In the Beginning ...

On March 30, 1913, the congregation of St. James‘ Episcopal Church held the first service in its new chapel in Waimea. About a dozen people gathered that day to hear the good news preached by Rev. Frank Merrill, who had traveled by horseback and buggy over the Kohala Mountains from Kapa‘au, a journey that then took many hours. More than a century later, St. James’ Church has become a thriving congregation of some 190 people attending one of the three weekend services, including the Beach Mass at Kawaihae Harbor Saturdays at 5 PM. In addition, St James’ serves as the home parish for St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Pa‘auilo, which offers weekly worship on Sundays at 9:30 AM, and our numbers and ministries continue to grow. To learn more about what happened in our first 100 years, please read this lively history compiled for our 2013 centennial celebrations by the Church History Committee, coordinated by Jo Amanti Piltz.