Leadership
Senior Pastor Guy and Claudine Kapeliela
There are few gentle giants in the world. Guy Kapeliela is one of them. Humble, humorous and real, he captivates people when he speaks. His love for God and compassion for the lost puts people at ease instantly. The world needs more people like him. May you be comforted, strengthened, encouraged and inspired by his story of God’s grace.
Guy Kapeliela is the Senior Pastor of God Squad Church. He is married to Claudine and is the father of three wonderful children. Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, Pastor Guy found himself looking for meaning in his life. He turned to drugs, alcohol, and violence which nearly destroyed him. In 1985, while attending college in Fresno, California, Pastor Guy accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Through God’s grace, the bondage of substance abuse was broken and Pastor Guy’s life was restored.
During a mission trip to Tonga, God gave Pastor Guy a vision that he would plant a church in his hometown of Kailua and it would minister to the surrounding communities. In 1999, God’s prophesy was fulfilled when Pastor Guy opened the doors to Hope Chapel Olomana. In February 2008, Pastor Guy and his family relocated to Kapolei and felt a pressing on his heart to minister in his new hometown.
On August 7, 2011, they obeyed the calling that God placed on Pastor Guy’s heart and left the comforts of Hope Chapel Olomana, the church they planted 13 years earlier. He and Claudine took a leap of faith and started an extension service of Hope Chapel Olomana in Kapolei under the name Hope Chapel Second City. Birthed in their backyard with just 40 people, this ministry continues to grow under its current name, God Squad Church. The Kapolei service is now held at Kapolei High School. There are also two extensions, one in East Oahu (Kaneohe) that was planted in 2016, and the Kawaihae extension on Hawaii Island that was planted in 2018.
Life Scripture:
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (NLT Ezekiel 36:26)