Church News: October 12th, 2023

by | Oct 12, 2023 | News

Watch Our Most Recent Worship Service

Watch Our Most Recent Worship Service

You can click the button below to watch a video of a recent worship service:

Watch the most recent worship service

Watch ALL of Our Worship Services

Please Share!

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!

A Time To Blossom

You Event Koloa Union Church Poipu Youth Group

 

 Prayer for 2024

O God, just as flowers blossom in the

desert and bring life and beauty

to the surrounding landscape,

may Koloa Union Church

blossom in the years

ahead of us.

Just as rain and sun make flowers

possible, may my generosity

make possible all kinds

of growth in 2024.

May my gifts to Koloa Union Church

truly express the gratitude I have

for this congregation and all

you have done for me

and so many others.

Amen.

Mahalo nui loa for your generosity to
Koloa Union Church and our ministry on Kauai’s south shore!
Thank you also for considering a financial commitment for 2024!

Centennial Sunday

Support Maui Koloa Union Church

Celebrate our Centennial during the worship service!

Give thanks for 100 years of ministry! Bless our financial commitments for 2024! Please bring your commitment card to church. Enjoy a delicious luncheon after church! Enjoy some cake! See our Centennial slide show! Purchase a beautiful Centennial photo book! Purchase Centennial t-shirts and ornaments!

Youth Group

Stop Covid Sign

We have a vibrant and active youth group for middle and high school students, which meets at least monthly on a Sunday and usually includes a time of learning, prayer, checking in with one another, fellowship, lots of fun and a delicious meal!

Upcoming dates are:

October 22
November 12
December 10 (Christmas party!)

All gatherings will be at the Smith Memorial Parsonage from 4:45-7:00 p.m. Please let Tiffany know if you can help with a meal.

Church Breakfast

kiawe roots church breakfast

Church Breakfast Tuesday, October 24 8:00-9:30 a.m.

Kiawe Roots 2-3687 Kaumualii Highway in Lawai (Next door to 7-Eleven)

Join us on the 4th Tuesday of each month for delicious food and a fun time getting to know others from Koloa Union Church! We suggest you phone the restaurant and place your order ahead of time, tell them you are with the Koloa Union Church group.

Please RSVP by signing up on the church bulletin board or contacting the church office.

Prayers & Squares

Stop Covid Sign

Prayers and Squares Tuesday, November 1st 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 knot 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.    

Prayers & Squares is expanding its ministry and could use your help! We are creating Prayer Quilts to be distributed at Wilcox Hospital. We have packets available to take home and sew squares together. If you can help or have questions, call Sheila Harman at 717-514-9020.                    

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!

The Prayers & Squares Ministry is preparing material for their Christmas Fund raiser for “Hand on Global.” Contact Sheila if you have any questions.

Mahalo nui loa!

Fall Aha Mokupuni

Stop Covid Sign

Kauai Association of the United Church of Christ Annual Fall Gathering

Hanapepe Hawaiian Congregational Church 3815 Hanapepe Rd Hanapepe, Hi. 96716

November 5, 2023 at 3:00pm

Himeni Hou! “Sharing The Songs of our Faith” Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Come with your instruments and favorite songs of your congregation and we will join together to sing them. Enjoy delicious food as well!

RSVP Please sign up on the church bulletin board or contact the church office if you will attend.

Lectio Divina

Stop Covid Sign

Lectio Divina

Wednesday, November 8th
7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Smith Memorial Parsonage

Lectio Divina is a time to silently reflect together on a repeated reading from the Bible and then share with one another about the experience (if so desired). RSVP by Sunday, November 5th

Lectionary Readings

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 October 15: Exodus 32:1-14; Psalm 106:1-23; Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14

Readings for October 22: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

Readings for October 29: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-17; Leviticus 19:1-18; Psalm 1; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46

Readings for November 5: Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-37; Micah 3:5-12; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

We Welcome the Ruiz Family!

Carmela Ruiz attended the church’s confirmation retreat in Koke`e in September and wanted to be confirmed as a church member right away. Her whole family decided to join her! Carmela’s parents, Mark and Tricia Ruiz, joined Carmela in joining as members on October 1. Carmela, Mark and Ezra were baptized as well!

Stop Covid Sign
Stop Covid Sign
Stop Covid Sign

More Fun Pictures Since Last Newsletter

alan akana art gallery<br />
alan akana art gallery<br />
alan akana art gallery<br />

Alan Akana Gallery

alan akana art gallery<br />
alan akana art gallery<br />
alan akana art gallery<br />
alan akana art gallery<br />

A Message From Kahu: October 12th, 2023

by | Oct 12, 2023 | Message from Kahu

Koloa Union Church Vision Update

A Message From Our Kahu

“A Time To Blossom”

There are some things that have gone really well this year and I’d like to begin by pointing them out.

  • Under the leadership of Tiffany Marrotte, our youth ministry to middle and high school students continues to go well. Young people attend youth group meetings and activities, as well as show up on Sunday mornings and serve as lay readers, musicians and sometimes even dancers! Seven youth attended our confirmation retreat last month and learned all about the Christian faith, the Bible, church history, and the benefits and responsibilities of membership.
  • We had an amazing Centennial celebration in July! Our entry in the Koloa Plantation Days parade was “over the top,” and our celebration at church the next day was well-attended and celebratory.
  • A handful of generous donors chipped in to pay for a brand new certified commercial kitchen in its entirety. Dan Giovanni, who serves as chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, announced at our last Church Council meeting that we are waiting on a permit from the county in order to move forward, which should be any day now. In the meantime, the kitchen has been almost completely gutted so that work can begin as soon as we have a permit in hand.
  • After successful fundraising efforts in 2021 and 2022, we completed most of the projects at the parsonage that were tagged “urgent” or “important,” including roof repair, fixing and replacing most of the areas caused by termite and water damage, termite tenting, repairing and/or replacing every movable window, replacement of all movable screens, mold removal, full exterior painting, and most of the landscaping projects on our list.

There are actually many other good things that have happened this past year, and I could probably fill up pages talking about them all. As I consider all that we have accomplished and also think of the possibilities for the future, I believe that Koloa Union Church is on the cusp of blossoming! We are ready to grow like never before! Here is what that looks like to me:

  • A sanctuary filled on Sunday mornings with people worshiping God and connecting with one another—and people on the patio and in Moore Hall as well!
  • An attractive space on the west end of our property with a large permanent covering, which serves as an overflow seating area for worship services, an outdoor space to enjoy meals and fellowship out of the elements, and a place for our growing youth group to gather.
  • An increase in outreach to those less fortunate, including those who are lacking adequate healthcare and basic resources in life.
  • Generosity that allows us to thrive without dependence on borrowing from our permanent funds to cover our normal expenses.

Those who have been around for awhile and paying attention know that I am not pulling these thoughts from “off the top of my head.” They are all part of the vision statement we created and adopted as a congregation in 2018 and revised in 2020 (due to the pandemic).

Our theme for 2024 is “A Time to Blossom.” I’ve mentioned above how we have been blossoming so far, as well as what further blossoming looks like. In order to truly blossom as a congregation, I invite you to consider two things:

  • Ask yourself: “How would YOU like to see our church blossom in 2024?” Then let us know. Our Church Council will take your answers into consideration as we create next year’s budget and decide how we can focus our commitments. We’ve made it easy by creating a large board with stickers for you to write your answers on during the month of October. You can see pictures below of how we are already collecting answers from all ages—from middle school students to kupuna. Please add your suggestion in a word or brief phrase to the board on Sunday mornings or drop by the church during the week.
  • Pray our Prayer for 2024 and allow your prayers to inform how you will commit to our vision in terms of your time, talent and treasures. Once you have determined a financial amount as your commitment to the church, please fill out a commitment card and bring it to church with you on Sunday, October 22, when we will bless all of our commitments for the coming year. Commitment cards will be mailed to our members this week. There will also be extras on the 22nd. You may also get one at any time by contacting the church office. We will also give thanks on October 22 for the past 100 years of our church’s history!

I hope to see you then!

Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu