Who We Are
A community where all are invited and all are welcome,
to experience the love and presence of God
and community just as they are.
About Us
We welcome everyone - inclusive of age, gender, race, marital status, sexual orientation, dis/ability, socioeconomic status, and stage of belief.
We are part of the United Church of Christ.
Our Mission
Sent forth by the Spirit,
we follow Jesus into the world:
loving God and community through
our service, our witness, and our
faithful stewardship of creation.
Our Vision
To be a house of prayer, refuge, and belonging for all people, where lives are transformed by the gospel, disciples of Jesus are nurtured and equipped, and all are drawn into faithful, loving relationship with God through Christ and compassionate action in the world; and, rooted in our kuleana to mālama ʻāina, we steward the land, waters, and historic spaces entrusted to us as an expression of our love for God, creation, and future generations.
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Our Story
Pukaʻana Congregational Church was founded in 1849 in South Kona as part of the missionary work of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), whose missionaries included the Reverend John D. Paris.
Our story reaches back to Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, remembered as the first Hawaiian Christian, whose life, faith, and longing to share the gospel with his people inspired the ABCFM mission that arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1820. Built under Rev. Paris' leadership, our original stone-and-coral sanctuary near the shore became known as the “mother church”; by 1900, the growing congregation had established the “keiki church” along Māmalahoa Highway, which became our continuing home after the coastal sanctuary fell into ruin.
Across generations, Hawaiian kahu, devoted families, and community leaders have sustained Pukaʻana through worship, fellowship, and service, carrying forward the faith we inherited from our kūpuna. Today, as a congregation of the United Church of Christ, we continue that legacy as a place of belonging and generous welcome, sharing God’s love and seeking to be a good neighbor in our community.