We are often unaware of those who walked this ground before us. Yet, history exists in every stone, grain of sand and wave of this land. It’s up to us how we preserve and contribute to Hawai’i’s legacy.
At the beginning of the 1800s, Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia — sometimes referred to as Obookiah —, a teen from Ka’u, lost his parents and younger brother to enemy invaders. Though his life was spared, he had to live in captivity until his priest uncle rescued him. The following years, Henry was instructed in the priesthood customs of the Kapu System. Yet, he longed for more than rituals and routine.
In 1809, he and his friend, Thomas Hopu — or Hopoo —, boarded an American ship anchored at Kealakekua Bay and eventually made their way to New Haven, Conneticut. There, Opukahaia was a student at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, where he learned English and fell in love with the Christian faith.
It was Henry who actually translated Genesis, the first book of the Bible, into Hawaiian using the new alphabet developed by Elisha Loomis, another missionary from NY. Henry longed to share his knowledge of the Bible with his people, but he was struck with typhus at age 26 and died before he could fulfill that wish. Yet, Henry’s passion didn’t die with him. It inspired his instructors and other young theology students and ministers, who embarked on a journey from Boston, Massachusetts, toward Hawai’i, a year later. Little did they know that a cultural shift had begun in the Kingdom of Hawai’i at that same hour.
In 1819, King Kamehameha II succeeded his father on the throne, and Queen Ka’ahumanu ruled beside him as a co-regent. The queen, embracing the Christian values of equality she had heard from foreigners, persuaded King Kamehameha II to abolish the Kapu System, ending centuries of regulations that guided Hawaiians’ everyday life. As a result, women could now eat together with men, have the same food — like bananas, coconuts and pork — and even build houses and canoes. But though freedom had come, a spiritual void was left in people’s hearts, one that could only be filled by words from one of his own.
While this happened in the Hawaiian archipelago, the missionaries, including three Hawaiian natives, sailed from Boston. The crew of the Brig Thaddeus endured a 163-day-long journey to request an audience with King Kamehameha II and Queen Ka’ahumanu. Their desire was fulfilled when, on April 4th, 1820, the missionaries met the monarchs and Thomas Hopoo, speaking in Hawaiian, asked permission to build churches and schools on the islands.
Eight days later, King Kamehameha II granted that request and donated part of the royal lands for the church. As for the school, the Hawaiian king was captivated by learning how to convert the oral language to a written language. With the help of Elisha Loomis, who had brought a press to the islands, they pursued the vision for every Hawaiian to become literate, which would become the Kamehameha schools. The rapid progress of this missionary effort resulted in 80 percent of the population being able to read within the next three decades.
Not all change was smooth, though. While a group of the missionaries traveled to O’ahu, the wooden church in Kona was burned down. Flames engulfed the grass-thatched roof and reduced it to ashes within minutes. Seeking something more permanent, Queen Ka’ahumanu’s youngest brother, Governor Kuakini, began constructing a lasting structure. He gathered 1,500 Hawaiians to cut ʻōhiʻa trees from the Mokuaikaua Forest by Hōlualoa. They carried the timber to the ocean and let it cure for a year before building started.
The Hawaiians crushed and melted coral to use as traditional mortar, and brought lava rock to build the walls of the new gathering place. By 1837, in just under two years of work, the group of missionaries in O’ahu returned to the Big Island to find a new church building. That same structure on Ali’i Drive has been used to this day, making Mokuaikaua Church the first and longest-running church in the state.
The structure built by the Hawaiians remained unshakable through the years until 2006, when an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 shook the Big Island, causing severe damage. After 169 years, Mokuaikaua Church’s south wall cracked. However, this didn’t stop the congregation’s promise made years ago to King Kamehameha II and Queen Ka’ahumanu to share the Gospel, and the church kept operating for another six years.
Unfortunately, in 2012, Pastor David de Carvalho, Mokuaikaua Church’s 31st pastor, learned time had taken its toll. After several assessments, a structural engineer looked at the building and concluded the issue was a combination of termites, earthquake damage and rotten wood.
“‘You are a storm or earthquake away from collapse,’ the structural engineer said. So, I came to the congregation and asked, ‘Are we gonna take this and complete the work?’ We prayed, had a vote and decided to go forward,” says Pastor David.
With the aid of different private donors and organizations, Mokuaikaua Church raised over 5 million dollars. This helped remodel the entire roof, replace the rotten timber and add a new layer of plywood. The original roof previously sat loosely on top of the building, so the new one was adequately attached to the walls with custom brackets.
The second phase strengthened the walls and the mezzanine, reinforced the steeple, and redid parts of the crumbling foundations and the electrical wiring. But then the pandemic hit, pausing all the work. When remodeling could proceed, it took almost two years for an electrical inspector to visit the church. His assessment added new elements to the project, forcing them to redo much of the work.
Still, through it all, they continued to be a cornerstone of our Kona community, hosting pastors from other churches on the island, holding a Live Nativity during the Christmas season, and still operating their 10 AM Sunday service.
“Every Sunday after the service, people meet outside the sanctuary to get a short tour and see the progress of the construction,” says Aaron Barker, Associate Pastor and Worship Leader. This is just one of the things Mokuaikaua Church does to help bring community awareness to the preservation of this historic site. “They learn about the history of Hawai’i, the missionaries’ arrival, and Christianity through the last 205 years, but the desire as we reopen is to have tours every day.”
Under the current working permit the Department of Public Works issued, Mokuaikaua Church must complete its remodeling by June 2025. All that prevents getting this piece of history across the finish line is $371K. With that amount, the legacy of King Kamehameha II, Queen Ka’humanu and Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, who saw a more hopeful future for their homeland, will be preserved for future generations.
If you would like to be a part of making this happen, donate at Mokuaikaua.com/easy-online-giving, or you can send checks to Mokuaikaua Church, 75-5713 Ali’i Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI, 96740. For any questions, email office@mokuaikaua.com or call (808)329-1589.