About Us

Waialua United Church of Christ

We are a community

At WUCC, you will find an inter-generational community from all walks of life, with a little something for everyone. The hospitality is warm, and the people are friendly. We believe building community is far more important that religiosity. Come be challenged and refreshed, and find a place where YOU can make a difference in the world. You'll be glad you did.

What we believe

The Covenant

We covenant with God and with each other, binding ourselves together to encourage each other to follow Jesus Christ in love and faith wherever He chooses to lead us, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, and through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

The Statement of Faith

We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, and to his deeds we testify:

He calls the worlds into being, creates man in his own image and sets before him the ways of life and death.

He seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.

He judges men and nations by his righteous will declared through prophets and apostles.

In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, he has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to himself.

He bestows upon us his Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.

He calls us into his church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be his servants in the service of men, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table , to join him in his passion and victory.

He promises to all who trust him forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, his presence in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in his kingdom which has no end.

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto him.

Amen.

Where we fellowship

Church Sanctuary and Admin Building

Waialua UCC

67-174 Farrington Hwy
PO Box 663, Waialua, HI 96791
(808) 637-6688

Pastor

E.J. Ravago

Sunday Worship Service

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

If you are a first time visitor, or returning after a long time gone, please SIGN THE CHURCH GUESTBOOK!

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Center

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg
Community Center

67-174 Farrington Hwy
Waialua, HI 96791 (behind the Main Campus)
(808) 637-6688

Administrative Assistant

Mia Calaro

Event / Facilities Use Rental

Available all year round!

For rental use of the facilities at the Community Center, please click the SCHEDULE FOR RENTAL button on the left.

Our membership

The Ministers

All church members are ministers.

The Pastor

The Rev. Earl “E.J” Ravago is the current Pastor of the Waialua United Church of Christ. Called by the congregation to serve on April 15, 2024, his ministry at WUCC started on July 28, 2024.

A graduate of North Park Theological Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Pastor E.J. previously served as the lead pastor of New Abbey Church in Waukegan, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, which he planted in 2016. He is married to J.L. and has three children.

Our Former Pastors

The Rev. Lauren Buck Medeiros – Jan. – Mar. 2024 (Bridge)
The Rev. Nan Riddle – 2021-2022 (Designated)
The Rev. Scott Furukawa – 2017-2020
The Rev. Dr. Norma Nomura DeSaegher – 2016-2017 (Interim)
The Rev. Dr. Grant S.C. Lee – 2005-2015
The Rev. Dr. David Hirano – 2004-2005 (Interim)
The Rev. Dr. David S. Milotta – 1987-2003
The Rev. Carol Song – 1983-1986
The Rev. Ruth Senter – 1975-1979
The Rev. Paul Robinson – 1971-1974
The Rev. Hidemi Tsutsui – 1961-1970
The Rev. James Davis – 1957-1960
The Rev. Donald Fujiyoshi (from the Waialua Pilgrim Church) – 1956
The Rev. Jacob Jansen (from the Filipino Evangelical Church of Waialua) – 1956

Our social media and newsletter

The Beacon

Since the church’s days in the plantation, The Beacon newsletter has provided members and visitors of the WUCC with the musings and ongoings of the church.

Check out what’s going on in the spiritual livelihood of the church thru our quarterly newsletter!

Want to send in an article/picture for the next newsletter? Scan the QR code to upload your files!

Find us online!

Facebook – WaialuaUCC
Instagram – @WaialuaUCC
YouTube – Waialua United Church of Christ

Our church's history

A small band of immigrant Japanese plantation laborers at the Waialua Sugar Mill answer God's call to form the "Waialua Japanese Christian Church".

1901creation of the Waialua Japanese Christian Church

Forty immigrant Filipino plantation laborers from the Waialua Sugar Mill answer God's call to form the "Filipino Evangelical Church".

April 16, 1921creation of the Filipino Evangelical Church of Waialua

Over a six-year period, the Waialua Japanese Christian Church, the Waialua Caucasian Church, and the Waialua Korean Church merge to form the "Waialua Pilgrim Church" - a church open to all Christians from all racial backgrounds.

1940-1946Creation and growth of the Waialua Pilgrim Church

Witnessing Jesus's call to become one (John 17:21), the Waialua Pilgrim Church and the Filipino Evangelical Church of Waialua merge to become one as the "Waialua United Church of Christ"

June 3, 1956Creation of the Waialua United Church of Christ

The WUCC joins the newly-established Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ.

1957WUCC Joins the Hawaii UCC Conference

The WUCC purchases and relocates the Wheeler Field Chapel building to Waialua, replacing the old Pilgrim Chapel built in 1924. The chapel costed $25 - the disassembly, relocation, and reassembly costed $25,000.

1968-1969Purchase and relocation of a new church building

A time capsule, buried in 1924 at the Waialua Japanese Christian Church, was opened at a ceremony fifty years later with 450 people present representing 18 churches from around Hawaii. The Rev. Dr. Abraham Akaka provided the blessing for the service.

February 2, 1975Waialua Japanese Christian Church Time Capsule is Opened

The WUCC formally establishes a youth ministry.

1978-1981Establishment of the Youth Ministry

The WUCC congregation votes on the purchase of land and the building of a new church campus.

May 1981WUCC votes on buying land for a new church campus

After many years in a small plantation chapel, the WUCC dedicates it's current sanctuary and admin building next to Waialua High School on the foothills of Mount Ka'ala.

January 1989DEDICATION OF CURRENT CHURCH SANCTUARY AND ADMIN BUILDING

Established in memory of a dedicated WUCC youth member, the Sherwin Gervacio Memorial Scholarship seeks to financially aid the congregation's youth in their educational endeavors.

1995establishment of the Sherwin Gervacio Memorial Scholarship

The congregation decides to vision and plan for the building of a preschool and community center with a price tag of $2.85 million.

1996Commencement of the Community Center Building Project

After six years of fundraising and a generous grant by the Weinberg Foundation, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Center was built to assist and serve WUCC's wider community outreach.

May 26, 2002dedication of the Harry and Jeanette weinberg community center

A group of mostly-retired church members form the Yard Fellowship, meeting weekly to volunteer in the upkeep of the campus's four acres of landscaping. As a result, WUCC won local landscaping awards in 2006 and 2008.

2005The Yard Fellowship

The WUCC celebrated its 50 year anniversary as one church with various events thru the year, concluding with a banquet showcasing skits, dances, and storytelling by longtime members of the congregation.

2006WUCC celebrates 50 years as one church

Created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, WUCC transitioned to a primarily online presence - first as pre-recorded YouTube videos, then as livestream events on Facebook, which has successfully been integrated as part of our regular worship service.

March 2020WUCC GOES VIRTUAL

About Us

Waialua United Church of Christ

We are a community

What we believe