Meet the Elder Board
Joe Ong
Pastor & Elder
Joe has been the Pastor and Elder for Leeward Community Church since 2011. He and his wife, Debbie, arrived in Hawaii with their three children from Singapore, where Joe was born and raised. He is passionate about Jesus and seeing how lives can be changed and growing in love for the Lord and others. His family resides in Kapolei.
Fred Heyler
Elder
Fred and his wife Debbie have two children in college and one at home. They live in Aiea and both work in education. In addition to the church and their children, they love the outdoors.
Walter Kaneshiro
Elder
Walter has a passion for teaching God's Word in His spirit and mentoring. He is married for 39 years to Joni, who is on staff, and they live in Makakilo. He is retired from food service, but loves serving with his wife and mother. Hobbies? Reading and golfing.
Mel Tanoue
Elder
Mel is an elder and is retired from Kaiser Permanente. He currently does volunteer work for Leeward Community Church and has been volunteering since 2013. He lives in Pearl City and has two sons.
Owen Yamamura
Elder
Owen was born and raised in Pearl City. He attended Mid Pacific Institute and went on to graduate from Wheaton College. Owen has been married to his beautiful wife Sandy for 23+ years. Sandy transitioned from being a speech pathologist to a full time homeschooling mom. They have 4 children with one in college. Leeward has been Owen’s church family for over 40 years. He serves on the Elder Board and leads a Home Group. He loves building God’s kingdom, coaching and all things camping and fishing.
Paul Nakasone
Elder
Paul and his wife Paula have three children and live in Mililani. They both love teaching the youth and have lead home groups.
Bryan Pang
Elder
Bryan has attended LCC since 1995, married Mei at LCC in 1997, and all three of his children grew up at LCC: Ashley (22), Joseph (18), and Annaliese (13). He lives, co-leads a home group, and work in Honolulu town. Areas of interest include spiritual, mental, social-emotional, and physical well-being, marriage and family, organizational health, and counseling.
Joni Kaneshiro
Newcomer's Ministry Director
Oversees the newcomer's ministries, such as greeters, ushers, and welcome center. Provides communications and graphics support.
Jon Ayin
Community Services
Oversees the Community Service programs for LCC, also acting as liaison with outside community groups. Provides IT support for the church.
Abi Arakawa
Youth Director
Oversees the leaders and teams who teach and conduct activities for students in middle & high school, including Sunday School youth nights and events.
Kathy Uyehara
Missions Director
Directs and plans mission trips domestically and abroad. Chairs the missions committee and directs various mission fundraisers.
Denise Kahue
Metrics Admin
Maintains all donations and key metrics, such as registrations, attendance, and directories. Primary user of church management systems.
Debbie Ong
Special Projects Admin
Part-time support for special projects as directed by the Lead Pastor, such as events and teaching materials. Also co-leads the Children's Ministry.
Joe Ferguson
IT Administrator
Part-time management and support for Leeward's IT infrastructure and other IT projects.
Various Interns - Oversees the Community Service programs for LCC, also acting as liaison with outside community groups. Provides IT support for the church.