Spreading the gospel… I freely offered myself to the American Board for that purpose and was accepted by their Prudential Committee in the summer of 1819, and soon after, Mr. Thurston, my classmate, offered himself for the same work and was likewise readily accepted.
Steven Chace was born in Fort Lee Virginia. His father learned land surveying in the army and parents Al and Joanne settled in Toms River New Jersey. After graduating from high school, Steve worked in Alaska in fisheries, Forest Service, and Experimental farm at the University of Alaska. Steve visited Hawaii and was invited to a small Christian church on Oahu called the “House of Prayer.” The service began with the ukulele, and the Hawaiian Christians gave him a flower lei on his departure. Steve worked in the surveying and construction industry but always enjoyed an adventurous story based in history. This is his first book.
Aloha and the Gospel is inspired by his own experiences at a small church in Hawaii and drawing valuable information from the memoirs of Hiram Bingham, the author provides a fascinating look into a part of American and Christian history that many people are unfamiliar with. Chace’s balance of density and brevity allows readers to gain detailed insight into this revolutionary period in a relatively short read, and prompts further study of Hawaiian history, the origins of Hawaiian Christianity, and the transformation of the islands from a hidden gem in the Pacific to the bustling hub of world travel it is today.
