E Komo Mai!
Welcome to Koloa Union Church!
We are followers of Jesus—the man who opened his arms to all kinds of people (including the scorned and oppressed, the poor, those living on the margins of society, and people from other places), who gave voice to the voiceless, who fed the hungry and healed the sick. Following in his footsteps, we welcome people from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities; and we share God’s love in its many forms. We are a diverse community where everyone has something to offer. Come and join us—let us follow Jesus together!
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here!
Church Location:
3289 Poipu Road, Koloa, HI
We are located in the heart of Koloa on Poipu Road between Old Koloa Town and Koloa School and Library. As you are driving along Poipu Road, you’ll see our church set back from the road between the large monkey pod trees. It is a lava rock church in old Hawaiian style with a large white cross in the window. Parking is available in the front and south side of the property.
Scroll to the Bottom for Directions!
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 536, Koloa, HI 96756
Phone: 808-742-6622
A Scent-Free Environment: We have members, friends, and a kahu who are highly allergic to various scents, often resulting in coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing and speaking, as well as other symptoms. Heavy perfumes and colognes are particularly troublesome. We are requesting that our church be, as much as possible, a “scent-free” environment during worship services, social activities and meetings. We realize that there is no way to keep all scents away, and we plan to continue having fresh flower arrangements each week and leis for special occasions, but we do ask everyone to be sensitive to the needs of those around them when it comes to perfumes, colognes and lotions.
Alan Akana Gallery
Koloa Union Church hosts a gallery featuring the works of Kahu (Pastor) Alan Akana. The gallery is just around the corner from the church at 3281 Waikomo Road in the historic Smith Memorial Parsonage, a beautiful building on the grounds formerly owned by Congregationalist missionaries. Proceeds from sales at the gallery support the maintenance, upgrades and repairs of the parsonage. Dr. Akana has been watercoloring the flowers of Hawaii since 1993 and features his work of nearly a quarter of a century. Gallery hours are 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday and by appointment. See www.alanakanagallery.com to learn more about the gallery and Dr. Akana’s art.
A Message from Our Kahu
OPUKAHAIA
On Sunday, we celebrated the life of Opukahaia, the young Hawaiian man whose family members were killed in the brutal warfare in these islands during the 1790’s. He sailed to New England where he was educated and converted to Christianity and was called Henry Obookiah. He planned to return to Hawaii and share his faith with his people. Unfortunately, Opukahaia died on February 17, 1818, before he had the chance to return to his beloved islands. However, his life and his writings motivated the first company of missionaries to sail to Hawaii the very next year, arriving on March 30, 1820, after more than five months at sea.
As I reflected on Opukahaia and his life in my message on Sunday, I found it inspiring how he forgave the people who killed his parents, his young brother, his aunt and many other relatives and neighbors. His journey as a Christian led him to let go of his anger and love the people who had once been his enemies. Letting go of anger, forgiving our enemies and loving people who have hurt is difficult to do. Yet, as I reflected on our Gospel reading from Matthew, chapter 5, I became convinced that it must be possible. As I read more of Matthew, it occurred to me that seeing people through God’s eyes turns that possibility into reality. God cares about everyone; God loves everyone; and in God’s eyes everyone matters. I don’t know of any other way to let go of anger or to love.
As a complete surprise, the author Christopher Cook, who wrote the book The Providential Life and Heritage of Obookiah: Why Did the Missionaries Come to Hawaii from New England and Tahiti?, showed up at the parsonage for our gallery party on Sunday afternoon! I know of Chris and his book. What I did not know is that the late Evelyn Cook, who wrote the book 100 Years of Healing: The Legacy of a Kauai Missionary Doctor, was his wife. This book is about Rev. Dr. James Smith (who moved to Kōloa in 1842 and lived on the land where the parsonage now is) and his family (including grandson Dr. A.H. Waterhouse, after whom our sanctuary is named).
In church, we collected an offering for the Henry Opukahaia Scholarship Fund, which the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ has set up to assist seminarians from Hawaii and active ministers who are pursuing post-seminary studies. If you missed the opportunity, you may give to the fund this coming Sunday.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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“A Message from Kahu Alan Akana” is provided most weeks by Koloa Union Church, an Open & Affirming (ONA) congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference.
To see a video of a recent message by Kahu Akana, click HERE. 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.
You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings! To see our Sunday morning schedule, click HERE.
Kahu Akana is also an accomplished artist! He specializes in creating vibrant watercolors of the flowers of Hawaii and hosts a Sunday afternoon reception in a gallery at his home, the Smith Memorial Parsonage. He also meets visitors by appointment. Most of the profit from the sales go for the maintenance and upkeep of the parsonage. To see a video about his art and gallery, click HERE. To see the gallery website, click HERE.
To learn more about Kahu Akana (and the rest of the staff at Koloa Union Church), click HERE.
Weekly News of the Church
HENRY OPUKAHAIA OFFERING
Each year we collect a special offering in memory of Henry Opukahaia, the first Native Hawaiian known to become a Christian. He is credited with motivating the early New England missionaries to sail to Hawaii and establish churches in these islands. The money collected on February 23 supports the training of current and future clergy for Christian ministry by providing financial aid for students. Offering envelopes are available on the Deacon’s cabinet as you enter the sanctuary.
“MAHALO NUI” from Kahu
Thank you so very much to everyone who helped and attended our Valentine’s Party at the Smith Memorial Parsonage on Sunday afternoon! It was an honor having Michael DeMotta, Curator of Living Collections at National Tropical Botanical Garden, speak about the maiapilo flower, which I recently finished painting. Please stop by the gallery and see the framed original and prints, and be sure to ask for your free gift of our maiapilo postcard, which features a photograph of this remarkable flower which I took in July 2018.
Kahu Alan Akana
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
KAHU’S ANNIVERSARY On Sunday, we will celebrate Kahu Alan Akana’s 6th year with us as our pastor! Please come and celebrate with us.
COCONUT WIRELESS Click HERE to see the latest issue of the Coconut Wireless (the weekly e-news from the Hawai`i Conference of the United Church of Christ).
LECTIONARY READINGS (Old & New Testament Readings for the Week) Each week, Christians throughout the world read biblical passages from the Revised Common Lectionary, including the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels. After three years, a good portion of the Bible is included and the cycle begins again. RCL passages are often read in church worship services, and Kahu Akana usually includes at least one of them on the following Sunday. This week’s readings are Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2; Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9.
Coming up….
ALL CHURCH BREAKFAST Church members and friends are invited to breakfast on Tuesday, February 25, 7:30 a.m. We gather monthly on the 4th Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. at Holoholo Grill in the Kōloa Landing complex. The men meet for breakfast Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m. at Kalapaki Joe’s in Poipu every Tuesday except the 4th Tuesday of the month.
PANCAKE SUPPER/SHROVE TUESDAY/MARDI GRAS Tuesday, February 25, 6 p.m. Join us in Moore Hall on this day before Ash Wednesday as we observe Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/ Pancake Tuesday. This day can be traced back to 1000 AD and is a time to feast in order to consume all restricted food during the Lenten season.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE Wednesday, February 26, 7 p.m. We mark Ash Wednesday as the first day of Lent. It follows Shrove Tuesday and is traditionally a time of fasting and prayer in preparation for receiving or reaffirming baptism at Easter.
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“Weekly News of the Church” is provided by Koloa Union Church, an Open and Affirming (ONA) Congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC), a member of the Kauai Association and Hawaii Conference. Please contact the church office if you would like to have our weekly news sent directly to your inbox. Join us at 3289 Poipu Road in Koloa!