Mystery Worshipper: Brandi Anderson
Church:
Waikiki Beach Chaplaincy, Honolulu
Location: Hawaii, USA
Date of visit: Sunday, 22 June 2025, 10:00am
The building
This worship space is on Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, next to the Hilton hotel and other tourist traps. Volunteers come at 6am to begin erecting the church building, with rows of foldable white chairs and a makeshift canvas tent topper. There are actually several makeshift rooms in this building beside the gigantic Pacific Ocean and wide sandy beaches. The setup included a welcome booth on the sidewalk, a worship tent shading the musicians and speakers, and a ‘Need Prayer’ tent for anyone to come at anytime to soak up some prayers from volunteers.
The church
This church has been in existence for 55 years with the loving support of volunteers who believe in serving their community and loving and following Jesus.
The neighborhood
There are so many high rise hotels, bikes, surfboards, cruise ships, paddleboards, people, tents, beach umbrellas, chairs, people, sand, music, sounds… it’s unlike any other church neighborhood I have stepped into.
The cast
A volunteer gave the sermon. A young woman and man led worship. An elderly woman performed a sanctified hula dance. Four local Hawaiians performed an opening ceremony with the pū or conch shell. They stood in multiple directions blowing, making the most beautiful sound. Five local Hawaiians performed a sanctified Hawaiian sign language performance near the end of the service. The elder woman hula dancer led this group too. Her hair was the color of a butterscotch candy and her white dress and shell necklace made me question everything I thought I knew about who is a hula dancer, and even hula dancing in church. It was beautiful.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday Morning Service.How full was the building?
Mostly full. There were even beach chairs, wheel chairs, blankets, and groups hanging out beyond the white covered tents.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
A group of three women with a stack of Aloha Bibles, coffee, oranges, kids activitiy kids, and a Daily Bread devotional welcomed me. I asked if I could borrow a Bible for the sermon, and they kindly said, ‘Yes, and you can even have it if you love it.’
Was your pew comfortable?
The white plastic foldable chairs were not comfortable, but not uncomfortable. Think of a wedding venue with the foldable white chairs – a bit tiny for some, but still doable.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
There was bustling, excitement, sweat, anticipation, gladness, and a sense of welcome and joy.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘Good morning, everyone. Happy Sunday. We are going to start by worshipping our Lord.’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
The ‘Aloha is Love’ Bible. Words to music were projected on a screen behind the young woman playing the ukulele. There were scannable QR codes on the back of chairs to access music lyrics too. This group is on it.
What musical instruments were played?
Ukulele and a drum during the main service. Conch shells during the opening. Some recorded music for the hula and the ‘God Bless America’ tribute at the end of the service.
Did anything distract you?
Everything distracted me, but not in the worst way. I saw hundreds if not thousands of people on the beach, messing around, laughing, eating, yelling… all the things you do at the beach. I sat right next to the main sidewalk on Waikiki beach so at least 200 people passed me doing something during the service. This was somewhat funny because it was like we were part of a circus and the people walking by were the spectators.
When the worship music started, a middle-aged man living on the beach came and sat in the front row. He had a loud voice and clap and was really getting into worship. At first, I thought he was mocking us, but then I started to watch him and realized maybe this is what worship is all about – sobriety and a sound mind are not required to experience the love of Jesus Christ. The other elderly beach person in the front was passed out for most of the service, but would shout a ‘uh-huh’ or ‘halleluiah’ at the most opportune times during worship, making me think… these beach people know how to worship better that we do.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
The style was beachy. It was on a beach and literally people were there in their swimsuits, shorts, and bare feet. It was windy, loud, hot, and busy.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
About 40 minutes. Music stopped around 10.17am, there was the sanctified hula dance after that, and a few other announcements. We ended with the sinner‘s call and an invitation to be baptized in the ocean at 11:16am.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
5 — I don’t want to be too critical of the person giving the sermon, because he was a volunteer pastor who spent tireless days preparing the sermon, and even mentioned that. He appeared to be Hawaiian and was the father of two children. He wore a beachy outfit with a shell necklace and wire rimmed glasses. At one point he mentioned he was searching for wholeness with psychedelic drugs, but he was saved and now he’s free from that sin or those burdens. I would not have picked him out as a psychedelic drug user in a lineup of 500 people. He looked like a banker or a math teacher. The only thing that took me back a bit was that he said, ‘There is a clock running down on humanity – eternal life can start now.’
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
There were a few points from this sermon, and most came from John 4. This is the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. Jesus shares a cup with her, even though he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan (and they were not supposed to be together). Water is a metaphor for how we live, and we are all seeking eternal water. In John 7:37 Jesus says, ‘Let whoever is thirsty, come to me and drink.’ When he asked: ‘Have any of you experienced living water?’ it was silent for a second, and then the two beach people raised their hands. I just started to wonder if they were both in that church building by some divine force that was beyond what I could explain. The volunteer pastor rambled on a bit longer about acceptance, testifying, living a spiritual life, and seeing God as a spirit that is everywhere. He also tied in the sacred stories around the number 7 in the Bible. Jesus redeems the past, present and future. Everyone has sin and death, but only the lamb of God is the cure. He was urgent about the need to be saved and to have boldness to share our beliefs with the world.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The blue ocean. The Holy Spirit coming into the space through the wind. The beach people in the service, reminding us of what it means to love and follow. The music was so beautiful I did not want to sing and ruin it.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
It was getting hot. And from what I hear, hell is a hot place. The two dogs in front of me were capital ‘H’ HOT and I cannot help but think they were experiencing a bit of fire as they laid in the hot sticky sand, looking for water or some basic relief. Their owners were not phased by the lack of water in the least. I watched on, the dogs making me feel the urge for a cold drink. There was also some rambling during the welcome and the sermon that could have been eliminated, especially the hints about ‘get saved, get baptized, or go to hell.’
It was a tad awkward when the volunteer pastor mentioned 9/11 and then asked for military people to stand. They did and then he asked for first responders to stand, and they did. And apparently, they were to get a token of some kind, but I did not see the token and I do not know what it said. Some of those standing never did get a token passed out by a tall volunteer who was undoubtedly hot and wanting to get the service over. But on it went. The military and first responders were standing, ‘God Bless America’ was blaring, the hula elder was smiling on, beach people wailing a bit, beachgoers looking on like we are part of a circus, the rapture might come, and I am thinking to myself… this is church.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Well I did not hang around for long, or else things would have gotten wild and I might have ended up baptized in the ocean. It was hot after over an hour in the sun and sand, and I needed a non-alocholic drink.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
There was coffee before the service. At one point someone gave some water to people in the congregation, but I was not lucky enough to score a cup. There were oranges and possibly some cookies.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7 —Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Mostly.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The beach people moaning and the elderly hula dancer performing a sanctified hula dance.