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A Message From Kahu: August 9th, 2023

by admin | Aug 9, 2023 | Message from Kahu

A Message From Our Kahu

“A Successful Centennial Weekend!”

Our participation in Koloa Plantation Days and our Centennial celebration at the church last week was one of the highlights of all my years in ministry. Our parade entry was by far the best we have ever had! Our celebration on Sunday, consisting of a proclamation by the mayor, stories, photos, a slideshow, decorations, and delicious food, was fantastic! To be connected to the past 100 years of our church is truly an honor! I continue to be inspired by the rich history and the ongoing ministry of this congregation.

I am especially grateful to our Centennial Committee. Jeanie Odo (Chair), Penny Osuga, Penny Jessup, and JoAnne Machin (our honorary member), have served with me on this committee for over two and half years, and all of their work certainly paid off during our celebration! Michael Horning did an amazing job designing and building our float. Jeanette Bonilla’s brother Dennis was so generous to drive our former pastors, Nani Hill and John Lunn, in his beautiful 1930 Ford Model-A sedan in the parade. Finally, I am thankful for the many members, past and present, who helped to make the weekend so special and who continue to make our church such a special congregation!

Mahalo nui loa for continuing to make Koloa Union Church the loving, supportive community of faith that makes such a difference on the island and throughout the world!

Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu

Church News: July 13th, 2023

by admin | Jul 13, 2023 | News

Celebrating 100 Years of Aloha

You Event Koloa Union Church Poipu Youth Group

Koloa Union Church Is This Year’s Koloa Plantation Days Grand Marshal!

Centennial Activities:

Monday, July 24: 2 – 4 p.m. “Smith Memorial Parsonage: Over a Century of History”

In concert with the Koloa Plantation Days Committee, Kahu is inviting the entire community to show off the parsonage and talk about its history over the past century. (Well, almost a century: It was built in 1928!) Kahu will also talk about the Smith-Waterhouse Families who lived on the property before they donated it to the church. We will also give tours of the parsonage and provide refreshments to our guests.

We are recruiting volunteers to serve as greeters, docents, and other capacities. Please consider signing up to volunteer on the signup sheet on the church bulletin board.

Volunteers are asked to wear your Centennial T-shirts at this event so you can be easily identified in case someone has questions or needs assistance.

Friday, July 28: 4 p.m. Decorating the Float and Golf Carts

Join us at the parsonage to decorate for the parade. Tropical flowers and greenery are needed! Please bring them and help us decorate. We will then use those flowers to decorate the tables for the centennial luncheon on Sunday. Please volunteer on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

Saturday, July 29: 10 – 11 a.m. Annual Koloa Plantation Days Parade

We are going “all out” this year as this year’s Grand Marshal! Michael Horning is building a very special float and we have rented two golf carts so that everyone can participate, including those who are unable to walk in the parade! We are encouraging members and friends of all ages to sign up on the church bulletin board, and invite your friends to sign up as well!

Participants should meet at the church between 7:30 and 8 a.m. for instructions and location assignments. We will have pastries when you arrive! Bring to the parade: comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, umbrella (for sun or rain), hats, and water bottles. Consider wearing a centennial t-shirt in the parade or else a colorful shirt. A limited number of t-shirts are still available at the church for purchase. The parade begins at Kōloa School and ends at Knudsen Park where there will be lots of food, entertainment, crafts, and more. (Tickets are $5 for adults.) We will provide rides back to the church after the parade for those who do not wish to remain at the park. Volunteers are needed to un-decorate at the end of the parade. We will be using the same flowers and greenery to decorate for Sunday.

See the sign up sheet on the bulletin board if you plan to participate in the parade as a walker, driver or ride in one of the golf carts.

Sunday, July 30: 10:30 – Noon Centennial Worship Service

We will celebrate and give thanks for the past 100 years in the morning worship service! We will take a group picture immediately following the worship service, then serve a catered lunch. There will be delicious food, a slide show, a special Centennial photo book to order for delivery in the fall, time to visit with people who will be flying in for the special occasion—and special gift bags for everyone who attends!

Parking: The front lawn will not be available for parking on Sunday. Those who are able are asked to consider parking on the street, at the parsonage, the lot next to the parsonage, or at Koloa School.

New Church Kitchen

A New Kitchen is coming to Koloa Union Church!

As a reminder, we will be working on our brand new certified commercial kitchen throughout the summer and early fall. During this time, the kitchen will not be available for use.

The photos above are the preliminary drawings from our architect.

The photos below are the gutting of the old kitchen by Dan, Naomi and Michael (with Kahu peeking in to check on the progress!). They filled an entire large trash container on that day!

Church Work Day

Saturday, July 15 8:00 A.M. – Noon

Please join us on Saturday for our annual Church Work Day, as we get the church ready for our Centennial celebration! We invite volunteers to come and work on the landscaping and also interior and exterior cleaning. Bring your buckets, rags, gloves, and yard tools. We especially want our church building and grounds to look clean, fresh and spectacular for our Centennial!

For lunch, we will stop right around noon and eat together. Since the kitchen remains closed due to the renovation, please bring your own drinks, snacks and lunches.

If you are not able to help on Saturday, see Penny Osuga or Dan Giovanni if you want to do some chores on another day.

Youth Group Beach Clean Up

No Church Breakfast In July

Squares & Prayers

Tuesday, August 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! Mahalo nui loa!

Stewardship Update

Mahalo for your generosity!

As we continue to add important new ministries and support for those ministries (like hiring a youth director last year and building a new kitchen this year), our expenses increase as well. We have also had to spend a lot more money on parsonage repairs than expected this year—mostly due to significant termite damage, as well as large cracks and broken pieces in the foundation. (By the way, the parsonage will be tented for fumigation next week on Tuesday and Wednesday.) We also had to make repairs on the sanctuary roof due to wind damage in the spring. Although our giving continues to slowly increase each year, we often find it challenging to pay all of our bills during the summer months—and this summer is no different—especially with the additional unexpected expenses!

If you have fallen behind in your pledge and can catch up by the end of summer, that would be very helpful! If you can make an “over and above” gift to the church this year, that would be greatly appreciated as well!

On a really positive note, Koloa Union Church was again recognized by the Hawaii Conference and the United Church of Christ for being a “5 for 5” contributor! That means that we gave last year to Basic Mission Support as well as to all 4 of the special mission offerings of the UCC! We were also recognized for being one of the top contributors per capita in the Hawaii Conference!

Thank you for your gifts to Koloa Union Church and to the mission of the United Church of Christ!

Thank You Letter

Watch Our Most Recent Worship Service

Watch Our Most Recent Worship Service

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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!

Parsonage Repairs

Waineke Cabins in Kokee

The Kauai Association Of The United Church of Christ invites You to The Reopening & Blessing Of The Waineke Cabins in Kokee!

Alan Akana Gallery

Mahalo Nui Loa Worship Participants

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 July 16: Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-23

Readings for July 23: Genesis 28:10-20; Psalm 139:1-24; Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-43

Readings for July 30: Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-46; 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-52

Readings for August 6: Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 17:1-15; Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-21; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21

Readings for August 13: Genesis 37:1-38; Psalm 105:1-46; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33

Pictures Since Our Last Newsletter

A Message From Kahu: July 13th, 2023

by admin | Jul 13, 2023 | Message from Kahu

A Message From Our Kahu

“Our Centennial”

It is truly an honor to be serving as Kahu during the centennial year of Koloa Union Church! This community of faith has such a rich and fascinating history, with a presence dating back to 1835 when the first Protestant congregation of mostly Hawaiians was founded, eventually becoming four distinct congregations based upon language and culture, and then having three of them unite together in 1923 to become a strong and important presence on the south shore of Kauai.

I am especially grateful to our Centennial Committee. Jeanie Odo (Chair), Penny Osuga and Penny Jessup have served with me on this committee for 3 years! Special thanks to JoAnne Machin, our honorary member, who spent countless hours going through files and researching church records and information. Finally, I am thankful for the many members, past and present, who have made this such a special congregation!

As we celebrate during the final week of this month, I hope you will join us in helping with the Koloa Plantation Days reception at the Smith Memorial Parsonage on Monday, July 24; participating in the Koloa Plantation Days Parade on Saturday, July 29; and celebrating with us in church and at our Centennial Celebration Luncheon on Sunday, July 30! If you can’t be with us in person, I know you’ll be with us in spirit. We will be including the week’s events in our Centennial photo book, which will be available in the fall.

Mahalo nui loa for continuing to make Koloa Union Church the loving, supportive community of faith that makes such a difference on the island and throughout the world!

Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu Alan Akan

Church News: June 15th, 2023

by admin | Jun 15, 2023 | News

Church Office Holiday Closures

New Church Kitchen

A New Kitchen is coming to Koloa Union Church!

Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions:

Q: How will the new kitchen be different from the current one?
A: The kitchen will be bigger with an island in the middle; there will be serving windows with counters facing both Moore Hall and the patio; all appliances countertops, cupboards, drawers and floors will be brand new.

Q: Why do we want a “certified” kitchen?
A: A certified kitchen will allow us (and others) to legally cook for others outside the church for outreach and fundraising opportunities.

Q: Can I see what the new kitchen will look like?
A: The photos here are preliminary drawings. Larger ones will be posted on the church bulletin board beginning on Sunday. As the architect provides finalized plans, we will share them with the Congregation.

Q: What is the timeline of building the new kitchen?
A: Although the timeline is an estimate and actual work depends on the permitting process and availability of workers, here is what we are hoping for: demolition will take place in late-June / early-July; construction will happen from late-July through early fall; we plan to have a fully functioning kitchen in October!

Q: Do we need to raise any more money?
A: There is always the possibility that inflation might exceed the money we have raised so far. We also plan to replace all of the equipment, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, etc. with commercial-grade items. There will likely be opportunities for contributions toward these things, and we will have a much better idea in the fall, so stay tuned!

Q: What if I have additional questions or suggestions?
A: You can talk to Kahu, Dan or Penny Osuga at any time regarding your questions and suggestions.