DEAR FAMILY, FRIENDS, RELIGIOUS AND NON-RELIGIOUS, WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU.

I AM WRITING ON BEHALF OF A COMMUNITY THAT KATIE AND I HAVE BEEN HONORED TO SERVE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS ALONGSIDE OUR AMAZING CHURCH! I AM HUMBLED TO REPORT THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING, IF NOT THE FASTEST-GROWING, CHURCHES IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. WE HAVE NOT PLANTED OUR CHURCH IN AN INFLUENTIAL CITY OR COMMUNITY BUT IN A BEAUTIFUL, LOCAL COUNTRY TOWN CALLED WAIMANALO — WITH ONE ROAD IN AND ONE ROAD OUT, AND A LARGE HAWAIIAN HOMESTEAD COMMUNITY AND MANY HOUSELESS. IT’S BEEN A MIRACLE IN MOTION SINCE THE BEGINNING, AND WE HAVE GROWN AND GROWN. TODAY, I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT A RARE AND SUPERNATURAL PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE WITH THE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN THE COMMUNITY AT THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL, WHICH, IN MANY WAYS, IS A HUB FOR THE TOWN.

BEFORE I EXPLAIN THE OPPORTUNITY, I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU A QUICK STORY… 

ON SUNDAY, I SAW SOMETHING I HAD NEVER SEEN IN MY 40 YEARS OF ATTENDING CHURCH SERVICES AND BEING A PART OF SERVING DAYS… AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF CLEANING AND PAINTING THE LOCAL WEI SCHOOL’S CAFETERIA AND MAIN GATHERING SPACE, WE ORGANIZED A TIME TO TEAR DOWN ALL THE PAPER AND TAPE SO THAT THE KIDS AND TEACHERS COULD WALK INTO A TRANSFORMED ROOM ON MONDAY. AS WE WERE CLEANING UP, LOCAL FATHERS CAME OUT OF THEIR HOUSES WITH THEIR KIDS (KEIKI) IN TOW, BOTH BAREFOOT, WALKED INTO THE ROOM AND TOLD THEIR KIDS TO START HELPING. I AM NOT SURE IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, BUT TO HAVE FAMILIES LEAVE THEIR HOMES TO COME TO HELP PEOPLE THEY DO NOT KNOW IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS EVERY DAY. ONE FATHER, WHOSE SON ROCKY ATTENDS THE SCHOOL, SAID I HAVE BEEN WATCHING WHAT YOU AND THE CHURCH HAVE BEEN DOING, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL AND WANT TO BE A PART OF IT. THIS IS ONE OF MANY TEARFUL AND JOYFUL CONVERSATIONS I HAVE HAD OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS.

NOW, THE WEI SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY IS BEFORE US. IN 2025, THE SCHOOL TURNS 100 YEARS OLD! WE HAVE A VISION OF INVESTING $180,000 INTO THIS SCHOOL TO SEE A MASSIVE TRANSFORMATION HAPPEN IN THEIR MAIN GATHERING SPACE AND WHAT WE HOPE TO BE THE SCHOOL’S MULTIPURPOSE CAFETERIA AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER SO THEY CAN HOST EDUCATIONAL EVENTS, LOCAL CULTURAL EVENTS AND THEIR 100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! THE LAST EVENT THEY HOSTED FOR SCHOOL HAD NO SCREENS AND NO PROPER AUDIO EQUIPMENT; THE PRINCIPAL EXPLAINED TO ME THEY HELD PIECES OF PAPER UP TO TEACH THE STUDENTS ABOUT THE INDIGENOUS ANIMALS IN HAWAII. WE PLAN ON CHANGING THAT AND INVESTING THE MONIES RECEIVED TODAY DIRECTLY INTO THE SCHOOL FOR TOMORROW, WHICH WE PRAY WILL HAVE AN IMPACT FOR YEARS TO COME. WE ALSO PLAN ON USING IT ON SUNDAY MORNINGS TO GROW AS A CHURCH AND TO FEED THE COMMUNITY BOTH SPIRITUALLY AND PHYSICALLY. SINCE WE OPENED THE DOORS OF OUR CHURCH TWENTY-SIX MONTHS AGO, WE HAVE GIVEN AWAY AND SENT $66,632 INTO THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING HELPING THE VICTIMS OF THE LAHAINA FIRES. AND NOW, WE WANT TO MAKE OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT YET, AND WE WOULD BE HONORED FOR YOU TO PARTNER YOUR GENEROSITY WITH US.