Meet the Elder Board
Joe Ong
Senior 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.

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.
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.

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.

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, Joseph, and Annaliese. 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.

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.

Neal Arita
Elder
Neal and Vera Arita have been attending LCC since 1982, got married at LCC, have two sons (Grant and Steven), have 2 wonderful daughters-in-law, (Aimee and Jess) and 3 grandchildren (Elijah, Brendan and Lana).
A Home group started at their home in 1990 and continues to host many people over the years. God is good!
Thank you for allowing us to continue service to our Lord and Savior and to the Body of Christ at LCC.
A Home group started at their home in 1990 and continues to host many people over the years. God is good!
Thank you for allowing us to continue service to our Lord and Savior and to the Body of Christ at LCC.
Meet the Church Staff

Jonathan Maus
Executive Pastor
Oversees Strategic planning, marketing & communications, administration, and facility use among other pastoral duties. Jonathan, his wife, Ting, and their daughter live in Aiea. Jonathan's hope in ministry is to unite and build up the diverse Body of Christ through the message of God's transforming power. He loves spicy food, traveling, and almost anything nerdy.
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.
Kathy Uyehara
Missions Director
Directs and plans mission trips domestically and abroad. Chairs the missions committee and directs various mission fundraisers.
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.