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.
Neal Arita
Elder / Secretary
Neal is an Elder and serves as the Secretary for Leeward Community Church. He is married to Vera and has two sons and fawns over his grandkids.
Walter Kaneshiro
Elder
Walter is an Elder who loves to encourage others to discover more of Jesus and live out their passions for Him. He has been a member of Leeward since 1992 and recently retired as the Executive Chef at Queens Medical Center after 20 years. He now volunteers full-time at the church. Walter is married to Joni and have four adult children, and likes to golf and fish in his free time.
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.
Owen Yamamura
Elder
Owen was born and raised in Pearl City, attended Mid-Pacific Institute, and graduated from Wheaton College. Leeward Community Church has been his home church for over 30 years where he also leads a Home Group. He is passionate about building God’s kingdom, coaching and all things camping and fishing. He and Sandy have been married for over 20 years and have four children.
Maribelle Kam
Office Manager, part-time
Provides all administrative support for the office staff, except for metrics updates. Primary contact for all questions and correspondence.
Joni Kaneshiro
Newcomer's Ministry Director
Oversees the newcomer's ministries, such as greeters, ushers, and welcome center. Provides communications and graphics support.
Kathy Uyehara
Missions Director
Directs and plans mission trips domestically and abroad. Chairs the missions committee and directs various mission fundraisers.
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.
Jon Ayin
Community Services & IT
Oversees the Community Service programs for LCC, also acting as liaison with outside community groups. Provides IT support for the church.
Denise Kahue
Metrics Admin, part-time
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.
Various
Interns
We employ several interns to do various projects and administrative tasks in support of the office staff. Some are volunteer staff who are developing work skills.