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In April of 1979, in a Spring Conference at the Home in Tillicum, WA, the need for a Servicemen’s Home and Church in Hawaii was presented. An offering was raised, and Mom and Pop Gaylord volunteered to go and pioneer. NTCC has had a ministry to and for the military since that time. Housing has always been challenging as real estate is limited and very expensive in Hawaii. The first home was in a subdivision in Mililani, later the home and church moved to a large, dilapidated house on California Ave. The walls were exactly one layer of thin plywood (no insulation, no sheet-rock), the floors were weakened by termites and time, and the brethren lived in the basement. In spite of these rugged conditions, as many as 12 soldiers at a time lived here. Church services were held in the living room with the sounds of the Burger King drive thru and the smells of fast-food floating through the open windows.
Later, a storefront church building was leased and the home was housed in several different buildings. Our current home is in the business district, upstairs from a drug rehabilitation center. Many, many souls have been saved and called to ministry from this lighthouse. In the very early 80s rent had risen to over $1,200 per month – and it has continued to rise. We estimate that our rental expenditures in Hawaii have been close to a million dollars since 1979.
Enough is enough. We as a church aren’t leaving Hawaii ’til the rapture, and because we believed that God had something better for us, Pastor Cardenas began looking for property to purchase. In September 2017 the Lord gave us a home, a place of our own! It was a bank repossession that had been empty for 10 years. It was down to the studs in parts, the circuit panels had been stripped, much of the plumbing was gone, and squatters had invaded the premises. Despite all these challenges, we saw the potential to build a fantastic home! Two stories, 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, large enough to house the Servicemen's home and the church. Here’s a brief look at what’s been happening through the dedication, sacrifice and hard work of many! If you would like to be a part, head over to www.myntcc.org/hawaii and donate, the funds will go directly to this project.
God Bless you.
Visit our website at myntcc.org/hawaii
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