by admin | Nov 13, 2016 | Message from Kahu
What a week this has been! I never imagined that an election in the United States would elicit so much emotion, drama, pain, anger, and even violence. I believe it is essential that we come together as a congregation and pray for peace, justice and unity, express our fears and concerns, and maybe even be a sanctuary where people in our community can come to meditate and pray. Please join us on Sunday as we reflect on what is happening around us and how God might be calling us to respond.
Regardless of what happens in the country, let us remain committed to being agents of peace, remembering that we are to love our enemies, while at the same time take a stand for justice. Let us remain committed to loving our neighbors and always widening the fences and opening the gates until they all come down. Let us remain committed asking the question (as we have done for the last 4 weeks) “And who is my neighbor?”
That question has been our theme this fall. Thank you to everyone who has made a financial commitment to our mission in 2017, as we continue to support ministry that reaches out to neighbors as Jesus did. Thank you also to all who continue to commit your time, energy and your love to this wonderful community of faith which I have come to deeply appreciate and love as “Koloa Union Church.”
Aloha nui!!!
Kahu Alan Akana
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“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 | Nov 5, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we continued our series on “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” Our focus was Sharing Aloha with the Rich and the Poor. We read the story of Zacchaeus, a very rich man who gave half his money to the poor. This act of generosity is an example for us and came after three commitments he made:
- First of all, he was committed to looking at Jesus. When the crowd got so big that he couldn’t see Jesus, he climbed up in a tree. He wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get in the way of him clearly looking at Jesus. I encourage you to consider the things that might keep you from seeing Jesus; and then consider how you might make your way through those obstacles.
- Secondly, Zacchaeus was committed to hanging out with Jesus. He invited Jesus to his home and enjoyed his company. I encourage you to spend time with Jesus, through prayer, reading of Scripture, attending church, and simply being aware of his ongoing presence in the world.
- Finally, Zacchaeus was committed to taking a look at his life and asking himself what he might change. Is there anything you might change in your life to see Jesus better or be a better follower of Jesus? What might that be? What would it take for you to make that change?
Through these three commitments, Zacchaeus got clarity as to how he would love his neighbors. As you think about these things, I invite you to be part of our vision at Koloa Union Church. Most of our members and regular attendees have received a paper heart in the mail by now (and anyone can pick up a heart at church or just make your own from a piece of card stock); I invite you to write on your heart the kinds of people with particular kinds of needs that you think God might be calling us to pay attention to in the coming year. Please bring your heart to church on Sunday, November 6, so that we can put all of the paper hearts on a banner and ask God to give us compassion and wisdom for all of the people listed. Please also bring your commitment card for 2017 on November 6 so that yours will be counted in our “Blessing of Commitments” during the worship service when we bless our financial commitments for the following year.
In the meantime, I invite you to continue praying the following prayer with me, as you consider your commitment to our church’s future outreach and mission:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community
by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year,
open my heart so that love will freely flow in and out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent
the gratitude I have to you for
all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
I look forward to seeing you in church on Sunday for Holy Communion, creating our banner of hearts and the blessing of our commitments.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon on Sunday, click HERE.
“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 | Oct 28, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we continued our series on “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” Our focus was Sharing Aloha with Children and Youth. It was an honor to have four high school students from Kamehameha Schools join us to help lead our worship service with music and inspiring message. Each of the four shared about ways they have reached out into their various communities and also talked about their hopes for how churches will reach out to young people.
As I think about ways that we might reach out to the children and youth of our community, I invite you to be part of our vision. Most of our members and regular attendees have received a paper heart in the mail by now (and anyone can pick up a heart at church or make your own out of card stock); I invite you to write on your heart the kinds of people with particular kinds of needs that you think God might be calling us to pay attention to in the coming year. Please bring it to church on or before Sunday, November 6, so that we can put all of the paper hearts on a banner and ask God to give us compassion and wisdom for all of the people listed. Please also bring your commitment card for 2017 on November 6 so that we can include it in our “Blessing of Commitments” during our worship service on that day.
In the meantime, I invite you to continue praying the following prayer with me, as you consider your commitment to our church’s future outreach and mission:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will freely flow in and out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon on Sunday, click HERE.
“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 | Oct 21, 2016 | Message from Kahu
On Sunday, we began our 4-part series on “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” I shared with the congregation about comments made by Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ—that we should listen to the cries of our neighbors when considering what our church’s mission is. Right after hearing these words from Dr. Dorhauer, I had dinner with a colleague, who spoke about his own tears when his wife and two children died. He also talked about his inability to cry when his first wife packed her bags and walked out the door for good, without any warning. It occurred to me that we must listen for both the audible and silent tears of our neighbors.
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), two priests walked on the other side of the road when they saw a man, bloody and beaten, lying on the opposite side. Then a man of Samaria (an enemy!) came near to the injured man, was moved with compassion and helped him. It is only when we draw near to those in pain that we have compassion for them. So let us draw near to our neighbors; let us listen for their cries; and let us act with compassion; for this is our calling as followers of Jesus.
I invite you to continue praying the following prayer with me, as you consider your commitment to our church’s future outreach and mission:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will freely flow in and out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
I look forward to seeing you in church as we seek together how we might bring aloha to the people around us who have deep longings for a better life. I hope you will join us as we welcome students from Kamehameha School to assist in our worship by providing music and stories.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon, click HERE.
“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 | Oct 10, 2016 | Message from Kahu
I am excited to announce “Pay It Forward: And Who Is My Neighbor?” which is our theme for the next 4 weeks as we consider together as a congregation what God might be calling us to do for our surrounding community in the following year. Our mission and vision statements strongly focus on looking beyond ourselves to serve the community and bring aloha to our neighbors. Then, on November 6, we will be making our financial commitments for 2017 as we keep in mind our calling to serve others. In the meantime, I invite you to pray the following prayer with me:
O God, as we seek to reach out into our community by sharing aloha with everyone in the coming year, open my heart so that love will feely flow in and freely flow out of it.
May the commitment I make truly represent the gratitude I have to you for all that Koloa Union Church means to me.
Amen!
I look forward to seeing you in church as we seek together how we might bring aloha to the people around us who have deep longings for a better life.
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.
by admin | Oct 8, 2016 | Message from Kahu
AWE AND WONDER!
On Sunday, I shared a bit about my recent trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the sense of awe and wonder I felt while watching liquid lava in Halemaumau Crater and flowing into the Pacific Ocean along the Puna Coast. I remember hearing people around me in various accents and languages and reminding myself that all of the religions I know about encourage their people to appreciate the awe and wonder of the universe. I can’t think of a better place to live where awe and wonder seem to be a part of our everyday experience. I invite you, wherever you are today, to pause and give thanks for the beauty of creation and the blessing of God’s love.
I look forward to seeing you in church soon!
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.
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