Ernie is our Recovery Director & a Kamaaina born and raised on Oahu. He attended Punahou, several other public and private schools and graduated from Chaminade with a degree in Psychology. As a teen, he was a volunteer at the State Hospital where he developed a heart for helping others. He spent quite a few years gaining personal experience to share later with recovering people and ended up in the perfect ministry as a “wounded healer”. As of today, thanks to God’s Grace. he has been clean and sober for over 16 years. He has personal or family experience with alcoholism and addiction, grief due to divorce and loss of loved ones, and an aversion to mosquitos.

Ernie and his wife, met in a Connect Group and have been members of this church since the early weeks in 1983. They are firm supporters of Connect Groups, as members and hosts. Although Ernie initially found personal recovery in AA, he is convinced that only Jesus gives us the reason and ability to seek and sustain recovery as well as lead us into a productive and abundant life. You can usually locate Ernie by his very large black, fluffy dog, Koa!