Historic Lahaina church invites community to celebrate its 200th Anniversary | News, Sports, Jobs

Historic Waiola Church is located at 535 Wainee St. in Lahaina Town.

LAHAINA — Waiola Church — formerly Waine’e Church, founded in 1823 by Queen Keopuolani — has been a community cornerstone for nearly 200 years.

In celebration of its 200th Anniversary, the church will host events on Saturday, May 27, including entertainment, historical presentations, cultural demonstrations, craft vendors and a new virtual walking tour of the graveyard.

Saturday’s anniversary events will culminate in a luau dinner. Tickets are sold out.

The community is welcome to enjoy free activities from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the 535 Wainee St. church.

The event will feature performances by musicians CJ Helekahi, Lahela Park, Ikaika Blackburn, Marvin Tevaga and Kevin Brown, and presentations by Kumu Hula Auli’i Mitchell, Dr. Ron Williams Jr., Tanya Lee-Greig and Francis Tau’a.

According to Waiola Church’s website, the church is the site of a historic mission established in 1823 on Maui.

The church graveyard is the final resting place for early members of the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Waiola Church was originally named Ebenezer Church and then Waine’e Church (which means “moving water”) until 1953. Waiola is where Christianity began on Maui.

On Oahu, Queen Keopuolani was impressed with the Missionaries and the message they brought to the kingdom. She was considered to be the highest ranking ali’i (royalty) in Hawaii — even higher than her husband, Kamehameha the Great.

Keopuolani left Oahu in May of 1823 to reside in Lahaina. She asked that Missionaries Rev. William Richards and Rev. Charles Stewart travel with her to speak “The Good Word” and pray to God with her. They arrived in Lahaina on May 31, 1823, and the first Christian worship service was held on the beach the following day.

Queen Keopuolani fell ill and died on Sept. 16, 1823. Her request to be baptized in the Christian faith was fulfilled just one hour before her death. She and other Hawaiian ali’i are buried in the Royal Tomb located in the Waiola Church graveyard. Nearby is the grave of Rev. Richards.

Within several weeks of arriving on Maui, the first grass church building and missionary houses were built in the area now known as Campbell Park located on Front Street near Dickenson Street. Church services were held in that area for several years.

On Sept. 14, 1828, the cornerstone of the first stone church in Hawaii was laid on the property of the present church on Wainee Street. Although dedicated as Ebenezera (Ebenezer), it became known as Waine’e Church. The dedication was held March 4, 1832. The large church was approximately 115 feet by 50 feet with two floors and seated 3,000 worshipers.

Starting in 1848, Waine’e Church underwent repairs, and the steeple height was raised. In 1858, the church was damaged by Kaua’ula winds sweeping down from the West Maui Mountains. Half the roof and steeple were destroyed. Rebuilding was completed, and the church was rededicated on March 31, 1859.

A smaller (66-foot x 40-foot) Waine’e Church was dedicated on April 18, 1897. It was paid for by Henry Baldwin at the cost of $10,000 in memory of his father, W. Dwight Baldwin, who had been kahu (pastor) from 1837-68. The smaller church was due to the decreased Hawaiian population resulting from smallpox and the introduction of churches of many other denominations.

On Oct. 20, 1947, the church was again destroyed by an accidental rubbish fire. The church was rebuilt and dedicated on May 2, 1948.

On Jan. 15, 1951 the church was destroyed by Kaua’ula winds. The church was rebuilt and dedicated on April 26, 1953, and the name was changed from Waine’e (moving water) to Waiola (living water). This is the present church seen today.

The celebration is made possible with support from the County of Maui’s Office of Economic Development, HK West Maui Community Fund, Kalei’s Lunch Box and the many congregational volunteers who continually hold up the mission of the church.

For more information on Waiola Church’s 200th Anniversary celebration, visit www.waiolachurch.org or www.facebook.com/WaiolaChurch.