On Ana Lane in Waipahu, just off the busy roads that connect Oahu's central plain to Honolulu, Bethel Chapel Assembly of God has built its life around two commitments: pursuing Jesus and serving the people who live nearby. The Pentecostal church holds four Sunday services in two languages, runs a food distribution out of its fellowship hall, partners with a local elementary school in prayer, and operates a cash-only thrift store on church property. Its tagline, "We are a house that pursues Jesus," captures the conviction that drives both its worship schedule and its calendar of community events.
Bethel Chapel Waipahu belongs to the Hawaii Assemblies of God district and holds to the denomination's 16 Fundamental Truths. The church's ministry reflects the makeup of Waipahu itself, where one of Hawaii's largest Filipino-American communities calls home, and English, Ilocano, and Tagalog all share a place in the weekly schedule.
Sunday in Three Languages, Plus the Brewery
Sunday is the heart of the week at Bethel Chapel. Three morning services and one evening service fill the day:
- 8:00 AM English worship service
- 9:45 AM Ilocano worship service (held in the "white house" on the property)
- 10:00 AM English worship service
- 5:55 PM "Brewery" English service
Nursery care and Kingdom Keiki kids church are available during the morning services, giving parents a way to worship while their children are taught in age-appropriate settings. The evening Brewery service carries a different feel, occasionally spilling out into events like a movie under the stars. For Resurrection Sunday, the church adds a sunrise service at 6:00 AM on its basketball court, with breakfast to follow before the regular morning services continue.
Office hours run Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead before stopping by.
Midweek Ministries: Ilocano Bible Study and Tagalog Service
Beyond the Ilocano Sunday service, the church hosts an Ilocano Bible Study on Mondays at 7:00 PM, allowing Ilocano speakers to study Scripture in their first language during the week. On Thursdays at 7:00 PM, a Tagalog-language worship service gathers the church's Tagalog-speaking members for prayer and preaching in their heart language. Together with the Sunday services, these gatherings give Bethel Chapel a fully trilingual ministry across the week.
Youth and Children: Arrows, Kingdom Keiki, and Champions for Jesus
Middle and high school students meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM for UTH "Arrows," a youth ministry designed to lead students in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. For younger children, Kingdom Keiki kids church runs during the Sunday morning services, and nursery care is available for the smallest members of the family.
Each summer, Bethel Chapel runs Champions for Jesus (CFJ) Summer Adventure, a four-week program for children ages 5 to 13 that combines Bible stories, memory verses, music, and arts and crafts. Held on the church property and led by teen and adult volunteers, CFJ aims to give local children a safe and fun place to spend part of their summer while building godly character and friendships. The 2026 program runs June 1 through July 2 under the theme "Wonder Junction," and leader applications open early in the year.
Food Distribution with Aloha Harvest
Bethel Chapel partners with Aloha Harvest, a Hawaii food rescue organization, to redistribute food to neighbors in Waipahu and surrounding areas. Food distribution takes place in the church's fellowship hall on the first Wednesday of every month at 1:00 PM. Volunteers are asked to arrive about an hour and a half early to help set up, and recipients are encouraged to bring reusable bags, carts, or wagons. The partnership has become one of the church's most visible regular outreaches, and the church has also hosted additional Friday distributions on the third Friday of select months.
Waipahu Hall Outreach and School Prayer Walks
On the second Saturday of every month, Bethel Chapel members meet in the sanctuary to prepare "Aloha Bags" of snacks and then head to Waipahu Hall, a nearby residential facility, to pass them out to neighbors. During the Christmas season, the outreach expands into a Christmas Blessing, with the congregation collecting wish-list items for residents and gathering to hand-deliver the gifts.
The church also invests in the schools around its neighborhood. Prayer walks at August Ahrens Elementary School gather before the school day starts on alternating Fridays, with meeting spots that rotate between classrooms and the "Choose Love Aloha" mural on campus. A separate prayer walk takes place at Waipahu Elementary every Thursday at 2:45 PM, with participants meeting at the monkeypod tree. These regular outings are framed as an opportunity to pray for teachers, staff, and students at the schools that serve Bethel Chapel's community.
Redeemed Thrift Store and the Day Market
On the church property sits Redeemed Thrift Store, a cash-only thrift ministry that channels proceeds back into local initiatives and missions. The store's vision statement describes it as a way to "uplift those in need by redeeming goods and generating proceeds that directly support local initiatives & beyond." Store hours are Sundays from 12:00 to 2:00 PM and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Seniors aged 55 and older receive 10% off their entire purchase on Senior Tuesdays, and military members receive 50% off on Military Thursdays.
The store accepts donations of lightly used to new clothing (all ages), shoes, children's clothing and toys, small kitchen items, home décor, and miscellaneous household items. Large furniture, old computers, and iPads are not currently accepted.
A periodic Redeemed Day Market extends the thrift store's reach, with vendors, coffee, baked goods, clothing, and other goods available on the last Saturday of each month from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Proceeds from past night markets have benefited the JPO club at August Ahrens Elementary and the church's missions work.
The 16 Fundamental Truths
Bethel Chapel holds to the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God. The list includes the inspiration of the Scriptures, the one true God, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the fall of man, the salvation of man, the ordinances of the church (water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper), the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the initial evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, sanctification, the church and its mission, the ministry, divine healing, the blessed hope of the imminent return of Christ, the millennial reign of Christ, the final judgement, and the new heavens and the new earth. The congregation also commits to local community impact and foreign missions, with active support for missionaries and ministries through Bethel Ministries International.
Go and Do Missions Conference 2026
Each year, Bethel Chapel hosts a missions conference focused on mobilizing ordinary believers for the Great Commission. The 2026 Go and Do Missions Conference takes place August 21-23 at the church, under the theme "Here I am, Send Me" from Isaiah 6:8. The weekend opens with a Friday evening service at 6:30 PM, continues Saturday with morning Marketplace Missions breakout sessions covering healthcare, business, and education (lunch is included) and an evening service, and concludes Sunday with the regular 8:00 and 10:00 AM worship services followed by a 2:00 PM community outreach. Registration is free.
Featured speakers include Dr. Terry Wong, presbyter of the Hawaii Assemblies of God; Renee Lo, senior pastor of Bayview Chapel AG; Brian Lopez, lead pastor of Epicenter Church in the Philippines; and Rev. Rodel Del Pilar Umapas, lead pastor of Victorious Life Church in the Philippines.
Pastors, Staff, and Internship
Alan Bartolome serves as lead pastor of Bethel Chapel, with Boyet Jose serving alongside him as pastor. Donna Bartolome is the Hawaii AOG Women's Director. Reynaldo Bisnar leads the music ministry, and Mclester Regino serves as youth pastor.
The church also offers an internship program that combines office and administrative work, involvement in Sunday service planning, design of promotional materials, outreach participation, and event coordination. Interns study through Pathways, the online education program offered through the Assemblies of God for those pursuing credentials.
Giving is available online through Tithe.ly, and the church maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube under the Bethel Chapel Waipahu name. Some services, including the Worship Wednesday gatherings, are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and the YouTube channel hosts additional media. New visitors are warmly invited to share their information through the church's visitor form.