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 [email protected]
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!
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!” (Luke 6:23)
In the book, Joy and Human Flourishing, which he co-edits, the theologian, Justin Crisp, asks the question: “Why joy—and why now?” When he considers all that is wrong with the world and views human behavior “in the shadow cast by the towering wreckage of history,” he understands that joy is not the most obvious choice when it comes to theological topics. As I thought about his words, it almost seems that focusing on joy in a world filled with so much pain is almost scandalous.
He then answers his question by pointing to the pages of the Old and New Testaments: they are filled with joy! There is joy in the midst of celebrations, and there is joy when people are struggling from the effects of injustice. In fact, joy seems to be one of the strongest threads that are woven throughout all of the stories of the Holy Bible—a thread that holds them all together.
Jurgen Moltmann, one of the essayists in the book, defines joy in this way: “Joy is the power to live, to love, to have creative initiative.” He sees that God created everything in the universe as an expression of God’s joy, as recipients of God’s joy, and as creatures that participate in God’s joy—simply by being alive, receiving and giving love, and being just as God created each and everything in its own beautiful and unique way, whether tree or flower, whale or human. That’s our job as creatures! Just imagine living this day fully open to life, to love, and to being fully who you are just the way God made you—and encouraging others to do the same! When put in this way, it seems that not living with joy would be the actual scandal! May you have a week filled with joy!
Each year we collect a special offering in memory of Henry Opukahaia, the first Native Hawaiian known to become a Christian. Henry O. is credited with motivating the early New England missionaries to sail to Hawaii. The money collected supports the training of current and future clergy for Christian ministry by providing financial aid for students from Hawaii. The Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ manages the scholarship fund. Please consider a generous donation on Sunday. Offering envelopes will be available on that day. Please write checks to “Koloa Union Church” and write “Henry O” in the note section. When giving online, please write “Henry O” in the comments section.
Hookipa Wellness Class
A Free Exercise/Stretching Class for Seniors
—NEXT CLASS WILL BE FEBRUARY 27—
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 [email protected]
Ash Wednesday Service
March 2nd @ 7 pm
We mark Ash Wednesday as the first day of Lent. It follows Shrove Tuesday. It is traditionally a time of fasting and prayer in preparation for receiving or reaffirming baptism at Easter. We will have a service of the ashes.
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:
Here are some of the important decisions that were made:
Kahu’s Report: Kahu Akana gave a very affirming report based upon the Vision Statement adopted by the Congregation in 2018. He pointed to all of the things we accomplished, even in the midst of the pandemic, and thanked the congregation for prayers, service, and generosity. He also drew our attention to the future and talked about what it will take to complete everything in our vision statement that remains to be accomplished. Youth Director: The congregation voted to hire a youth director to begin on July 1, 2022. Kitchen Remodel: The church kitchen is in desperate need of an overhaul, which will include a service window to the patio area, new appliances, cupboards, drawers, countertops, and floor. Once we have the drawings and cost, we will be asking for our members and friends to help pay for our new kitchen. Covered Patio Area: By the end of the year, we will have a plan in place for a nice covered patio, to include lighting, fans, audio-visual system upgrades, and storage. This large-scale project will require a multi-year capital campaign, which we plan to begin in 2023.
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 13 are Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26. Readings for February 20 are Genesis 45:2-15; Psalm 37:1-40; 1 Corinthians 15:35-50; Luke 6:27-38. Readings for February 27 are Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-44.
Immediately after Christmas, I enjoyed a “staycation.” On a Sunday morning in the new year during my personal time of prayer and reading, I imagined what God might say to me if God would actually speak words out loud. I imagined what God would want me to know. I imagined what God would most want to say to me in the moment. I then wrote down the words that I imagined God speaking to me. This is a spiritual practice I began several years ago.
Here is a selection of what I wrote:
I will see to it that you experience incredible joy.
You are missing absolutely nothing in order to know
deep contentment, joy and wonder.
If you will only trust me in this, anything is possible.”
As I begin a new year and consider our church’s vision, as well as what God might have in store for me personally. I felt God calling me to be completely open to the possibilities that lay before us. About an hour later, I picked up a friend and we drove to the very end of the road in Kokee. We parked the car and began walking on the Pihea Trail. As is my custom on that trail, I walked immediately to the edge of the cliff to see how far I could see. Sometimes I see the ocean and the majestic cliffs of Kalalua.
This trip, however, began with a magnificent Brocken Spectre! The phenomenon, which consists of concentric circles of rainbows, is named after a mountain in Germany where the occurrence has been seen by many. In order for it to occur, the observer must be positioned so that the sun is directly behind while standing on the edge of a cliff, and clouds, fog or mist must be in abundance and within a certain range of distance. All of these criteria just happened to be in place on Sunday morning when I arrived on the trail!
Until Sunday, I didn’t even know that this phenomenon was possible. It was a reminder that indeed anything is possible! May this be a year of amazing possibilities for us all!
Aloha nui loa!
Kahu Alan Akana
“A Message from Our Kahu”is provided by Rev. Dr. Alan Akana of Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Rev. Dr. Akana is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has been the kahu (pastor) of Koloa Union Church since 2014. Click HERE to learn more about him.
To see a video of this week’s worship service, including the message, click HERE. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see previous worship services and many of Kahu’s past messages. You can 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 learn about our Sunday morning worship service, 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.
Wisdom-Based Leadership: Preparing a New Generation of Spiritually-Rooted Leaders to Create a World Where All Can Thrive
Wednesday, January 19, 7 p.m.
Koloa Union Church
This event is open to the public.
All pandemic guidelines apply.
Rev. Dr. David Vasquez-Levy serves as President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California–a progressive, multi-denominational seminary and center for social justice that prepares theologically and spiritually rooted leaders to work for the well-being of all. A committed pastor, a nationally recognized higher education and immigration leader, and a sought after speaker, Vasquez-Levy leads at the intersection of faith, higher education, and social change.Vasquez-Levy is committed to innovation and access in theological education and leadership formation. Vasquez-Levy has lived in four countries, including working on refugee resettlement in Canada, and taught courses and led international study and service trips across the globe. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Texas Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, including studies at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany.
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 January 16 are Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11.
Readings for January 23 are Nehemiah 8:1-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-32; Luke 4:14-21.
KAUCC SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Kauai Association (United Church of Christ) Offers Special Presentation by Christopher Molina “Raising Awareness About The Need for a Living Wage”
Tuesday, January 25 5:30-7:00 P.M.
Christopher Molina, of Koloa Union Church, will be a special guest presenter at the January meeting of the Kauai Association (UCC)!
Chris holds a Bachelors degree in psychology from Pepperdine University. He is finishing up a Masters degree at Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, and completing a practicum with an advocacy nonprofit called PHOCUSED, which is part of the nonprofit organization Hawaii Appleseed, whose goal is to raise awareness about the need for a living wage.
This meeting will take place on Zoom. Please contact the church office for the invitation.
Church Office Closed
Monday, January 17 In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
“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 news sent directly to your inbox. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
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