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 Special Note Re. COVID-19***
Suspending On-Site Gatherings
Click HERE for This Week’s
Online Worship Service
This week we celebrate
PALM SUNDAY!
Beginning Sunday, March 22, through May 17, we will provide online worship services so that members and friends of the church can enjoy hearing the Scriptures, a message, and prayers, along with announcements and music. A link to our online worship service will also be available on our church website each week by Sunday morning.
We are also canceling all other church gatherings until further notice due to the spread of the novel Coronavirus/COVID-19.
The United Church of Christ is taking a stand for life and health, especially for the most vulnerable people in our communities. We can make a big difference in containing the virus by practicing social distancing. Countries and communities who did not take early steps are now suffering dire consequences. Even though our recent decision feels rather disruptive, I believe it may very well save many lives over the long run. I want to thank all of you for your understanding. I urge you to stay home or go for a walk by yourself or with family members with whom you live. I also invite you to consider ways you might safely reach out to someone who may be lonely, discouraged, sick, or frustrated. Finally, do something each day that will bring you great joy!
I have always felt a strong sense of community at Kōloa Union Church. Although the way we communicate and relate to each other over the next several weeks will change significantly, I believe we can continue to grow as a community during this time.
Aloha nui!
Kahu Alan Akana
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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
***The Gallery will be closed until further notice.***
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 over 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
“Honoring the Missionaries”
“I shall cause breath to enter you,
and you shall live.”
(Ezekiel 37:5)
It was on this week 200 years ago that the first Christian missionaries landed in Hawaii. By the end of the year, there were mission stations in Kailua-Kona, Honolulu, and Waimea (Kauai). They arrived during a time of novel viruses and horrific epidemics. In the short span of just over 40 years before their arrival on March 30, 1820, the population of Hawaiian people had decreased by more than a half. By the end of the century, the population of Hawaiians was only 5-10 percent what it had been when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778.
In my online message this past week, I talked about the book I wrote, The Volcano Is Our Home: Nine Generations of a Hawaiian Family on Kilauea Volcano, which tells the story of the Hawaii from 1756 to modern day through the eyes of my Hawaiian ancestors and family. Throughout my research for the book, I tried to constantly imagine what it would be like to have so many people die in these islands. In my writing, I tried to put myself in the shoes of my ancestors who survived dreadful decades of epidemics—one after another for over 100 years.
The example of many of the missionaries of the time gave me hope—especially the doctors. In my research for my book and in the reading I have done since moving back to Hawaii in 2014, I have been greatly inspired by the physicians and their wives who left comfortable lives and promising careers in the United States to sail to a small group of islands half way around the world. While often living in uncomfortable conditions, they served the Hawaiian people and never gave up hope in saving them from extinction.
I’ve been reading the book, 9 Doctors and God. It tells the story of the nine missionary doctors who arrived in Hawaii between 1820 and 1849. Some of those physicians went above and beyond the call of duty in order to bring sick people to health and keep epidemics at bay. They also excelled in other areas. In my message I mentioned three in particular: Dr. Thomas Holman, Rev. Dr. Thomas Lafon, and Dr. James Smith. The last two served the church right here in Kōloa! I found that we could all learn so much from them, including how to live with purpose and hope during an epidemic.
- We can have compassion for the whole person and address spiritual and physical needs—and social and emotional too!
- We can take epidemics seriously and we can be smart about them. We who follow Jesus listen to the experts. We pay attention to those who know what they are talking about—and we follow their advice.
- We can pay attention to the social issues of our day and speak out against injustice.
- We can hold onto hope—even in the midst of fear, anxiety, emotional pain, and horrible epidemics.
I invite you to view the video of Sunday’s worship service to learn more.
I look forward to our next online worship service on Palm 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.
Weekly News of the Church
A Special Online Worship Service
Sunday, April 5, 2020
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Join us on Sunday for:
† A Special Message by Kahu Alan Akana
† Music by Kathleen Dahill & Chris Sweitzer
† Scripture Readings by Our Keiki
† Prayers of the People
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Click
To Watch!
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STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE
Our Stewardship Committee asks each person to prayerfully consider giving as much as you are able so that our church can continue to carry on our important mission and get through the next couple of months by fulfilling all of our financial commitments. As always, checks may be mailed to the church: P.O. Box 536, Koloa, HI 96756. All gifts are greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
Bill Dressel, Stewardship Chair
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
During challenging times, reading the Bible on a daily basis is a great source of inspiration and hope. I encourage you to read and meditate upon the Scriptures of the Revised Common Lectionary and ask yourself how God might be showing up in the Scriptures for you, what God might be saying to you, and what guidance you might find as you share God’s love in creative and meaningful ways.
—Kahu Alan Akana
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 Psalm 118:1-29; Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-10; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66; Matthew 27:11-54.
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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!