An old Hawaiian Protestant church in West Maui opened its doors to communities of faith who had lost their places of worship in the Lahaina fires.
The Lāhuiokalani Kaʻanapali Congregational Church has been a kuleana of Aileen Trout’s family for generations.
The iconic green church sits just mauka of Honokōwai Beach Park, and it's one of the earliest Christian churches in West Maui.
"So, Christianity came in 1820, of course Lahainaluna was the seminary and so they would send a lot of their ministers to these different stations. This was Honokowai station. Of course, Waiola was the mother church here," Trout said.
Waiola was lost in the Aug. 8, 2023, fires, just a few months after members celebrated the church’s 200th anniversary. Kahu ʻĀnela Rosa said church members have been eager to worship together.
"We have our church members spread all over the island. We have people in Kula. We have people in Wailuku. We have members in Kīhei, and of course up north in Napili right here in Lahaina. So when the conversation came up with Aileen it was an open door and she offered her space," Rosa said.
And that was just the beginning. Once Waiola members began using Lahuiokalani, other churches followed suit.
"The methodist church burned down, the episcopal, Waiola, the Kingʻs Catherdral. So we decided that why donʻt we combine with Waiola to begin with, a place of worship, a sense of place," Trout explained.
Trout hopes this temporary sense of place gives other communities of faith an opportunity to worship while Lahaina rebuilds.
