At Punahou School, the spiritual landscape has evolved over time, and right now, it is thriving. Last year marked the founding of three Christian-centered clubs on campus, each striving to establish its presence. This year, each of these clubs have gained their footing and flourished, actively engaging students in diverse and meaningful ways. Each club offers a unique approach to explore Christian faith, and fosters a deeper sense of community among students seeking to grow spiritually.
This year, Motet Sensei is the teacher for Japanese IV Honors, Advanced Heritage, and Intermediate Heritage Japanese. In an interview, she shared that she grew up in a Buddhist household, but, driven by curiosity at a tender age, she felt as though she couldn’t bow to her ancestors, as she wondered whether they might’ve done things she couldn’t condone.
When she grew up, she attended the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan where she really began to explore the Christian faith, and developed a closer relationship with God. However, she always felt as though something was missing. She could never identify what it truly was that God did for us. That was until she heard the phrase: “God is Love.” Fast forward to today: she is at the heart of the Christian fellowship movement at Punahou Academy, and is an advisor of the original Bible Club and the Discipleship Clubs, and her dedication to guiding students in their faith journey has been instrumental in shaping this promising new chapter for Christian fellowship and worship at Punahou. According to Motet Sensei, “Bible Club is a community where people can share their stories and experiences.”
Bible Club started in the 2023-2024 school year by Noah Matsuda ‘24, who is the brother of the current Bible Club leader, Joy Matsuda ‘27. At Bible Club’s very first meeting, Motet Sensei thought there would only be two people that would show up. She was surprised to find more than twenty attendees. Since then, Motet Sensei has completely placed the Bible Club’s future in God’s hands. The current Bible Club leaders are Lydia Son ‘27, Kiana Ramos ‘27, Irene Son ‘27, and previously mentioned Joy Matsuda ‘27. Meetings are held on D-days from 11:30-12:30 in Griffiths 207.
“Bible Club fosters a sense of community by growing a family of brothers and sisters to create a community that is loving, understanding, and always willing to be there for you,” said Lydia Son ‘27. “Currently, we have three clubs that are open to anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible, have fellowship, or simply have some good pizza.”
The Bible Club has a unique focus towards creating discussions among Christian Academy students. Son explained, “Our club is a deeper study that focuses on a different topic each meeting. Through these meetings we make time to talk and deepen our understanding of the word and God’s reason for everything. Compared to PCA and Discipleship Club, I think that Bible Club goes more in depth on how to live a more righteous Christian lifestyle whereas Discipleship Club and PCA are ways to evangelize and introduce others to christianity.”
Son believes that the journey with Christ is everlasting, and the Bible Club aims to provide a place for fellow Christians to talk and learn more about the word of Christ. It encourages them to grow and share thoughts and thus help them to gain a better understanding of their faith. The Bible Club, Son hopes, is a safe and welcoming environment for students of diverse religious backgrounds.
“Whether you don’t know anything about the Bible or have been a Christian all your life, it doesn’t matter when you are at the feet of God,” Son said. “Bible Club is simply a time to learn and talk about the word in hopes of bringing one more soul to God.”
When asked about Bible Club’s personal influence on her, Son ‘27 said: “I think it’s a mindset that helps me keep my stance. Knowing that there is one true God who creates us and the world makes it so much easier to live out life no matter the different distractions I face. And yes, despite that, I do sometimes get distracted. Talking to my members at Bible Club helps me to regain my place and find a sense of home on our campus.”
Punahou Christian Association (PCA) was originally founded in the 2023-2024 school year by Maulama Kimata ‘24, Asa McCauley ‘25, Esther Chan ‘24, and Kenton Chan ‘27. Today, the leaders of PCA are Kenton Chan ‘27, Pohaku Figueira ‘26, Asa Shimizu ‘26, Kayle Kaneshiro ‘25, and Odin Kiyabu ‘25, and their advisor is Señor Gutierrez, who teaches Spanish II and Spanish III.
“Our club fosters a sense of Christian community on campus because we provide a place for students that are Christian to fellowship with one another,” said Chan ‘27. “Our club helps members grow in their faith primarily by inviting speakers to come to our club and teach Christian lessons to the club members. So far, our club hasn’t yet organized outreach programs; however, in the future, we do hope to do some community service (i.e. feeding the homeless, etc…). Our club is open to all students, regardless of religious backgrounds. From there, we try our best to invite those that aren’t yet Christian to come to know the joy and peace that is found in Jesus; however, we keep the invitation open and don’t try to force religion upon anyone. Our Christian club primarily focuses on outreach, while the other Christian clubs primarily focus on fellowship and Bible study for students that are already Christian. As a whole, we hope that our club can not just spread the gospel throughout Punahou, but also spread Christian values such as love, joy, and peace. This year, the main memory verse of our club is, ‘So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’”
Discipleship Club was originally founded in the 2023-2024 school year Diesel Kahawai ‘24, and is currently led by Luke Manago ’25, Liam Marlin ’26, and Brayden Ward ‘27, with Motet Sensei being the advisor of the club. According to Ward ‘27, the main goals of the Discipleship Club are to “foster Godly relationships.” Led by their mission statement, “Loving God and others by inviting them into relational discipleship through small group discussion & fellowship,” club members aim to get to know God, and to treat relationships with others accordingly.
“With this goal in mind, relationships on and off campus are more Godly,” said Ward ‘27. “Our club is for anyone on their spiritual journey, from non-believers to strongly devout Christians. I think that talking with others about God can be very helpful for your journey in faith and that is what our club offers. Our club is very open to everyone, and our club accepts anyone of any religious belief,” Ward continued. “Our questions in our meetings are questions anyone can answer, but still have Christian motives. I hope my club will change my classmates’ view on the world and each other, and get others to love one another because God loved us first.”
These Christian clubs represent more than just places for worship—they are a testament to Punahou students’ commitment to fostering community and embracing deeper and more diverse spiritual journeys among the Christian faith on campus.