Reaching out into the broader community by sharing aloha with everyone . . .
St. Raphael Food Pantry Koloa Union Church continues to partner with St. Raphael Catholic Church in distributing food to hungry families. If you are younger than 65-years-old (a new rule) and you are available on Friday, May 1, from 9-11, to help at St. Raphael’s, please contact Amber Strong at 907-227-9045 or <amberkn@yahoo.com>. You MUST wear a face mask in order to volunteer (and Amber can bring one for you if you don’t already have one).
Salvation Army Soup Kitchen The Hanapepe Salvation Army has opened its soup kitchen but they do NOT need us this month since they have to limit the number of people on their property at any given time in order to honor the social distancing rules in place. We will keep volunteers posted as to our next day when they need us to serve lunch.
Making Face MasksOver 450 Masks Made So Far!
The Prayers & Squares Ministry continues to make masks for the following three groups:
Koloa Union Church Members The Prayers & Squares team is happy to make a mask for you or your immediate family member. We want to make sure that we are taking care of each other and that we are all safe. Let Cathy Evans know if you need a mask.
Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital (KVMH) still needs masks for their employees who are not working with critical care or coronavirus patients.
Wilcox Hospital needs masks for staff, patients and families.
Face Masks Are Free! We are not charging anything for face masks because we want to make sure everyone is safe, regardless of ability to pay. If you would like to make a donation to support this effort, please write your check to “Koloa Union Church” with “Prayers & Squares” in the note section. Your donation will go to pay for material for face masks and quilts for those in crisis situations.
Need a Face Mask? Want to Help? Got Questions? Please contact Cathy Evans (volunteer project coordinator): cathyevans2@icloud.com; 858-231-6894.
Food for Hungry Neighbors If you or someone you know on the south shore is hungry, please provide a name and contact information HERE. There may be someone who can no longer afford food. Perhaps someone is unable to leave their home to buy groceries. Our Outreach Committee is coordinating safe pickup and drop off of groceries to make sure none of our neighbors goes hungry during this time.
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Lectionary Readings
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 of them on the following Sunday. This week’s readings are Acts 2:14-41; Psalm 116:1-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35.
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Join Us on Sunday!
“A STRANGE INTIMACY” Getting Close while Staying Apart
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Join Us for Our Next Online Worship Service
† Message by Kahu Alan Akana † Hymns † Reading of the Scriptures † Special Music † Prayers of the People
You can find the link on our website before 10:30 Sunday morning.
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Happy Earth Day!
Enjoy these photos of Kauai taken by Kahu Alan Akana
Thank you, God, for the Earth and all her beauty! Teach us to love her. Teach us to care for her.
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“Weekly 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 weekly news sent directly to your inbox. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
In my online message this past week, I talked about the importance of community and how we are still a strong community of faith even when we are not physically together. All of the key ingredients of community still apply today, although they look quite different because we have to do them differently. I offered these thoughts about community during these days of isolation and social distancing:
Community is about showing up as we are and knowing there is a place where we are loved and accepted as we are. We can still show up as we are—as we watch the online worship service and as we call to check in on church members.
Community is about sharing a common purpose. We still share the same purpose of sharing the love of God with one another and the world as the body of Jesus Christ.
Community is about sharing our stories and our beliefs and perceptions with one another in honest and nonjudgmental ways. We will continue sharing our stories, beliefs and perceptions with one another—just not in person.
Community is about asking for help when we need it. I urge you to ask for help from me, our Deacons, our Council members, and anyone else in the church who can help you.
Community is about being honest and transparent. We need each other to be honest and transparent with one another—now more than ever.
I also talked about the importance of sanctuary. In his book, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old, Parker Palmer writes about about the importance of sanctuary. Although we church folks often refer to “sanctuary” as the room where we worship, Palmer reminds us the broader meaning of the word. I found these words some of the most helpful in his book:
“Sanctuary” is as vital as breathing to me. Sometimes I find it in churches, monasteries, and other sites formally designated “sacred.” But more often I find it in places sacred to my soul: in the natural world, in the company of a faithful friend, in solitary or shared silence, in the ambience of a good poem or good music.
Sanctuary is wherever I find safe space to regain my bearings, reclaim my soul, heal my wounds, and return to the world as a wounded healer. It’s not merely about finding shelter from the storm—it’s about spiritual survival and the capacity to carry on.
I invite you to find your sanctuary ever week and every day: a safe space to regain your bearings, a place to reclaim your soul, a place to heal your wounds, a place to breathe. You may have to be a bit more creative now to find that space, but I trust that you will make it a priority to do so—not only for your own spiritual survival but also for you to share God’s light with others.
I look forward to continuing the conversation online on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana”is provided most weeks by Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
To see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana, click HERE. 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.
You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings!To see our Sunday morning schedule, 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.
KAHU ON SABBATICAL/REV. SARAH JONES FILLING IN
Our Kahu, Rev. Dr. Alan Akana, is on sabbatical from March 4 through June 3 in Europe. Based in southern France, he is traveling, reading, writing and painting while focusing on the theme, “beauty, art and spirituality.” He will be back with us on Pentecost, Sunday, June 9. We are grateful to have the Rev. Sarah Jones filling in most Sunday mornings while Kahu is gone. If you have need for pastoral care, you may contact Sarah at Wilcox Medical Center or at 631-2444. Our Deacons are also available to pray with and assist church members and friends in crisis; please contact the church office or Christine Kube (Chair of our Board of Deacons) at 635-1785.
SCENT-FREE ENVIRONMENT
We have members, friends, and a kahu who are highly allergic to various scents, often resulting in coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing and speaking, as well as other symptoms. Heavy perfumes and colognes are particularly troublesome. We are requesting that our church be, as much as possible, a “scent-free” environment during worship services, social activities and meetings. We realize that there is no way to keep all scents away, and we plan to continue having fresh flower arrangements each week and leis for special occasions, but we do ask everyone to be sensitive to the needs of those around them when it comes to perfumes, colognes and lotions.
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 Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8.
PARKING NOTE
Thanks to all who are able who have been making parking more manageable on Sunday mornings! Those who have been carpooling and parking at the school and on Waikomo Road have made a big difference in making room for the elderly, our visitors, and those who have trouble walking.
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Coming up….
PALM/PASSION SUNDAY
April 14. Come to church and enjoy a youth Easter skit. The Sunday School will conduct the entire service.
MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE
April 18, 7 p.m. Please join us for this special service. It is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the foot washing and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.
GOOD FRIDAY
April 19, 11 a.m. in Moore Hall. Join the church youth to color Easter eggs followed by a hot dog lunch.
EASTER SUNDAY April 21
6 a.m. sunrise service may be in the works Easter egg hunt after Easter service.
The Alan Akana Gallery will be closed today.
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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!
MEN’S BREAKFAST
Tuesday, January 8. Join the men of the church and their friends as they continue this winter tradition. The men meet each Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.at Kalapaki Joe’s Poipu for this time to catch up with returning snow bird friends. Everyone (men and women) is invited to breakfast on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
PRAYERS & SQUARES All are welcome to participate in this ministry of making quilts and prayer squares for those members of our congregation who are experiencing a life crisis. Our next gathering is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, at Koloa Union Church from 1 to 4 p.m.
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 Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-22.
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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!
On Sunday, we celebrated the Holy Trinity, as we sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” and read from Isaiah and Revelation, where those words are proclaimed by heavenly beings in dreams. They are wild dreams filled with fear and wonder—like many of the dreams we have from time to time. I focused mostly on Isaiah’s dream in my message and shared with the congregation a bit of background in order to understand what might have been going on at the time Isaiah had his dream.
There are four messages that I believe Isaiah most likely understood from his dream.
First of all, God is ultimately in control. Kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers, come and go. Some make big marks in history; others are forgotten in a generation or two. Some make the world a much better place; others seem to make a mess of everything they touch. Yet, after every leader moves on and every regime comes to an end, God remains.
God is holy and is a mystery. Even when God reveals part of God’s self to us, there remains so much more about God that we don’t know. This ought to give us some degree of humility. It also ought to make us wary of leaders who think they have everything figured out or believe that they are above the rules that apply to everyone else.
God forgives our sins and shortcomings. With a simple touch, Isaiah’s sins were blotted out—the moment he admitted his imperfections. Our sins disappear just as quickly, but it is important that we too are aware that we are far from perfect.
God sends people out into the world to do the work of God. When God asked, “Whom shall I send? Who will go?”, Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me.” There is work for all of us to do—important work in the world. May we be just as quick as Isaiah to say, “Here am I. Send me.”
Be sure to watch the video of my sermon if you missed it on Sunday. I think this will help make sense of how I came up with these four messages. In the meantime, may God speak to you through your dreams, your conversations and your thoughts; and may you be ever mindful of God’s deep, deep love for you!
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 message 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.
I told you it was going to be a very special week!
Our Maundy Thursday Communion Service was a meaningful time of reflecting on Jesus’ last supper with his disciples; the choir made the service “extra special!” Easter Egg Decorating and lunch is always a favorite time of the year for our keiki, and this year was no exception, along with a new way of decorating eggs with shaving cream! The Good Friday Lectio Divina Service was meaningful as well, as we pondered the suffering of Jesus and love of God. At the Holy Saturday Labyrinth Walk, we learned about labyrinths, focused on “the in between day” between crucifixion and resurrection—a day of waiting, wondering, praying, hoping—and then walked the labyrinth on the church lawn. (And, yes, the labyrinth is still drying out!) The community Easter Sunrise Service was my favorite one so far—partly because of the lively music, which Doug Duvauchelle participated in, and also because of the beautiful hula by Rose Warken Ceballos (just as the sun was rising over the horizon on Easter morning!). During the Easter Worship Service, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus by remembering that there truly is life after death—with wonderful music by our choir and dancing once again by Rose…and a visit by the movie star Sigourney Weaver! (I can’t believe I shook her hand and wished her a “Happy Easter” without recognizing her!) The Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic at the parsonage was well-attended and fun as always!
One of the things I noticed during Holy Week is that we had visitors attend every single one of our services this past week (some from just down the street and one family who drove all the way from Kapa`a). When I asked our visitors how they found out about us and how they chose to come to church here, they all said either they found us through our website or they saw our sign as they drove past. I was especially pleased when the couple from Kapa`a said that they checked out a bunch of church websites, but they watched a few of my sermons online and that’s what made them decide to drive here from Kapa`a!
I am grateful to everyone who made a gift to ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING! The money given to the collection enables our church to share God’s love with people in need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry and help empower the poor and oppressed. On Sunday, the children began bringing their OGHS coin boxes, and continue doing so during the next couple weeks. If anyone else would like to make a gift to OGHS, please use the OGHS offering envelopes available at church or write a check to “Koloa Union Church” with “OGHS” in the note section. Thank you for your generous gifts!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
_________________________________Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. 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.
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