WAILUA — Sometimes, if you want people to go to church, you’ve got to bring the church to them.
So Steve and Vickie Franks of King’s Chapel Kauai are doing that — kind of.
“You have to have a place for them to come that’s easy for them to get to,” said Pastor Steve Franks. “If someone is looking for church, it has to be where they can find it.”
King’s Chapel is starting church services in Wailua, with the first at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Hilton Garden Inn ballroom. It will include music, sermon, worship and prayer. The Franks, who have led King’s Chapel Kauai for seven years, said it was time to expand north. They both noted that people generally aren’t wild about driving far for church, or anything for that matter.
While the distance between Hanamaulu and Kapaa is only six miles, it seems farther — far enough that folks would rather stay closer to home. So they’re going to the people.
“Families have been asking us to start something over there,” said Minister Vickie Franks. “Every church has its own flavor. Where families feel comfortable is where they want to be.”
King’s Chapel already has what it calls “life groups,” Bible study and home groups, in the Kapaa area.
“It’s always been planned we were moving in that direction,” Steve Franks said. “We just haven’t been able to find a place.”
“We’ve been praying for it,” Vickie added. “It’s time.”
King’s Chapel, which owns 14 acres in Hanamaulu, is almost ready to break ground and build a new home after it had to close its recognizable dome home there. It has since been holding Sunday services at Wilcox Elementary School and generally attracts about 130 people.
King’s Chapel also offers Sunday services at the Eleele Shopping Center, led by Pastor Monica Zenger. Later this month, April 22, that site will celebrate its 20th anniversary. There will be guest speakers, music and food.
Pastor Phil Marocco, who started King’s Chapel in Eleele in 1998, will be there. Service will be at 10:30 a.m. and the celebration at 12:30 p.m.
The Franks, who have been married 30 years, met in high school when Vickie moved to Steve’s hometown of Mountain View, Arkansas.
He and Vickie were with King’s Chapel in Maui, and came to Kauai to help start the Eleele extension.
King’s Chapel, which is an Assemblies of God denomination, has 180 churches worldwide. Steve Franks oversees about 15 churches in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
But now the focus is on the outreach to Kapaa and this Sunday’s service. It won’t hold one at Wilcox school this weekend.
The Franks said they don’t want to pull people from other churches.
“We’re trying to reach out to those who don’t go to church,” Steve said.
He said if all churches on Kauai are filled each Sunday, that means about 10,000 to 12,000 people are attending weekend service — which means about 60,000 are not in church.
“So, we’ve got to do a better job,” he said.
They do outreach through community programs. They offer things like Easter egg hunts, movies, dinners, music and games at special events.
“We’re always doing something,” Vickie Franks said.
They are seeing growth, Steve Franks said, and people are turning to God. Many young families are coming to church, Vickie said. But there is more work to do.
“This is a moment where God is speaking to us to expand,” he said.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
