August 17, 2013: Pastor Wayne Cordeiro responds to lawsuit against five churches, three of which are New Hope churches.

TEXT: You may already be aware through the news media, that a suit has been levied against five churches, three of which are New Hope churches: New Hope Oahu, Hawaii Kai, and Kapolei.

Let me emphasize this one thing: This suit was NOT brought by Farrington High School, the State, nor by the Department of Education. Instead, it was filed by an individual and his partner from a political action group. These are the same individuals that filed false reports causing our Christmas concert to be canceled from Farrington and Moanalua High Schools. The concert would have cooperatively helped the schools, the students, and the Mercy Ships, an organization that brings hope to thousands of disfigured children in the third world countries.

Let me personally assure you that regardless of what the media may have implied, our churches have always honored all agreements made with the Department of Education and its authorized agents for the use of public school facilities. We have met with school officials in the past and they have confirmed that nothing is owed.

In addition to paying the rent agreed, we have also volunteered hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade their facilities and equipment. In 2012 alone we paid a total of $459,000 in rent... and that's just for Saturdays and Sundays! And add to that, over the years, we have donated 2.4 million dollars in equipment, furniture, labor and services. We are committed to be a blessing to our community.

We, and the other churches have been, by far, the highest paying renters in the history of Hawaii's schools, and if this kind of suit passes, all that will cease. So as you can see, these frivolous suits can and will be damaging to Hawaii's children and our future.

This week, we met with a team of knowledgeable and experienced attorneys and we are currently assessing the proper response to these frivolous allegations and the resulting negative media coverage. We have dealt graciously with this kind of harassment in the past, but this time, we will take a very aggressive approach against these suits that disguise an ideological jihad against God loving families. If this suit passes, it will only increase their zeal to go after other churches ... but not just churches.... They go against the families that make up those churches, the parents, and the children and the thousands of people who claim Jesus Christ as Lord in these islands. They go against the lifeblood of Hawaii, which is helping one another reach common goals. They war against the many who know what kokua means and they disguise harmful intentions by mis-defining what it means to be pono.

The book of Nehemiah gives us a model to follow when Sanballat and Tobiah came to harass the people of Israel and discourage them. Nehemiah 4:7 tells us that their opponents got very angry because the walls were being repaired and that someone had come to look after the welfare of the people of Israel.

We too have committed our lives to the benefit of the people of Hawaii and around the world to reach them for eternal purposes and that their lives will be better because of it. Now, the same word that Nehemiah spoke to the people, I speak now to you. Here is his word from Nehemiah 4 ...

"Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses."

Please pray for us to stay focused on our mission that God has given us: to reach those far from Christ, disciple the believers, and to extend his Kingdom. So continue to stand strong in prayer and battle ... for God will be triumphant! You watch! You wait! You'll see!

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