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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.

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.

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 are asked to wear your Centennial T-shirts in the parade, whether you are driving, riding or walking. More details will be in the July Newsletter.

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 have invited past ministers of the church to participate and will be remembering special moments and people over the past century!

Sunday, July 30: Noon Centennial Luncheon

We will serve a catered lunch immediately following the worship service. There will be delicious food, a slide show, a special Centennial photo book, time to visit with people who will be flying in for the special occasion—and special gift bags for everyone who attends!

Youth Group

YOUTH GROUP

Sunday, June 25 4:45 p.m.
Smith Memorial Parsonage
3281 Waikomo Road

Those Entering Middle School
Those Just Graduating from High School
Everyone In Between
Friends Are Welcome!

Come and Enjoy:
A Delicious Meal
Fun and Games
Meaningful Conversation

Check with Tiffany Marrotte for More Details. Please RSVP by signing up with Tiffany.

Kauai Pride Parade and Festival

Tuesday, June 27 8:00-9:30 a.m.

Kauai Poke Co. at Poipu Bay 2250 Ainako Street in Poipu (At the Poipu Bay Golf Course Club House)

Directions:
Drive pass the Grand Hyatt Resort.
Make the next right on Ainako Street.
Turn left into the only driveway.
You’ve gone too far if you arrive at Shipwreck Beach.
Park in the back if the front parking lot is full.

Join us on the 4th Tuesday of each month for delicious food and a fun time getting to know others from Koloa Union Church!

Location each month to be determined.

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

Squares & Prayers

Tuesday, July 11th 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!

Church Word Day

Saturday, July 15 8:00 A.M. – Noon

We are long overdue for a church work day. 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 structure and grounds to look clean, fresh and spectacular for our Centennial celebration!!

The kitchen remains closed due to the renovation, so please bring your own drinks, snacks and lunches. We will stop right around noon and eat together.

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

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!

Parsonage Repairs

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 June 18: Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Psalm 116:1-19; Exodus 19:2-9; Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8

Readings for June 25: Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-17: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-18; Romans 6:1-11; Matthew 10:24-39

Readings for July 2: Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

Readings for July 9: Genesis 24:34-67; Psalm 45:10-17; Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Matthew 11:16-30

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

Kauai Pride Parade

A Message From Kahu: June 15th, 2023

by admin | Jun 15, 2023 | Message from Kahu

A Message From Our Kahu

“Vision Update”

Every few years since 2014, our church leaders meet together in a retreat setting to give thanks for what has happened among us and to consider how God might be leading us into a vision for the future. Each time we have gathered, most of our Council members and Deacons attend, as well as other interested members of the church. By the end of the retreat, we set priorities and goals for the coming years and communicate them with the Congregation. In the past, this process has led us to our successful capital campaign—which allowed us to give a major facelift to our property and sanctuary—as well as becoming an official “Open & Affirming” congregation of the United Church of Christ, hiring a Youth Director, and significantly increasing our financial offerings to the church.

According to our most recent vision statement, “In December 2022…we have finalized plans for a certified kitchen that serves people in Moore Hall and in the patio area.” In the fall of 2022, Dan Giovanni, our Building and Grounds Chair, presented to the Council drawings made by the local architectural firm Palms Hawaii Architecture, along with estimated costs for the project ($90,000) and a timeline. I got busy putting a plan together to raise the money without having another major capital campaign.

Penny Jessup agreed to write a grant proposal for $40,000 from the Vidinha Family Trust. We were notified last week that the full amount has been awarded to us and the check is now in the bank! I am so grateful to Penny J. for her devotion to the church and all of the “behind the scenes” work she does for us on a regular basis! The remaining $50,000 has also been raised by a small handful of very generous members and friends of the church. I am once again so grateful (and, frankly, overwhelmed) by the generosity of the people of our church.

Dan will once again oversee the project: working with the architect and contractors, making sure permits are approved with the County of Kauai, approving bills to be paid on time, and communicating with the Congregation. It’s hard to imagine what we would do without Dan! Be sure to scroll down just a bit and see the drawings done by Palms Hawaii, as well as some of the details about the project.

In case you are wondering, our next major project of our vision after the kitchen is completed will be creating “an attractive, peaceful, safe and useful space on the west end of our property.” That’s the patio area just to the west of the church office and kitchen. We will be talking more about this toward the end of the year and getting input from the Congregation before moving forward.

In the meantime, I want you to know how grateful I am for the generosity of members and friends of the church who not only make projects like our kitchen possible but who also give faithfully throughout the year to keep our church’s vision and mission alive and well!

Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu Alan Akan

Church News: May 17th, 2023

by admin | May 17, 2023 | News

Church Breakfast

Tuesday, May 23rd 8:00-9:30 a.m.

Kauai Poke Co. at Poipu Bay 2250 Ainako Street in Poipu (At the Poipu Bay Golf Course Club House)

Directions: Drive pass the Grand Hyatt Resort. Make the next right on Ainako Street. Turn left into the only driveway. You’ve gone too far if you arrive at Shipwreck Beach. Park in the back if the front parking lot is full.

Join us on the 4th Tuesday of each month for delicious food and a fun time getting to know others from Koloa Union Church! Location each month to be determined.

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

Native Garden Tour And Slideshow

Native Garden Tour And Slideshow
Thursday, May 25

Kahu Akana will be leading a private tour of the native garden section at McBryde Garden, where he will point out many flowers of Hawai`i nei, followed by a slideshow of the beautiful indigenous flowers of the islands.

10 a.m. to Noon The free Thursday Market (food, drinks, crafts, etc) at the South Shore Visitor Center of National Tropical Botanical Garden. Grab lunch, some snacks, drinks, and do some shopping for crafts, art, books, and more!

Noon to 12:30 p.m. Make your way to the benches right outside the visitor center on the north patio. The shuttle departs right at 12:30! After 15-20 minutes on the shuttle, you will arrive at McBryde Garden.

12:30-3:30 p.m. After an introduction the the gardens while seated on the shuttle, Kahu will point out the many flowering bushes and trees. Half of the tour will be through the unpaved section of the native garden and the other half on a paved trail; you may choose to participate in either or both. After the tour, participants are welcome to wander through the rest of McBryde Garden or visit on the patio where there is plenty of seating.

3:30 to 5 p.m. Kahu will host a reception at the Smith Memorial Parsonage where you can see a slideshow of photographs of native flowers and his watercolors of them. Enjoy some snacks and iced tea as you visit with Kahu about his trips throughout the islands and his art.

Shoe Requirement: Closed toe shoes or secure hiking sandals w/strap over ankles & toes. No flip-flops! Bring: a brown bag lunch or money to purchase food; mosquito repellent; water bottle. (There are water bottle filling stations at the Visitor Center and in McBryde Garden.)

FOR RESERVATIONS: Call NTBG at (808) 742-2623 for a reservation ASAP and be sure to mention that you are with Koloa Union Church. Space is limited!

Youth Game Night

Youth Game Night for Middle & High School Youth

Sunday, May 28th 2023
4:45 – 7:00 pm at the Parsonage 3281 Waikomo Road

RSVP to Tiffany by Wednesday May 24th at (808)-651-1397