Strength to Tackle Everyday Life

Leanne and Rachel Teves’ first Sunday service at the Kroc Church is an unforgettable memory for this mother and daughter. During praise and worship, Rachel said “Look Mom, there’s a security guard playing in the worship group.”  Leanne laughs recalling the memory saying, “I had to explain to her that the Kroc Church is a part of The Salvation Army and that their officers and members wear a uniform. Two years later this mother-daughter duo continues to make lasting memories at the Kroc Church. 

Rachel, Leanne’s husband, Mark and Leanne

“I have so much on my plate.  I needed strength and encouragement from God to do everyday life,” said Leanne, “so I joined Major Debbie’s Tuesday Women’s Bible Study.”

Leanne is a woman who wears many hats.  She is the SSC (Student Services Coordinator) at Iroquois Point Elementary School,  the Secretary and Convention Delegate on the Hawaii Local board of SAG-AFTRA(Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and she is an actress; working on films and television productions in Hawaii.  

Leanne shared, “The relaxed smaller group setting has given me the strength to tackle every day and help me be accountable with my walk with God.  We all go through similar life struggles and being in a group with like-minded sisters encourages me to know that God is with me and that He is working to give me strength and that makes it all the more rewarding.” 

The small group setting has also given Leanne the opportunity to grow into other aspects of the church. Being in a small group allows you to make connections with other members of the church and to see where she was needed in the church. Leanne has since then, volunteered with the Angel Tree, the Red Kettle Bellringing, and Children’s Ministry. She has also gained the courage to invite people from the movie industry to church.  Leanne praises God for amazing opportunities He has given her in the two years that she began attending Kroc Church. While working in the movie industry Leanne has met people from all religious backgrounds and some without faith. She feels God has called her to be His “light,” and because of her success, she is able to thank God openly and share her faith to those in the movie industry. 

Rachel and Leanne

Soon after Leanne began attending the Women’s Bible Study, her daughter Rachel wanted to join her. Rachel wanted to be with other women in Christ and so she freed up her Tuesday nights to attend the Women’s Bible Study.

During the Experiencing God study, Rachel said, “I looked forward to coming each week, I was held accountable to do my weekly readings and that encouraged me to read my Bible daily. I love how our church reaches everyone and makes it relatable to our everyday life.”

Both Rachel and Leanne agree the lessons learned in their small group help them throughout the week, not only at work but within their family. Rachel said, “We are able to tell each other in those not-so-pleasant moments, how we should be acting and referring back to the Bible on how we should change.”  They both encourage other members of our church to join a small group. Leanne and Rachel are just two examples of how being a small group has strengthened their relationship with God, given them the courage to share their faith and to get more involved in their church. 

For more information about the small groups and how to join one, see the Ohana Groups section in the Kroc Church App.

We’d love to hear your feedback on our blog stories, please leave us a comment below.

The Homeless Outreach: Serving like Jesus

When Sam Ng, Jeannie Chan and Sue Flint saw the homeless community growing in Kapolei, they felt God calling them to share His love for this community.  Sam, Jeannie and Sue had previously served together in another homeless ministry and wanted to create a similar ministry for the Kroc Church. Sam describes the homeless population as “spread out” in Kapolei and it includes young children, teens, and adults- some with mental illness. “They can feel isolated because they are so spread out,” said Jeannie. “We want to build relationships and trust; so many of them have been through the system and it failed them. We want them to feel encouraged, to know they are a child of God and that we are praying for them.”

The goal of the Homeless Outreach is to meet the unhoused where they are, build a relationship with them in the name of Jesus Christ and to get them the services they need. Sam, Jeannie, and Sue believe that through Jesus’ love, the unhoused will feel encouraged then they will have to do their part and get the help they need. 

As we assembled at the Foodland in Kapolei, Sam led us in prayer asking, “God to give us a heart like Jesus.”  I prayed that morning too, “God, let me see you at work.” It was my first time going out on any type of homeless outreach, so I prepared myself for what I thought I would witness. 

Our group headed out onto Kapolei Parkway with a wagon full of sandwiches, water, socks, hygiene kits, and first aid supplies. We made a couple of stops, then right around the corner of the state building, Sam directed Jeannie and me over to a crying man named Larry.  He was struggling and said he was suicidal. Yet, his faith did not seem to waiver. At the very moment we approached him, Larry said he was praying, “God send someone to help me.” 

Larry is from Alaska. He worked many years in law enforcement and shared his pain from the difficult crimes he had witnessed. In Larry’s darkest moment, he cried out to God.  Larry is a man that loves the Lord. He said, “I want to get to heaven, I want to meet my maker.” Larry knows that God doesn’t want him to take his own life. Because of Larry’s suicidal thoughts, Jeannie called 911 for paramedics to come and help Larry.

That morning Larry prayed, God answered and showed up in the form of our group. Isn’t it amazing how God works miracles? 

On that Saturday morning, God not only heard Larry’s prayer but he heard mine too. Before walking onto the mission field that morning, I prayed and I knew God would write this story, just like He always does. He showed me, the Kroc Church blog writer, exactly what I needed for this Homeless Outreach story. My hope is that the Kroc Church blog is showing you how God is working in our church and how you can join God’s work. The purpose of the Homeless Outreach is to help the homeless in the name of Jesus Christ, to serve just as Sam prayed “with a heart like Jesus.” When our church does that God blesses us in ways we never thought imaginable. 

The Homeless Outreach goes out to build relationships with the houseless, to help them get the services they need in the name of Jesus Christ but most importantly Sam, Jeannie and Sue want the homeless to know they are loved by God.  Shortly before Larry’s ambulance arrived, he said, “If you are ever wondering if your work is reaching us; it is and God is working.” 

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Learn more about the Homeless Outreach and how to get involved by checking out the Kroc Church app. We’d love to hear your feedback on our blog stories, please leave us a comment below.

The Homeless Outreach meets in front of the Kapolei, Foodland on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. If you’re interested in participating, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and bring water. The group walks about 3 miles. Items the Homeless Outreach requests are healthy and non-perishable food items, bottled water, socks, underwear, and hygiene kit items.

God’s Vision to Grow Children’s Ministry

Meagan Cabbage and her family were stationed in Hawai’i with the Navy in December 2015.  Their neighbor, Kelly Ann, came by one day to welcome them into the neighborhood with a pizza and an invitation to their church. A couple of months later, Meagan, her husband, Jake and their four children attended their first service at the Kroc Church.  She giggled, “We attended service once and we were hooked.”

Their four kids attended the children’s worship, then Meagan began volunteering with the Children’s Ministry. It was about a year later, that Meagan became the Children’s Ministry Assistant. She said, “My kids were enjoying children’s worship and I wanted to become a part of Children’s Ministry.”

Since then, Meagan has currently become the Children’s Ministry Director.  She feels that God has called her to this place to build relationships and support families in their walk with God.  When taking on this new role as Children’s Ministry Director, Meagan says her initial thought was, “I want to offer Children’s Ministry from a perspective of a parent raising young children.” Jake and Meagan’s children are 3 years old to 14 years old. She says, “I know it can be challenging raising kids and we all need help.”  

Meagan’s vision for Children’s Ministry is to grow a church where we are all connected as one.  She hopes the congregation sees that we all play an important role in our children’s walk with God and their worship service.  Meagan wants the church to know that when you volunteer with Children’s Ministry “you are not just teaching a class but you are worshiping along with the children and you are building God’s kingdom.”

Meagan says the goal of the Children’s Ministry is “to support our parents and kids in their walk with God.”  Each week the lessons for children’s worship are provided by The Orange Curriculum and it coordinates with the weekly discussions on The Parent Cue app. Meagan encourages all parents to download and use the app.  It will allow parents to continue Sunday’s Bible lesson at home. The Parent Cue app tells you the Bible verse for the week, discussion topics to share with your child, and has short videos for your child to watch.

Right now, the Children’s Ministry program is reaching out to parents specifically through a class called Parenting Through the Phases. This class discusses what phase your child is in, your critical role is as a parent and connects parents with other parents who have kids in a similar developmental phase. In the future Children’s Ministry will offer more small group opportunities for discipleship and parenting. Meagan hopes these small groups will lead families to build relationships and support each other while raising their children. Weaving together children’s worship, small groups and fellowship will bring to life Meagan’s vision where the body of Christ gathers together and support families in their faith journey.

Encouraging Others On and Off the Field

Mike Perkins’ fondest memories as a kid are from playing sports with his dad, who always taught him to never give up.  In the beginning, baseball was rough for Mike. He recalls getting two black eyes. Mike jokingly said, “I quickly learned to use my glove.”  As time went on Mike became passionate about the sport and realized he had a natural ability to play baseball. “It became fun for me,” he says.

At 17 years old, Mike learned his dad wasn’t his biological father. It was hard for him to understand that. Initially, Mike was mad, but then he knew he needed to forgive his father. With the news about his father, Mike said, “I needed to find out, ‘who I was.’ ”  After graduating from high school, Mike decided to travel across the country. He lived in Pennsylvania and drove cross-country to Oregon then to Las Vegas.

While in Las Vegas, Mike worked at a hotel where he met his wife, Joy. Mike and Joy have been together for 13 years, and this September they will celebrate their 8th wedding anniversary.

Mike says, “Joy has been a light to me.”  She has encouraged Mike to come to church with her and their daughter, Mahina. He shares, “It came to a point when I heard myself sound like my dad. He was a man that said, ‘Do as I say and not as I do.’ I knew I wasn’t being that great of a husband.”  From that point on, Mike decided the whole family would go to church together and he loves it now.

Eventually, Mike’s friend, John invited him to play on the church softball team. It was an opportunity for Mike to play again but he never thought he would end up coaching. When the opportunity came for Mike to take on leadership as a coach, he felt hesitant.  “I don’t like titles, but I felt the opportunity to coach was where I could learn something new, encourage people and have fun. Now I realized titles aren’t necessarily a bad thing. We need leaders to help others find their passion in the church.”

Mike shared, “On the softball team, I can encourage others on and off the field. If you miss a ball on the field, we say ‘You can get the next one.’  Just like in life, if someone is in a slump, I can be an encouragement and we know that Jesus is always there to catch us.” He hopes to develop more relationships through the team. Newcomers are always welcome to come and play and no experience is required. Mike wants others to know that the softball team is about fellowship and having fun playing the game.

Now looking back, Mike describes his life as being filled so much with faith and trust. “I had to have faith to travel across the country, faith to come to our church, and faith to coach the softball team.”

For more information or how to join the softball team email Mike.

Welcome Dan- Youth Ministry Director

Dan Abella is the new Day Camp and Youth Ministry Director.  He joined the Kroc Church staff this past November, from California. He brings years of experience working in other Salvation Army Youth Ministry programs and has high hopes to grow our Youth Ministry (YM) by creating meaningful relationships. “A lot of time, there are fallacies (mistaken beliefs) with youth ministries, where we need an outgoing personality that a teen would like to be around. But it’s the opposite; teens just want someone to be present,” Dan says. “If we have a consistent team our teens could go deeper in their conversations during Young People League (YPL). My hope is to grow the YM team with more teens and volunteers. I would like to see a congregation where each generation can interact with each other and create meaningful relationships.” When this occurs, Dan feels, “That each member of the body can speak into each other and change lives.”

Dan grew up in The Salvation Army, his parents are Officers and he is one of a set of quadruplets. “I saw how much work it took for my parent’s to serve in the church. During my sophomore year of high school I received salvation. God was changing my life from that point forward. Then during my senior year, in a coffee shop during a prayer meeting, I fully surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.” When he was 17 years old, Dan worked at the Leeward Corps with his siblings. “It has come full circle to be back in Hawai’i working at the Kroc Center.”

Dan received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing from Azusa Pacific University and at the same time he gained experience working with other churches in youth ministry. By the time Dan completed college, he felt that “God was calling me back to The Salvation Army. I was the Youth Director in Cathedral City with the Majors Kelsey and I credit them for teaching me the relational side of ministry. Then I worked at The Salvation Army San Diego with the Majors Koebel. I would be timid to share my ideas and they built me up to share my vision and what God calls me to do.”

Dan’s overall goal for the YM is to grow people who know Jesus. The YPL meets every Friday night for Bible study, fellowship and worship. He says, “My desire for our YM is to create a safe place for our teens to ask about the world and God, to prepare them before they go off to college, and to develop their relationship with Jesus Christ.  I want our teens to know why we believe what we believe in The Salvation Army.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Larry- ‘We are ushering people into God’s house’

Cheryl and Larry Pruiett Sr. visited Hawaii 8 years ago, for their 20 year wedding anniversary.  Larry enjoyed his vacation here, especially the weather. Larry and Cheryl discussed if it was God’s Will and something they could afford, they wanted to move to Hawaii. Larry’s face lit up saying, “Sometimes I laugh at how God answers prayers. In 2016, I got a job opportunity here and we moved to Hawaii from Georgia. I was an usher and greeter for our previous church for 15 years.” In January 2017, Cheryl and Larry started to attend the Kroc Church then in March they attended the Growth Track class and became members.

“I recently took on the role as Usher Team Leader. Being an usher is very important because we are ushering people into God’s house. My priority is that I want our ushers to really want to do it,” said Larry. “We want to be warm and friendly as we greet people. My hope is for all ushers to attend the Growth Track class and become members of our church. I also hope to involve our youth. I want to train them up just as I learned as a child. I want them to know that church isn’t boring, that church is a place to be open and friendly. Our youth are the future of our church and I already have a few teens willing to serve.”

“We love it here,” said Larry, “and we have family excited to visit us and we enjoy it.” Cheryl (who serves on the worship team) and Larry have 4 children and 2 grandchildren. Although they miss family, they both feel “that life is back to it just being us.”  “I really enjoy this church and the diversity, that’s just how God wanted it to be,” he says. “God didn’t want segregation.”

Larry says, “My prayer was, ‘Whatever you want me to do God.’ And He has called me to do what I used to do here at the Kroc.”

Taking In Micronesian Immigrants

Chuuk is 1 of the 4 states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and it’s about 3,500 miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. Residents from Chuuk travel to Hawai’i under the Compact of Free Association.  When Chuuk residents arrive in the United States they need to complete their I-94 form which is required for all International travelers visiting the U.S.  Mesina Refilong, the Kroc Ambassador for MAHI (Micronesian Assimilation to the Hawaiian Islands) helps them translate and fill out the forms they need to have completed in order to be in the U.S.

Many of the Chuuk immigrants learn about The Salvation Army’s MAHI program through word of mouth within their community.  Some may take awhile to actually come to the Kroc Center because they are unsure of how they will be accepted if they are not Christian. Mesina always reassures them that The Salvation Army accepts everyone as they are.  She shared, “It makes them more willing to come for help regardless of their religion.”

Mesina’s role is to help Chuuk immigrants assimilate into the U.S. by guiding them through our laws, providing them with transportation, being their translator and teaching them social and parenting skills. Mesina also teaches a monthly English class. She drives them to class and back home and has about 12-14 people each month in her class. She also teaches them computer and sewing skills and shares with them parenting advice. Mesina’s prayer for her community is that, “God will protect them and show His love to them and their family.”  Many of the Chuuk immigrants, “Feel that at 50 years old you can’t learn but I let them know in the U.S. you can learn at any age,” explained Mesina.

Many continue to take Mesina’s classes. One lady in particular relied heavily on her family then she finally started to learn English. When she reached her goal, she went to her doctor’s appointment alone and was able to ask her own questions.  Her doctor was so surprised and asked; how did you learn English?  The woman praised The Salvation Army.

“English is our second language,” explained Mesina, “When they are confident in speaking English they go out and apply for jobs.”

Mesina shares, “In Chuuk, there are no rules, they think I am big so, I can drive.” In the U.S. they learn that there are laws they have to follow.  “Many families want their kids to go to an U.S. school, they want them to learn to speak English and to follow the rules here,” she added.

Mesina provides transportation for Chuuk immigrants to their doctor appointments, state offices and school. She is also their translator, helping them to communicate to their doctor, getting their state I.D. or social security card and enrolling their children into school. When I asked Mesina, How does she avoid feeling overwhelmed with so many daily tasks? She answered, “I always put myself in their shoes, I don’t get overwhelmed with my tasks instead I run to God. Only He can help me.”

She praises God, “He has answered my prayer; to use me as a servant, to help people to come to church.”

Mesina’s next goal with MAHI is to give the Chuuk immigrants the opportunity to come to church. “When our church (The Salvation Army) was in Aiea, I would drive all over the island to bring people to church; I want to start that again,” said Mesina.

Volunteer Spotlight: How Joy is Planting Seeds in Young Hearts

Joy Perkins always wanted to be a preschool teacher. She said, “I love working with young children, crafting and learning something new with them.” Shortly after she started to attend services here at the Kroc Church; Children’s Ministry needed volunteers for Preschool Worship. “But I was nervous to volunteer,” said Joy, “I was just beginning my walk with God.”

This fall will mark Joy’s 3 year anniversary of coming to the Kroc Church. She initially came to the Kroctober Fest and saw that they had a church service. “My daughter, Mahina and I came the next Sunday and I felt like family,” Joy said happily. About 6 months later, her husband Mike started to attend service with them.

It’s been a year since Joy decided to start volunteering with Preschool Worship, her husband Mike also volunteers with the Young People League (Youth Group) and alongside Joy.  Joy admitted, “It’s comforting for Mahina to have the Children’s Ministry, she enjoys the memory verse and praying to God and now I can share this with other families.”

Meagan Cabbage, the Children’s Ministry Director shared, “The kids are always excited to hear that Joy will be in the classroom and I know that’s because they enjoy her upbeat attitude and her willingness to get down and play. Joy does a great job providing a safe and fun atmosphere for preschoolers to worship the Lord!”

Preschool Worship begins with the entire Children’s Ministry singing together, and then they go into the preschool classroom.  “We use the Orange Curriculum,” said Meagan, “It is an amazing resource that we have here at Kroc Church that recognizes the importance of bringing families and the church together.”  Joy likes the curriculum because it provides her everything she needs for the children, even a script.

The Preschool Worship enjoys a monthly theme that is biblically-based with a music video, story, songs and crafts. “Usually by the time we are done with our craft we are able to watch the song again,” said Joy, “By the end of the song even the shy children are dancing.” Joy added, “Each month the children also have a Scripture to memorize; I love seeing them share their memory verse.”

“It’s so cute to see them learning and they’re engaged,” Joy shared, “I am learning with them and I know seeds are being planted in them.”

Children’s Ministry is looking for volunteers! To learn more or to volunteer fill out the “Join the Team” request in our app, under the Children’s Ministry tab. 

Download Kroc Church App

 

A Young Man’s Mind Set on the Lord

Daniel Schmidt’s cousin Greg Edmond invited him to the Young People’s League (YPL) about a year ago and he immediately enjoyed his time with YPL. Shortly after, he started to attend Sunday service. Daniel moved to O’ahu from Arizona about 2 years ago with family struggles but he always called himself a Christian.  After his move to O’ahu he continued to struggle with school and home life; to the point that his dad wanted him to move away this summer.

After attending the SAY and Teen Camp this summer, Daniel recommitted himself to Christ.  Greg shared, “Through the grace of God and Daniel being able to attend YPL, I’ve seen him grow in the Lord through the questions that he asks or how he interacts with other teens.”

Daniel finds it easy to come to church and YPL because he has support from his group.  Since recommitting himself to Christ he is seeing the positive change and his dad is allowing him to stay on O’ahu.  Greg mentioned, “Daniel sometimes doesn’t have ride, but somehow, he manages to get to church on Sundays. That is growth in itself; not a lot of teens would go out of their way to find a ride to church these days.”

Daniel believes “If you put your faith in Jesus, it will be well you and your plans.”  And he is thankful for his cousin, Greg, he says “I look up to him; our family has been through a lot and he shows me how to be the light…I know I don’t have to worry because I have God.”  Daniel enjoys wrestling and looks forward to attending Revolution Hawaii- a program at Camp Homelani that makes disciples of young adults.

Email Lt. Kailah to join the Young People League

A Class Worth Taking- Financial Peace University

“The Financial Peace class was amazing, Dave Ramsey is highly motivating,” said Sharlene Nihipali-Rodrigues. Sharlene and her husband David Rodrigues attended the Financial Peace University class this past January. “Dave presented a whole new way of what we were doing with our finances,” said Sharlene.

Sharlene & David

We started to snow ball our bills starting with the lowest bill first, explained Sharlene; we also have an emergency fund. We learned that we both need to be on board, we discuss and have to agree on big purchases together, said Sharlene. Since January, “We have been able to pay off 4 credit cards- over $7,000 in debt paid off,” explained Sharlene.

“We still go online and follow Dave’s plans, and I hope to attend some of the upcoming classes,” shared Sharlene. She thinks every young couple should take this class.

The upcoming Financial Peace University classes are starting soon! September 12th until November 14th, 6 p.m. at the Kroc Center. 

To Join Financial Peace Email Matthew

Life Changes from the Last Session:

• $24,648 paid off
• $57,050 saved
• 17 people attended (9 families)