In February of 1957, John Robert Stevens took a trip to the island of Maui where he felt the Lord was leading him to begin a church. By June, Stevens had purchased a small chapel in Haiku for $6,500.
That same year the Lord spoke to John Stevens as he stood on the new grounds of Haiku Chapel: "Thou shalt have faith for every man that I bring under thy hand." This became a benchmark Word for how Stevens lived the rest of his life. In the next year, another important event happened at Haiku Chapel. Under the property’s eucalyptus trees, John Stevens wrote much of The First Principles, a definitive introduction to the biblical foundations of the Christian faith.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, many young people came to know the Lord at Haiku Chapel. The congregation of the church was constantly changing as more and more were receiving salvation and coming into the church. Some became active in the Haiku Chapel congregation for a period of time and then moved to other churches in The Living Word Fellowship on the mainland. A number of pastors and ministries in the fellowship emerged out of Haiku Chapel during this time.
Haiku Chapel was one of the places where John Stevens taught a series of messages about the practical application of scriptural and spiritual principles, including how to function and relate as the Heavenly Father’s family. During the early ’80s, Stevens changed the name of the church from Haiku Chapel to Hale O Kāula, which means "house of the prophets." John Stevens passed away in 1983, but his vision for Hale O Kāula lives on in the hearts of those who are the fruit of his faith.
The Haiku Chapel property eventually became too small for the church’s needs, and the church family had a vision for a larger area where kids could play and groups of people could gather to worship. In 1985 Gary and Marilyn Hargrave, John Stevens’ successors, began looking for a new location for the church and commissioned a committee who, after an ongoing and intensive search, found the current property which was purchased in 1990.
The congregation of Hale O Kāula continued to gather at Haiku Chapel while they worked through governmental regulations which restricted the free practice of faith on land in an agricultural zone. Meanwhile, the church began to develop the new land, completing a parsonage in 1995 and an agricultural building in 1997. The congregants of Hale O Kāula were finally able to legally gather and worship on the property on November 17, 2004. The old Haiku Chapel property was sold in December 2005, completing the transition to the new location; and the name Haiku Chapel was permanently retired.
A major remodel of the agricultural building started in January of 2007. The roof was removed and a sanctuary was built on top of the first floor. The first floor was transformed into a nursery, kitchen, and offices; it has a full side walkout facing the ocean views of the valley isle. In 2008 a well was drilled and the church facility completed.
In the summer of 2007, Daniel and Deborah Oliveira moved from A Palavra Viva, a Living Word Fellowship church in Niterói, Brazil to pastor Hale O Kāula. They arrived the same day that concrete was poured for the new sanctuary floor. The sanctuary was dedicated two years later. With new pastors and a new sanctuary, Hale O Kāula is full of life and excitement for what the Lord is doing on the earth.
Hale O Kāula is one of Maui’s vibrant growing church communities and a fulfillment of the vision that John Stevens had of the Heavenly Father’s family—a vision that God quickened to Stevens on this very island.