HI HR27

Recognizes the 200th anniversary of Christianity in Hawaii, marking March 30, 1820, when the missionary ship Thaddeus arrived at Kawaihae and Kailua-Kona with fourteen missionaries after 164 days of travel.

Acknowledges Queen Kaahumanu's conversion to Christianity and her role in promoting the faith throughout the Hawaiian kingdom while banning traditional Hawaiian religious practices.

Highlights missionary contributions including developing the written form of Hawaiian, establishing schools and churches, bringing a printing press to Hawaii, and producing Hawaiian-language Bibles and educational materials.

Recognizes specific missionaries including Reverend Hiram Bingham (founder of Kawaiaha'o Church in 1836), Betsey Stockton (who opened the first school for commoners in 1823), and Reverend Lorenzo Lyons (who translated over 600 hymns and wrote "Hawai'i Aloha").

Honors the religious and spiritual foundation that Christianity established in Hawaii through these missionary efforts and their lasting impact on Hawaiian culture and society.