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Campaign launched to restore historic church in Wailuku

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Church worn by weather, age

By Dakota Grossman 5 min read

Valued for its architectural, historical and cultural significance, Ka'ahumanu Church has long served the Wailuku community by being a safe place for Hawaiian worship, celebrations and visitation for guests.

However, age and storms have deteriorated the nearly 190-year-old building in Wailuku through the decades, prompting church leaders to launch a campaign on March 3 in hopes of raising $2 million to restore the steeple and the roof, as well as the interior sanctuary and related infrastructure, such as the flooring and walls.

"The church has historical roots, the property itself has historical roots," said Kahu Wayne Higa, who was installed as pastor in 2006 and has been a member since 1998.

Whether it's a memory of getting married at the church, attending service with family or just driving by the grounds on High Street on the way to work, Higa said on Friday that "I'm sure there are many Ka'ahumanu Church stories out there, and I encourage people to tell their story."

Repairing the church buildings and grounds located at the top of Wailuku town is consistent with the general restoration and preservation of Wailuku Town, said George Burnette, Ka'ahumanu Church vice moderator.

To kickstart the church's fundraiser, King's Cathedral in Kahului donated $10,000, Burnette said. A grant from Maui County and a grant-in-aid from the State of Hawaii are in the application process.

Due to its current condition, the steeple is a priority, Higa said.

Architects Hawaii completed drawings and renderings pro bono in 2021 for the Ka'ahumanu Church project -- the goal is to restore the church and its character as it is; there will be no changes.

Established in 1832, Ka'ahumanu Church has been a place of Hawaiian worship as well as a monthly gathering place for local residents and visitors to enjoy celebrations, performances, special events and various other social and cultural events.

For over a decade, it has also been the site of a Hawaiian immersion preschool program, Punana Leo O Maui.

"Throughout its many years of service to our community, it has become apparent that we must continue to preserve and restore a unique Wailuku site which promotes Hawaiian culture, music, and education," Burnette said in an email. "The church plans to continue serving as a meeting place for support groups and other human service needs."

Burnette shared that Queen Ka'ahumanu attended a service on these church grounds following its establishment and requested that when a permanent sanctuary was built, it be named after her.

This request was finally honored in 1876 with the completion of the present building and the steeple was built that same year by Wailuku Sugar Co. and the Rev. Edward Bailey.

Ka'ahumanu Church was placed on the National Historic Register in 1975 and on the State Register of Historic Places six years later.

"It is one of the oldest Protestant missionary churches on Maui, celebrating its 185th anniversary in 2017," Burnette said.

The property was also a part of the royal compound of Kahekili, the last independent reigning king of Maui, Higa said. The present sanctuary is believed to have been built using stone from an on-site heiau dating back to the 18th century, as well as portions of the wall fronting the church, along High Street.

There are two cemeteries on the church property where several early Hawaiian converts to Christianity are buried, including Bartimaeus Pua'a'iki, known as the "blind preacher of Maui," and in unmarked locations, John Honoli'i and Thomas Hopu, two of four Hawaiians who studied in New England and were among the first contingent of Christian missionaries from Boston, according to Burnette and the church's website.

As the sacred building still stands, it represents not only the missionaries that entered the church, but the history of Native Hawaiians, Higa said.

These efforts to restore Ka'ahumanu Church have been ongoing for several years, said Higa, who described the journey to get the project going as an "up and down cycle."

Weather over the decades has caused severe impacts to both the church and neighboring preschool, Higa said.

Most recently, a storm in 2015 damaged the roof and tore an opening in the steeple, which Higa said was fixed with a temporary patch. In 2016, the church was fumigated for two days to deal with dry-wood termites that had accumulated since the previous fumigation, which was done nearly 30 years earlier.

Some work along with temporary fixes was done in 2016 and 2018 to restore the pews and steeple, respectively.

Between completing all the necessary studies, finding contractors, creating renderings, overcoming stalls in their efforts and now raising funding, Higa on Friday was feeling hopeful about getting actual major repairs done.

"We all wanted to get this done, community members wanted to get this done," he added. "It seems like the timing of everything seems to be moving in the right direction. There's a lot of other stuff that we need to take care of at the church, so it's nice to see that at least this portion of it is taking fruition at this time."

For more information, or to donate, visit https://www.kaahumanuchurch.org/

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

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