This is part two of a four-part podcast with deep interest to me.

My friend John Honold and I interviewed Kenneth Makuakane, a third-generation Hope Chapel Kaneohe Bay pastor.

He's an award-winning Waikiki entertainer concurrently leading the largest Hawaiian congregation in the state. The original missionaries planted the church.

As the story unfolds, I discipled John Honold, who multiplied several churches and leads a string of micro churches today. John now coaches Ken, whom he discipled decades ago. And Ken is plowing ground that lay fallow until his arrival. The church is growing, and elderly people often engage with street kids. 

Most ethnic Hawaiians, whether they go to church or not, call Kawaiaha'o Church their home. This is significant as it links the first spiritual awakening in the Kingdom of Hawaii to the most recent in the State of Hawaii.

The congregation is steeped in tradition as it became the church home to the kings and queens of ancient Hawaii.

Beginning with the original New England-born missionaries in the early 1700s, Hawaii experienced four church-planting movements. In terms of per capita penetration, it remains the most successful awakening in human history.

The second planted churches among Japanese Americans. Thousands of Japanese immigrated to Hawaii to work in sugar plantations, and many came to Christ. Takie Okamura, the innovator God used to drive that awakening planted what we would call microchurches in the sugar cane camps. He ran a Japanese-language newspaper and invented language schools for evangelism. He also planted Makiki Christian Church which prevails today. 

From the 1940s to the early 1980s or late 1970s, church multiplication centered on Olivet Baptist Church, which launched more than 40 congregations. 

My friends and I showed up in 1983, thirty of us including children. We planted and multiplied 69 churches in the Hope Chapel arena in about 27 years. Shortly after our arrival Wayne Cordeiro launched the New Hope movement, which is responsible for another 69 congregations during those same years. Theirs are often larger than ours, but we were privileged to send a little more than 100 people to help launch New Hope Oahu, including their long-serving first worship band. 

The greater excitement of the fourth awakening comes via hundreds of small churches planted after the example of the larger networks. These are mostly independent congregations. At one point, every public school in the state (650+) hosted at least one or more congregations. None started from the more noticeable movements.

This podcast is significant because Ken's role links the original spiritual awakening with the most recent.

I hope it blesses you as it has me. And I hope you'll join us for all four installments of this podcast.

If you need more information, you can learn about the church at https://kawaiahaochurch.com or connect with Ken via email.

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