Hawaii history

Hawaii

Though not a part of North America geographically, Hawaii is nevertheless the 50th of the United States and belongs in this volume. Older Address Books have listed two or three assemblies, while recent editions list four. All have been on the island of Oahu. Neither the ‘Big Island’ Hawaii, nor the smaller islands have had a brethren assembly to our knowledge.

In 1946, there were two assemblies in Hawaii. At Palolo Chapel in Honolulu, at 3462 Kaau Street, a work had been carried on since before World War II, led by Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Field, formerly of Bethany Gospel Hall in Oakland, CA. The Honolulu Assembly was in the home of Mr. O.A. Larson, 1132 19th Avenue, Honolulu. In 1962, Joe Spacek mentioned that the believers at Friendly Bible Center meeting at Radford High School, were seeking a lot in the Honolulu area on which to build a chapel.

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Oceanview Bible Chapel in Pearl City, adjacent to Honolulu, may be the outgrowth of one of these. It and Waialae Kahala Chapel in Honolulu are the oldest of the assemblies existing in Hawaii today. Haleiwa Gospel Hall on the north shore of Oahu, existed for many years but disbanded in the early 1990s. Today the Waianae Gospel Hall is on the western shore of Oahu and may have a connection with Haleiwa Gospel Hall; information about them was not made available to us.

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Believers Bible Fellowship in Pearl City began in 1996. Dennis Medeiros, Louis Tory Sr., Richard Chaves, and Louis Tory Jr. were among those who started the new assembly. Most of those in Believers Bible Fellowship were at one time in fellowship at Oceanview Bible Chapel. Louis Tory Sr. was at one time an elder there. Dennis Medeiros has been commended to local pastoral and teaching ministry. About 50 adults and youngsters were in the assembly at one point. When Louis Tory St. and his Louis Tory Jr. left the fellowship in 1999, the continuance of the assembly came into question. The remaining dozen Christians now meet in the garage of one of the believers.

Sources

• Questionnaire Responses
• Letters of Interest, November 1946, p. 30; April 1962, p. 10