Mokuaikua awarded $250k

KAILUA-KONA — Mokuaikaua Church, the first Christian church built in Hawaii, recently received a $250,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places to support restoration efforts at the historic site.

The quarter-million-dollar grant was previously announced in 2016, when Partners for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the church among a list of 14 inaugural grantees for the program.

Earlier this year, Mokuaikaua Church, which was founded in 1820 by the Rev. Asa Thurston with the support of Royal Gov. John Adams Kuakini, launched its “Campaign of Spiritual Renewal,”to support its own efforts toward restoration and preservation.

“With a minimum goal of $3.4 million, the campaign will allow the church to address critical preservation work,” said a release from the church. “The preservation will be done in phases; the first of which will address the safety and structural stability of the sanctuary while maintaining the church’s historic construction character.”

Read more: https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2019/04/09/features/mokuaikua-awarded-250k/