There is also an interesting history attached to the church itself. As early as 1888 worship services were held in Kilauea under the direction of lay leadership and Bishop Willis. Bishop Willis had been sent to Hawai`i by the Church of England and on occasion confirmed people in Kilauea. By 1924 the time had come for a permanent church in Kilauea, and under the leadership of Bishop LaMothe and the Rev. Henry Wyllie, Episcopalians in the area started worshipping in a frame building owned by the Hawaiian Congregational Church.
In 1939 the Kilauea Sugar Company deeded the churchyard to Christ Memorial Church and gave the native stone used in the erection of the present building. The chief benefactor, however, was Mrs. Robert Shapard, of Griffin, Georgia, in memory of her husband, and on the Second Sunday after Epiphany on January 19, 1941 The Right Rev. Harrington Littell consecrated the church.
The graveyard surrounding the church dates back to the earliest days of the original Hawaiian Congregational Church, with many graves dating back over 100 years. Unfortunately, many graves are unmarked and the number of people buried here will probably remain a secret known only to God.