The Revival on Kauaʻi

In 1832, on the island of Kauaʻi, the Spirit of God moved in a powerful way. At Waimea, missionary Peter Johnson Gulick began to see an unusual stirring among the people. He wrote that, “early in May an increase of the spirit of prayer was evident in the members of our native church. They began to assemble at the dawning of the morning for united supplications at the throne of grace.” What began as occasional gatherings soon became daily prayer meetings, even before the Hawaiians had heard of such practices in America.

The revival deepened quickly. Gulick described how “new cases of conviction, apparently deep and thorough, occur daily.” He recalled days when his small room became, in his words, “literally a bochim—the place of weeping.” Men and women entered in silence, burdened under the weight of their sin. Some trembled and wept uncontrollably, others fell prostrate on the ground, unable to speak or think of anything but their desperate need for God’s mercy. He noted that these were not just the young or easily impressionable, but people of all ages, including those long hardened in unbelief, now overcome with repentance.

The movement spread beyond the missionary’s walls into the broader community. Chiefs and aliʻi played an important role in making space for the gospel to flourish. King Kaumualiʻi, who had long welcomed the missionaries at Waimea and even built a meeting house for them, had set a foundation of openness to the Word of God. After his passing, Governor Kaikioʻewa, who ruled Kauaʻi, embraced Christianity himself in 1830 and supported the mission’s work. Deborah Kapule, the last queen of Kauaʻi, also professed faith and helped nurture the growing Christian community. Their example gave weight and legitimacy to the revival, showing the people that even aliʻi humbled themselves before Christ.

The revival on Kauaʻi was marked by extraordinary conviction and lasting transformation. Churches were filled with worshippers hungry for the Word of God. The sound of prayer and hymns rose from the valleys and shores, as men, women, and children joined together in seeking the Lord. What had once been a distant faith brought by foreign missionaries was now embraced deeply by Hawaiians themselves, shaping lives and communities for generations to come.The revival that swept across Kauaʻi in the 1830s and 1840s left such an impact that even visiting observers recorded its gatherings. In 1841, the artist Alfred T. Agate and engraver J. A. Rolph included a scene titled “Missionaries Preaching under Kukui Groves” in Charles Wilkes’ Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition (Vol. IV, 1845). This engraving shows a large congregation gathered beneath the shade of the kukui nut trees on Kauaʻi, listening to the preaching of the gospel.

While the revival began in small prayer meetings and house-to-house gatherings, it soon overflowed into open-air assemblies. The natural canopy of the kukui groves became sanctuaries where both Hawaiian leaders and missionaries proclaimed the Word of God to multitudes. The tree in the mural recalls this setting, reminding us that the Spirit of God was not confined to church walls, but moved freely in the open spaces of the land, where hearts were stirred, lives were changed, and the roots of faith in Hawaiʻi grew deep.