First time that I went to church services and I join with all of my friends and I enjoy come to…read morethis church because I love meeting new friends and everyone that attend this church services and I enjoy it!!!

New hope is a seeker friendly church that has good music and sound teaching. Although the teaching…read moreis not expository, I often come away having heard that I need to deepen my reliance upon the only true God.

Unexpected visit created a memory that we will treasure…read more My wife and I saw a sign for a Catholic church while walking to the nearby beach from the cruise port in Hilo. So as we were walking back, we made a small detour, expecting to see the outside only. As we were admiring the Alter of Our Lady garden, we were invited by a genial older couple to admire the inside of the church. They told us about the church and the murals inside. It is the only Catholic church in Hawaii with a Hawaiian name, 'Malia Puka O Kalani' meaning 'Mary, Gate of Heaven'. It is one of two Catholic churches in Hilo, and is part of the Diochese of Honolulu. It's a small chapel, with a mural near the roofline on both sides. We learned that the murals were painted by the local artist, Ken Charon, representing the full cycle to night. It shows as if the viewer is in a Mauloa Canoe, going towards the islands. As we were admiring the inside, the pastor of the church, Father Niko stopped in for an enlightening conversation. We learned the couple (role of music directors) had just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The priest is of Samoan heritage and had spent parts of his life in the area where we currently live. He mentioned that the parish tries to transport people coming off of cruise port to come to Sunday service at 9am. They also have a 5pm Saturday mass as well. As we were finishing, Father Niko asked multiple times if he could drive us back to the port. We didn't want to take up any more of his time, so we politely declined and said our goodbyes. As we walked back, it began to rain (as it often does in Hilo). We decided to take a different route back, and moved to the side to let a lone SUV drive by. Nope..it was Father Niko, and he had come to give us a ride since it had begun raining. Obviously, we couldn't decline that... That simple act of kindness from Father Niko was one of the main things I will remember from our trip. This church (along with the nearby beach and the general store) really made me want to come back to Keaukaha again. Here's hoping that it's possible.

Thanks to Damon Tucker's blog (www.damontucker.com) I read about a lecture at this temple, by a…read morevisiting Buddhist scholar from Oregon, Dr Mark Unno. I am so glad I went! The building is a very cool old structure which they are working at fixing up and restoring. There's some unique trees on the grounds... that weird giant pine tree is actually a species of very primitive "living fossil" from the Mesozoic (as in dinosaurs!) period. Also known as a Monkey-puzzle tree, because it looks like even a monkey would have a hard time climbing it. Another tree is a cutting of a cutting of a cutting of the tree that the Buddha was sitting under when he found enlightenment. I need to find that tree and sit under it! Inside the building... wow... I did not expect the whole over-the-top temple display in the front with multiple elaborate colorful bright altars. (The pews are sized for an old Japanese lady so that part was not so comfortable for me) The Resident Minister is a young "local boy" named David Fujimoto. He gave me a warm welcome, as did several members of the congregation. There was a heavy incense smell, and we did some prayer chanting in Japanese before the lecture... i did my best to follow along... it was printed phonetically in a little red book. The minister and the lecturer were both down-to-earth, casual, funny men. I did not expect to laugh as much as I did. The lecturer started by taking several minutes to stare thoroughly at each person in the audience. This was a strange quiet moment, but I liked it. He saw me. We communicated in silence. He didn't get into anything too technical. He talked about his cats, his aging parents, and somehow moved from those topics to the upcoming collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. He basically spoke about our search for meaning in life and finding our place in the universe. It was very similar to what I hear in Christian churches if you substitute the words "nature" "the universe" and "life" for the Christian word "God." He made a lot of sense, and I did feel that I walked away a little more enlightened and at peace. They have Sunday services at 9 am. Plus I read in their newsletter that they volunteered at this years first Big Island Aids Walk. Very cool. I'll be back! I definitely got a five star feeling from this place.

I got a nice warm welcome here when I visited…read more Their sanctuary is modern but very attractive; they also host a lot of classical concerts here. Their pastor seemed very cool and smart.... one lady was telling me she first met him while on a pilgrimage or something in Jerusalem and then found him again in Hilo after she moved to Hawaii, she seemed to regard him very highly. Their music was a mixture of traditional organ and piano, with four Praise-type singers who performed up front, instead of a choir. I didn't really like that they do this "passing of the peace" meet-and-greet in the middle of the service where everybody gets up and walks around and hugs people and chit-chats-- to me this is a waste of service time and should be done as part of fellowship before or after the service, not during. They're United Church of Christ, which is the coolest contemporary Christian denomination...a much smarter denomination than the "Christians" you usually hear spewing hate on the evening news. On the national level, UCC was the first Protestant denomination to ordain an African-American pastor in 1785, the first woman pastor in 1853, and the first openly gay minister in 1972.

Who doesn't like a bazaar? Especially one with lots of grandma made quilts and craft work, home…read morebaked goodies, piles and piles of second hand clothes, sushi rice, preserves, local veggies, books from the 70's, bags of cinder and all kine of miscellaneous knick knacks. I walked away with a 1968 French provincial and northern italy cookbooks, got my recipe to make cassoulet! Just watch out for the grandmas as they fight their way towards the bargains!

This is a temple and activity center for the village of Papaikou. We just attended the Hawaii…read moreBamboo Society annual Bamboo festival there. Amazing view, tons of useful info and many nice folks.

They were having a bake sale the first day I went, that was a big plus!!! LOL. Got my first…read moreJaboticaba jelly. I wanted to check them out partly because they're UCC, and their choir director is this amazingly talented local Hawaiian musician who went off and got a music degree from Harvard University and then came back to Hilo. His choir wasn't singing the day I went, though, it was the week for the polynesian church that also worships there to perform. They were sweet enough. I went back to hear the regular choir another day, it was pleasant enough, but it seems like he's probably just getting started building up their music program. They seem to have a good sized membership, leaning toward the asian (Japanese?) side, although with some ethnic diversity. Pastor seemed like a real nice man, not too dynamic the day I was there, in the latter part of his career with the wisdom and steadiness that that implies. I liked him. The people seemed really nice, which is what's really important of course. The church is the people, not the building. Their building is not much to write about, kind of a drab skating-rink type structure. I don't care for the big screen up in the front of the church where they put up the hymn words and then random pictures of Jesus and pretty scenery throughout the service. To me this is distracting, I prefer church to be one of the few places these days where you are not staring at a screen. Finally in my list of nit-picking, I also didn't really like that they do this "passing of the peace" meet-and-greet in the middle of the service where they interrupt the service and everybody gets up and walks around and hugs people and chit-chats-- to me this is a waste of service time and should be done as part of fellowship before or after the service, not during. They're United Church of Christ, which is the coolest contemporary Christian denomination...a much smarter denomination than the "Christians" you usually hear spewing hate on the evening news. On the national level, the UCC was the first Protestant denomination to ordain an African-American pastor in 1785, the first woman pastor in 1853, and the first openly gay minister in 1972.

Whether you are visiting Hilo or you live here, this church is recommended to you as a place to…read moreexperience healing and grace. Mahalo to pastors Kevin and Kimi Hall who have inspired many in their community because of their willingness to serve. Central Christian Church has recently adopted the name 'House of Glory.' May we all know the many blessings that are our true destiny.

Yes! Pastor Kevin and his Wife Kimberly Hill have an excellent ministry. I attend this church for…read moreyears and both have great messages to help you study the Holy Bible and up lift your spirits. Pastor Kevin Hill is an excellent teacher of the Holy Bible and his Wife can really open your eyes to give your mind heart and soul to Jesus. for their is No other way. One of the messages i remember about Pastor Kevin is he read to us Psalm 91, and how we must prepare ourselves to go into battle against the enemy satan and all his evil workers. Thank you Pastor Kevin and Kimberly Hill. God Bless you and your Family, brother's and sister's. And WE ALL SAY Amen to God and Jesus our highest and Savior of ALL

Always a pleasant experience coming here. The people who attend are full of love and acceptance…read more I've dropped off attendance, but look forward to returning sooner rather than later