Church News: April 10th, 2026

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!

Welcome New Members

On Sunday, March 22, we welcomed five new members:

Shyrl Matias, Lynn Van Vactor, Norm Van Vactor, Scotty Sagum, Rose McCullough.

Deacons Michael Horning and Debbie Gunning joined Kahu in welcoming them in the photo above.

Koloa Facebook Pages

 

Koloa Union Church has TWO Facebook pages:

Public Page:

This page is designed as an outreach tool and primarily targets people outside our church family, and includes information about Koloa Union Church, upcoming events, and contact information. You can help by sharing the link to the page with anyone, especially those to whom you have invited to a worship service or a special event:

Click Here to visit page

Ohana Group Page:

This is a private page that we share with one another as a church family: a fun place to share photos and stories, and also a way for us to stay in touch and post invitations and reminders. This group page is specifically for church members and friends.

If you would like to join the “ohana page” all you need to do is contact the church office. We will then send you an “invite” and you’re in!

Yard Maintenance

Join Julia Every Other Monday!

Julia Liua recently told Kahu that she would like to volunteer regular time to make the church grounds look as welcoming and inviting as possible!

Julia will be at the church every other Monday, from 9-11 a.m., to tackle whatever yard work is needed. She started Monday, April 6 and plans to be at the church April 20, May 4, 18 and so on.

Please join her whenever you have time. Bring work gloves and yard tools, especially large and small clippers. Contact Julia at (650) 207-4353 and/or the church office if you are able to help.

You may have noticed that the berm which separates the church parking lot from Poipu Road has recently been cleared of overgrown bushes and weeds. In the coming weeks, we will be repairing the lighting and irrigation, and also planting ground cover and plants.

We will keep you posted on progress and on specific help that might be needed!

Lectionary Readings

LECTIONARY READINGS

Wednesday, April 8th 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. At the 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). Lectio Divina typically meets on the second Wednesday of the month. Please let Kahu or Karen Johnson know if you plan to attend.

Youth Gathering

Poster for Youth Gathering in Poipu Koloa Union Church

Youth Gathering For Middle School & High School Youth

Sunday, April 26 4:45 – 7:00 p.m. (Youth Group on April 12 is cancelled.) Koloa Union church Youth: Please RSVP to Aunty Tiffany by the previous Wednesday if you plan to attend! Adult Volunteers: Please consider volunteering your home or providing a dish or two for a meal.

Alan Akana Gallery

Alan Akana Gallery

Final Open House Reception

Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m. Church Members & Friends 2-5 p.m. Open to the Public

Visit by Appointment: The gallery continues to be open by appointment. Call or contact Kahu during the month of April if you would like to visit the gallery.

Future Opportunities: Our Deacons will continue to gift a greeting card of Kahu’s work to each first-time visitors to our worship services.

There will also be a box of greeting cards available on Sunday mornings beginning in May for those who wish to purchase greeting cards for a donation of $5 per card. Kahu will continue to provide cards to the church at cost. Proceeds will continue to go to the care and maintenance of the Smith Memorial Parsonage.

Discounts

Nearly everything in the gallery will be available for sale at least 50% off until we close.

Can You Help?

Please contact Penny Jessup if you are able to bring some food, provide entertainment, or help host at our final open house.

Invitation Click Here for the official invitation:

Church Breakfast

Tuesday, April 18th

Living Foods 2829 Ala Kalanikaumaka St. (near the west end of the Shops at Kukui`ula) Join us on the 4th Tuesday of the month for delicious food and a fun time getting to know others from Koloa Union Church! RSVP on the sign-up sheet or by contacting the church office 3 Location to be determined each month

Salvation Army Lunch

April 29th – Looking for volunteers to serve a meal to hungry people on the west side!

You can carpool from the church or meet at the Hanapepe Salvation Army at 10:00 a.m. Please let Becky Sakimae know if you would like to volunteer to serve lunch. Koloa Union Church serves meals on 5th Wednesdays.

Quilt Dedication

April 29th – Looking for volunteers to serve a meal to hungry people on the west side!

After our church launched a capital campaign in 2015, Angela Dressel volunteered to make a hand-stitched quilt to be hung in our newly expanded sanctuary. In the midst of health issues (hers and husband Bill’s), a move to Colorado, and other hurdles to the project, Angela kept at it and has finally completed the quilt! Over eight years in the making, the piece is a triptych (in 3 pieces) called “Hovering over the Deep,” and will be dedicated on Sunday, May 3, during our worship service.

Angela is a Spiritual Director and fiber artist, whose work grows from liturgical tradition and lived experience. Her work carries a stained-glass sensibility, combining vibrant batiks and intricate top-stitching to explore presence, lineage, and the movement of the Holy Spirit within life’s formless spaces.

We hope you will join us for church on this special Sunday with Angela and Bill! Aloha Hour lunch will be served after the worship service.

Aloha Hour

May Aloha Hour Sunday, May 3

Following the Worship Service Join us for lunch as we welcome church members, Bill and Angela Dressel, after we dedicate Angela’s quilt, “Hovering Over the Deep” during our worship service.

We usually enjoy Aloha Hour right after the worship service on the first Sunday of each month. If there is more interest (and volunteers!), we can have Aloha Hour more often. Please check in with Penny Osuga, our

Aloha Hour chairperson, if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. See the sign up sheet on the bulletin board for food contributions. Kitchen help is also needed for a successful gathering. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you are able to bring food!

Celebrating Our Mothers

Aunties, Tutus & Sisters Too!

Mother’s Day Brunch Sunday, May 10, 2026 After the Worship Service The men of the church will prepare and serve the meal!

Mother’s Day Recipe 1 heart full of love 1 head full of understanding 1 large pinch of courage 3 healing cups of patience (!) 2 cups of laughter 1 handful of generosity 4 scoops of fun Mix well; sprinkle with kindness; add plenty of faith; heat with sunshine and spread over a lifetime for a plateful of joy and warm memories.

Prayers and Squares

Kauai Quilting Class Prayer Meeting Koloa

Prayers and Squares – Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Prayers & Squares continues to meet in Moore Hall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month, where we spend most of our time promoting prayer by creating hand-tied quilts. Volunteers with all ranges of quilting experience may join for prayer, fellowship, stitching, and learning about quilting. The motto: “It’s not about the quilt; it’s all about the prayers.” If you or someone in your ohana are in need of a tangible representation of prayer, please contact Debbie Gunning to request a quilt.

In the last half of 2025, through the generosity of time and skills, Dan Giovanni and Michael Horning built a Prayers & Squares closet in Moore Hall. In January, the sewing team moved their sewing machines, fabric, quilts and supplies into the new closet. We also thank those who gave financial help for this project. Prayer quilts are more than blankets. They are the visible, tangible, physical evidence of faith: faith in God, faith in love, faith in prayer. Once a request for a quilt is received, the quilt is blessed with a prayer as a knot is tied by Kahu Alan; additional prayers knots are tied by the congregation. The finished quilt is then presented to the person needing our prayers.

Lectionary Readings

LECTIONARY READINGS
Weekly Readings from the Bible

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 April 12: Acts 2:14-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31

Readings for April 19: Acts 2:14-41; Psalm 116:1-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

Readings for April 26: Acts 2:42-27; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

Readings for May 3: Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14

Help us with the newsletter!

The KUC Newsletter is how we stay in touch! We send out our Newsletter on a monthly basis in order to keep everyone updated on what is going on at Koloa Union Church.

Be sure to see the pictures and images! If you don’t see any photographs and images by now (like a picture of our church directly above), you are missing out! You can usually fix this issue by clicking “View images” (usually at the very top of the email) in order to see the great photos and images throughout the Newsletter!

Be sure to see ALL of the news! You may not be seeing all of the KUC Newsletter! Some email servers “clip” the message in order to save storage space, so be sure to click on “View entire message” if it appears (usually at the bottom of the email). Otherwise, you’ll be missing out on someof the news!

Add to the KUC Newsletter! Scroll to the bottom of this email to learn how to add any announcements to the Newsletter or add an email to receive future editions! The next edition of the Newsletter will be April 9. Deadline for articles is April 6 Early submissions are greatly appreciated!

A Message From Kahu: April 10th, 2026

A Message from Our Kahu

The Season of Easter “Joy and Hope”

After our service and luncheon on Easter Sunday, I went home carrying feelings of joy and hope; and I was reminded that the Season of Easter lasts from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday, which falls on May 24 this year.

In my Easter message I spoke about Mary Magdalene, her remarkable reputation in the early centuries of the Christian Church, and how she taught us all an important lesson about recognizing Jesus in our midst in times of fear and grief.

We are currently living in such times. Think of places in our world where fear and grief are prevalent: the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, and the United States. Think of people in our communities where grief and fear are prevalent: immigrants, refugees, transgender persons, religious minorities, the poor, the hungry, the homeless. Think of individuals you know who are struggling to make ends meet, sick, or have recently experienced a great loss.

Fear and grief are normal parts of life, but so are joy and hope. I don’t know of any better way to experience joy and hope than to look for Jesus in the eyes of the other. Whether you are looking into the eyes of a newborn, a dear partner or friend, or someone whom you find challenging to have in your presence, I encourage to look until you recognize Jesus and then do your best to love them as Jesus loved all of us.

I included the photo of the beautiful lehua blossoms above, because the ohia tree on which they grow is one of my favorite symbols of joy and hope. So far this year, I have seen lehua blossoms on Maui, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and on the Kalalau Trail on Kauai’s scenic north shore. I’ve seen them in magnificent shades of red, orange and yellow. They bring such joy and hope to the landscape, even in some of the most unlikely places. After fresh lava hardens, one of the first signs of life emerging from the cracks in the hardened rock are the ohia trees. In landscapes that one might imagine being beyond all hope of life, colorful blossoms adorn those places, as if to say, “Even destruction and death can’t keep us from adding beauty to the earth.”

May we feel that same joy and hope during this Season of Easter.

Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu