I love exploring technologies and figuring out how to leverage the free (or very cheap) ones.
SHAMELESS PLUG: At the Hawaiian Islands Ministries Honolulu 2010 Conference, March 4-6, I will be leading a breakout session on the use of technology and social media for churches. Be there!
My latest quest is trying to figure out how to chain and combine a few telecom systems.
Google Voice provides an inbound telephone number you can pass out to everyone. That number can be configured to ring your cell phone, your office phone, your home phone, or any combination of those... it can ring all three at the same time, if you'd like, and much more. http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
Skype is another, different, communications system that I like and use. It is a computer-to-computer voice & video connection, but adds the option to place phone calls to landline or cell phones.
So here's the scenario: next April I will be in Korea for a couple of weeks taking some classes and participating in a leaders' meeting. Using my iPhone in Korea presents some technical issues, not to mention the possibility of a whopping ATT bill from downloading the hundreds of spam emails I get each day. What I would love is the ability to chain my Google Voice number to my Skype account, which would allow people to reach me in Korea any time my computer was on by calling my Google Voice number (which has a North Alabama 256 area code), and the call would seamlessly transfer to my Skype account, and "ring" wherever I was. Good idea, isn't it?
Except that the two services operate on different protocols, and don't play well together. If there is a way to make it work, I will find it, and I will post step-by-step instructions. (If you have a work-around, let me know!)
"The record compiled over 22 years by the Media Research Center demonstrates how some liberal journalists utterly failed to accurately depict communism as one of the worst evils of the 20th century, and often aimed their fire at those who were fighting communism rather than those who were perpetuating it."
Back when our children were young we planned our shopping excursion on the day after Thanksgiving like a military maneuver. We strategized the likelihood of which stores would have sufficient stock and the smallest crowds, drove all over the island of Oahu from sale, starting in the wee hours of the morning and ending at sundown... or way past sundown.
With no children in the home it is different. Our son, Josh, is married and living in Alabama and our daughter, Tori is 21. She lives at home with us, if you can call showering, changing clothes and sleeping here "living at home." Regardless, there are no desperate searches for the toy-of-the-moment, so shopping is far different now.
We look for one or two items we hope to find deals on, and hit one or two stores. Period. The early leakage of all the major ads for Black Friday make it so much easier. I'll save you the time: I GOOGLED so you won't have to!
Here are links to most of the major sites featuring Black Friday Ads in advance, along with some pre-BF sales and deals.
For a week this February I experienced one of those eye-opening, paradigm-shifting, life-changing pivotal events that alter everything that follows in life.
I was among 29 pastors from Hawaii who traveled to the Philippines with Compassion International to see, up close and in real life, the effectiveness of the work of that organization. We went to Davao, in Mindinao, in the far south, where we visited the homes of some of the poorest of the poor... and I use the word "home" very loosely. One such home was barely bigger than the area rug in my living room, about 6' x 8'. That was not a room, it was the entire home, and it had a very low ceiling, no windows, and was pretty much a tiny, shabby box to house the family of five. They were crowded in among perhaps 100 such homes in a desperately poor community where, just feet from their doorway open ditch ran with raw sewage and huge rats scurried about.
The families 18-month-old girl was enrolled in a Compassion Child Survival Project, because infant mortality rates there are exceptionally high due to disease and poor sanitation. The family has no kitchen and no bathroom. They sleep on mats on the floor; and their doorway has a huge gap at the top and bottom for air circulation -- we saw rats running under other such doorways while we stood there.
I was a supporter of the mission and ministry of Compassion International before the trip, but now I am a passionate advocate not only for the organization, but for the people they serve.
The photo? I had the rare privilege of meeting face-to-face with Felma, the 9-year-old girl my wife and I sponsor through Compassion. She's a great kid, with a great heart and an awesome smile, and I want to help Compassion release her from poverty in Jesus' name. You can sponsor a child, too. Look at the Compassion.com website and do it today.
...is a dead rat. The recent wet weather has caused a rodent problem in the church kitchen adjacent to our home. Did I mention I hate rodents? I have caught several mice with glue traps, but these are RATS. Apparently the latest round of poison is working.
I am concerned with the camel's nose in the tent argument.
In my lifetime I have watched as... • The gay-rights advocates begged for nothing more than to be left alone to live their lives in peace. • They progressed to asking for tolerance and understanding. • The moved from asking for tolerance to demanding acceptance and respect. • Acceptance proved to be insufficient, and they moved forward to demanding total equality. • Along with that equality, they moved to demanding legal protections. • Given legal protections, they started to demand that their lifestyle and relationships be treated as the same as, and morally equivalent to heterosexual, traditional marriage.
• And -- today -- the Christian owner of eHarmony.com, who started a company to serve as a Christian match-making service was forced to capitulate to the demands and lawsuits of homosexuals claiming discrimination by initiating a gay-match equivalent to eHarmony, even though it violates the owner's deeply held religious beliefs. I remain unconvinced that allowing gay marriages will have little or no impact upon the church, as is claimed.
But, we are assured that there's no gay agenda. Of course not.
Hawaii's Lt. Governor addressed a unique conference designed to connect State Agencies, social service agencies and churches for the betterment of our community. (This photo was some of the participants at the lunch break.) This is the first time, in my memory, that the church has invited the government and social-service agencies to come, sit together and dialog about how we can cooperate to make life in Hawaii better for everyone.
In a storm back in the late Spring, our church steeple was damaged. The strong winds ripped two of the plywood sides off. It looked bad, but got put on a list of "things we really need to take care of" -- and it was not nearly as urgent as many of the other things on that list. I had a health issue, we made that extended trip to the mainland that got extended with Amy's health emergency, and the damaged steeple became an annoyance, but could not be my priority.
I was in the yard last week talking to a neighbor who owns a construction company. He noticed the damaged cross, and I bemoaned the fact that it had taken way too long to repair it. He said, "When my guys complete a job they are on, I'll get them to take a look at it for you." I thanked him profusely and filed it in the "He's-being-nice-but-I-won't-hold-my-breath" file.
This morning I took our little chihuahua outside, as I usually do, and heard noises... I looked up and there were two guys with tools and plywood on the church roof repairing the cross! I brought them some bottled water, thanked them, and then went over and thanked the boss, my neighbor.
Just wanted to share that nice blessing and publicly thank Mr. Guy Hicks and his workers.
Obligatory disclaimers: This is a completely personal and unofficial post to a personal blog. In my official capacity as a Pastor/Overseer I don't discuss politics and don't endorse candidates. As an individual American voter, I have opinions, and I express them here to keep them out of the pulpit.
So, having prefaced this, here are my questions... the things with which I struggle for answers that never seem to come.
• After the United States of America lost tens of thousands of lives fighting and defeating the very ideology represented by Senator Obama, why would any sane person with a sense of history vote to hand the reins over to him, essentially rendering the sacrifice of our brave patriots of no effect? Communism, and it's younger sibling Socialism, is a failed economic system. It led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and keeps millions of Cubans and North Koreans living in abject poverty and misery. When Senator Obama says he wants to "spread the wealth around" -- make no mistake, it is code for "redistribution of wealth" which is the core of socialist economics. Redistribution of wealth is sold as "fairness." How is it fair for the government to force you to surrender the fruits of your hard work, initiative and investment risk and have them give your bounty away to people, many of whom have no worked as hard, shown the same initiative or taken your risks?
• I will not question Senator Obama's commitment to Christ or his salvation, but I can not reconcile his stated proposals with my understanding of Biblical Christianity -- so why are some Christians closing their eyes to the facts and voting Obama? He will appoint federal judges and possibly change the make-up of the Supreme Court in ways that will impact the nation for decades to come. No, I am not just talking about Roe v Wade, though that is an issue for me; I am talking about the nature of marriage, private property rights, Second Amendment rights, Education Policy and pretty much every kind of liberal social engineering one might imagine.
• If you are, like me, the parent of a daughter, listen carefully: Senator Obama is in favor of your girl registering for draft... signing up for Selective Service, and he is also in favor of opening all combat positions to women. I served in Vietnam and can tell you that men, by nature, will protect females in danger at the risk of their own lives and to the detriment of the mission at hand. It is another step in the emasculation of our military. I am for women serving in the military, should they choose to do so, but am firmly against drafting women and also against women in front-lines, direct-combat positions.
• Obama is black, or at least HALF black. That's no reason to vote AGAINST him or to vote FOR him. It is just one of many characteristics about the man. I believe we are seeing a reverse Bradley Effect; some people are voting for Obama for no other reason than that he is black. There's a clip on Breitbart.tv in which Howard Stern plays a clip from on the street interviews in Harlem. The interviewer asked people who they were likely to vote for, and all said OBAMA. He then presented John McCain positions to them as if they were Obama's and asked if they agreed with them -- to which they all said "YES!" He even asked if they agreed with Obama's selection of Sarah Palin and they said "YES!" I know there are ignorant McCain voters, too -- I have the SPAM email rumors to prove it -- but those interviews scared me.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Apple did a small recall of iPhone power adapters because of a potential breakage hazard. The deal was, they send a free replacement and the consumer sends the "bad" adapter back in the provided box, using the provided label. The enclosed letter (top of image) says to take the box to the nearest DHL (formerly Airborne) office. The label enclosed, however, was a prepaid FedEx label that said to call FedEx for pickup.
These two comedians from the UK explained the reasons for the current financial mess better than any of the talking heads on cable news, and they nailed it absolutely. Perhaps the U.S. Congress should bring them in to explain things. (The video is from 2007)
This video is chilling. If this doesn't make America stop and think about the utter adulation and worship of "THE ONE" and the potential for danger, I am not sure there is any -- if I may borrow the word from THE ONE -- hope left or us as a nation.
Idolatry is an abomination... new spelling: OBAMAnation. (Anybody but me see the scary parallel to THIS video?)
If you are really an undecided voter, or you are believing the very well-oiled media machine of "THE ONE" you should take the time to watch this video that explains and documents how Congressional DEMOCRATS got this country into the current financial mess, and how they blocked every attempt of McCain and conservatives to sound the alarm and bring it to a halt.
Blogging from the iPhone... who'd have thought it possible? The technology is so advanced and sophisticated that virtually anything is possible now and it's difficult to keep up.
If all goes well, I hope to blog live from the floor of the COGOP International Assembly in Nashville, using my iPhone and any wireless network open to my use.
For some time I have been experiencing unexplained fatigue during/after any exertion. Thinking back, it seems I may have had some early indications as far back as the '06 Assembly in Nashville, but I attributed it to southern heat, humidity, and lack of adequate rest.
Upon visiting the doctor at my HMO, he did blood tests, X-Rays and put me on a low daily dosage of Atenolol + Simvastatin to control slightly elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. The symptoms -- uncharacteristic fatigue, reduced physical stamina, shortness of breath -- persisted, and the doctor ordered a Nuclear Cardiolite Stress Test.
They were unable to do the treadmill version of the test because I have a just-discovered Left Branch Bundle Block. Instead, they did an IV Chemically induced stress-test, infusing a chemical (Thallium) that immediately put the heart into heavy stress mode, while they monitored my physiological responses. That was a very long six minute chemistry lesson. That was followed by 20 minutes laying perfectly still, flat on my back, with my arms extended over my head (you know... that relaxation position we all love.) while they imaged my heart in action. Those pictures were pretty amazing... like something from an episode of "House." But they revealed an area of my heart that caused the doctor (and me!) some concern, so they scheduled me for a diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Big fun!
This had, obviously, put a serious crimp into my lifestyle. I had been forced to slow way down, and my wife had to take up the slack. (I couldn't even lift and carry the groceries from the car.) My professors have been very understanding and have extended some deadline grace on assignment submissions, as I could only work for brief periods without rest. I am supposed to leave for Korea next week, health permitting.
They discovered 3 blockages: one 90%, one 95 and one 100% -- They actually stopped and called in the Cardiologist to see if they should transfer me for a by-pass! The blockages were scary and much more extreme than they anticipated.
A praise report: Of course I was a little concerned over the costs of the procedure.... at $4,000/stent, and my HMO covering HALF. While I was in the prep room before the cath lab, a guy from the Cardio department walked up with a clipboard and said my pre-tests qualified me to participate in a clinical trial. If I signed off allowing them use a new stent in the final stages of FDA APPROVAL, that stent would be free, and the Plavix I would need to take daily for a year would also be provided.
I signed.
$2000 out-of-pocket saved + Plavix -- --not a cheap med.
I give God all the glory for allowing me to stay alive and continue to function with such extreme blockages, and for it being detected and treated BEFORE I had a serious or fatal heart attack. The 100% blockage was left untreated, as the Dr. said the heart had spontaneously rerouted the blood flow around it. I believe that happened the night I was prayed for at a conference and felt incredible strength flow into my body.
This weekend we did a primitive first attempt at a live streaming webcast of our Sunday Morning service. It went okay... some learning curve and things to improve, but great feedback from the 39 people who logged in to watch our beta test.
Since the webcast I have had several people ask how hard it was to do. It is pretty simple, actually:
• You'll need a digital video camera: what we did for our beta test was done with a small, simple, consumer mini-DV camera, like the kind used to shoot pictures of the kids playing sports.
• A FireWire (Digital Video) cable connection to a computer.
• A computer. (That seems obvious, but then again...) This is the place where I would I would normally inject a fanboy argument for the superiority of Mac OSX and Apple products in general, but since that also seems so obvious...
• A reliable broadband connection to the internet at the church or meeting venue.
• A FREE account with ustream.tv or another similar service... if you can find another free one.
• A carbon-based life form with intelligence above a rutabega. (Our tech guys set up the camera and logged in, and then my dear old dependable Deacon launched the live webcast and archive recording and monitored the whole thing. It's not rocket science.)
• We patched the sound directly from the sound board to the laptop mic input instead of using the built in mic on the camera to avoid picking up extraneous noise and conversational noise by the tech guys.
That's about it: plug it all in, turn on the camera, log in to ustream.tv and hit the "GO LIVE" button and you're webcasting live.
A one-minute leadership insight from Pastor Gary Langley of Windward Worship Center in Kaneohe, Hawaii. (Okay, it's actually 01:32 with intro and exit tags…)
This Sunday we will experiment with yet another free, web-based technology to expand the reach of our church when we video stream our 10:00 AM (Hawaiian Standard Time) worship service at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/windward-worship-live
We live in an amazing time with access to innovative, creative, accessible technologies that are free or very affordable. In addition to ustream, we utilize YouTube, email, Skype, iChat, MySpace, FaceBook and cell phone text messaging to contact, connect and reach out to our constituency -- all free technologies! We also maintain a constantly updated website with a very affordable web-hosting company, on which we inform about coming events, display weekly photos from around the church and related activities, and allow people to listen to each week's sermon online, download it as an Mp3 to share, or subscribe on iTunes.
Even a small to medium-sized local church has the ability to exponentially multiply their impact and expand their footprint without a huge staff, massive budget or lots of expensive equipment; a computer, a consumer model video camera, a digital camera and a broadband internet connection can give your local church an international outreach.
It is very easy for pastors and leaders to fall into the expectation trap: because of past experience, erroneous teaching or cultural tradition constituents might place a burden of unrealistic expectations upon their leaders. Don't buy into that!
I am not arguing for rudeness or a lack of tact and diplomacy in dealing with people, but I am suggesting that we all need to get real, and stay real. A few years ago our local church was very involved in an annual event called "March for Jesus!" We could debate about the appropriateness and effectiveness of such mass public testimony events, but one T-Shirt from March for Jesus made a lasting impression upon me. It read, "A choir of millions for an audience of one." The message for me, for all of us, is that all we do is done for Him, and if we are subject to any performance expectations, we should keep in mind that we don't perform for our church board, membership or community; we perform for an audience of ONE.
The simplest solution I have found is just to be, as much as possible, completely yourself. Drop the pretension, lose the attitude, and refuse to play a role. Don't wear any religious masks or put on airs. Get real. Be real.
That is the defining cultural question in Hawaii; "Wheah you wen Grad?" (Translation? "Would you mind telling me which High School you attended?") It matters not what you might have accomplished since high school, or what lofty heights you have attained... the defining question remains "Wheah you wen Grad?"
Senator Barak Obama is a presidential candidate who studied at Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif., and Columbia University, New York City; studied law at Harvard University, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, and received J.D. in 1992; lecturer on constitutional law, University of Chicago; member, Illinois State senate 1997-2004; elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004 -- but in Hawaii he will forevermore be "Punahou Grad Barry Obama." Harvard Law is a great accomplishment, but not as defining to local people in Hawaii as his high school, Punahou.
Punahou is the elite, private school of the wealthy and privileged. Kids who go to Punahou wear designer clothing and are dropped off in BMW's. Kids who go to public school wear clothing from ROSS and ride the bus. Punahou kids are "townies". Punahou kids are all on track to attend major universities, not community college. The Punahou label says more than quality education... it reflects socio-economic status and future expectations.
When a local person in Hawaii asks "Wheah you wen Grad?" what they are really asking is:
I have been accepted in the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program at Fuller Theological Seminary, and I did the math today. That degree will end up costing more that $53,760 and that doesn't factor in books and several trips to the Pasadena campus.
It will be worth it.
One of my dreams and desires of my heart has been to complete the education that got interrupted by a little vacation in sunny Vietnam. It would have remained only an unrequieted dream had it not been for a wonderful man who has been an example of leadership excellence, an informal mentor, a friend and great encourager:
If you're reading this in a place covered with snow and ice now, you may find it hard to believe, but many of us in Hawaii have such small houses that we have our laundry area OUTSIDE. Yep. It's true. With a wonderfully temperate climate you can have your washer and dryer on a lanai, porch or patio. They tend to rust out from the salt air (we are very close to the ocean) before they wear out.
We have had a GE Washer (outside) for 16 years. I have patched it up a time or two, replacing some parts, but it did a great job -- until last week. The timer mechanism started messing up and my wife would have to go and press/pull the knob to kick it into the next cycle. I went to an appliance parts dealer for a replacement, and they back-ordered one to the tune of $98. (OUCH.)
Last night it started making a LOUD noise that I finally determined was a failing clutch mechanism. Expecting the replacement clutch to cost even more than the $98 timer, plus it looked like a repair process beyond my limited mechanical skills. It just abruptly died in mid-cycle and refused to cooperate any more, so off we went today to see how much a replacement washer would cost. SEARS had a sale, with a pretty decent simple model for just under $500 -- not bad compared to the higher end models that cost $1,200 - $1,400. (A bit out of our price range AND we just couldn't see a $1,000+ washer sitting outside under a roof overhang rusting out. On the way out to Costco to comparison price, we noticed a washer off to the side. It was similar to our recently deceased one, with a few updates, and it was tagged "USED - $150."
After we made the Costco trip and discovered that the prices there were close to the SEARS sale prices, we returned to SEARS and found the salesman who was helping us.
"What does 'USED' mean exactly?" "It was purchased, and taken from the store, but the buyer figured out how to fix their old machine and returned this one."
It had never even been plugged in; it had never had water lines connected, but they couldn't sell it as new, so they clearance priced it to move it out quickly, still with a 1 year full warranty!
We saved hundreds of dollars, got a 'new' full-featured washer that we won't feel bad about leaving outdoors, and did it all for $150. What a blessing!
It seems that I operate with a pretty full plate most of the time. I have often referred to it as "juggling chainsaws." So it is with fear and trepidation that I watch my email and snail-mail boxes for a decision from Fuller Seminary. The applications and recommendations have been submitted for the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program at Fuller, and the Admissions Committee meets before the end of February.
Having been out of the classroom and academic environment for decades, it is a bit intimidating, but I exemplify the Peter Principle -- ("In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.") -- since my recent selection as Presiding Bishop (Overseer) for my denomination in Hawaii, I have come to a renewed realization of my level of inability! These people deserve a better leader, and I hope to become one.
Do you hate the sound of your own speaking voice when you hear it recorded? It seems that most people do... including me. But we Pastors are professional public speakers, and our vocal presentations are key to our effectiveness. So I am learning to love -- or at least tolerate -- the sound of my own voice.
My weekly sermons are (barely) edited and posted as podcasts at www.windwardworship.com and are available free via iTunes as "The Word from Windward." I have subscribed to my OWN podcast! How egocentric is THAT? It has helped my delivery a lot. Each week, alone in my office, I download and review my own sermon podcast listening carefully for awkward "uh's" and "um's" and other annoying verbal habits. Often I groan and make a mental note to eliminate a phrase from my vocabulary or never use a failed illustration again.
It has certainly helped me become more concise and get to the point faster, and I hope it has helped me refine and polish my preaching skills and made me a better communicator of Biblical truth. You be the judge. Listen to an older one and a more recent one and give me some feedback.
When you hear some of those TV preachers on a roll do you ever wonder where that style comes from? It is often credited to "being anointed." Nobody has ever been more anointed that Jesus, yet somehow I can't imagine him preaching in that revivalist style. Can you?
Jesus said this...
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall"
I doubt -- seriously doubt -- that he said...
"EVERYone... did ya hear me? I said EVERYone! Not a few people. Not some people. Not ALMOST everyone. I said EVERYONE. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT TURN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SAY EVERYONE! Now that oughta make you shout HALLELUUUUUUJAAAAHHHH!"
Can you imagine Jesus preaching like that? Me neither.
My focus as a pastor has been local. Almost entirely local. I have often felt disconnected from my denominational roots because my approach to ministry has not fit our traditional mold and there were doctrinal positions I could not totally embrace. And, yet, it is my heritage, and all I have ever known. I love it.
Having just returned from the International General Assembly of the Church of God of Prophecy in Nashville, I left filled with pride, in the best since of that word. Our church has been an aging movement in transition for the past couple of decades, struggling with divisive issues of doctrine and polity, and this year it seems we may have finally moved beyond indecision and resistance to needed change.
It was such an encouraging, refreshing week that I left proud, for the first time in years, to be part of this church.
The church I pastor has outgrown our facilities. With 130 members and a "total population" of about 152+/- in a building designed for maybe 80, we are starting to notice a slight growth plateau. We have been experiencing a sense of Divine discontent ---- kind of "Thank You Lord for all you are doing, and yet we know there is so much more You WANT to do!"
I outline sermon subjects well in advance and preach through the scriptures, but Saturday I experienced such turmoil and disquiet I knew God had other plans. Saturday I deviated from my outlined subjects and wrote a completely different message about the challenge of stepping out by faith when God says move, despite all the negatives and logical reasons why it won't work.
Late Saturday night my daughter and her boyfriend came in from an event and I was still in my office, prepping. They said "There's a big old van we don't recognize in the church parking lot." BF and I grabbed flashlights and went to investigate. A lady we sort of know from homeschooling events pops up... she was sleeping in that van. I asked if she was okay, and she said "Long story, but yes -- is it okay if I sleep here tonight and I'll be in church tomorrow morning?" Sure. We unlocked a restroom for her, said goodnight, and went back in.
She was in service, front row. In the sermon I spoke of how the Lord had been dealing with us-- with me -- about taking the next big step of faith and moving from the comfort zone of our cozy building to a place where He could send us more people. After the service, that lady approached me and said she knew the place for us. She told me that she and her husband manage party/banquet facilities at several City & County golf courses, one of which is just about one mile from the church, on the same street! We have attended events there before -- wedding receptions, parties -- and it is large (maybe 2.5 or 3 times the size of our church), air conditioned, big nice restrooms, ample (even generous) parking. It's on the second floor, and has an elevator for handicap access, and the view over the golf course and adjacent mountains is spectacular. The even have some sound and lighting equipment available, and we can probably get the place for what is, in Hawaii, an reasonable price.
So we have a (potential) opportunity before us, but there are some logistical challenges. There is no logical, workable place for Children's ministries at the proposed new site. Anybody have experience with split-sites? One suggestion that came from a brainstorming session was to maintain our children's groups at the original site (our building) as a "drop off/pick up" place, while the parents continue down the road a mile to the Golf Course.
Kaneohe, Hawaii is on the Island of O‘ahu. It is one of the most beautiful communities on earth, and the people are incredible. My wife and I have lived in Kaneohe for more than 20 years, and our children have grown up surrounded by the gracious, laid-back environment of this town… bigger than Mayberry, smaller than L.A.
What I do
I am the Senior Pastor of a growing church, Windward Worship Center. We are affiliated with The Church of God of Prophecy. This was for many years a small, community church serving a few families. In the past few years we have started a process of gradual, steady growth, and our membership has more than tripled. The congregation is very diverse, with people of a number of cultures and backgrounds. About 1/3 of the congregation drives from the opposite side of the island to our church. More than 60% of the people are between 16 and 30 yeears oof age, so we are planting seeds for the future. I am also the Overseer (Presiding Bishop) for the denomination in Hawaii.
