by admin | May 2, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“All the Time Love”
When Dorothy Day was 8 years old, she lived with her family in Oakland, California. On April 18, 1906, the infamous San Francisco earthquake devastated the city—just across the bay from Dorothy’s home. Over 3,000 people died from the earthquake and the fire that blazed for 3 days. That week, 8-year-old Dorothy watched the people of Oakland help those who needed help…and she watched them help the people of SF who were coming across the bay in boats. Many of the people fleeing SF lost everything they owned. More than half of the population of San Francisco became homeless on that day.
The response of the people of Oakland had a profound impact on young Dorothy—an impact that informed the rest of her life. She watched people act very differently than she had ever seen them act before: they were going out of their way to help others, sometimes experiencing great sacrifice, personal discomfort, and sometimes even personal pain. And she thought, Somehow people had “known in their being how to do this all along.” People inherently know how to show great compassion and will naturally do it under the right circumstances. And she asked, “Why can’t we live this way all the time?”
The author Paul Elie, who wrote about Dorothy Day, said that she lived by a conviction that it’s not merely great crisis moments that call forth compassion in us. She recognized that, at any given moment, someone somewhere is having a crisis of the magnitude of the San Francisco earthquake… “and you have to be there when the person is having is or her crisis, and not wait for the city to burn down.”
I shared this with the congregation on Sunday and reminded them that someone today has recently lost their home, or is suffering physically more than they ever thought they could bear, or has cancer and they don’t know if they will survive, or just found out that someone they love has died.
Dorothy Day took the words of Jesus seriously. “Abide in my love,” he said to his disciples. His life, his words, his teaching all answered Dorothy Day’s question. “Why can’t we live like this all the time?” We can, Jesus showed us and taught us! We can always keep our eyes open to notice those around us who are suffering. We can always keep our hearts open to show compassion and mercy. We can love all the time. I am so glad to be part of a church that believes this, and demonstrates it over and over and over again!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of his sermon from this past Sunday. 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 | May 1, 2018 | News
MAHA`ULEPU BEACH CLEANUP You are invited to join the UCC youth of the island and Surfrider Foundation on Saturday, May 5, from 9 to noon to clean up Mahaulepu. We will meet at the far end of the road. Join us on our second annual beach cleanup and learn about the importance of taking care of our ocean and land! Join other United Church of Christ young people for a fun activity that makes a difference! Afterwards, we will head to Poipu Beach for lunch and play time from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Koloa Union Church will provide lunch if you RSVP by Friday. Please bring lots of water to drink and sunscreen.
THE LATEST COCONUT WIRELESS The Council of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ shares news on the Coconut Wireless, the regular newsletter of the HCUCC. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE for this past week’s 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.
PRAYERS & SQUARES Contact Angela Dressel if you would like to get involved in praying for people in crisis or helping to make quilt squares for those in crisis.
COMING UP…
KAUCC `AHA MELE The annual songfest of the Kauai Association of the United Church of Christ will be Friday, May 18, at Waimea United Church of Christ, beginning at 5 p.m. Our church choir will sing and everyone will have the opportunity to participate! Dinner will be provided by Waimea UCC. An offering will be connected to benefit the Kauai Council of Hawaiian Congregational Churches.
SEMINARY SUNDAY We will celebrate “Seminary Sunday” on May 20 during our worship service! Many congregations throughout the country celebrate this special day as a time to focus on the importance of educating and training current and future church leaders. Kahu Alan Akana will share his reflections of his time in seminary where he received Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees, as well as the last two and a half years that he has been a Trustee at Pacific School of Religion. On the 20th we will collect a special offering for Pacific School of Religion. Kahu says, “I support PSR as part of my annual giving to the Church; and I invite you to make a special gift to PSR on May 20 when we celebrate Seminary Sunday.” Special offering envelopes will be available on that day; checks should be made out to “Koloa Union Church” with “PSR” in the note section. You may also give a monthly or annual gift to PSR in order to provide ongoing support for current and future church leaders. (See Kahu if you are interested in this.) Please consider a generous gift to PSR!
CHURCH BREAKFAST Our first monthly church breakfast (for men and women) will be on Tuesday, May 22, at 7:30 a.m. at Kalapaki Joe’s in Poipu (1941 Poipu Road). Just a fun time to hang out with friends and good food! Please RSVP with Michael Horning or Penny if you would like to attend.
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“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 | Apr 30, 2018 | Newsletter
May 2018 newsletter PDF
by admin | Apr 28, 2018 | News
Join Bob Vlach and his Son Michael
(Co-creators of the Labyrinth)
On the 4th Anniversary of The
Labyrinth at Maha`ulepu
Saturday, April 28, 2018, at 11 a.m.
For photos and reflections on the labyrinth, click HERE.
Directions to the Labyrinth
Grove Farm has closed the road to Maha`ulepu.
The closest access to the labyrinth site at this point is
hiking in from CJM Stables near the arena.
The hike is about a mile in each direction,
including cliffs and beach (or road) and a short trail.
Bring plenty of water, as there is little shade.
After parking near CJM Stables,
Walk towards the northeast along the coast
past Maha`ulepu Beach until you arrive.
by admin | Apr 25, 2018 | News
Helping Our Neighbors
Flood Relief Continues
Koloa Union Church is reaching out to our neighbors who were affected by the recent flooding on the island. In Koloa, one neighborhood in particular, consisting of nearly thirty homes, experienced severe flooding. As one woman, who attended church on Sunday, said, “Last Sunday (April 15), we had water throughout our entire house that was waist high.” All of the houses in her neighborhood experienced moderate to severe damage, and many lost virtually all of their possessions in a matter of hours, including appliances and furniture.
Koloa Union Church is serving as a drop-off center on the south shore. Church members and others are invited to drop off items which will be used for flood victims. Kahu Alan Akana said, “We will bring to our neighbors here in Koloa whatever they can use. If there is anything left over, we have designated drivers who will take all other items to drop off sites on other parts of the island for use in other communities that were affected by the flooding, including the east and north sides of the island.”
Those who can drop off items are asked to do so on Sunday mornings, or else Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, or by making an appointment by calling Penny at the church office at 808-742-6622. Those who wish to make monetary donations can write checks to “Koloa Union Church” and write “Flood Relief” in the note section.
The list of most urgent needs are as follows:
Household: Microwave ovens, barbecue grills, butane canisters and propane (all sizes), rubber boots and gloves, large plastic storage totes, coolers, tarps, large black contractor trash bags, hand sanitizer, bleach, Clorox Wipes, spray bottles
Personal: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet tissue, diapers (sizes infant through 5), body soap, shampoo, conditioner, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows
Non-refrigerated Food: Cereal, granola, granola bars/snack bars, soy/rice/almond milk, juice, coffee, tea
OTHER NEWS OF THE CHURCH….
LECTIO DIVINA Join us again on April 25 at the Parsonage for a time to quietly reflect on the Scriptures. We will meet on Wednesday, 7:00-8:30 p.m. 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.
THE LATEST COCONUT WIRELESS The Council of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ shares news on the Coconut Wireless, the regular newsletter of the HCUCC. If you would like to keep abreast on news, opportunities and events, please click HERE for this past week’s 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.
PRAYERS & SQUARES Contact Angela Dressel if you would like to get involved in praying for people in crisis or helping to make quilt squares for those in crisis.
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COMING UP………..
MAHAULEPU BEACH CLEAN UP You are invited to join the UCC youth of the island and Surfrider Foundation on Saturday, May 5, from 9 to noon to clean up Mahaulepu. We will meet at the far end of the road.
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“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!
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