From the Spanish Camp to Mokuola Street
The story of Waipahu United Church of Christ begins in the sugar fields of ʻEwa. In 1929 the Waipahu Evangelical Church was established under the Rev. Flaviano Santa Ana to serve the Filipino immigrant plantation workers living in the Spanish Camp of the Oʻahu Sugar Company. Almost a decade later, in 1938, 115 members of what had been a "Junior Church" led by the Rev. Hiro Higuchi at the Waipahu Community House were recognized as an official congregation and renamed the Waipahu Community Church, gathering at the Japanese Methodist Church in the same Spanish Camp neighborhood.
For more than two decades the two congregations worshipped side by side, one rooted in the Filipino community and the other in the Japanese-American Issei community. In 1961 they formally merged to become Waipahu United Church of Christ, a single congregation "rich in ethnic and cultural diversity, talents, leadership and most importantly their faith." The merged body had leased a 2.75-acre parcel on Mokuola Street in 1948, built a Parish Hall with volunteer labor from YMCA friends, church members, and 442nd veterans in 1950, and finally purchased the property from Hung Wai Ching in 1963 for $36,780.
The land has been home ever since. Ground was broken for a sanctuary on October 17, 1977, and the new building was dedicated on January 1, 1979, at a cost of $350,000. The mortgage was burned four years later after the congregation paid $1,000 a month for forty-eight months through the Miracle Fund begun by the Rev. Dr. John Norris. In the 1980s Waipahu UCC helped mobilize community opposition to the H-Power waste-to-energy plant planned for Waipahu. The old parish hall was renovated in 2013 and dedicated in 2019 as the J. Tokuo Yoshida Community Center, named in honor of a longtime church leader. The facility is now shared with fourteen community organizations, including the adult-day-care program Aged to Perfection.
Sunday Worship at 9:30, ʻIke Kūpuna
Worship is held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service is shaped by what the church calls ʻIke Kūpuna, the wisdom of the ancestors, a way of honoring the elders and the Christian and cultural heritage passed down through generations of Filipino, Japanese, and Hawaiian Christians in Waipahu. Following the ways of the kūpuna, worship begins with announcements and a time of "talk story," then turns to scripture, prayer, and song.
Music is led by Soloist Dale Delos Reyes and Instrumentalist Christian Vaʻa. After a "Keiki Time" portion of the service, school-aged children are invited to leave for Sunday School in David's Den, while parents of infants may take them to the nursery at the back of the sanctuary. The morning includes a window of time in which members of partner congregations from across the Pacific gather on campus and greet one another before and after their own services.
Keiki, ʻŌpio, and the Next Generation
Children are at the heart of Waipahu UCC. Every Sunday, all school-aged keiki begin worship in the sanctuary with the whole congregation, then head to Sunday School in David's Den for a Bible-based lesson that is described as "fun and all are welcome." The nursery at the back of the sanctuary is outfitted with a changing table, comfortable furniture, age-appropriate toys, a window, and a remote speaker so ʻohana can listen to the service while caring for their youngest.
For youth in the middle and high school years, the ʻŌpio program offers a year of volunteer service, including partnering with the Hawaiʻi Food Bank, PAAM activities, Aha PaeʻĀina, worship leadership, and social programming.
For families looking for weekday enrichment, the community partner Ed-Venture with Harmony runs elective enrichment classes for students in grades K through 8. Each child attends one five-hour day per week, exploring topics such as Science and STEM, Art with the Masters, Cooking, Coding and Robotics, Hawaiian Culture, and Crafting, with once-monthly Hui Holo field trips around Oʻahu. Director Lynelle McElhannon describes the program as a safe space where "curious, creative-minded children can actively engage in experiences that instill a lifelong love of learning."
Lōkahi: Mind, Body, and Spirit in the Community Center
The church's Lōkahi program, named for the Hawaiian word meaning unity, balance, and harmony, gathers the wider Waipahu community for movement, fellowship, and wellness in and around the J. Tokuo Yoshida Community Center. All classes are free or low-cost and open to the public.
Tʻai Chi Chʻuan meets on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. in the Community Center under the instruction of certified Sifu Doug Tom. The church has offered Tʻai Chi classes since 1985, when the late Rev. Christopher Eng first began teaching. Tuesdays bring the hālau hula at 5:00 p.m. under the breezeway, where Kumu Dannette Kihano Yoshimura teaches hula as a sacred offering, choosing songs with Sunday worship in mind. Women and men of all ages and experience are welcome, and the kumu offers the option of accompanying the hula with sign language. Zumba follows at 6:15 p.m. Tuesdays in the south parking lot, with another Zumba class on Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. Zumba Gold, a low-impact class for active older adults and beginners, meets on the fourth Friday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the Community Center.
Pacific Partnerships Under One Roof
Waipahu UCC has long identified itself as a Pacific church, carrying on the legacy of the Congregational missionaries who first brought the Gospel to Hawaiʻi. That identity is lived out through four partner churches that share the Mokuola Street campus and meet in its spaces for their own worship and fellowship:
- Chuukese Christian Church, pastored by Pastor Mainer Eilat
- Honolulu Marshallese United Church of Christ, pastored by Pastor Herbert Langijota
- Malamalama Ole Alofa Tunoa, pastored by Rev. Kalasa Afuola, meeting at 94053 Nawaakoa Place
- United Church of Christ Pohnpei, pastored by Pastor Mitchell Neth
Through these partnerships, the church maintains ties with United Church of Christ conferences and fellowships across the Pacific Rim, including Micronesia, the Philippines, and Samoa. The Hawaiʻi Conference United Church of Christ and the Oʻahu Association remain the church's regional connections, and a historic relationship with Ewa Community Church links Waipahu UCC to the work of Hawaiian churches across the island.
What We Believe
Waipahu UCC confesses the Apostles' Creed as the foundation of its faith, with belief in God the Father almighty, in Jesus Christ God's only Son, in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Beyond the creed, the church teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ and that every Christian is called to proclaim it. It welcomes all people no matter where they are on their spiritual journey, respecting each person's free will. The example of Jesus offering grace to the Samaritan woman at the well shapes a culture of grace toward one another and toward oneself. Finally, the church names its calling as kuleana: a commitment to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, obeying his word, showing his love, seeking the fellowship of the church wherever they may be, and supporting the ministry and mission of the church as God calls.
Finding Your Way to Mokuola Street
Waipahu UCC sits at 94-330 Mokuola Street, a half-block from the Pouhala Transit Center on the Honolulu rail line and a short walk from the Waipahu Transit Center. From town, take H-1 West to Exit 8 for Waipahu and follow Mokuola Street north for about two miles. From Waiʻanae, take H-1 East to Exit 7 toward Paiwa Street, follow the signs past the FilCom Center, and continue south two more blocks on Mokuola. From ʻEwa, take Farrington Highway to Mokuola Street and turn north. Plenty of parking is available on campus, including accessible spaces. The church office can be reached at 808-677-3317 or waipahuucc@gmail.com, and the pastor, the Rev. Daniel John Kidder-McQuown, is also reachable at mcq188@gmail.com.
Support for the ministries of the church comes through year-round giving online by PayPal, in person at the church office, or by mail. Pledges are gathered each year during the Stewardship Drive. A monthly newsletter, the Outlook, is mailed to subscribers, and a podcast called Pinoy 808 and a blog called Mauka Rain keep the wider community connected between Sundays. Sunday morning announcements and prayer requests submitted through the church's online form continue to be the lifeblood of how members share news with one another, in the oldest ways of the kūpuna.