One Story at a Time
Around Campus
by Rev. Melissa Martin
Aloha CCH `Ohana,
The campus has been abuzz this fall! After the gym renovations and the Too Many Mangos Production & Resource Fair, we've not only seen an uptick in requests to use the gym, but that wonderful and sweet community event brought in so many delightful people to worship with us. If you are one of those folks, welcome! We're grateful for you and every new face this around our campus. Speaking of new faces...
Read about a few of the new faces you'll now see around campus:
Ola Keaka is joining us on the second floor of Makai for the next month and a half in Makai 8/9 & 10, making artistic magic — we're so glad to have them as part of our community. Maria, the Executive Director, and Josh Aiu, Founder.
On Sunday evenings, we have been joined by the Micronesian congregation, Door of Faith. We send our warmest aloha to them and their whole community.
Volleyball teams! Two friends, Lowell and Pono, both run youth volleyball training workshops and have been delighted to find our gym. A shout out to the Hayashi's for hosting Alethea's graduation party here, which was when Pono found us out.
Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) has signed an updated lease for 2 more years, and they are reorganizing their offices. PIDF’s youth programming administrative team will be joining the CCH Campus, moving into the 2nd floor of the Makai building. The team brings together PIDF's youth-focused programs with a shared mission to empower Hawaiʻi's ʻōpio (youth) by providing the culturally grounded support and training they need to thrive in learning, work, and life. Very excited to add youth programs to our campus community!
Hawaii Meals on Wheels has fallen entirely in love with our campus, so much so they are renting out more space! Starting in November they will be renting out the Makai Suite and Makai 10. Then January 1, they will take over Makai 8/9. This allows them to bring the other half of their team over from other offices, creating a unified staff presence.
Makai subfloor needs a little work…!
Facilities Update
We're moving forward on a few capital improvement projects around campus. Thanks to the generosity of Lorinda Chew Cheng Arashiro and her estate, we're beginning upgrades to the Stephen Mark Hall and second-floor Makai bathrooms. Council chose to tackle these first because of how much we value the partners and neighbors who use them every day — and fresh bathrooms to use during Aloha Hour will be a wonderful treat for us all. Alongside that, we're also working through contractor quotes for the Makai subfloor project. Pictured below is the subfloor that has deteriorated in the suite formerly occupied by Bible Institute. Before Hawai'i Meals on Wheels takes over that lease, the council is very wisely making sure the space is in working order.
Mark Your Calendars
Treats for Family Hui's Little Pumpkin Playdate! On October 20 from 10-11:30, Family Hui Hawaii is hosting their Halloween trick-or-treat line for families of keiki 0-5, and folks around campus are already pitching in — some of our volleyball teams have offered to donate treats, Alison Masutani and Mālama 'Āina are donating playing cards and soap sheets, and Gwen Murakami is sewing hand-made trick-or-treat bags. Family Hui's team put together a list of treats/items that are safe for children ages 0–5, in case you'd also like to donate. All are welcome to join the staff as we participate in the trick-or-treat line to distribute treats (11–11:30am on the Makai lanai):
Play items: bubbles, play dough, bath toys, small stuffed animals, children's books, etc.
Craft items: crayons, stickers, Scratch Art paper, etc.
Outdoor items: sidewalk chalk, mini beach balls, mini knobby balls, etc.
Snack items: applesauce pouches, pretzels, goldfish crackers, Pirate's Booty, fruit snacks, Otter Pops (not frozen), juice boxes, etc.
Other items: temporary tattoos, glow sticks/wands/bracelets, sunglasses, fidgets (nothing that looks like food or has small parts), etc.
Campus Wide White Elephant Party (Office Edition)! For our final quarterly lunch of 2026 with campus partners, we'll be hosting a Campus Wide White Elephant Party on December 15, 12:30–2PM! The Community Connections Committee and Aloha Hour will team up to provide lunch, and all staff members from our partners are asked to bring a white elephant gift (something pulled straight from their office…this should be interesting. What do you think Roz, Pastor Amy, Pastor Rick, and I will bring?).
I Spy With My Little Eye!
Over the last two weeks, our maintenance team has added new safety slip strips in several spots around campus. Email me [executivedirector@cchonolulu.org] with the total number of strips that were put down by Conrad from Restore, and the first person to guess right gets a treat from Trader Joe's waiting for them when I'm back from my 2.5 weeks off island working remote. Mahalo again to the church council for this time to be with Lindsey as they lead their doctoral intensives — even so, I'm always just a text, phone call, or email away. (Hint: if you don’t know what these “slip strips” are, you can see some of the slip strips over Maria’s shoulder in the picture above!)
As I reflect on all the things above and on Pastor Amy's sermon series about God's Economy, I am reminded that nothing we have is our own — all of it is God's, to be shared for the good of all people — and the sharing we see here is such a beautiful expression of that. Mahalo for helping us practice what Pastor Amy preaches!
Warmest aloha,
Pastor Melissa