The Christian Science Society of Hilo is a branch of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. We welcome you to visit us on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.

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 A Brief History of Christian Science in Hilo, HI

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In the early 1890's, three Hilo residents began to study, along with the Bible, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and other writings of Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science Journal, January 1892). This led to Christian Science services being held in their homes from 1902-1922. A Sunday School was started in 1913. Next, a building site was acquired in 1920 and a fully paid-for church edifice was built on the corner of Ululani and Wailuku Streets in 1923 at a cost of $6,700.  The first service was held in the new church building on Thanksgiving Day 1923.

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On August 9, 1927, the Board of Directors of The First Church of Christ, Scientist (TFCCS) in Boston, MA, also known as the Mother Church, recognized the Christian Science Society of Hilo as an official branch their denomination. The Hilo church edifice was formally dedicated on January 14, 1940. A Reading Room was opened in 1934, and a Charter of Incorporation was granted on October 15, 1958, by the Territory of Hawaiʻi. The Reading Room and church building remained in continuous operation until 1986.  At that time, by a vote of the membership, the Society was dissolved and its assets given to the Mother Church and the Christian Science Society of Kona.

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In 1994, informal church services were resumed in the Hilo home of Christian Science Practitioner Alessandra Hussey and her husband Stewart Hussey. By October 1994, a formal application was made to The Mother Church to re-establish a Christian Science Society in Hilo. At the time, the Society was holding Sunday and Wednesday services at the Hata Building near Hilo Bay. 

 

In 1997, the Society applied to the Mother Church to become the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hilo.  In 2005, the Hilo church returned to its previous status as the Christian Science Society of Hilo and held Sunday services in the Hilo Elks Building.  Nearly twenty years later, with most of our members living in the Puna District outside of Hilo, our Society has held services in various locations in Puna, including the Hawaiian Acres Community Center and the Girls Scouts building in Keaʻau.  In 2024, we started holding Sunday services in Orchidland Estates, in the Keaʻau area. In February 2025, the Christian Science Society of Hilo was incorporated in Hawai'i as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  

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Our present members are grateful for the pioneering efforts of Hilo's early workers in Christian Science, as we continue their mission on the eastern side of Hawai'i Island, building on a "spiritual foundation of Christ-healing" (Science and Health, p. 136: 1-2). ​

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To learn more about Christian Science, click on the green button at the bottom of the page where you will link to many resources, including audio.