Posted on: Saturday, April 14, 2001

Ministries officer hopes to deepen local ties

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaiian Islands Ministries' new president and chief executive officer hopes to continue to deepen the organization's ties with the local community.

On March 22, Paul Edwards joined HIM as its newest officer and is now responsible for overseeing all the programs and ministries of the organization.

HIM is a non-profit transdenominational Christian ministry committed to building healthy leaders and healthy churches. It is known best for organizing the annual conference simply titled Honolulu (as in Honolulu 2001), which is widely considered the largest and most diversified Christian training conference in the state. More than 5,000 registrants attended HIM-sponsored events in the 1999-2000 fiscal year.

"I'm enjoying it a great deal," Edwards said about the new position. "I have a real enthusiasm and energy for all that the Islands' churches are doing now."

Before joining HIM, Edwards, formerly of Colorado, served as a private consultant specializing in fund-raising and marketing counsel for non-profit organizations such as the Prison Fellowship Ministries, the Maclellan Foundation and the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

"I have known Paul for 16 years, and I do have full confidence that he will take HIM to the next level," said Dan Chun, HIM co-founder and chairman of the board, "and that will give my wife Pam, who will remain as vice president, and I more time to strategize for the future of HIM."

Edwards said that they hope to offer "an even wider array of speakers" at future conferences and added that every year, "there will always be something new, something different."