A Brief History of the First Chinese Church of Christ:

Samuel P. Aheong (1835-1871)

Although Samuel P. Aheong (aka. Siu Pheoung,aka. S.P. Ahiona) was not directly connected with the First Chinese Church, he has been called the Henry Obookiah of the Chinese in Hawai'i. It would be his inspiration which would lead the Christians in Hawai'i to open up their churches and support to those who would share the gospel of Christ with the newly-arrived Chinese immigrants, just as fifty years earlier, Henry Obookiah, had inspired the New England Christians to send missionaries to Hawai'i to share the gospel with Obookiah's people.

Aheong, the son of a school superintendent in Kwangtung about 150 miles from Canton in China, was well educated in Chinese literature and capable of speaking twelve Chinese dialects. He became seperated from his family during the Taipei Rebellion and in 1854 at the age of 19 in Hong Kong, he was recruited to work the sugar fields of Hawai'i. Aheong worked for five years on a sugar plantation on Maui. While working there, he joined an English Language Class taught at the Makawao home of Rev. Jonathan Green where the gospel was shared with him. It was there that he would become a Christian.

In 1859, when his contract expired, he moved to Lahaina and became a respected merchant, married a Hawaiian woman and became active at the Wainee Church. During that time, he became conversant in English, Hawaiian, Japanese as well as Chinese.

In 1868, his passion for sharing the gospel with other Chinese inspired C.B. Andrews to recommend him to the Hawaiian Evangelical Association to be commissioned as a full-time evangelist.

From 1868 to 1870 he went on an evangelical tour of Maui, Kauai, the Big Island of Hawai'i as well as Oahu.

In his report to the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, he wrote:

"I preach in Chinese and native both every week since I commence to work. Also, I try to get up some school to learn native for the Chinamen. I am glad to tell you about the Hilo Chinamen. Some of them been here in this country more than 40 or 30 years and never been to church until I came. They all come to meeting--the Chinese meeting or the native meeting or both. Some of the laborers come out to church from Pouka'a, from Onomea, from Kaupakuea. I stop at Kona one week, at Ka'u one week, at Hilo two weeks, then go around until I get to Kohala. Then I take the schooner from there to go back to Maui."

As a result of this first effort to evangelize the Chinese in Hawai'i, Chinese throughout the islands began to attend the local native churches and sunday schools and many were beginning to request Bibles in Chinese and Hawaiian.

With the support of the Reverend Dr. Samuel Chenery Damon of the Bethel Union Church (which later became the Central Union Church), Aheong began to hold Sabbath Evening meetings for the Chinese on February, 1869. He started it as an English Language School which met three evenings a week at Bethel Church with twenty pupils. It soon averaged between 60-100 Chinese. Christian Education was an integral part of the class. Pastor Damon noted, "I do not think it would be dishonoring to the Great Head of the Church to assert that out of this school has sprung the Fort Street Chinese Church." Among his most conscientious students were Peter Lee Sam, Luke Asue and Goo Kim who became founders of the church.

In 1870, Aheong returned to his homeland to share his faith. He would die there in China the next year.