by admin | Sep 10, 2015 | Message from Kahu
FAITH AND HOPE
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about an inspiring story I heard on NPR regarding the thousands of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa pouring into Hungary. Initially, the Hungarian government allowed the refugees to purchase train tickets to countries to the north, namely Austria and Germany, where they would be welcomed to begin a new life. After many of the refugees arrived in Hungary, the government decided to no longer allow them to board trains for the north; so the refugees decided to walk hundreds of miles to their final destinations.
The part of the story that really touched me was hearing how the Hungarian people responded: they gathered together food, blankets, shoes and clothing and brought them to the refugees. One Hungarian woman gave some of her personal belongings to a woman and looked down to see that she was wearing flip-flops. She immediately took off her shoes and gave them to the woman because she needed them for the long journey ahead.
I mentioned on Sunday that this inspiring story was one of “faith in action,” of people “rich in faith.” It also occurred to me that this is story full of hope: hope in humanity, hope for the Church, and hope for our world. During the next four Sundays, our theme in our worship services will be “A FUTURE WITH HOPE.” On October 4th, we will celebrate our hope as a church by giving members and friends the opportunity to make a financial commitment to our church’s general fund for 2016 during the worship service…and then enjoy a great time of food and fellowship at our Oktoberfest Celebration right after church.
I hope you will join us during the next four Sundays as we prepare for “A FUTURE WITH HOPE.”
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Sep 6, 2015 | Message from Kahu
DRAWING NEAR TO GOD
On Sunday, we took a look at the traditions of the church and what makes them valuable (or…perhaps not so valuable!). I shared about a previous church where I served in which a beautiful chapel was no longer used because the people couldn’t let go of anything that had been donated to the church. The chapel was filled with broken and unused items which hadn’t been touched in decades. Since the chapel was the only place where there was any room left to store these items, we could no longer use the chapel for prayer, meditation, small memorial services or weddings.
As I reflected on this predicament, it became clear to me that we often allow traditions to get in the way of moving forward. Even worse, we can allow those traditions to keep us from drawing near to God and enabling others to do the same.
In Mark 7, Jesus had some harsh words for the religious leaders of his day for doing that very thing. They kept all of their traditions and insisted that others do the same. Yet, they kept people from drawing closer to God, and therefore missed the whole point of their religion!
Whatever traditions and practices we decide to keep (or start), let’s make sure that they truly draw us closer to God and one another…and encourage others to do the same! This good to consider for our church, as well as for our personal lives and our families.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Aug 28, 2015 | Message from Kahu
Leadership Retreat at Waineke Cabin in Koke’e
LEADERSHIP RETREAT
On Saturday, August 22nd, 18 of our church leaders gathered in Koke’e to focus on our new 3-year vision that the congregation adopted in January. I am pleased that we had great participation! The group spent the entire day brainstorming, reflecting, praying, prioritizing and planning. We also ate really well (thanks to Uncle Diki!) and had a lot of fun! The group chose 4 areas to concentrate on for the coming year:
- Youth Ministry
- Christian Education & Formation for All Ages
- Music & Arts
- Mission & Outreach
We hope that each member and friend of the church will consider at least one of these 4 areas in which to provide support. You can read some of the details in our September newsletter, and we will be sharing a lot more as the plans unfold in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I invite you to pray for our church’s vision…and consider what area in which YOU might choose to participate!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Aug 18, 2015 | Message from Kahu
Cave of Swimmers
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about one of my favorite movies, “The English Patient.” It is a fictionalized story of the Hungarian explorer Laszlo de Almasy (who spoke English, and therefore was mistaken as English in the movie). I talked about the real Almasy, who discovered the now-famous Cave of Swimmers in the desert of southern Egypt. It was a large cave with ancient paintings of people swimming. Experts believe they were painted some 10,000 years ago, during the most recent Ice Age, making them perhaps the oldest paintings ever found.
Laszlo suggested that many years ago the Sahara Desert must have once been a very green place with lots of water. Finding a cave with paintings of lots of swimmers was a big clue! However, no one seemed to take this new theory seriously. They couldn’t imagine the Sahara Desert as a beautiful, green paradise with lots of water. However, his theory was eventually proven true and believed by every legitimate earth scientist who knows the region. In fact, an Egyptian scientist in 2007 discovered a huge underground lake measuring over 30,000 square kilometers buried under the sand not far from the Cave of Swimmer!
Just as the earth can become very thirsty, we too find ourselves at times incredibly thirsty. As we consider the Samaritan woman in John 4, her thirst seemed all-encompassing: physical, social, spiritual and emotional. She thirsted for companionship and a sense of belonging, as well as water. Jesus told her that if she would drink from the water he offered, she would never be thirsty again. At first she disbelieved, but then she took him at his word and felt his love and acceptance—even though he knew all her secrets. It sounds to me like her thirst disappeared.
How might you be thirsty? How might you believe that God can take away your thirst? What might be getting in the way? May all your thirst be quenched and all your needs be met!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Aug 12, 2015 | Message from Kahu
LABYRINTH AT MAHA’ULEPU
On Sunday, I shared some of my experiences walking on labyrinths, including the one at Maha’ulepu in the photo above. I walked on this particular labyrinth last week. It is in a stunning location: surrounded by beautiful mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
A labyrinth is a pathway on the ground on which you walk in a circular pattern while thinking about God. After you come to the end of the pathway in the middle, you turn around and walk in the opposite direction until you end up where you started. Unlike maze, there is only one path and no possibility of losing one’s way.
Here are some of the thoughts I have while walking on labyrinths:
- Life is a journey, and you often pass by the same places over and over again (and the same people and opportunities).
- Life really is not about the destination, but the journey!
- The important thing is not how far you travel or how many things you accomplish, but how you walk on the journey.
- One of these days, my journey on earth will end; how do I want to look back upon it?
- I am more aware of God when I spend time trying to be more aware of God.
It is amazing how many things that pop into my mind when walking on a labyrinth. One of the things that I shared with the congregation on Sunday is that we can walk a long way without every stopping to reflect upon God’s presence or what it is that God might be trying to tell us or show us. On the other hand, there is a much greater chance to see and hear God if we make the time and space to do so.
I hope you will see, hear and feel God’s presence this week as you walk on your journey. And I hope to see you in church on Sunday!
Aloha nui loa!
Kahu Alan Akana
by admin | Jul 23, 2015 | Message from Kahu
Kōloa Sugar Mill
Koloa Plantation Days!
This is a busy week for our town and our church!
On Sunday, I shared with the congregation about the rich history our church has played in our community since 1835. I focused on the Smith-Waterhouse Family, beginning with Dr. James and Melicent Smith, who arrived in Koloa in 1842 and lived on this island until they died. I shared the story of how Dr. Smith single-handedly traveled all of Kauai and Niihau in order to vaccinate the people from smallpox. When that disease came to Hawaii in 1853, only person died on these two islands, although thousands died of smallpox throughout the Hawaiian Kingdom. People have been here all along, following the example of Jesus in helping to make life fuller and richer for others: physically, spiritually and socially. Yet, there is still a lot we can do. I also talked about the importance of following another example of Jesus: getting proper rest and rejuvenation. In light of this, I challenged the congregation to consider three questions this week:
- How can you live a fuller and richer life?
- How can you help others to do the same?
- What will you do to find rest and new energy?
We had nearly 70 people attend Monday’s “lecture, walk and tour” about the missionaries of Koloa…and received lots of positive feedback from attendees. One of those attendees wrote the music to one of the songs in our Hawaiian hymnal, Na Himeni. (We are going to sing that song on Sunday!) Thanks to all of the church members and friends who helped to make that event such a great success!
I’m looking forward to our church being in the parade on Saturday (the 25th). As a reminder, come to the church at 8 a.m. and enjoy coffee and treats; we have to line up for the parade at 8:45 (and Poipu Road will be closed to traffic at 9:00!). Those who would like to help decorate our “float” can come to the parsonage on Friday at 3.
As always, I look forward to seeing everyone in church on Sunday as well! I trust that your life this week is full and rich!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
Recent Comments