by admin | Mar 25, 2020 | News
“200th Anniversary Celebration”
Celebrating the Arrival Of
The First Company Of
Christian Missionaries
In Hawai`i
March 30, 1820
A Special Online Worship Service
Sunday, March 29, 2020
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“We can learn a lot
from the early missionaries
about compassion and wisdom
during crises and epidemics.”
—Kahu Alan Akana
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Join us on Sunday for:
† A Special Message by Kahu Alan Akana
† Music by Dr. Douglas Duvauchelle
† Hula by RoseTatiana Warken Ceballos
† Scripture Readings
† Prayers of the People
________________
Click
HERE
To Watch!
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STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE
Our Stewardship Committee asks each person to prayerfully consider giving as much as you are able so that our church can continue to carry on our important mission and get through the next couple of months by fulfilling all of our financial commitments. As always, checks may be mailed to the church: P.O. Box 536, Koloa, HI 96756. All gifts are greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Bill Dressel, Stewardship Chair
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
During challenging times, reading the Bible on a daily basis is a great source of inspiration and hope. I encourage you to read and meditate upon the Scriptures of the Revised Common Lectionary and ask yourself how God might be showing up in the Scriptures for you, what God might be saying to you, and what guidance you might find as you share God’s love in creative and meaningful ways.
—Kahu Alan Akana
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 Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45.
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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 | Mar 25, 2020 | Message from Kahu, Uncategorized
“Community and Sanctuary”
In the Lord you are light.
Live as children of light.
Ephesians 5:8
In my online message this past week, I talked about the importance of community and how we are still a strong community of faith even when we are not physically together. All of the key ingredients of community still apply today, although they look quite different because we have to do them differently. I offered these thoughts about community during these days of isolation and social distancing:
- Community is about showing up as we are and knowing there is a place where we are loved and accepted as we are. We can still show up as we are—as we watch the online worship service and as we call to check in on church members.
- Community is about sharing a common purpose. We still share the same purpose of sharing the love of God with one another and the world as the body of Jesus Christ.
- Community is about sharing our stories and our beliefs and perceptions with one another in honest and nonjudgmental ways. We will continue sharing our stories, beliefs and perceptions with one another—just not in person.
- Community is about asking for help when we need it. I urge you to ask for help from me, our Deacons, our Council members, and anyone else in the church who can help you.
- Community is about being honest and transparent. We need each other to be honest and transparent with one another—now more than ever.
I also talked about the importance of sanctuary. In his book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old, Parker Palmer writes about about the importance of sanctuary. Although we church folks often refer to “sanctuary” as the room where we worship, Palmer reminds us the broader meaning of the word. I found these words some of the most helpful in his book:
“Sanctuary” is as vital as breathing to me. Sometimes I find it in churches, monasteries, and other sites formally designated “sacred.” But more often I find it in places sacred to my soul: in the natural world, in the company of a faithful friend, in solitary or shared silence, in the ambience of a good poem or good music.
Sanctuary is wherever I find safe space to regain my bearings, reclaim my soul, heal my wounds, and return to the world as a wounded healer. It’s not merely about finding shelter from the storm—it’s about spiritual survival and the capacity to carry on.
I invite you to find your sanctuary ever week and every day: a safe space to regain your bearings, a place to reclaim your soul, a place to heal your wounds, a place to breathe. You may have to be a bit more creative now to find that space, but I trust that you will make it a priority to do so—not only for your own spiritual survival but also for you to share God’s light with others.
I look forward to continuing the conversation online on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
To see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana, click HERE. 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.
You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings! To see our Sunday morning schedule, click HERE.
Kahu Akana is also an accomplished artist! He specializes in creating vibrant watercolors of the flowers of Hawaii and hosts a Sunday afternoon reception in a gallery at his home, the Smith Memorial Parsonage. He also meets visitors by appointment. Most of the profit from the sales go for the maintenance and upkeep of the parsonage. To see a video about his art and gallery, click HERE. To see the gallery website, click HERE.
by admin | Mar 18, 2020 | News
May you deeply feel the loving presence of Christ
everywhere today and every day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
During challenging times, reading the Bible on a daily basis is a great source of inspiration and hope. I encourage you to read and meditate upon the Scriptures of the Revised Common Lectionary and ask yourself how God might be showing up in the Scriptures for you, what God might be saying to you, and what guidance you might find as you share God’s love in creative and meaningful ways.
—Kahu Alan Akana
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 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41.
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STEWARDSHIP IN THE DAYS OF COVID-19
These are challenging times emotionally, socially and spiritually for people everywhere. They are also challenging times financially for us. Our church budget has been in good shape over the past couple of months, but our Church Council is aware that giving will likely drop in the weeks ahead. Some people may stop giving altogether due to the inability to have income for awhile. We also will not be receiving gifts from our generous guests and visitors to the church. Our Stewardship Committee asks each person to prayerfully consider giving as much as you are able so that our church can get through the next couple of months by fulfilling all of our financial commitments. As always, checks may be mailed to the church: P.O. Box 536, Koloa, HI 96756. All gifts are greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Bill Dressel, Stewardship Chair
__________________________________
“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 | Mar 18, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“Treasures in Clay Jars”
We have this treasure in clay jars,
so that it may be made clear
that this extraordinary
power belongs to
God….
2 Corinthians 4:7
On Sunday, I talked about what it means to be baffled—something we all feel at times and have probably been feeling a lot lately. In his book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old, Parker Palmer talks about bafflement in terms of vocation and calling. Although we normally crave certainty and wisdom when it comes to what God has placed us here on Earth to do, we usually don’t really know the details of our journey until we actually come upon them. God has certainly not been very clear with me about the upcoming particulars of my journey, but one thing I have discovered is that God keeps showing up! Whether I am walking with confidence, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, or stumbling over my own two feet, I find that God is present wherever I land.
During these uncertain and baffling times of new territory for our church, community, nation and world, I urge you to look for the ways that God shows up wherever you are. The Apostle Paul wrote to the followers of Jesus in Corinth about the light of God that shines in the darkness, even shining in our hearts when even they seem dark. Indeed, God shows up in all of our dark places. Paul went on to write, “We have this treasure in clay jars.” God is the treasure and we are the clay jars (also translated earthen vessels). Parker Palmer writes that our words are also the clay jars. In fact, anything that we use to carry the light of God’s love is the clay jar. What an extraordinary spiritual truth that the Creator of the Universe chooses us to carry divine love with us into the world.
I invite you to not only look for how God is showing up during these baffling times, but to also carry the light of God as a privilege and an honor everywhere you go, and offering it to everyone who needs it.
I look forward to continuing the conversation online on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
To see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana, click HERE. 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.
You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings! To see our Sunday morning schedule, click HERE.
Kahu Akana is also an accomplished artist! He specializes in creating vibrant watercolors of the flowers of Hawaii and hosts a Sunday afternoon reception in a gallery at his home, the Smith Memorial Parsonage. He also meets visitors by appointment. Most of the profit from the sales go for the maintenance and upkeep of the parsonage. To see a video about his art and gallery, click HERE. To see the gallery website, click HERE.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
by admin | Mar 11, 2020 | Message from Kahu
“Getting Real with Yourself”
On Sunday, I talked about chapter 3 of Parker Palmer’s recent book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old. The chapter is titled “Getting Real with Yourself,” and it challenges us to let go of illusions about ourselves and to show up as we are. As we continue our Lenten journey, I invited people to consider this question: “Am I being the person God created me to be?”
I closed my message by reading some quotes from chapter 3 and invited each person to sit quietly with each question and to ask what might need to happen in order to see oneself, God, and the world around us with greater clarity. Here are some of those quotes (with the page number in parentheses, in case you have the book and would like to read more):
- The spiritual journey is an endless process of engaging life as it is, stripping away our illusions about ourselves, our world, and the relationship of the two, moving closer to reality as we do. (54)
- All forms of contemplation share the same goal: to help us see through the deceptions of self and world in order to get in touch with what Howard Thurman called “the sound of the genuine.” (57)
- [Quoting Thomas Merton] The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. (60)
- I can’t imagine a sadder way to die than with the sense that I never showed up here on earth as my God-given self. (64)
- True self is the self with which we arrive on earth, the self that simply wants us to be who we were born to be. (75)
- Before he died, Rabbi Zusya said: “In the world to come they will not ask me, ‘why were you not Moses?’ they will ask me, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’” (75)
I hope some of these questions are helpful for you in learning to see yourself as God sees you. We will reflect more on this topic on Wednesday evening at our Lenten Soup Supper. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
To see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana, click HERE. 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.
You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings! To see our Sunday morning schedule, click HERE.
Kahu Akana is also an accomplished artist! He specializes in creating vibrant watercolors of the flowers of Hawaii and hosts a Sunday afternoon reception in a gallery at his home, the Smith Memorial Parsonage. He also meets visitors by appointment. Most of the profit from the sales go for the maintenance and upkeep of the parsonage. To see a video about his art and gallery, click HERE. To see the gallery website, click HERE.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
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