Kellie entered into the presence of the Lord on Monday, December 29th and is now absent from her cancer riddled body awaiting her glorified body, which she will receive at the pre-tribulation rapture when we who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at which time we’ll be with all our loved ones, countless multitudes of believers and infinitely more importantly we’ll all be with our Bridegroom forever.

I truly hope you all know that Kellie made it very clear to our 3-adult children and myself, that she so longed to be with Jesus knowing that the Lord would take care of us as her family until that glorious day and hour of which no man knows. This was always her blessed assurance and remains ours now more than it ever has.

As for celebrating Kellie’s life and rejoicing in her eternal life, please kindly grant me the much-needed time to make plans as we navigate this difficult time for both us as a family and you as a church family. Once plans are in place, I’ll let you know as soon as possible and Lord permitting I’m also hoping to announce that I’ll be returning to the pulpit sooner now. Please know your grace and love in my absence has been overwhelming.

I cannot even begin to thank you all enough for allowing me this extended time out of the pulpit to have one last wedding anniversary with my wife in which we celebrated 37-years of marriage and 39-years together. I also cannot thank you all enough for allowing me to be out of the pulpit to celebrate our last Thanksgiving and Christmas together with Kellie. The Lord in His amazing grace and unending love knew we needed this.

Lastly, while we certainly appreciate your thoughtful kindness sending flowers and providing food, we would kindly ask you to just simply pray for us instead. I miss you and love you so, so, so much and I’m looking forward to seeing all of you again as soon as I’m able. I’m just ever so grateful for you being patient with me.

Until,

jd

We will not be having a mid-week services on Thursday, December 25, 2025 or Thursday, January 1, 2026.

Merry Christmas, and Blessings,

Calvary Kaneohe

First, I truly hope you know that Kellie and I are so very thankful to all of you as a church body both here locally and online virtually. We can’t thank all of you enough for your overwhelming love, your understanding, your patience, your respecting of our family’s privacy and infinitely more importantly your prayers. While I’d love nothing more than to have the praise report that God has miraculously healed my wife, I am unable to!!!

But God, for reasons that are known only to Him, has seemingly deemed it fit to delay and prolong what we were told was terminal and inevitable. As such, we’re looking not to the physician, respectfully, rather, we’re looking only to the Great Physician, eternally. This by faith, as we continue to live our lives together as a family one day at a time, knowing full well Kellie’s condition could take a sudden turn for the worse overnight.

To the question of when I will return to the pulpit, Lord willing and permitting it should be soon and very soon. However, please kindly allow me just a little more time, as I want and need the time, to be a husband for my wife as well as being a father for our 3-adult children all of whom really need me during this very difficult time.

In the meantime, I’ll always have a hard time expressing the blessing of how gracious you all have been to us in the love you all have for us. We will continue to wait on the Lord, pray to the Lord, look upon the Lord and trust in the Lord to do that which only He can according to His will, in His time, in His way all for His glory.

Until,

jd

Thursday, September 4, 2025

After first and foremost seeking the Lord and in concert with seeking an abundance of godly counsel, it’s clear that the time has now come for me to take the time off to be with my wife, who, as you know, has entered into an end-of-life, quality-of-life care due to the cancer swiftly spreading throughout her brain.

As such, starting this Sunday, September 7th, Pastor Leitu and Pastor Mac will begin filling in for me as long as is needed until I’m able to return. This for what could be an extended period of time in order for me to have enough time to be by the side, of my bride, for as long as I can, while I still can, as I have for our 37-years of marriage, whether “in sickness or in health”, and now, “till death do us part”.

Please know that we cannot thank you all enough for your overwhelming love and prayers. Also, we are most grateful to all of you for understanding and respecting our privacy during this painful time of grief and sorrow. While we still believe, by faith, that Kellie could miraculously, even instantly be healed by Jesus, we are preparing for her home going to be with Jesus.

Lastly, I will try to provide updates, in as much as I’m able and please know that I’m ever so appreciative of the grace, patience and kindness you’ve shown to my family and myself. I truly hope you know that I will miss you all so much, and that I love you all so much!!!

Until,

jd

Sunday, August 31, 2025

As many of you know, my wife Kellie, has been battling a very aggressively
spreading form of cancer for the last 2-years now.

While several people have been requesting an update, we were waiting on the Lord
for the right time to provide that update, and that time is now. Kellie and I knew
and decided it was time to update you, and also express our profound gratitude to you,
for all your overwhelming love, support, and more importantly prayer.

After numerous trips to the hospital over the last month and a half,
we learned and knew that the cancer had, and still is, swiftly spreading.
So-much-so, that we also learned that it had spread throughout her brain,
meaning she’s in “Stage-4” cancer, which is incurable, and terminal.

Absent an unmistakable, unquestionable and supernatural miracle from our God and
Great Physician as the God Who heals, which we continue, by faith, to petition the
throne for, it seems that she’s probably going to be home with the Lord soon.

As such, we’ve opted for in home, “end of life”, comfort care, as we continue in prayer,
mainly for relief from her excruciating pain. Please know that we are not seeking
any pity, we’re seeking only prayer.

For those who have been so thoughtful in sending us valuable information about
alternative treatments and protocols, please know that we have not only known
about them, but have been, and still are following them and utilizing them, doing
everything and anything we can. However, for reasons known only to our all-knowing
and unconditional loving God, all we’ve done by way of those treatments and
protocols has been to no avail, which I hope to briefly expound on, Lord willing, this Tuesday.

Also, for those who know Kellie, she’s a very private person, and has become even
more so because the Lord has seemingly made me such a public figure, which I
never sought to be, nor wanted to be. Be that as it may, she’s now at the point where
she’s physically unable to have any visitors, and we are so very thankful to you for
respecting our privacy, especially now during this difficult time of grief and sorrow
for our family.

As for me taking time off to have as much time with Kellie and our adult children;
after much in the way of praying and fasting, and also with me having my wife’s
blessing, I’m remaining in the pulpit, Lord willing, at least for now, as long as I can,
until the Lord makes it clear that the time has come for me, as my first ministry, to
be with my wife as long as I can, while I still can.

That time may come sooner than we had originally anticipated, given that Kellie’s
condition has rapidly deteriorated. Pastor Leitu and Pastor Mac, both of whom are
truly a God sent gift, are at-the-ready to fill-in for me, as long as is needed, until
such a time as I’m able to return, which at this time, we simply don’t know. But
God does know, as the only one who numbers of the days of her life, and knows the
day of her death, which according to scripture we do know her very life and her
every breath are in His hands.

Lastly, you have been most gracious and understanding to my family and myself
over the years when I’ve taken time off to be with my family, and for that, I simply
cannot thank you enough. As your pastor, which is my profound privilege and
honor to be, it’s such an encouraging blessing, knowing that you’ll be continuing in
your understanding, at a time when our family needs it the most. So, I truly thank
you all so very much, and I truly love you all so very much!!!

jd

Thursday, July 17th, 2025

Praise Report from Pastor JD,

By the grace, mercy and unfailing love of God, the power of all the prayers and cries and the faith that only God gives, we’re trusting that Kellie will be released from the hospital tomorrow, (Friday) and return home.

This after her amazing recovery from the second emergency spinal cord surgery where the cancer had spread to, which is without question in the natural, the miraculous hand of God in the supernatural.

As of now, I’m planning, Lord willing, to be back in the pulpit this Sunday, July 20th. This by any standard was impossible, But God is the God of the impossible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all so, so, so much for your prayers for my bride!!! God heard, God moved and God answered!!! To God be all the glory due His Holy Name!!!

With all my love from all my heart,

jd

———————-

Sunday, July 13th, 2025

Prayer Update from Pastor JD,

While salvation is our most valuable possession, prayer is our most powerful possession and Kellie and I are unspeakably grateful for all your prayers and cries, as God is hearing from on high and hearkening unto the voice of our cry. So powerful are all of your prayers that our Great Physician guided the hands of the physicians performing the first of two emergency spinal cord surgeries scheduled over a 4-day period from
which Kellie is now recovering and recuperating prior to the 2nd upcoming major spinal cord surgery that’s tentatively set for tomorrow, (Monday).

So powerful are all of your prayers that God, in His amazing grace and unfathomable love, saw us through and got us past the alarming diagnosis that the cancer had aggressively spread to her bones, which placed Kellie into what they call the “golden hour”, which is a 24-hour period of time to perform an emergency spinal cord surgery of this magnitude knowing the risks of her becoming a quadriplegic, or even worse, resulting in her death.

While we’re believing only, and trusting fully, in the Lord, we’re also still realistic about Kellie not being “out of the woods yet”. This after having been fully apprised of the risks associated with delicate spinal cord surgeries and their propensity to permanently damage the central nervous system that God so fearfully and wonderfully made in us, and for us. As such, please, please, please keep praying effectually, fervently and powerfully for a complete recovery and more importantly a miraculous healing, all for God’s glory, and God’s alone.

Doubtless many of you know that bone cancer is no joke and is usually seen as “game over”. But God!!! But God, as only He can, through the power of prayer is turning “game over” to “game changer”. So-much-so that not only are we out of the aforementioned “golden hour” of serious life-threatening risk, which was a God “game changer”, so too are we out of the first critical surgery, which lasted well over 5-hours and was also a
God “game changer”.

Any and all of God’s “game changer” miracles can only be attributed to prayer that God hears and moves in an
unmistakable way. By unmistakable I mean, the way that the team of 17 in the operating room on stand by for
blood transfusions and other contingencies for complications that typically arise when performing complex and
risky operations such as this, were not needed!!! Why? Because all we needed was the Great Physician, our
God and Savior Jesus Christ, to be in that operating room!!! AND HE WAS!!!

Again, Kellie and I have no words to express how thankful we are for your overwhelming support and your
prayer during this difficult time of need in which we find ourselves. I continue to stay by the side of my bride in
the hospital with Elias, Levi and Sabia when able. This has brought us closer together as a family, and
infinitely more so, closer to the Lord.

Lastly, you remain in the very loving pastoral care and teaching of both Pastor Leitu and Pastor Mac until I’m
able to return, which Lord willing, will be as soon as possible. I so appreciate the grace and love you’ve all
shown to my family and myself and I’m sorry that I cannot be in the pulpit until my wife, the love of my life, is
back home and recovering. Also, thank you for understanding that I don’t have time to respond to those who
have called, emailed or texted me, as the entirety of my time and focus is devoted to Kellie as we keep our
eyes on Jesus, knowing the love of Jesus, never fails!!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart; with all of my heart,

jd

July 10, 2025

First and foremost, Kellie and I cannot thank all of you enough for praying. Please, please, please continue to pray, specifically concerning the aggressive spreading of the Cancer to Kellie’s spine requiring two major emergency spinal cord surgeries over the next 4-days.

Actually, this is already unmistakably the Lord hearkening unto the many prayers and cries, as initially Kellie was in what they call the “golden hour”, which is a 24-hour period of time to perform an emergency spinal cord surgery of this magnitude with the risks being that she could become a quadriplegic, or worse, it would result in her death.

I’m staying by Kellie’s side in the hospital and Elias, Levi and Sabia are here when they’re able, especially on the 2-surgery days. This has brought us closer together as a family, and more importantly it has brought all of us closer to the Lord during our time of need. He alone is the Great Physician Who we look to, trust in and rely upon.

As such, you will be in the very loving pastoral care and teaching of both Pastor Leitu and Pastor Mac until I’m able to return, which Lord willing, will be as soon as possible. I appreciate the grace and understanding you’ve all shown to my family and myself and I’m sorry that I cannot be in the pulpit until my wife is back home and recovering, which by faith we are trusting the Lord for and even in advance thanking the Lord for.

Lastly, I’ll provide “prayer updates” in as much as I’m able and again, we cannot even begin to thank all of you enough for praying. In the meantime, I just don’t have the time to respond to those who have called, emailed or texted me, as the entirety of my time and attention is devoted to my bride as we keep our eyes on Jesus!!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart; with all of my heart,

jd

Aloha Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As many of you know, on Sunday April 21st, 2024 (see video), I announced that the Board of Directors adopted a resolution on March 17th, 2024, to disaffiliate from Calvary Chapel, and out of respect, we subsequently removed the “Calvary Chapel Kaneohe” sign from the exterior of our building shortly after.

This weighty decision was bathed in much weeping, praying and fasting by the Board of Directors, Pastors, and staff for well-nigh 4-years now commencing in 2020, with Covid-19 and the so-called “vaccine”. Sadly, we came to the heartbreaking realization that we were no longer walking together in agreement, (Amos 3:3).

While we’ve disaffiliated from Calvary Chapel, we’re still committed to Pastor Chuck Smith’s “original” Calvary Chapel Distinctives and will continue to abide by them, as in every respect we still function as a Calvary Chapel, though no longer affiliated with Calvary Chapel. So-much-so that we’ll continue to offer Pastor Chuck’s book, “The Calvary Chapel Distinctives” to anyone at no cost, as we always have for many years.

There will be absolutely no changes with the exception of our name, which will now simply be, “Calvary Kaneohe”. This after seeking the multitude of counsel (Proverbs 11:14), so as to maintain transparency and remain above reproach, which we have, by God’s grace, for 20-years, since I first planted this church in 2004.

It’s of paramount importance to understand that there is no ill will towards Calvary Chapel, any Calvary Chapel Pastors or affiliated ministries, rather, we deemed it prudent to officially and legally disaffiliate in a God honoring way so as to not cause any further and unnecessary consternation or division, specific to our “controversial” Bible Prophecy Updates, which we’ve done weekly, for about 18-years, since back in 2006.

We remain committed to, and will continue with, simply teaching the Bible simply, book-by-book, chapter- by-chapter and verse-by-verse as Pastor Chuck always taught us to. Furthermore, we are most compelled and even constrained to always preach only the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and teach Bible prophecy in this, the last hour, so as to get Jesus to people and people to Jesus; as many as we can, and as quickly as we can.

Please know that we cannot thank you all enough for your overwhelming love and kindness to us in this regard. We continue to receive words of encouragement, which are numerous and voluminous, and for which we are most grateful to the many who are taking the time to email, write, and or post your unwavering support of, and steadfast agreement with, this most difficult decision.

We appreciate your patience with us, and covet your prayers for us, moving forward as we navigate this unchartered territory, especially for myself, as the privileged pastor of this most amazing and loving church, both locally and internationally. I’ve been with Calvary Chapel for over 42-years now, since back in 1982, and have planted and pastored two Calvary Chapels in 25-years of those 42-years, beginning back in 1999.

Lastly, and very importantly, our disaffiliation from Calvary Chapel is not synonymous with my disassociation from Calvary Chapel pastors, as I personally have many dear friends who are Calvary Chapel pastors, from whom I receive godly counsel, and to whom I am also accountable, and with whom I am still in fellowship.

Until, jd

The updated and expanded Religious Exemption Letter is now available.

Please visit the EXEMPTION page on jdfarag.org to request a Religious Exemption Letter or to access supporting information and resources.