by admin | Dec 19, 2018 | Message from Kahu
Celebration, Demolition & Construction
During our worship service on Sunday, I surprised Kei and Penny Osuga with a very special certificate regarding our office expansion, as the final big project of our capital campaign:
The Church Office Shall Be Named In Honor Of:
Tasaburo & Akiko Okamura
Kiyoshi & Takako Shintani
Kei & Penny Osuga
For their generous and varied contributions to our church over
three generations by gifts given by their family & friends
The certificate then listed the names of all of Kei & Penny’s family members and friends who made donations to the office project.
In early fall, we were still short about $30,000 in terms of what we needed for the office expansion and new women’s restroom. After Penny mentioned to me that she wished she could think of a special way to honor her parents and grandparents, who were Kōloa Union Church members, I visited with Kei and Penny’s daughter Tara about the possibility of their family and friend’s donating the funds for the entire church office and naming the office after all three generations—including Penny and Kei! Checks poured in over the last couple of months, and a few folks made promises to send money over the next few weeks.
It was a special honor to have Kei’s sisters, Irene and Sachiko, (who contributed to the effort), in church on Sunday to assist with placing lei on Kei and Penny!
We had a vision four years ago to create a space that was more welcoming and inviting on our church property. We began with an ambitious goal of $150,000. Since a handful of our church leaders raised than that mount on our own, we increased our goal to $300,000. With two grants from the Vidinha Charitable Trust and additional gifts from members and friends of the church, we have now raised over $400,000!
We will begin demolition on the women’s restroom and office expansion right after Christmas and plan to have both projects completed by March 1! We still have a small handful of unfulfilled capital campaign commitments. As some of those commitments are fulfilled in the coming weeks, we will be able to pay for every project on our list, including new signs on Moore Hall and the sanctuary, new doorknobs and hardware on all of the doors on Moore Hall, installation of light fixtures, completion of irrigation, and making the floor inside and outside the sanctuary attractive, level and safe.
As our capital campaign winds down and we finish up the final projects in the next few months, I want to thank once again every person who gave, volunteered and prayed for a successful capital campaign “Maika`i Hana Hou!” (Creating Goodness & Beauty Once Again!). Your generosity and support has definitely created goodness and beauty, which has certainly made us more welcoming and inviting.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of a recent message from Sunday morning. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Dec 11, 2018 | News
LECTIO DIVINA Join us at the Smith Memorial Parsonage (3281 Waikomo Road) on Wednesday, December 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. as we reflect on the Scriptures in silence and share our experiences of doing so. The season of Advent is an especially important time to reflect and consider the meaning of God’s presence among us.
CHRISTMAS CAROLING Christmas caroling at Sueoka Store on Monday December 17, 5-7 p.m. We sing to support the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, which feeds hungry people on the island.
THE LATEST COCONUT WIRELESS The Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ shares news on the Coconut Wireless, the regular weekly newsletter of the HCUCC. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE for the latest news. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically and get the very latest news hot off the press.
LECTIONARY READINGS (Old & New Testament Readings for the Week) 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 of them on the following Sunday. This week’s readings are Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18.
_________________________
COMING UP. . . .
CHRISTMAS FUND OFFERING This special offering, administered by the United Church of Christ Pension Boards, provides direct financial assistance to retired and active UCC authorized ministers and lay employees and their surviving spouses, including pension and health premium supplementation, emergency assistance, and Christmas “thank you” checks. Each year, UCC congregations throughout the country collect this offering to assist faithful servants of God who are facing financial difficulties. We not only share hope, peace, joy and love with them; but they, in turn, pass these things along to others in their communities and in the world. We will collect the Christmas Fund offering on Sunday, December 23, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE Our annual Christmas Eve service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on December 24. The service will include Christmas readings and carols, special music, as well as lighting of candles during the closing carol. Come early to get a seat! For those who are able to walk, please consider parking along Waikomo Road, at the parsonage or the lawn just to the east of the parsonage, so that those who find it difficult to walk, and our visitors and guest, can easily park near the church for this special service.
CHRISTMAS DAY COMMUNION SERVICE Our Christmas Day service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on December 25 and will include Christmas carols, readings and a time of reflection, as well as Holy Communion.
OFFICE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS The church office will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1. Kahu and Penny have those days off as well (besides the Christmas Day Communion service).
________________________________
“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Dec 11, 2018 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, I called attention again to the painting “The Holy Trinity” by the 15th century Russian artist Andrei Rublev. (You can see the painting below.) It a picture of three Persons sitting around a table in love, trust, vulnerability and intimacy. I pointed again to the small rectangle on the front of the table just below the dish. Art historians are aware that there are remnants of glue in that space and believe there used to be a mirror there. The author Richard Rohr tells us in his book, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation, that his purpose in writing the book was to call his readers to reposition themselves so that they could see their faces in the mirror.
Just imagine really seeing yourself as a true reflection of God, for that is what you are! Genesis tells us that human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God We are God’s reflection—not just me…or you…but every single person in the world. Imagine the peace we would have if we truly saw ourselves—all of us—in the mirror! Rohr writes, “We always become what we behold.” So let’s spend some time during this season of Advent beholding the true nature of God, which is a relational God, relating to the “selves” of God with love, trust, vulnerability and intimacy. And let us ask how we might “reposition” ourselves so that we can clearly see that we are actually a part of this loving God. Just imagine God looking upon us in the same way that the three Persons in Rublev’s painting look upon each other! There really is no better way to be at peace with ourselves, with God and with others.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“The Holy Trinity” By Andrei Rublev
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of a recent message from Sunday morning. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Dec 4, 2018 | News
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
Friday, December 7, 6 p.m.
The Smith Memorial Parsonage
(3281 Waikomo Road)
Potluck Feast
Christmas Carols
Holiday Fun
Bring a Dish To Share
Friends of the Church Are Welcome!
_________________________
THE LATEST COCONUT WIRELESS The Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ shares news on the Coconut Wireless, the regular weekly newsletter of the HCUCC. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE for the latest news. If you like what you see, you may subscribe and get every issue of the Coconut Wireless automatically and get the very latest news hot off the press.
LECTIONARY READINGS (Old & New Testament Readings for the Week) 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 of them on the following Sunday. This week’s readings are Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6.
________________________
COMING UP. . . .
CHRISTMAS CAROLING Christmas caroling at Sueoka Store on Monday December 10 and 17, 5-7 p.m. We sing to support the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, which feeds hungry people on the island.
LECTIO DIVINA Wednesday, December 12, 7-8:30 p.m. Join us at the Parsonage for a time to quietly reflect on the Scriptures. We will meet for Lectio Divina at the Smith Memorial Parsonage (3281 Waikomo Road). In Christianity, Lectio Divina is a traditional practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s word.
CHRISTMAS FUND OFFERING This special offering, administered by the United Church of Christ Pension Boards, provides direct financial assistance to retired and active UCC authorized ministers and lay employees and their surviving spouses, including pension and health premium supplementation, emergency assistance, and Christmas “thank you” checks. Each year, UCC congregations throughout the country collect this offering to assist faithful servants of God who are facing financial difficulties. We not only share hope, peace, joy and love with them; but they, in turn, pass these things along to others in their communities and in the world. We will collect the Christmas Fund offering on Sunday, December 23, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAM The church children and youth will lead our worship service on Sunday, December 16. They will also be performing the Christmas play “New Star.” Come and enjoy the Christmas message through the eyes of our children.
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE Our annual Christmas Eve service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on December 24. The service will include Christmas readings and carols, special music, as well as lighting of candles during the closing carol. Come early to get a seat! For those who are able to walk, please consider parking along Waikomo Road, at the parsonage or the lawn just to the east of the parsonage, so that those who find it difficult to walk, and our visitors and guest, can easily park near the church for this special service.
CHRISTMAS DAY COMMUNION SERVICE Our Christmas Day service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on December 25 and will include Christmas carols, readings and a time of reflection, as well as Holy Communion.
OFFICE CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS The church office will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1. Kahu and Penny have those days off as well (besides the Christmas Day Communion service).
________________________________
“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
by admin | Dec 4, 2018 | Message from Kahu
We began the Season of Advent on Sunday! The church is decorated with the Christmas tree, Advent wreath, poinsettias, and the beautiful Nativity seen on the communion table. Shellee Riggio shared personal words about “hope” (our theme for the day) and then danced a stunning American Sign Language interpretation to the song “I Hope You Dance.” Kathleen Dahill sung a perfect solo for the day and taught the congregation a new song about waiting for the Lord (another Advent theme).
In my message, I talked about preparation for the many ways Christ comes to us (and, yes, another Advent theme!). I said that it was a bit like when my son Palani used to visit me after I moved to Dallas and how I anticipated and prepared for each visit. It was also very much like when he came to live with me full-time in California just before his junior year in high school. God, in Christ, comes to us over and over again, and yet, God also comes to stay and never leaves. The question to ask is: “How do we constantly prepare for his presence among us—today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives?”
I also shared a famous Russian painting by the 15th century artist Andrei Rublev called “The Holy Trinity.” (There is a picture of it below.) It is a very different image of the Trinity than the pictures I saw growing up, in college where I studied philosophy and religion, and in seminary. In most of those pictures, the figures are typically very masculine: an old man with a long white beard, a younger man with a long brown or blonde beard, and a dove or other figure or symbol for the Holy Spirit. The images in those pictures also indicate an authoritarian God, and frankly, a Caucasian God. In Rublev’s iconic painting, however, we see three figures sitting around a table enjoying a meal from a common vessel. Their heads are bowed in humility to one another and they sit as equals.
On the front of the table, in the center just below the bowl, there is a rectangle with remnants of glue. Some art historians believe there was once a mirror attached there. Whenever someone saw the painting, they saw themselves as part of this humble and intimate communion of God! During the Season of Advent, may we remind ourselves that God is relational, intimate and inviting. What more hope for the world do we need than that?
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“The Holy Trinity” By Andrei Rublev
__________________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of a recent message from Sunday morning. You may see the Koloa Union Church YouTube channel to see many of his past messages and 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.
“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by the Kahu (Pastor) of Koloa Union Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
Recent Comments