Pastor Joel Elies
Pastor Joel Elies was born and raised on Maui. He graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a major in business management and marketing. He was the Associate Pastor at Hope Chapel Honolulu from 1998 to 2006 before he became the lead pastor of Hope968. He was also the Interim Executive Director and a Bible Teacher at Bible Institute of Hawaii. Joel married Amy in 1998 and they have three boys, Jordan, Evan and Jonathan. He is a shameless coffee addict, loves action movies and loves any kind of music (except easy listening, country, and pop). Joel loves to read books of Christian spirituality, theology, business management, history, literature and philosophy. And he loves Jesus... a lot,...even more than coffee!
Pastor Richard Ross
"I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." (John 10:10, The Message)
Richard is, most of all, thankful to Jesus for His amazing gift of life. Although Richard longs for the home awaiting him in heaven, he is joyful to be an ambassador on earth, sharing God's eternal hope with others. He and his family have been serving as missionaries or as pastors in varied churches here and around the world for 20 years, interspersed with another dozen years of work as a University of Hawaii administrator or non-profit executive. Currently, he and his wife, Debbi, are the resident managers for a transitional home for women in recovery and their children, operated by the Salvation Army in ManoaValley. He enjoys board & recreational games, creative people and pursuits, watching movies with friends, truth, simplicity & solitude, the outdoors, God's word, pure-hearted laughter, developing staff or ministry teams, solving complex problems, exploring the world God has made, and heart-to-heart talks with his wife and daughter (Hannah).
Richard is, most of all, thankful to Jesus for His amazing gift of life. Although Richard longs for the home awaiting him in heaven, he is joyful to be an ambassador on earth, sharing God's eternal hope with others. He and his family have been serving as missionaries or as pastors in varied churches here and around the world for 20 years, interspersed with another dozen years of work as a University of Hawaii administrator or non-profit executive. Currently, he and his wife, Debbi, are the resident managers for a transitional home for women in recovery and their children, operated by the Salvation Army in ManoaValley. He enjoys board & recreational games, creative people and pursuits, watching movies with friends, truth, simplicity & solitude, the outdoors, God's word, pure-hearted laughter, developing staff or ministry teams, solving complex problems, exploring the world God has made, and heart-to-heart talks with his wife and daughter (Hannah).
Amy Elies
Amy was born and raised on Oahu. She graduated from St. Andrew's Priory and the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor in architecture. After graduation, she left the field of architecture to become more active in ministry. She is married to Joel and has three wonderful little boys. She is a stay-at-home mother who also participates in the church at varying levels. She loves to read the Bible, Ted Dekker novels, and Bill and Beni Johnson books. In her spare time she reads, watches movies with her husband and makes jewelry. She loves hanging out with God and desires to bring others closer to Him. "He's my best friend and my safest place!"
Debbi Ross
In a world of superlative’s, Debbi’s greatest achievements relate to being a mom to daughters Naomi and Hannah. A “battleship consort” is a self-description of her partnership with husband, Richard, with whom she can be around 23/7, give or take an hour. Her heroes are Jesus and Mother Teresa. Debbi loves being audience to Richard and Hannah, 105.1 FM, “Whose Line is it Anyway?,” “A Prairie Home Companion,” playing games... Among Debbi’s core beliefs: being green is biblical; that we are all dysfunctional to a greater or lesser degree; we were made for love; God is love.
Jennifer Hirata
Jennie was born and raised in Hawaii. She had Christian influences in her life but didn't come to have a personal relationship with Jesus until she went away to college. Through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship she was introduced to "a God who loved me, not for what I could do or achieve, but for what HE had already achieved - creating me and pardoning my sins by taking my well-deserved punishment upon Himself-made-flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Now I live a new life of welcoming the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to change me to think, talk, act, and love like they do, so that others can also know and love them." She has been a member of Hope968 (formerly Hope Chapel Honolulu) since 1997. Jennie is also involved with the tithe and refreshment ministries.
John Rush
John was born in Northern California and grew up as the son of "Youth With a Mission" missionaries in New Zealand. He attended college and graduate school in California and Washington, moving to Oahu in 2007 to further his education. He received an M.A. in economics from the University of Hawaii where he continues his studies and teaches periodically. John has simple tastes in life...books, tea, Star Trek, and cheesecake.
Cindy Yamasaki
Born and raised on Oahu, Cindy graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelors in psychology and a teaching certificate. She's been a part of the church since 1999 and was also baptized there. She serves on the set-up team on Sundays. She loves to watch movies, take long walks on the beach, and play sports. Her life verse is Philippians 1:6..."being confident of this, that he who began a good work in me, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."