How it all started...
Reverend Bass started this church back in the 1940's when the sugar cane mill was still in operation and supporting the surrounding community. They named the church Pepeekeo Community Assembly of God.
Over the next 20 years, they saw their share of pastors like Brother Yamada, who was a Japanese school teacher, Pastor Allen, Mrs. Obobopher, and in the early 1960's John Beardsley became the senior pastor.
Beardsley pastored this church until 1975, when he took a sabbatical for a time of rest and recuperation. Harlan Kalles was then asked to cover for Pastor Beardsley and was embraced by the congregation.
Eventually, the congregation voted to have Brother Kalles become their new pastor and the church name was then changed to Family Christian Center. The church moved into Hilo and met in several different locations before settling into its current location. Brother Kalles continued to serve faithfully until his passing in August of 2014.
The church remained without a senior pastor until July 19, 2015, wherein Pastor Dion Maeda accepted the call to become the new senior pastor. In August 2015, the name of the church was officially changed to Connect Point Church.
Pastor Dion has a special connection to the church as he grew up in this church since the age of six. In 2009, he and his wife, Leisha, followed the call to leave their jobs, families and home to attend North Point Bible College in Massachusetts, where he graduated in 2013. He served as a youth pastor and associate pastor at a church there for two years and also as the head of the youth for the Assemblies of God in that district.
His heart has always been for the people of Hawaii and his vision is to see thousands of locals come to faith in Christ, to be equipped and empowered to live out their faith and to plant many other churches.
Pastor Dion and Leisha Maeda