by admin | Apr 18, 2018 | Message from Kahu
Helping Our Island Neighbors
Disaster Relief & Recovery
I’m sure everyone has heard stories by now about the devastation and loss felt by many people on our island due to the recent storms. The flooding of the past few days has been greater than many of us have ever seen. I am not surprised at all that many members and friends of Koloa Union Church are asking, “How can we help our neighbors?” Although there are several groups coordinating relief efforts and the needs seem to be changing daily, there are three specific areas in which I believe our church can assist right away.
Kauai Association of the United Church of Christ
The Rev. Glenn Frazier, a retired minister who is a member of Church of the Pacific in Princeville, has preached at our church on several occasions, lives in Princeville, and is helping to coordinate recovery efforts on the north shore. According to Glenn, there are people who need immediate assistance, and he is happy to talk to potential volunteers who are willing to help. You can call Glenn at 808-634-0041 for further information, or the Church of the Pacific office at 808-826-6253. Waioli Huiia Church in Hanalei suffered extensive damage from the flood; according to Glenn, they have been receiving plenty of help and do not need additional help at the moment. Clyde Fujikawa, pastor of Church of the Pacific, is a kalo farmer in Hanalei, and his farm has suffered tremendous damage. He will soon need volunteers with chainsaws to help him clear debris and labor help in general (not immediately, but soon). Anyone who might be able to assist can call Clyde directly at 808-639-9601.
Koloa Union Church
Beginning this weekend, Chel Hauser, will be making daily trips to Princeville to deliver supplies and assist in the clean up and restoration efforts. Chel is working with a variety of organizations who are partnering in these efforts: Ha Coffee Bar (a donation drop location), Natural Pet Hawaii (providing and transporting animal foods, medicines and supplies) and Kauai Animal Welfare Society (assisting in the clean up of homes, businesses, schools, churches, etc). I have agreed to let Chel use our church storage shed to collect supplies, which she will deliver on a semi-daily basis. Feel free to drop off any of the following items on Sunday morning, or else Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon:
Household:
Butane canisters and propane (all sizes)
Large storage totes
Chainsaws
Coolers
Tarps
Gloves
Big black contractor trash bags
Gasoline (labeled regular and diesel)
Hand sanitizer
Bleach/Clorox Wipes/Spray bottles
Personal:
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet tissue
Diapers – sizes infant through 5
Shampoo and conditioner
Body soap
Rubber boots
Sleeping bags
Blankets
Food:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
All Bran cereal
Soy/Rice/Almond milk
Juice, coffee, tea
The Shops at Kukuiula/A&B Properties, Kukuiula Development, Hawaii Life, and Poipu Beach Resort Association
These organizations are collecting items for a Kauai Disaster Relief Drive tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18, from 3pm-6pm at The Shops at Kukuiula in the Palm Court area and 10am-6pm (Poipu Beach Resort Association Office); specifically collecting bottled water, non-perishable food items, toiletries, gloves, trash bags, etc. Items will be delivered to Kauai Red Cross for distribution. Financial donations will be dispersed to Kauai Red Cross and Malama Kauai. Anyone with questions can call The Shops at Kukuiula management office at 808-742-9545 or the PBRA office at 742-7444.
As a reminder, it is important to work directly with an organization or resident of an affected home or area. Sometimes well meaning people can get in the way or cause further delays by trying to help in ways that are not helpful. Furthermore, limited resources should be used to provide meaningful assistance, rather than clutter or interruptions of important work.
If you hear of immediate needs here in Koloa where people can contribute or volunteers can become involved, let me know and I will be happy to pass on the information to others. In the meantime, let us continue to pray for our neighbors on Kauai who have experienced many losses. If anyone wants to contribute a financial donation through the church, you can do that at any time; please make checks out to the church with “Flood Recovery” in the note section, and we will make sure it is used in the best way possible to help victims of the flood.
Mahalo Nui Loa for your Kokua!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Apr 18, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“Peace Be with You”
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about the kind of peace which Jesus offered the world—and still offers the world. It is a peace that is for everyone, and it can be identified in a willingness to share it with others.
I have come to understand my art as a way in which I can share peace with others. I told the congregation about Darlene, the person who is my Spiritual Director, who meets with me monthly on the phone to help me discover how God is showing up in my life. As I shared with her several months ago about my desire to share peace through my art, she was very encouraging; she also emailed me these words later that week:
The divine calls us to bring our art,
whether it’s sacred listening or painting flora,
to the world.…
We are called to bring Peace,
to wage Peace with our art.
Darlene also sent me the painting above by Irene Hardwicke Olivieri. It’s a picture of a woman dressed as a warrior, and she (as an artist) is loaded down with weapons: her weapons are all the things she needs to paint. There are paintbrushes of all sizes and many tubes of watercolors; there are pencils and scissors; and there is canvas and paper. There are also a necklace and bracelets with little charms depicting the paintings she was working on at the time. Just like a soldier would have badges representing past triumphs and victories, the charms represent her accomplishments in pieces of art. Irene called the piece “Better Is the Ready.” However, when Darlene sent it to me, she called it “Peace Warrior,” to remind me that my art not only brings peace to me, but it is a way I bring peace to the world.
I begin most days watercoloring for about an hour, trusting that my art will bring a bit more peace to the world. And, as I paint, I am reminded that we are all creative artists in one way or another, and we can use our art to share peace. I hope you will take a moment just now and give thanks for the art forms you use to share peace with others.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
___________________________________________
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 | Apr 11, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“The Goodness of Light and Dark”
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation some of the things I enjoyed most about Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Learning to Walk in the Dark. She writes about the bad rap “darkness” gets in our culture and churches: “I cannot remember the last time I heard anyone use ‘dark’ to describe something good.” Just think about the ways we use “dark” in our language. When someone says, “I am in a dark place in my life right now,” it is definitely not a good place to be! If someone says “I have been having dark thoughts,” these are certainly not good or happy thoughts. Our Scriptures generally refer to darkness in a negative light as well.
However, Barbara Brown Taylor points out that many stories in the Bible describe really good things happening in the darkness. It was at night that God led Abraham outside his tent and told him to look up in the sky; God then told Abraham to count the stars and said, “So shall your descendants be.” The promise of our Judeo-Christian heritage began in the dark! Furthermore, the author goes onto say that Joseph in the Old Testament had dreams at night which led him to saving his large, extended family, which eventually became the Jewish people. The amazing dreams which turned into reality happened in the dark! Finally, Jesus rose from the dead in the darkness of a cave at night. The list goes on…. Darkness is not such a bad thing after all. In fact, many good things happen in the dark!
I wrapped up my message by sharing a painting of Koki`o `Ula, the brilliant red hibiscus in the picture above. As an artist, darkness and shadows are my friends. They are absolutely necessary to create a painting that is three-dimensional, alive and beautiful. Imagine this painting without any darkness on the petals and leaves or in the background. I need darkness and shadows to paint a flower that is alive. We all need darkness and shadows to live. In fact, whether we realize it or not, darkness is as much a part of our lives as light and color. Perhaps we can accept the darkness in our lives and all around us when we realize that God is there as well.
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.
by admin | Apr 5, 2018 | Message from Kahu, Uncategorized
“A Very Special Week Indeed!”
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.
by admin | Mar 26, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“Holy Week and Easter”
Our children kicked off Holy Week with a very special Palm Sunday presentation called “The Colors of Easter.” I am so proud of our keiki, who are talented, articulate, and eager to participate in worship!
Every year, we spend time during Holy Week to reflect upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a special time to celebrate, remember, mourn and discover hope which is always in our midst because of God’s eternal love which can never be taken away from us.
We have a very meaningful week of events planned for people of all ages and ways of being spiritual and celebrating the traditions of this special season of the year. Please check out the Weekly News of the Church for all of the details. I hope you will join us for any of the events this week which you might find meaningful and enjoyable…and bring a friend!
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.
by admin | Mar 21, 2018 | Message from Kahu
“The State of Your Heart”
On Sunday, I shared the story of how I came across the book, To Bless the Space between Us: A Book of Blessings, by the late John O’Donohue. This is the book we have been using as a guide throughout Lent this year in our worship services and on Wednesday evenings for our time of reflection and discussion. I also read a quote from the introduction:
It would be lovely if we could rediscover our power to bless one another. I believe each of us can bless. When a blessing in invoked, it changes the atmosphere….In the light and reverence of blessing, a person or situation becomes illuminated in a completely new way…. Let us begin to learn how to bless one another.
As we continue to learn how to bless one another, our theme on Sunday was “The State of Your Heart.” We spent time considering where our hearts were at and how we might bless our own hearts, as well as the hearts of others. We read the following words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, chapter 14: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; neither let them be afraid.” As we considered how we might rid our hearts of anxiety and fear, I mentioned that the beginning of the process is found in that same chapter. I pointed out the theme of welcome and hospitality: Jesus is in the Father; the disciples are in Jesus and he is in them; furthermore, the Holy Spirit will be in them as well. Miroslav Volf, a Croatian theologian wrote about this idea of the “interiority of personhood,” whereby a distinct person is welcome into the space, life or heart of another distinct person. It involves accepting the other person as he or she is; and it involves trust; and just as the three persons of the Trinity have this kind of relationship, so do we, not only with God but with others as well! When this is who we are being, anxiety and fear eventually disappear, because whatever else happens in our lives, we know that we are loved and accepted as we are!
In closing, I ended my message with three blessings, the final one being one that I wrote for the people of Koloa Union Church (members and visitors alike):
May you know at the very core of your being that God adores you and delights in you.
May all of your fears dissolve, for God is in you…and you are in God.
May peace fill your hearts and flow over into the lives of everyone you encounter today.
May your hearts invite and welcome others in, just as other hearts invite and welcome you.
And may your hearts always make room for the things in this world that are beautiful.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
__________________________________
Our Kahu (Pastor) offers a weekly message in church most Sundays during the year. Click HERE to see a video of this week’s message. You may also 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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