12 to watch in 2002
Ralph Moore

Advertiser Staff

That's one of the keys to his success as pastor of one of the fastest-growing congregations in Hawai'i, Hope Chapel Kane'ohe Bay. Because he has broken down the Bible to its basics, investigated it and compared it with the best science has to offer, he comes from a point of view emphasizing not just faith but what God's word means to life in today's world.

Moore, 55, who started out with a handful of worshippers under a hau tree in Kailua Beach Park in 1983, is at the height of his influence, with more than 140 churches worldwide.

Moore and Hope Chapel represent the high-energy, less traditional churches of what has been called the New Christian movement, the fastest-growing segment of the religious community in Hawai'i. Employing worship music with electric guitars instead of organs and taking advantage of such tools as TV, the Internet and an array of social services, churches such as Hope Chapel, Word of Life and New Hope draw thousands of people each week with a simple message: "God loves you."