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.
by admin | Sep 14, 2016 | Message from Kahu
JESUS AND THE SEA
I enjoyed our worship service at the beach on Sunday! Our theme was “Jesus and the Sea.” We took a look at how people in biblical times felt about large bodies of water, and it was not all positive. We also considered the two passages in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus calmed the sea, and I encouraged us all to consider what we might learn from those passages, even though our feelings toward the sea might be significantly different from the feelings that the original hearers of these stories may have had. The bottom line: God is with us during the times of chaos and fear, and because of God’s presence, we can stand firm with the confidence that God’s love is always with us. My prayer for all is that we will stand firm in the times of chaos and fear in our lives because of our faith in God’s loving presence.
I look forward to seeing you on a Sunday morning again soon!
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 | Sep 7, 2016 | Message from Kahu
Poipu Beach Pavilion
CHURCH AT THE BEACH ON SEPTEMBER 11th
I am grateful for your prayers this past week after a minor outpatient procedure. I am back at work and feeling great!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone AT THE BEACH on Sunday morning. Please bring something to share for the potluck and be sure to bring a beach chair if you want something comfortable to sit on. We have reserved the main pavilion from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. THE WORSHIP SERVICE WILL BEGIN AT 11:00 A.M., but feel free to come early and stay afterwards.
See you on Sunday!
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 | Sep 1, 2016 | Message from Kahu
A BLESSING THAT KEEPS ON BLESSING!
My message on Sunday focused on how we are very blessed in this life, and how those blessings come to us even more when we bless others without expecting anything in return. I shared a story of two friends of the church, Mike and his wife Judy, who recently died. Mike and Judy invited me to dinner at their home in Poipu before they returned to their other home in Washington State; and I shared on Sunday about the blessings I have seen from that one simple act to bless me, two of their other friends and Mike’s niece. It was a magical evening on their lanai…next to the lawn…next to the ocean…(much like to picture above)…with wonderful conversation and an over-the-top catered dinner created by Chef Tom Ryan of Custom Catering Hawaii. Sadly, Judy died on the evening of April 30. I remember sharing the news of her unexpected passing in church the next morning.
During the following week, I began planning a way to honor Judy. One of the last things she said to me as I was leaving their home on the night they treated me to dinner was, “I just LOVE Hawaiian flowers!” (I had just given Mike and her a set of greeting cards from the Hawaiian flowers I had painted.) So I asked Chef Tom if he would be interested in helping me to create a special gift to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Judy’s memory. Since their annual fundraising event was coming up in August, I asked Tom if he would consider donating a meal that would be combined with one of my paintings (below). Tom told me that he would be honored to donate a meal in Judy’s memory. The gift grew, with the help of others, and the blessings continued. Rather than writing down the rest of the details, I am attaching a video of Sunday’s sermon HERE, so that you can hear all about it.
As you watch the video, I invite you to consider how you might be a blessing to others, knowing that you will be blessed in return. I also invite you to pay attention to the ways you are blessed…and give thanks.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
P.S. In my sermon, I mistakenly referred to Mike’s “daughter”; I meant to say “niece.” I also referred to seeing the island of “Lanai”; I meant to say “Niihau” (although that would be really cool to see Lanai from the south shore of Kauai!).
‘ILIAHI © Alan Akana 2016
To see a video of Kahu’s sermon on Sunday, click HERE.
You are invited to join us for worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!
“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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