| | St. Peter's, Episode I: the First 50 yearsSee pictures from the first 50 years... | 1886 | A group of Hakka Chinese Christians arrived in Honolulu from North Kohala. Rev. Herbert Henry Gowan holds the first service for this group that eventually founds St. Peter Episcopal Church. The service is interpreted by an Iolani [School] student, Yap See Young, who gives the following description of this assembly: “This service was held in one of the stores on Liliha Street Nineteen persons were present, the seats being boards put across flour barrels and cracker boxes. It was a little shanty and needless to say it was very hot.” | | 1887 | St. Peter’s Church is officially organized. A section of the old, wooden Pro-Cathedral of St. Andrew’s is used to hold afternoon Sunday services | | 1890 | Queen Emma donates the land for first St. Peter’s Church on the corner of Emma and Beretania streets. The total cost to build the wooden structure is $2,955. It is consecrated on March 1, 1891. | | 1896 | Kong Yin Tet, a graduate of the Basel Mission at Lilong, China and Iolani School, becomes pastor of St. Peter’s He becomes the first Chinese Anglican priest in Hawaii upon his ordination on April 28, 2899. Rev. Kong is instrumental in supporting St. Elizabeth’s Church (Palama) and St. John’s Church (Kula, Maui) and organizing St. Mary’s (Moiliili). Rev. Kong dies in 1927 after dedicating more than thirty years of service to St. Peter’s. | | 1913 | Stephen A. Palmer of New York donates the full amount, $14,000, for the purchase of land for the site of the second St. Peter’s Church from Bernice Pauahi of the Bishop Estate. The total cost of the structure, $35,838.50, is raised by the time the church is consecrated on November 22, 1914. | | 1930s-40s | Under the pastorship of Rev. Yim Sang Mark, St. Peter’s expands its mission outreach and develops its Sunday School, Woman’s Guild, Chinese School, and Young People’s Fellowship. At the latter part of his service, Rev. Mark accomplishes his two main goals of establishing St. Peter’s as a self-supporting parish (1947) and building its parish house and rectory (1949) |
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