A tiny Hawaiian church in Hau'ula is offering a huge lu'au plate lunch this weekend to raise money to fix its historic building.

The Kamalamalama O Keao Church, its pastor and parishioners have struggled for more than a decade to preserve their building, making progress whenever they can amass a sum of money to make repairs.

But this year, they have a new mission and are taking a new direction under a new leader. They are dreaming big and planning to build a pantry to work with the Hawaii Foodbank and operate community programs.

They will seek grants and have taken a first step toward securing substantial funding by developing a building and business plan.

For years, the church has held small fundraisers, including an 11-course lu'au plate lunch for $7, to improve the church and has relied on the good will of people to volunteer their labor. But all that has changed since Kahu Raymond Kalili died in 2007.

Many improvements were made under Kalili, such as replacing termite-damaged interior, but the outside walls of the building and roof must still be fixed.

Kalili's son-in-law, Terrence Gomes, has taken over the building project and the extensive planning. "Even my own personal friends, they won't touch it unless we have a (financial) plan," said Gomes, who works for AAA Hawaii.

One of Gomes' first goals was to secure the plan for the pantry. Co-workers at AAA have volunteered to write grants. With an estimated need of $800,000 for the pantry and to complete the renovation of the church, Gomes said he knows he's taken on a huge project.

"It has been difficult," he said. "But like they say, with patience things will come."

Still, he expects to begin the pantry by the start of the new year.

"My biggest thing was to just fulfill my father-in-law's dream to finish that church and to build on his congregation," Gomes said.