• Where we are: Waikele Elementary School cafeteria, Waipahu

• Our numbers: Worship services at 8 and 10 a.m. every Sunday draw about 400 in total

• Our senior pastor: Mike Kai, a licensed minister who received training through Hope Chapel Kane'ohe Bay. "I've been trained under one of the best senior pastors in the state of Hawai'i, if not (in) America," Kai said.

He was referring to Ralph Moore, senior pastor of the Kane'ohe church.

• What's special about us: Within the past year, under Kai's leadership, Hope Chapel West O'ahu's congregation grew from 70 to 400 members. What makes the church stand out is the fellowship shared among its congregants, Kai said.

"When I say fellowship, I mean our love for each other," he said. "We believe that God really loves and cares for people and we want to live that out."

Hope Chapel West O'ahu is a praying church, he said. "God blesses the church that prays, more than any other type of church, whether it's got great preaching, great fellowship or awesome worship."

• Our history: Hope Chapel West O'ahu, originally called Hope Chapel Leeward, was planted in the late 1980s by Chuck Cironen from Hope Chapel Kane'ohe Bay. Members gathered in various locations in Waipahu, 'Ewa Beach and Pearl City before settling in Waikele Elementary School in 2000.

A year ago, Kai left his position as youth pastor at Hope Chapel Kane'ohe Bay to join the church, then known as Hope Chapel Waikele, as its new senior pastor. The congregation held a grand reopening in October 2001, at which time the church came to be known as Hope Chapel West O'ahu.

• What we believe: Members believe in Jesus Christ and that the only way to salvation is through receiving Christ into their lives, Kai said. Members also believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, baptism of the Holy Spirit, and that the Bible is the absolute word of God and is infallible. Communion is celebrated once a month.

Licensed ministers are ordained at annual Foursquare conventions, each held in different parts of the country, Kai said. "God qualifies the called, versus calls the qualified," he said.

The church ordains women and those who are married, but not gay people.

Hope Chapel West O'ahu has a membership covenant, Kai added. "We want commitment from people, so once a year we do a (two-week) teaching on membership," he said. Members are asked to adhere to the following: love God, love the church and its people, support the leadership of the church, have a heart that says "yes" to God, and support the church financially.

"These are the five things we want our church to be characterized by: worship, fellowship, evangelism, discipleship and ministry," Kai said.

The church's mission statement: Hope Chapel West O'ahu exists to reach non-believers for Christ, to connect them to their church family and to equip them to fulfill their God-given potential.

• What we're excited about: Hope Chapel West O'ahu opened up an "equipping center" on Sept. 1 in the Pearl City industrial area. The 2,200-square-foot building is still undergoing renovations, but will be used for youth events, worship rehearsals, classes and other activities.

The church will also hold a special Sept. 11 remembrance service 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday

"We're going to come together as a family ... to celebrate (God's) blessing in our life and we're going to pray for the country and the leadership of the country," he said.

In addition, Hope Chapel West O'ahu will host a Ho'olaule'a, 3 to 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at Waikele Elementary School. The free event will offer entertainment, children's games, crafts and food booths, as well as fellowship and worship.

• Contact: Call 677-8844, e-mail info@hcwo.com or visit www.hcwo.com