Our Senior Pastor
Pastor Wendell was born in Los Angeles, in 1957. He was adopted by Dr. Oliver and Beatrice Choy, and brought to Hawaii. His father was the 50th state's first orthodontist, and helped to develop the system of using braces and wires to straighten teeth.
Wendell attended Kahala Elementary, Star of the Sea, and graduated from Punahou HS in the bicentennial year of 1976. Wendell then moved to the mainland to complete his education. He holds an AA from Menlo College, and a BS in business administration from the University of Redlands. He attended Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, and completed his Th.M and Ph.D degrees online.
After attaining his bachelor's degree, Pastor Wendell was accepted into Pepperdine University's Law School, and was on his way to becoming a lawyer. Wendell had hopes of becoming a state prosecutor. While waiting for his first semester to begin, he was compelled to attend a service at Calvary Church of the Coastlands, in Torrance, CA, by his mother. There, with his friend Steve Vierra, he heard Dr. Roy Blizzard teach about "The Blood Covenant", causing Christianity to "make sense" to Wendell for the first time. Both he, and Steve, went forward for the altar call that night. Within his first two months of being saved, Pastor Wendell had informed his father he would be attending seminary instead of law school, a decision that was not well received by his father. Wendell began teaching his first Bible study later that year.
In 1982, he married Patricia Jo Metcalfe from Palos Verdes, CA and in 1985, they moved to Hawaii, feeling compelled by the Holy Spirit to start a church. Calvary Church of the Islands (CCI), a "sister church" of Calvary Church of the Coastlands, was born. The church grew, and flourished in revival. Wendell and Patricia suffered a divorce in 1999, and Patricia moved to Huntington Beach, CA with their son, Joshua, who was 4 at the time. Pastor Wendell remarried Patricia Swallie, and also gained two step-daughters; Hoku and Kaimana Ho. Pastor Wendell left CCI to the brilliant Samoan preacher, Tiloi Lolotai, and then moved to Southern California to be close to his son.
Upon arriving in Orange Country, CA, Pastor Wendell and Patti started Ohana Christian Fellowship. The church grew, and is still vibrant in Huntington Beach, today. A couple of years after they moved, Pastor Wendell's mother, who handled their family's real estate business after Dr. Choy's passing, transferred all of the managerial responsibilities to Wendell. At the same time, Pastor Lolotai contracted Parkinson's disease, so Wendell had two compelling reasons to return to Hawaii. In 2005, Pastor Lolotai tearfully retired, and Pastor Wendell began pastoring CCI again. Many things had changed during the five year interim, but the Lord has been gracious and His power has brought a fresh anointing to Wendell's former calling.
Pastor Wendell and Patti Choy live in Manoa. Joshua (17) lives next door, with his mother. Hoku and Jeremy Clements live with their daughter Téalohi (1) in Dana Point, CA. Kaimana and Colin Farris live in Pasadena, CA with their son Desmond (2). Kaimana is currently pregnant and expecting to deliver a girl, in June 2010.
