Meet Pastor Joe Ong
Pastor Joe Ong & Debbie Ong
Our Journey from Singapore to Hawaii
As I look back on my life, I can truly say that the path to where I am today was nothing short of a miracle. I was born into a large family in Singapore, growing up in a small flat with very little money and possessions. Our family line was steeped in the Buddhist traditions and we had never heard the name of Jesus. However, by His grace and love, I encountered Jesus at the age of 14 and committed my life to Him. Although my spiritual life was filled with a great peace it created a lot of friction with my family. I matriculated to the US to attend a bible college where I met my future wife, Debbie. I continued my devotion to the Lord in doing mission work and receiving a Master of Divinity degree.
After traveling and ministering in different parts of the world, our family ended up back in Singapore. I served as one of the pastors in one of the larger churches called River Life. Our church experienced tremendous growth, both spiritually and in numbers. However, in 2010, we sensed a calling from the Lord to expand our horizons, wherever that would take us. During our time of leaning on the Lord we were made aware of an opportunity for a pastor for a church in Pearl City, Hawaii. Our family had never been to Hawaii, much less knowing anything about Pearl City! With much prayer, advising, and support we decided to take a step of faith and came to Leeward Community Church in 2011.
During our time here we have come to understand what it means to work, serve, and live together as "ohana". There has been an outpouring of aloha for our family, and we have "tasted" that the Lord is good here. The Lord has much more that He wants to do here, and we're glad that are here to be a part of it!
After traveling and ministering in different parts of the world, our family ended up back in Singapore. I served as one of the pastors in one of the larger churches called River Life. Our church experienced tremendous growth, both spiritually and in numbers. However, in 2010, we sensed a calling from the Lord to expand our horizons, wherever that would take us. During our time of leaning on the Lord we were made aware of an opportunity for a pastor for a church in Pearl City, Hawaii. Our family had never been to Hawaii, much less knowing anything about Pearl City! With much prayer, advising, and support we decided to take a step of faith and came to Leeward Community Church in 2011.
During our time here we have come to understand what it means to work, serve, and live together as "ohana". There has been an outpouring of aloha for our family, and we have "tasted" that the Lord is good here. The Lord has much more that He wants to do here, and we're glad that are here to be a part of it!