by admin | Oct 2, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“GENEROSITY and JOY”
We had a wonderful kick-off with our theme “Generosity and Joy” on Sunday. I talked about one of my favorite authors, Lynne Twist, who wrote The Soul of Money. I had the privilege of spending a good part of a week with Lynne about ten years ago at a retreat on fundraising. Lynne is one of those people who is out to change the world. In her book she writes about the dark side of money (when we worship it and allow it to control our lives). She also writes about the immense healing power in even the smallest amount of money when we use it to express our humanity—our highest ideals, values and commitments. And the beauty of it all is that we get to choose how we want to relate to money. We can either allow it to enslave us or we can use it to heal ourselves and the world; but we must choose, otherwise money will choose for us.
So much of what Lynne says in her book sounds like the New Testament to me. Jesus, of course, also made it clear that we must choose. He said, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Jesus actually talked a lot about the relationship between people and money because he saw how enslaving it can be and how much value it can add to our lives and communities when seen in proper perspective. The Apostle Paul, who spent so much of his letters focused on loving God, also pointed out the importance of choosing our relationship with money when he said, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” It is not money that is evil. It becomes dark when we love it instead of God and God’s creation and creatures.
My encouragement to everyone was that we receive all that we have, including our money, as gifts from a generous God gives to us and, in response, to give joyfully and lovingly as grateful stewards.
Aloha nui!
Kahu
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Click HERE to see Sunday’s message by Kahu Akana. 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Sep 25, 2019 | Message from Kahu
Dear Members & Friends of the Church,
During the next four weeks, our theme will be “Generosity and Joy!” My messages will be focused on God’s generosity to us and the joy we find in understanding God’s generosity and being generous to others as God has been generous to us. We will also hear stories from one another who have experienced God’s generosity and their joyful responses. I hope you will join us during this inspirational and joyful time!
In the meantime, may we all consider how God’s love might motivate us to live with more generosity & joy in our lives…for God LOVES a cheerful giver!
Aloha nui loa!
Kahu Alan Akana
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Click HERE to see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Sep 20, 2019 | Message from Kahu
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made our capital campaign celebration this past Sunday such a great success! After four years of generous giving, hard work and prayers, our money has been raised and, except for a few “smaller” projects that Dan Giovanni is still working on, all of the work is done! It was an honor to dedicate the capital campaign plaque, which mentions all donors as well as each special gift that was given in memory or in honor of a loved one or special group of people! The plaque now permanently hangs above the Deacon’s cabinet and is made of glazed aluminum in a beautiful wood frame made specifically to match the cabinet below.
I am grateful for the special music by Debbie and Chris, Doug, Kathleen and our choir, as well as the beautiful hula by Rose! We welcomed and honored The Rev. Dr. David K. Popham, our brand new Conference Minister of the Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ on his first day on the job, and enjoyed a message he delivered.
Our Deacons showed up early and made the sanctuary especially nice. Missy made another exceptional floral arrangements and lei for Rev. Popham and capital campaign leaders. Our Aloha Hour ladies and Kiawe Roots did a great job on the special luncheon.
Thank you to all who helped and participated on Sunday and to everyone for your love and commitment to God and to our church!
Aloha nui!
Kahu
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Click HERE to see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Sep 10, 2019 | Message from Kahu
Maika`i Hana Hou
(Creating Goodness & Beauty Once Again)
I look forward to our capital campaign celebration this coming Sunday with great anticipation! After four years of generous giving by members, family, friends and the Vidinha Family Trust, our capital campaign is finally coming to a close. We have accomplished so much together! The overall appearance both inside and outside of our church has truly transformed into a place that is welcoming and inviting to everyone! I hope all of our members and friends of the church who are in town on Sunday will make every effort to come and celebrate! Come and join us for a festive worship service and a delicious catered luncheon afterwards.
During our worship service, there will be special music and dance, a time to give thanks to all who donated to the capital campaign, and much more! I am especially excited to introduce the congregation to the Rev. Dr. David K. Popham, the brand new Conference Minister of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ. Sunday will be Rev. Popham’s first day on the job, and I feel very honored that he has chosen to spend it with us at Koloa Union Church. We will welcome him to Hawaii with a lei and special gift from our congregation. I also look forward to dedicating our beautiful new capital campaign plaque, which will hang on the wall inside the sanctuary. There are also a few final touches that our capital campaign chair Dan Giovanni is finishing up this week that I am certain we will all notice!
Koloa Union Church is really in a great place to move into the future as our new vision unfolds. Our successful capital campaign is a major reason why this is the case! The greatest reason, however, is because people keep showing up every Sunday to worship God and consider how we might carry God’s love with us into our homes, neighborhoods, communities and the world. Once again, I feel truly blessed this week to be the Kahu of such a generous and caring congregation of God’s people. Thank you for your love and your commitment to God and to the Church of Jesus Christ!
Aloha nui!
Kahu
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Click HERE to see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Aug 28, 2019 | Message from Kahu
“Sacred Mountains”
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about my experience on the top of Mauna Kea with my son Palani. The photograph above is one I took near the top while facing east (away from the sunset, if that helps you get grounded). I was taken aback by the shadow of the great mountain, which extended even into the sky beyond the horizon. I had no idea that such a shadow was even possible: it was just so big, and definitely the biggest shadow of any mountain I had ever seen. Soon, Palani and I were at the summit and we watched the sun set into the clouds below us. It was a spectacular sunset! Then the stars came out and soon lit up the sky. At one point, I said to Palani, “It’s just too bad there are so many clouds up here. I wish I could see more stars.” He responded in his gentle and kind way, “Dad, that’s the Milky Way you are looking at.” I was looking at so many stars—I thought they were clouds! I had no idea what the sky looked like at 14,000 feet above sea level. And I was in awe, and grateful beyond words.
For thousands of years, people have gone to the mountaintops to experience awe and gratitude, to experience God, to experience “More.” In out Old Testament reading from Isaiah, chapter 58, the prophet tells his hearers what it takes to “ride upon the heights of the earth” (the mountaintops!). It is not about religious observances alone. It takes loosening the bonds of injustice, freeing the oppressed people in our land, and feeding the hungry. In other words, we must not just show up to worship God while people are suffering. We must also change systemic injustice and help people right now who are hungry and in pain.
Do these things, and your reward will be a ride among the mountaintops! Perhaps it is not so much a reward as a result: when you do these things, here is what naturally happens. When you do something to change unjust systems in the future, and when you help suffering people right now, and when you pause to consider awe, gratitude and God—the result is that you will bask in God’s presence, because that’s just what happens.
May we each ride upon the mountaintops each day this week, and may we ride there together. The view is spectacular!
Aloha nui!
Kahu
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Click HERE to see a video of the 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
by admin | Aug 23, 2019 | Message from Kahu
Kahu’s Sabbatical
On Sunday in church, Kahu shared with the congregation about his sabbatical in Europe and his recent book he wrote during his sabbatical called Beauty, Art & Spirituality. Kahu then shared more about it and showed a slideshow of his 3 months in Europe at an afternoon reception.
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Click HERE to see a video of the 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, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
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