WHERE WE WORSHIP
Modern, traditional ideas coexist
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Faith Editor
Name of church: Kaimuki Christian Church.
Our denomination: A nondenominational, evangelical Christian church.
Where we are: 1117 Koko Head Ave.
Our numbers: About 550-575 people attend weekend services.
Our pastor: The senior pastor is the Rev. Ron Arnold, ordained through the Christian Churches of America, a nondenominational fellowship. He also is one of six elected elders who run the church.
What we believe: The structure of the conservative Christian church is found in the New Testament, said Arnold, who has been Kaimuki Christian's pastor since 1993.
"We believe the Bible is the word of God, given to instruct us and to change us," he said, adding they also believe in the trinity, but "we're not a formal or liturgical church."
Mission statement: To bring glory to God by making disciples who love God passionately and their neighbor as themselves.
They baptize by immersion, including children as young as 8, and celebrate communion weekly.
They do not ordain anyone who is gay, and while they have ordained a woman as minister, Arnold said the senior pastor should be a man.
"Our church believes that Christ has made us equal, but he's given primary leadership in the home and the church to men," he said. "But they're to lead as servants."
Our history: In the early 1920s, members of First Christian Church, part of the Disciples of Christ denomination, started a Sunday school at the site of what would become Kaimuki Christian Church.
While they were Disciples of Christ, the choice was made to remain nondenominational when the church, then housed in a small, wooden structure, was incorporated in 1923.
The church's membership fluctuated in the ensuing years, Arnold said. During the '70s, for example, neighborhood hippies congregated there and created A Church, which produced at least four pastors now serving in Honolulu, he said.
The old building has since been razed and in its place at Harding Avenue and Koko Head, across from the Kaimuki Library, sits a sprawling, modern, two-story structure holding a preschool, classrooms, a hall and a worship area that, thanks to a recent $3.2 million renovation, doubled space in the worship area to 3,500 feet.
What's special about us: A modern evangelical church with an 80-year history may seem like a contradiction in terms, but Arnold attributes that to a "flexible older generation" and dynamic family and children's ministry inherent in having a church school, from pre-kingergarten through Grade 8, on site.
To keep everyone happy, different services have different approaches, Arnold said.
"We have an earlier Sunday service with more traditional hymns (such as 'Amazing Grace,' and 'How Great Thou Art') and a Friday night service with more praise (contemporary) music," he said.
Worship minister Tony Tam Sing often writes the music, Arnold said, and dance and dramatic elements are also added.
What we're excited about: Neighborhood ministries include helping out with the nearby Liliu'okalani Elementary and a food bank. Also, each year, church members do "acts of kindness" (washing cars for free, painting addresses on curbs) for which they refuse to accept donations.
And they have fun. Coming up Aug. 17 is the second American Bandstand Night, in which the worship team plays rock 'n' roll, often substituting with Christian lyrics. There's also an aerobics ministry on Saturdays.
Contact: kaimukichristian.org or 735-1771.
If you would like to recommend a faith organization for a Where We Worship profile, e-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com, call 525-8035 or write: Where We Worship, Faith Page, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.
