicious meal. This year’s fall `Aha Mokupuni will be on Sunday, November 10, 3-7 p.m. at Lihue United Church, 4340 Nawiliwili Rd, Lihue (behind King Auto). This year’s theme is “Huaka`i Me Ke Aloha” (Journey with Love) and the entire event will be intergenerational. Please RSVP by contacting Penny Osuga or signing up on the church bulletin board by October 27.
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“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 | Oct 2, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“GENEROSITY and JOY”
We had a wonderful kick-off with our theme “Generosity and Joy” on Sunday. I talked about one of my favorite authors, Lynne Twist, who wrote The Soul of Money. I had the privilege of spending a good part of a week with Lynne about ten years ago at a retreat on fundraising. Lynne is one of those people who is out to change the world. In her book she writes about the dark side of money (when we worship it and allow it to control our lives). She also writes about the immense healing power in even the smallest amount of money when we use it to express our humanity—our highest ideals, values and commitments. And the beauty of it all is that we get to choose how we want to relate to money. We can either allow it to enslave us or we can use it to heal ourselves and the world; but we must choose, otherwise money will choose for us.
So much of what Lynne says in her book sounds like the New Testament to me. Jesus, of course, also made it clear that we must choose. He said, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Jesus actually talked a lot about the relationship between people and money because he saw how enslaving it can be and how much value it can add to our lives and communities when seen in proper perspective. The Apostle Paul, who spent so much of his letters focused on loving God, also pointed out the importance of choosing our relationship with money when he said, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” It is not money that is evil. It becomes dark when we love it instead of God and God’s creation and creatures.
My encouragement to everyone was that we receive all that we have, including our money, as gifts from a generous God gives to us and, in response, to give joyfully and lovingly as grateful stewards.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
__________________________________________
Click HERE to see Sunday’s message by Kahu Akana. 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.
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