Our online worship services are a great way to introduce people to Koloa Union Church…and provide inspiration and hope to friends and family!
Feel free to forward this email or send the YouTube link to anyone whom you think would enjoy watching our online worship service.
Share our worship service with even more people! You can also put the link of any video of our worship services directly onto your Facebook page and thereby introducing every one of your Facebook friends to our worship services and our church!
Mahalo to Worship Participants
Mahalo nui loa to Steve Sparks, Doug Duvauchelle and Chris and Michelle Molina for providing our beautiful and inspiring music for our worship service! RoseTatiana Warken Ceballos for the beautiful hula. Michael Horning and Evan Strong for welcoming everyone to Sunday service by blowing the pu shell! For Evan Strong being our youth lay reader.
And thank you, Joni Ito, RoseTatiana Warken Ceballos, Chuck and Joey Rebb for the beautiful tropical flowers!
Congratulations to
Palani Akana and Isobel Mifsud
who are engaged to be married in New York City on May 14, 2022 among a small group of family and friends.
Congratulations may be sent to:
Palani Akana and Isobel Mifsud
233 W. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Youth Director Update
On Sunday, March 27, the Church Council approved a final draft of the position description for a new Youth Director to work with middle school and high school students. The Council also approved a search committee, consisting of Joni Ito, Trudi Shim, Amber Strong and Kahu Akana. The committee will meet later this week and then meet regularly until the Youth Director is chosen. During this time, the committee will:
Brainstorm places to advertise
Create a schedule for interviews
Create interview questions
Create a sample contract
Interview applicants and recommend one to the Church Council along with a recommended contract.
We will post the position description after the search committee meets and then send a link on the Weekly News. Once you read the position description, please send it to anyone you know whom you think would be a great candidate to be our Youth Director! We are right on schedule in our process and plan to have the new person in place on July 1 if all goes smoothly. Be sure to contact anyone on the search committee if you have any questions or suggestions.
Season of Lent
Lent is a time to prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday.
It is traditionally a time of fasting, prayer & abstinence.
In whatever ways you prepare for Easter, may you be ready for the possibilities…of new life of joy after sadness of surprising hope & wonder of creative opportunities to share love!
Holy Communion
SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 10:30 A.M.
In the sacrament of Holy Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, meaning “thanksgiving,” Christians hear, taste, touch and receive the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ in a unique way.*
We celebrate Holy Communion in our worship service on the first Sunday of the month.
In order to keep us as safe as possible during the pandemic, the Deacons have instituted the following temporary procedures:
You will be offered a ziplock bag when you arrive on Communion Sunday. It will include a container with a small wafer on the top and a small amount of grape juice on the bottom (just like in the photo below). There will be a sanitized wipe in your packet as well.
Please do not open the bag or container until instructed. Kahu will provide instructions before Holy Communion.
You will be asked to wipe the container and your hands with the sanitized wipe, and then place the wipe in the ziplock bag.
After you partake of communion, please place the used container back in the ziplock bag and securely close it. As you exit the sanctuary, you can drop the bag and its contents in the trash container. This will help keep us from spilling a small amount of juice onto chairs and clothing, and therefore avoid stains, as well as ants and other critters.
What About the Keiki?
As soon as Kahu offers the benediction, he will head over to the Sunday school class and offer Holy Communion to the children, youth, teachers and volunteers. *The statement above is taken from the page “About Communion” from the United Church of Christ website. To learn more about the sacrament of Holy Communion and what the UCC teaches, click the link below:
The first Sunday of every month is designated “Aloha Sunday” when we invite everyone to wear Hawaiian attire. If you have a favorite aloha shirt, muumuu or dress, feel free to put it on and celebrate “Aloha Sunday.” If you are not into aloha attire, don’t worry about it at all: we will welcome you with open arms no matter what you choose to wear!
Prayers & Squares
Tuesday, April 5, 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Prayers and Squares is a ministry promoting prayer by creating beautiful hand-tied quilts and offering them to people in crisis or those whom we wish to offer a special aloha. A prayer is said with each know that is tied in the quilt. When recipients put the quilts it over themselves, they are covering themselves with our prayers. Our motto: “It’s not about the quilt; it’s all about the prayers.”
To request a quilt for church members or friends in crisis, call Debbie Gunning at 808-652-7899. No experience in quilting or sewing is necessary. There are jobs for everyone to help in the making of the quilts…and everyone is invited to pray!
Youth Game Night
Friday, April 8, 6:00 p.m. in Moore Hall
Middle school and high school youth are invited to put down their smartphones and join us for a fun and meaningful time of dinner and games at the church!
Psalm Sunday
April 10, 10:30 a.m.
Celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus entering Jerusalem!
Our Sunday school and youth will start the service off with the procession of the palms during the prelude.
Children and youth please arrive by 10 a.m.
Since they will be processing throughout the sanctuary, the patio and Moore Hall, we ask everyone to be in their seats with face masks fully covering noses and mouths by 10:30 a.m.
Those who arrive late will be asked to wait outside the door until the procession finishes and it’s safe to find a seat on the patio or Moore Hall.
Maundy Sunday
Thursday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday and three days before Easter when Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. “Maundy” comes from the Old French word “mande” and the Latin “mandatum,” which means “mandate,” “command” or “commandment.” At the meal, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet as a demonstration of loving service and then said to them, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Join us in the sanctuary as we commemorate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and reflect on his command to be loving servants to one another. This will be a time of Scripture reading, reflection, prayer, music, and the Lord’s Supper.
All of the procedures for Holy Communion on Sunday mornings will apply to Maundy Thursday.
Easter Egg Decorating/Hunt
EASTER EGG DECORATING
Good Friday, April 15, 11. a.m. in Moore Hall Lunch will be served The keiki will take some of the eggs home with them. They will leave some of the eggs to share with worshipers on Easter Sunday!
Please wash the eggs before handling and consuming!
RSVP by TEXTING Tiffany Marrotte by April 10! 808-651-1397
EASTER EGG HUNT
Easter Sunday, April 17, after Church At the Smith Memorial Parsonage
Bring your Easter basket or container!
Middle schoolers and high schoolers will hide the eggs during Sunday school. Meet in the Sunday school room for instructions.
Keiki will walk with parents from the church to the parsonage after Sunday school where they will hunt for plastic eggs with surprises inside! Please wait on the walkway or lanai for instructions!
Easter Sunday
Join us on Easter to celebrate the resurrection!
Please remember that this is one of our Sunday morning services with high attendance.
Those who are able and willing are invited to park on, Poipu and Waikomo Roads, at the parsonage, or on the lawn just east of the parsonage.
Be sure to pick up a decorated Easter egg made by our keiki on Good Friday! Please wash the eggs before handling and consuming!
In order to accommodate as many as possible on Easter, you may reserve seats for a family or group: please write your name and the number of people in your party on the sign-up sheet at the name tag table on April 3 & 10; we’ll do our best to save seats in the order they are written. You must arrive by 10:15 on Easter or your seats will be forfeited!
Please arrive a bit early so that we can safely seat everyone in the sanctuary, patio and Moore Hall, and start our worship service on time!
All of our pandemic guidelines will still apply!
Membership Gathering
Sunday, May 1 Noon – 2:00 p.m.
Kahu and our Deacons will spend a couple hours with those who wish to learn more about our church and what is involved in membership. You will learn about our history, how we function as a congregation, our connection to the wider Church, benefits and responsibilities of membership, and more. It will also be a time for participants to ask questions.
Although there is no expectation for participants to join the church, those who wish to do so will be able to join the church on Pentecost, Sunday, June 5, during the worship service. There will be opportunities on other Sundays as well.
You are invited to bring a sack lunch (or a snack) and a drink, as we will eat together on the patio before we meet.
Please RSVP to Penny Osuga in the church office by April 24.
Chris Molina
Chris Molina
Advocate for A Living Wage in Hawaii
On Wednesday, March 2, Chris Molina offered a presentation on the importance of providing a living wage in the State of Hawaii to the leadership of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ. Chris attends Koloa Union Church with his wife Michelle and is working on a Master’s degree in Social Work. You can watch his entire presentation by clicking the button below:
The Committee for the Assurance of Pandemic Safety (CAPS) met on Wednesday, March 30, to discuss recommendations as we move forward in the pandemic. Please note the following two items:
SURVEY IS FORTHCOMING Due to the number of older members and attendees and those who may have health concerns, the group recommends that we continue with our current guidelines for Sunday mornings for at least another month. During April, we will create benchmarks as to what ought to happen before certain guidelines and restrictions are removed. We are also working on a survey to all who attend in order to learn about your comfort level, safety concerns, opinions and suggestions.
REMINDER RE. MEALS/SNACKS Small groups who wish to share snacks or light meals in Moore Hall or on the patio should first contact Penny Osuga directly to discuss their plans so that CAPS knows who is sharing food and drinks. The following recommendations will be brought to the March Council meeting:
A group may invite participants to bring their own food and drink, such as bento, brown bag, etc.
A group should always have a designated food and drink area if food and/or drinks are to be served.
Participants should wear masks when approaching the food and drink area.
Participants should sanitize their hands before eating.
The group should provide hand sanitizer at the food area and participants should sanitize their hands before touching anything at the food area or eating.
Adults should serve children and minors whenever serving from a common dish or container, such as pizza box, cake plate, donut box, etc. They are asked to wear gloves when serving.
All indoor tables and designated food and drink areas should be 6 feet apart. Exceptions are made for family groups and those who are part of the same social bubble.
Please do not hesitate to contact any member of CAPS if you have questions, concerns or need clarification on any matters regarding pandemic safety. CAPS is Kahu Akana, Michael Horning, Penny Osuga and Penny Jessup.
Thank you for doing your part to keep our church and our island safe!
March and April Donations due on April 17, Easter Sunday.
We will be collecting donations for the 3 foster homes of Hale `Opio on Kauai. One of these homes is run by our own Tiffany Marrotte. Most of the foster kids in these homes are middle schoolers and teenagers. They are often brought to the foster homes urgently and are not able to bring their clothes and other necessary personal items. We are collecting donations of toiletries and clothes to help these kids transition during a difficult time. List of requested donations:
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 reading each Sunday.
Readings for March 27 are Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-32. Readings for April 3 are Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8.
Readings for April 10 are Isaiah 50:4-10; Psalm 31:9-16; Psalm 118:1-29; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 19:28-40; Luke 22:14-23:56; Luke 23:1-49.
Readings for Maundy Thursday are Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-35.
Readings for Good Friday are Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42.
Readings for Holy Saturday are Job 14:1-14; Psalm 31:1-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66; John 19;38-42.
Friday, April 8, 6:00 p.m. in Moore Hall
Middle school and high school youth are invited to put down their smartphones and join us for a fun and meaningful time of dinner and games at the church!
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (Luke 15:6)
A lost sheep. A lost coin. A lost son. Three parables in Luke 15. In each, there is something that is lost and then found—and there is incredible joy!
On Sunday, I talked about how Luke shares these parables in order to shift away from the common way of looking at people as good and bad to a brand new way of seeing people as sometimes lost and sometimes found. We have all been the lost sheep who wanders off…the lost coin that rolls away into a dark corner…the lost son who selfishly makes unwise decisions and hurts himself and others along the way. There are also times when we find ourselves just where we belong and we act with grace and compassion for ourselves and others.
It’s a pattern in our lives, a cycle, a repetition. We move between lost and found throughout our lives; and a key message from the three parables is to learn from our mistakes and poor choices in order to live with more love. Another important message is to stop seeing people (including ourselves!) as good or bad, but rather beloved children of God who attempt to wander off less and less, receive God’s love and pass it on to others more and more. This is something we can improve on throughout our lives.
If you are feeling lost at the moment, may you find your way back into the welcoming arms of a loving God. If you are feeling like you are just where you belong, may your cup of joy overflow!
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about 3 people who told me that they had experienced visions and in each case they explained what I was supposed to do since, in their opinions, their visions were clear signs from God. The only problem was that I did not sense God speaking to me in those ways at all. I am not “anti-vision.” It’s just that I have a hard time believing everyone who tells me about their visions and especially if it involves action on my part—and even more so if they are the primary beneficiaries of their visions…and my actions.
In Luke’s story of Jesus’ transfiguration (Luke 9), Jesus, Peter, James and John all experienced a vision of Moses and Elijah showing up and confirming what lay ahead for Jesus: suffering, rejection and death. There are some important lessons about vision and visions in this story. For one thing, it is important to interpret all revelation with humility and openness. This is true if you are having a miraculous vision or if you are interpreting the Bible. We ought to be most concerned when we know for certain all of the details of what we are supposed to be doing in the world—and what those around us are supposed to be doing.
I love how the story in Luke ends in silence. With all the interpretations and opinions that are out there available to us 24/7 on our phones, computers and televisions, it is important to take a break and allow ourselves to be silent, as we contemplate what love feels like, and imagine how compassion might feel to those around us, and how grace might feel throughout the world.
As we begin the season of Lent, may we listen with humility and openness to the many ways God speaks to us, and may we pause often to allow ourselves to feel love in the midst of silence, and allow that love to overflow onto others.
Our online worship services are a great way to introduce people to Koloa Union Church…and provide inspiration and hope to friends and family! Feel free to forward this email or send the YouTube link to anyone whom you think would enjoy watching our online worship service. Share our worship service with even more people! You can also put the link of any video of our worship services directly onto your Facebook page and thereby introducing every one of your Facebook friends to our worship services and our church!
Hookipa Wellness Class
—Next Class March 6th—
A Free Exercise/Stretching Class for Seniors
Led by RoseTatiana Warken Ceballos Classes are normally on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Sundays of each month 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Please register with RoseTatiana before attending Call or text (808)-652-8985 or email at kupunawellness@gmail.com
Celebrating Kahuʻs 8th Anniversary at Koloa Union Church
On Sunday we surprised Kahu with lei and words of affirmation as we celebrated 8 years since he came to Koloa as our kahu. Here are a few of the many appreciations JoAnne Machin read during Sunday service:
We are forever grateful that you entered our lives 8 years ago. Your weekly messages are always meaningful for us, whether in person or online.
Our congregation has been blessed by 8 years of spiritual and professional leadership. We pray for many more years!
Your arrival was such a joyous occasion; we remain blessed by your wisdom and vision.
We appreciate ALL Kahu has brought to and done for our beloved Koloa Union Church! His endless energy and commitment and dedication makes us a thriving community. And we can relate to his meaningful sermons!
I am joyful for finding Koloa Union!! Kahu is such a blessing!!
Thank you, Kahu, for enriching my life in your teachings.
Congratulations on your 8th anniversary at KUC. I have enjoyed you as a minister and as a friend!
Congratulations on 8 great years at Koloa Union! We appreciate you! Have a great day! Keep up the good work!
Mahalo to Worship Participants
Mahalo Nui Loa to. . . Steve Sparks, Chris, Michelle Molina, and Doug Duvauchellefor providing our beautiful and inspiring music for our worship service!
We always enjoy our youth lay readers–last week was Skylar.
Michael Horning for welcoming everyone to Sunday service by blowing the pu shell!
Lent Begins On Ash Wednesday March 2nd
Lent is a time to prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a time of fasting, prayer, and abstinence.
Holy Communion
Sunday, March 6th, 10:30 am
In the sacrament of Holy Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, meaning “thanksgiving,” Christians hear, taste, touch, and receive the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ in a unique way.*
After two years of foregoing Holy Communion in person, we will begin serving communion again on March 6 as part of our worship service on the first Sunday of the month. In order to keep us as safe as possible during the pandemic, the Deacons have instituted the following temporary changes:
You will be offered a ziplock bag when you arrive on Communion Sunday. It will include a container with a small wafer on the top and a small amount of grape juice on the bottom (just like in the photo below). There will be a sanitized wipe in your packet as well.
Please do not open the bag or container until instructed. Kahu will provide instructions before Holy Communion.
You will be asked to wipe the container and your hands with the sanitized wipe, and then place the wipe in the ziplock bag.
After you partake of communion, please place the used container back in the ziplock bag and securely close it. As you exit the sanctuary, you can drop the bag and its contents in the trash container. This will help keep us from spilling a small amount of juice onto chairs and clothing, and therefore avoid stains, as well as ants and other critters.
What About the Keiki? As soon as Kahu offers the benediction, he will head over to the Sunday school class and offer Holy Communion to the children, youth, teachers, and volunteers. If a child or youth attends the worship service, he/she/they may participate with the rest of the congregation in the worship service.
*The statement above is taken from the page “About Communion” from the United Church of Christ website. To learn more about the sacrament of Holy Communion and what the UCC teaches, click the link below:
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, March 9th, 7pm
Lectio Divina is a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation, intended to promote communion with God and to increase knowledge of God’s word. It does not treat scripture as texts to be studied but as a living word. As we gather in a small group, we allow a biblical passage to speak to us individually; after hearing the text read several times, there is an opportunity for participants to share their experience. We will gather again for Lectio Divina, led by Karen Johnson, at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Location will be determined by the number of participants. Please RSVP to Kahu, Karen or the church office, and you will be notified of the location.
A Note From CAPS
Thank you for doing your part to keep our church and our island safe!
CAPS thanks you for adhering to our pandemic guidelines, as we continue to do our best to keep us all as safe and as healthy as possible!
The Committee for the Assurance of Pandemic Safety (CAPS) wishes you a safe and healthy 2022! Thanks for your patience and for following our guidelines when attending worship services during the pandemic! Please do not hesitate to contact any member of CAPS if you have questions, concerns or need clarification on any matters regarding pandemic safety. CAPS is Kahu Akana, Michael Horning, Penny Osuga and Penny Jessup.
Sydney Ito and her Chiefess Kamakahelei media team They won 1st place in the “commercial” category in statewide competition on Oahu!!!
Check out the latest happenings on our OUTREACH sandwich board–this picture is worth repeating
Team effort in making more fleece blankets for 2 shelters–a total of 28–so far!
The latest Prayers and Squares quilt gifted to a friend of the church.
Lectionary Readings
Weekly Readings From The Bible
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 reading each Sunday. Readings for February 27 are Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-44. Readings for March 2 (Ash Wednesday) are Joel 2:1-17; Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Matthew 6:1-21. Readings for March 6 are Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-16; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13.
Koloa Union Church
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!
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