WHERE WE WORSHIP
Bible church guided by Scripture
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Pastor Guy Nishimoto, top, leads nighttime Bible study at Honolulu Bible Church at 1844 Palolo Ave., above.
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Our denomination: Nondenominational
Where we are: 1844 Palolo Ave. in Palolo Valley
Our numbers: A total of 130 to 140 members attend services, held 10:15 a.m. and 6 p.m. every Sunday.
Our senior pastors: Robert Field, a licensed minister who received training at Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto and was ordained at Snowdon Baptist Church in Montreal; and Dan Mather and Guy Nishimoto, both of whom received training and were ordained through Honolulu Bible Church.
Our history: In February 1956, Bible study began in a Palolo Valley home, led by the Rev. Leslie Blomerly, a missionary with United Faith Missions. By April that year, members decided to find a place for Sunday services, drafted a simple constitution and adopted the Honolulu Bible Church name.
In subsequent years, the church moved to several locations in the Palolo valley area, finally settling at its current site in the 1980s.
What we believe: The church holds to the Reformed faith, which relates to the Protestant churches that follow the teachings of John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, "emphasizing the supremacy and sufficiency of Scripture as our sole guide for doctrine and practice," Field said. Members believe that all of mankind is fallen and helpless without the saving work of Jesus Christ, and that man is saved and justified by grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ, Field said.
"We also believe that once a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit (dwells in) him, thereby teaching him to hate sin and walk in holiness," Field added.
Baptisms are held "as people commit themselves to Christ," Field said, and communions are celebrated once a month. The church does not ordain women or homosexuals.
What we're excited about: The church helped establish Covenant Books and Coffee, a Christian bookstore and café at 1142 12th Ave. in Kaimuki. The store opened in December.
"We have been extremely blessed in this opportunity to meet our community, as well as Christians from other churches," Field said.
Store hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays though Thursdays, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
The church also sponsors a radio outreach 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays on KGU 760 AM. The program features the teaching ministry of R.C. Sproul, a proponent of Reformed faith from Florida.
What's special about us: The goals of Honolulu Bible Church, a Bible-centered congregation, are "preaching and living the whole counsel of God as it is given to us in Scripture," Field said. "Our services are conservative in our approach to worship and focus particularly on the preaching of Scripture, which we feel is the most important part of our worship."
Contact: 737-0204
If you'd like to recommend a faith organization for the weekly feature, Where We Worship, 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.
Correction: Honolulu Bible Church does not ordain women or homosexuals. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information.
