The History of Mokuaikaua Church - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Island, HI
Posted by: 
denben
N 19° 38.375 W 155° 59.631
5Q E 186009 N 2174356
"The History of Mokuaikaua Church: The Oldest and First Founded Christian Church in the State of Hawaii" is the title of a book written by Henry K. Boshard in 1985.
Waymark Code: WMR4D3
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 05/12/2016
Views: 5
"The congregation was first founded in 1820 by Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston, from the first ship of American Christian Missionaries, the brig Thaddeus. They were given permission to teach Christianity by King Kamehameha II, and the Queen Regent Ka'ahumanu. After the royal court relocated to Honolulu, they briefly moved there. In October 1823, they learned that the people of Kailua-Kona had developed an interest in the new ways and had erected a small wooden church. The first structure on the site was made from Ohi'a wood and a thatched roof, on land obtained from Royal Governor Kuakini across the street from his Hulihe'e Palace. The name moku 'aikaua literally means "district acquired by war" in the Hawaiian language, probably after the upland forest area where the wood was obtained.
After several fires, the present stone structure was constructed, partially from stones recycled from a nearby Heiau (ancient temple of the Hawaiian religion), from about 1835 to 1837. The interior is decorated with Koa wood.
The church continues to be in use and is open to the public for tours, with some artifacts on display, such as a scale model of the church and of the Brig Thaddeus. The other notable members of that first company were Rev. and Mrs. Hiram Bingham I. The state historic place register lists it as site 10-28-7231 as of January 1978. On October 3, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii as site number 78001015."
Source: (
visit link)