"Proclaiming Jesus Christ to Hawai'i and the World"
Haili Church & Mission House 1849
Rev. Titus Coan
OUR HISTORY:
The working of God can be documented in the early history of Haili Congregational Church.First, God used the zeal of Henry Opukahaia, the first Hawaiian convert to Christianity, to inspire New England missionaries to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his native land.Secondly, six months prior to the arrival of the first missionaries at Kailua, Kona; King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) broke the kapu system of pagan worship.Thirdly, with the spiritual vacuum created by the loss of the kapu system, the response to the Gospel was tremendous on the eastern side of the BigIsland, especially through the preaching of Rev. Titus Coan, one of the missionaries of the early Hilo Mission.(To see Rev. Coan’s electronic book, Life in Hawaii, visit the Website at: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/COAN/coan-intro.html ).The church grew to over 10,000 members with 1,705 Hawaiians baptized on one day alone, perhaps the largest church in the world at that time.
The first church building, a large grass canoe shed provided by the local chiefs, was completed and dedicated on May 19, 1824 near the site of the present Hilo Iron Works. By 1825, another grass building was constructed at the site of Kalakaua Park facing Kinoole Street. The third and larger church was built near the second building. The fourth edifice was located at the site of the present Sack 'N Save parking lot after the third building collapsed during a heavy rain storm. The fifth and present structure, started in 1854, was completed and dedicated on April 8, 1859. On July 15, 1979, fire destroyed the tower, ceiling and some of the interior of this building. The restored church was rededicated on June 1, 1980.
Haili Church Choir-Winner Singing Contest 1929
The Haili Church Choir is one of the two oldest and most widely acclaimed Hawaiian church choirs. Since the beginning of the 1900's, it has been the "training school" for some of Hawai`i's foremost names in traditional Hawaiian music, both sacred and secular.
The choir began in 1902 under Harry K. Naope, Sr., at the Kalepolepo Chapel, one of the seven branches of the HailiChurch. Naope was a music teacher in the public schools, and received his training in music at Lahainaluna Seminary on the island of Maui.
Until the advent of church choirs, Hawaiian children learned to sing and play instruments from their parents and grandparents at home. Music was an essential part of family devotions, common in Old Hawai`i. At that time, the church was the foremost educational facility for most Hawaiians, and congregational singing was their first music "school."
The most musically talented adults and young people moved into the choir when it was formed. The majority of them could neither read nor write music, but they had excellent memorization abilities, learned from the intensive person-to-person training received at home. The result of professional choir training under Naope was the development of not only many famous singers, but conductors and composers, as well.
Unlike the choirs of today, Harry K. Naope, Sr. had only one sheet of music from which to teach his choir members. He copied the music onto large sheets of butcher-type paper, and tacked these sheets to the walls of the Sunday school rooms. Choir members were required to memorize the songs from these sheets. Also, because of the unreliability of the church's pump organ and the lack of trained organists (most of whom were pianists), Mr. Naope wrote out and taught both sacred and secular compositions, and his translations of English songs into the Hawaiian language. Thus, the Haili Choir learned, and became known for their A Capella singing, (without instrumental accompaniment) in the language native to the Hawaiian people.
The driving forces in establishing the century long reputation of the choir for perpetuating traditional Hawaiian music in performance is due to the efforts of both Harry Naope, Sr., and Albert Nahale-a, Sr., Minister of Music. They helped to create a viable, exciting, and rich choral agenda, in demand for community events. Choir programs are carried on today by second, third and fourth generations of the original choir families, some of whom have been members for more than 50 years.
One hundred years of perpetuating traditional Hawaiian music are imbedded in the history of the Haili Church Choir. It has exerted a major influence on the development of Hawaiian music in the Hilo area, as has the Kawaiaha`o Church Choir in Honolulu. Other church choirs, formed later from their example, continue Hawaiian music's historical preservation on the islands of Kaua`i, Maui, and Moloka`i.
Today's Haili Church Choir is most often accompanied by piano, organ or other stringed instruments, although they still sometimes sing A Capella.
-- History courtesy of choir member Hawea Waia`u, Ed.D, twin of Kihei Brown and grandaughter of Stephen L. Desha, Sr.
