The History of our Church

Windward Baptist Church started out as a small Bible study in the home of Kevin and Roxanne Akana. The first Sunday Services were held on October 30, 1995 and there were eight people in attendance including Kevin, Roxanne and their daughter Kelsie. After a few months the Lord opened a door to rent a space in Temple Valley Shopping Center. The Church remained there for about 1 ½ years until another door was opened for the church to move into an old tourist shop behind the Hygienic Store. After much renovation this has been the home of Windward Baptist Church. God has definitely had his hand upon the ministry of this church and has brought many wonderful and faithful people to serve here. We have a mission at Windward Baptist Church, and that is to reach the world with the Gospel, one person at a time. We also want to be a blessing to the community by teaching the Word of God and providing a godly environment where people can relax and enjoy the fellowship and friendship of God's people while they grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Testimony of Pastor Kevin Akana

Hello!  My name is Kevin Akana. I was born and raised in Kahalu’u, Oahu.  While I was attending Castle High School, a group of Christians held an assembly at the school and displayed their feats of strength.  They invited those who attended to come back that night to see more. I went back that night and after they finished entertaining us, they shared their testimonies of how they became Christians. The main speaker then preached and gave an invitation for those who wanted to accept Jesus into their lives. That night, I received Jesus Christ into my life.

A football coach of mine named Casey Boyett had also just became a Christian and invited me to visit his church, Windward Baptist Temple. Many players on the team noticed the change in his life after he became a Christian. I attended that church and was baptized. The Lord then called me to preach.

I attended Oklahoma Baptist College for four years and graduated in 1992. Shortly after graduation, I married a lady that I met at Bible College, Roxanne Kelso. We then went on deputation to try to raise support for our future ministry.  

Finally, after three years of deputation and traveling all over the mainland, we came back to Hawaii on September 1, 1995 to start the ministry. In the middle of October 1995, we began a Bible study in my parents’ house. A few weeks later, we had our first Sunday service in a Castle High School classroom that we rented.  The eight who attended service that day were myself, Roxanne, Kelsie (our daughter), my mother, Lauren (my sister), Roylene Uperesa and her son, and Rick (who was from Windward Baptist Temple). We met at Castle High School for a few months, and then moved into a store front in Temple Valley Shopping Center. We stayed there for about a year and a half and then moved to our current location, directly behind Hygenic Store. We at Windward Baptist Church are just trying to do what God wants us to do – reach people around the world with the gospel!