Pastor Robert Miller
has been serving as senior pastor of Wai’alae Baptist Church (WBC) since July 2002. God has called him to be a visionary leader to encourage and equip believers to grow in faith and service. Prior to WBC he served for 5 years with the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (the Southern Baptist denominational office) as the Director of Evangelism and Church Planting, assisting approximately 120 congregations. Prior to his service on Oahu, he served as pastor of Kohala Baptist Church on the Big Island for 8 years, and also volunteered as a police chaplain. He has also served as a board member of Hawaii Baptist Academy and President of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention. Pastor Robert came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at the age of 19 while in college. Pastor Robert, a product of Hawaii, was raised in Aina Haina (Oahu), attended the Kamehameha Schools (Class of 80), the University of Oregon and graduated from University of Hawaii at Manoa. He received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Robert and Beverly live in Hawaii Kai and have three children – Evan, Simon and Emily. Robert enjoys studying God's word and playing golf. Pastor Ken Suesz
has been serving as Associate Pastor/ Worship Pastor at Wai’alae Baptist Church since June 2004. He also works with the Senior Adults, and teaches a Young Men’s Sunday School Class. Ken and his wife Carol were entertainers in the hotel industry in Hawaii when God called Ken into the Gospel Ministry in 1991 while they were living on the Big Island of Hawaii. Pastor Ken has served as Associate Pastor/ Worship Pastor in three other churches in Hawaii, and one church in Florida. While Ken and Carol were living on Maui, working at the Hyatt Hotel, (house musicians) they both came to the Lord in 1983 and attended a Baptist Church in Paia Maui. Pastor Ken and his family came to the Islands in 1965 from Huntington Indiana. Ken’s father was a band director, and came to teach music at Pearl City Intermediate School. Ken attended Kaimuki High School his junior and senior years, and graduated in June of 1967. He attended Ball State University in Muncie Indiana, and returned to Hawaii and graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. Ken taught music for a short time, but made his living playing music in the Islands until God called him into the Ministry in 1991. Ken is married to Carol (Yoon) who was raised in Pearl City Hawaii. Ken and Carol just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in February of 2009. He and Carol live in Makakilo and have been residents there since 2000. They have two children---- Chelsee and Christopher. In his spare time, Ken enjoys swimming, walking and playing golf.Pastor Norman Choy
of the Chinese Baptist Church, Honolulu, Hawaii. He started this church in 1994, after having served in a Baptist church in Ft. Worth, Texas, for five years. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Seminary (Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry), Norman also received a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineer from the University of Hawaii. He worked as a computer systems analyst in a national company before answering the call to full-time ministry in 1977. Norman is married to his wife, Yuen-Wah (Anita), who is from Hong Kong and is currently working as a childhood education consultant, specialized in parenting education. They have two sons: Nathan, graduated from UCSD, is working as a mechanical engineer in San Diego. He is married to Ji Young Choi from San Francisco. They have one daughter, Kaia. Nicolas, the second son, returned to Hawaii from California in 2003, after working there for several years. He is now working as an IT specialist for a local hotel management firm. He graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a bachelor degree in computer information systems. Besides church-related ministry, Norman also involves in community education on liver diseases. A volunteer for the American Liver Foundation and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Corporation, he often speaks in many health-related events in promoting liver wellness among Asian Americans. Both Norman and Anita write and speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. They have committed their lives to serve the Lord in the Chinese community in any ways that fulfill the Lord‘s desire. For more information, click here to go our Chinese congregation's website (in Chinese).Pastor Samuel Choi
has been serving as senior pastor of Hawaii Bhansok Baptist Church (HBBC) for 13 years. The church began in 1996 as Aina Hina Korean Baptist Church, changed its name to Korean Baptist Church of Hawaii in 2000 and then in 2006 changed its name to the present HBBC. Pastor Choi was called to begin the church with 8 to 11 members. However, God has blessed the church by growing it beautifully into the church that it is now. Before coming to HBBC Pastor Choi was called as a missionary in 1992 to Russia and sent by the International Mission Board. At this time he resigned his position as pastor of Pearl Harbor Korean Baptist Church (PHKBC) after serving there for 10 years. While at PHKBC, Pastor Choi worked faithfully and saw God grow it into a beautiful church as many lost souls from the area came to know Christ. He also helped plant five churches around the Islands, Waikiki Korean, Kailua Korean, Maui Korean, Hawaii Kai Korean, and Kawai Korean and helped support Pearl City Korean (now known as Antioch). Before coming to Hawaii Pastor Choi served as a missionary to American Samoa in 1980 by appointment of the Baptist Convention of Korea. God blessed him in planting a Korean Baptist church there and was instrumental in it joining the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention. His ministry first started in Pusan, South Korea in 1970 by planting Dong-Nam Baptist Church with only three members (himself, his wife, and 6 month old son). He ministered there for 10 years and saw God bless the church with the purchase of land and the construction of a church building and a parsonage. The church was also blessed with an increase in attendance between 180 to 200 adults and 40 to 50 children. Pastor Choi is a graduate of Pusan High School. In 1970 he graduated from Korean Baptist University and Seminary. He continued his studies at Pusan United Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology in 1975, while working as a pastor and was ordained. Pastor Choi is married to Song-Ja. They have two grown children, a son, Hyo-Min, and a daughter, Sujin. They are both married; Hyo-Min has a son and a daughter, and Sujin has one son. Hyo-Min is a graduate of Boston University and received a Master of Theology from Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He is now preparing to enter his PhD studies. Sujin is a graduate of the University of Washington and is happily married. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.Pastor Mike Wagner
has been serving at Hawaii Bhansok Baptist Church (HBBC) as the associate pastor since January 2006. He came to know Jesus as his personal Savior at the age of 12 during summer Bible camp. In 1969, at the age of 20, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served for 26 years in the Air Rescue Service as a pararescueman before retiring in 1995. While in the Air Force he was active in the chapel program at many overseas bases, serving as head usher, choir member, and funds council committee member. He also was active in local church activities by serving as a Sunday school teacher, sound technician, youth group leader, VBS Director, deacon, Hurricane Iniki Relief team member to Kauai, and on a short term mission trip. Pastor Mike was stationed in the Philippines for three years and helped with assisting a pastor plant a church near Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga. After leaving the Philippines he was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base (Honolulu) for seven years until reassignment to a base in Virginia. Before coming back to Hawaii he served as associate pastor of Union Baptist Church in Achilles (Hayes), Virginia for four years. Pastor Mike also served as English language service minister at Peninsula Korean Baptist Church in Newport News, Virginia for two years. Pastor Mike was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Bakersfield, California. He graduated from South High, received an Associate of Applied Science degree from the Community College of the Air Force, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayland Baptist University (Hawaii extension). After retiring from the Air Force he attended Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, receiving a Master of Divinity degree in 1998. He is married to Sue (HyunSook Ko) formerly of Seoul, Republic of Korea. They have two children, Kathleen and Keith. Kathleen and her husband, Tim Thomas have given Mike and Sue one grandson and one granddaughter. All their children live in Yorktown, Virginia. Wai’alae Baptist Church opened a new preschool in August of 2008. Our church body was blessed to find a wonderfully gifted Preschool Director in
Danette K. Abe.
Danette was raised at WBC. She received her Child Development and Infant Toddler Degree in 1997 and has been working in early childhood education for the last 15 years, the last five years as a Director. She was also a member of the board for the Hawaii Baptist Early Education Association. Danette was excited at the opportunity to return and serve at her home church. Her deep love for Christ is reflected in her love for our children and their families. Danette's desire is that all children who attend WBP will not only know their ABC's, but most importantly know who Jesus is and that He loves them. Not only has our Preschool been blessed by Danette's leadership, but we have the strong support of her husband Ernest, who is also the Vice Principal of Waipahu High School. The two have raised three wonderful boys.Marissa Yanaga
Marissa has been serving as Program Director of the Alec and Belle Waterhouse Lecture Series (ABWLS) from March 2012. She also served as Program Director for ABWLS from 2003-2007 before she and her husband, Shelby, moved to the mainland to attend school at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Marissa and her family have been long time members at Wai’alae Baptist Church. She also graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy ( 99), Biola University ( 03), and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ( 10). Marissa and her husband have a two-year old daughter, Evangeline, and are expecting the arrival of their son in September 2013.Lilly Sumida
has attended Wai’alae Baptist since 1972 and has been serving as Administrative Coordinator since 1993. Lilly was born and raised in Okinawa and came to Hawaii after high school and graduated with a social science degree from Hawaii Pacific University. Lilly's uncle and family, long-time Wai’alae members, were instrumental in bringing Lilly to the Lord. Lilly enjoys teaching Bible study and is a co-teacher of a Couple's Sunday School class along with her husband Ron. The Sumidas have 2 married sons - the eldest lives here who is the Technology Solutions Leader at Healthways, Inc. and the younger son who resides in Philadelphia is an architect at Godshall Kane O-Rourke Architects. Lilly's pride and joy is her grandson, Micah.