by admin | Jul 26, 2016 | News
DINNER & BOOK GROUP The final meeting of our summer dinner & book group (6-8 p.m.) will be this Wednesday, July 27, at the Smith Memorial Parsonage. This summer’s book is: Something Rich and Strange: Discovering Your Path to Wholeness and is led by the book’s author Susan Davis, Ph.D.
KOLOA PLANTATION DAYS PARADE We will again participate in the parade (Saturday, July 30) this year! We will have a large decorated golf cart for our kupuna and those unable to walk the distance. Meet at the church at 8:30 a.m. for instructions. Roads will close at 9:00 a.m. Kahu will drive the riders and have them in a shaded area while waiting for start of the parade. (The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Koloa School and ends at the Anne Knudsen Ballpark). Colorful attire is suggested this year as the theme is “Planting the Seeds that Nourish the Soul.” Bring your bottled water for the parade walk.
HONG KONG-STYLE MAHJONG We had a well attended Hong Kong-style mahjong lesson last Saturday at the church: twelve people attended and enjoyed the games! Thanks to Matt Shim, who provided everything needed and lessons. There will be more gatherings in the future. Dates and times to be announced.
MUSIC DIRECTOR We are still looking for a new Music Director. Click HERE to see the position description and application for employment. Please pass along this information to anyone you know who has experience leading musical groups.
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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 | Jul 22, 2016 | Message from Kahu, Uncategorized
Hawaiian “Hospitality”
On Sunday, we heard the story in Genesis 18 of Abraham entertaining three strangers with “over the top” hospitality. When they arrived, he washed their feet, insisted they rest in the shade, and brought them water and a lavish feast. Even though Abraham most likely had no idea who any of the three guests were, we read in the text that Abraham and Sarah were entertaining God! It reminded me of the stories I read about my ancestors on Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii Island when a stranger—usually an elderly woman—would show up at a home on the slopes of the volcano. As it turned out, the stranger was Madame Pele herself—the great goddess of the volcanoes! If the family showed hospitality, the next eruption would spare their home—sometimes by just a few feet. However, if they did not show hospitality, the home would be covered by lava within days. The elders told these stories to their grandchildren to make sure they knew the importance of showing hospitality to others. These stories remind me of what Mother Teresa used to say when she was alive: that every stranger we meet is Jesus in disguise.
I think our church does really well when it comes to hospitality! The people here have definitely showed “over the top” hospitality to me, and I have watched them share it with others. Our capital campaign even came from our desire to show hospitality toward others; coming right from our new vision statement:
When people pass by our church, they notice its beauty and feel a sense of invitation and welcome. When they visit, they feel God’s unconditional love and a sense of beauty and peace everywhere on our campus. When they return, they find it effortless to connect spiritually and emotionally with others and to become involved in the life of the church in meaningful ways.
I am so honored to be the kahu of a church that cares so much about hospitality and making people feel so welcome among us! I invite you to come and experience the Hawaiian hospitality for yourself!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
by admin | Jul 21, 2016 | News
Koloa Union Church Summer Youth Camp July 23-25, 2016: Our middle and high school students (and their friends) will be attending Anahola’s Kumu Camp. The theme will be “Self Respect and Acceptance.” Contact Tiffany Marrotte or Sheri Fu for details.
Free Hong Kong-style Mahjong Lessons at the church. Learn the basics of a simplified Hong Kong Mahjong for beginners. Saturday, July 23, 2016, 2 – 4 p.m. Youth (accompanied by an adult) and adults are welcome. Cost: free. Limited to 20. To register: lessons@mahjongtiles.com.
Koloa Plantation Days Open House at the Smith Memorial Parsonage on July 25, 4 – 6 p.m. This event is part of the week-long KPD festivities! Kahu Akana will talk about our church and parsonage, the Smith-Waterhouse legacy & cemetery, and the neighborhood. There will be tours of the the parsonage and discounted sales of Kahu’s watercolors as a fundraiser for parsonage improvements and repairs.
Koloa Plantation Days Parade is July 30. We will again participate in the parade. We will have a large decorated golf cart for our kupuna and those unable to walk the distance. Meet at the church at 8:30 a.m. for instructions. Roads will close at 9:00 a.m. Kahu will drive the riders and have them in a shaded area while waiting for start of the parade. (The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Koloa School and ends at the Anne Knudsen Ballpark). Colorful attire is suggested this year as the theme is “Planting the Seeds that Nourish the Soul.” Bring your bottled water for the parade walk.
Music Director We are still looking for a new Music Director. The position description and application for employment are found on the “News” page of our church website: www.koloaunionchurch.org. Please pass along this information to anyone you know who has experience leading musical groups.
__________________________
“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 | Jul 13, 2016 | News
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
This letter was in the Garden Island, Sunday, July 10, 2016:
Mahalo to the pastor and entire congregation of the Koloa Union Church for the beautiful upgrade they just finished up. While enhancing their parking lot, they were kind enough to offer a wonderful gift to the Koloa Town community with a major construction and tree trimming project that added a lovely and much needed sidewalk along the entire front of their property.
It makes it a much safer place for children walking to Koloa Elementary and the library. The work was done in a first-class manner and everyone passing by benefits from the church’s generosity of community spirit. Koloa Town has long needed a proper sidewalk along Poipu Road.
Could this be the inspirational beginning of a long overdue sidewalk all the way to the traffic circle?
Tom Biehn
Koloa
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Summer Youth Camp, July 23-25, 2016, Anahola’s Kumu Camp. The theme: “Self Respect and Acceptance.” Our middle school and high school youth and their friends are invited to attend Koloa Union Church’s Summer Youth Camp. Contact Tiffany Marrotte or Sheri Fu for details.
Koloa Plantation Days Open House at the Smith Memorial Parsonage on July 25, 4 – 6 p.m. part of the week-long festivities! Kahu Akana will talk about our church and parsonage, the Smith-Waterhouse legacy & cemetery and the neighborhood. There will be tours of the the parsonage and sales of Kahu’s watercolors as a fundraiser for parsonage improvements and repairs.
Koloa Plantation Days Parade, July 30. We will again participate in the parade. We will have a large decorated golf cart for our kupuna and those unable to walk the distance. Meet at the church at 8:30 a.m. for instructions. Kahu will drive the riders and have them in a shaded area while waiting for start of the parade. (The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Koloa School and ends at the Anne Knudsen Ballpark). Colorful attire is suggested this year as the theme is “Planting the Seeds that Nourish the Soul.”
MUSIC DIRECTOR
We are still looking for a new Music Director. The position description and application for employment are found on the “News” page of our church website: www.koloaunionchurch.org. Please pass along this information to anyone you know who has experience leading musical groups.
KOLOA UNION CHURCH WEEKLY E-NEWS
We have begun sending our latest news every week directly to anyone who requests it. If you would like to get our latest news in your inbox, please send us your email to kucofc@gmail.com.
__________________________
“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 | Jul 11, 2016 | Message from Kahu
Seeing What Is Right in Front of You
In his best-selling book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of Julie Landsman and how she successfully auditioned for the role of principal French horn at the Metropolitan Opera of New York (known by many simply as “The Met”). It was the first year that there was a screen between the judges and the musicians who were auditioning for the orchestra. The decision had recently been made that the judges should pick the winner based solely on the sound of the music and not by the appearance of any musician. It all started when someone wondered if they were showing partiality based upon appearance, and maybe even allowing unknown prejudices to keep them from actually hearing the quality of the performance alone.
When the judges unanimously declared Julie Landsman the winner for the top spot for the French horn and she stepped out from behind the screen there was an audible gasp! They gasped in part because they were expecting a man. In fact, all of the judges thought they were listening to a man playing rather than Julie Landsman. At the time, there were no women in the brass section of the orchestra, because everyone “knew” that women could not play the horn as well as men…. and female horn players were rare.
However, there was another reason why the judges gasped. It wasn’t just because Julie was a woman. It was also because they knew her! She had played for The Met before as a substitute, and it became apparent that they never heard how great she actually was because she was a woman. Until they listened to her with just their ears, they had no idea she was that good. As Gladwell describes it, the screen created a pure Blink moment, and a small miracle happened: they saw her for who she truly was…and they heard her for her expertise and talent for the very first time.
When I read this story, I had to wonder how often I may not see something right in front of my face or how often I may not hear something that is actually loud and clear simply because of prejudices, presuppositions or expectations. On Sunday, we took a look at some of those things that get in our way of seeing and hearing clearly. As we took a look at some of Moses’ final words to the people of Israel, it became apparent that Moses provided a Blink moment for them when he told them that God was not up in heaven or on the other side of the ocean, but right in front of them and inside of them; and because God was right there, the people could do things such as love God, walk in God’s ways and choose life!
During this difficult summer of mass shootings in the U.S., I imagine how things might change for us if we actually come to realize that God is right here in our midst…and within us…and within each and every person…and because of these things we open ourselves up to loving God, walking in God’s ways and always choosing life.
Whatever it is that gets in your way of seeing clearly, I invite you to be open to the possibility of Blink moments in your life: moments when you see something clearly for the first time.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
“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.
Join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa to hear a full sermon by Kahu Akana.
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