Imagine getting a letter four weeks before Christmas that threatens to erase twenty-three years of ministry. That’s exactly what happened to Pastor Greg DeLaCruz and Living Way Church in Wailuku, Maui.

The $350,000 Cliff

In early December 2025, they were told they had to pay off their entire mortgage—$350,000—by New Year’s Eve. If they failed, the property would go to auction.

To understand the weight of this, you have to understand where this church sits.

They are in a neighborhood called “Happy Valley.” For a long time, the reputation there wasn’t “happy”; it was known for poverty, crime, and methamphetamine use.

A Lifeline in Happy Valley

But for two decades, Living Way was the only church in that community. They didn’t just hold services; they became a lifeline.

• Food for the Hungry: Every Friday morning, their parking lot turned into a food distribution center with “Feed My Sheep,” serving the hungry and the homeless.
• Sanctuary for the Hurting: They became a sanctuary for recovering addicts—people like Justin Souza, who said the church saved his life because the doors were always open to people who “looked like crap.”

They became the place for—and I love this quote—“people that other people don’t want.”

The Rallying Cry

Facing a $350,000 cliff, they went public with a simple plea: “If 15,000 people donate just $20, we can stay.”

They didn’t hit the cash goal immediately, but they hit something deeper.

The outcry was so loud, and the community support so visible, that on December 23rd—the night before Christmas Eve—they secured a partnership with an organization that refinanced the loan and saved the building.

The Hidden Balance Sheet

And here is the Ministry Minute for you today, Pastor: Living Way Church didn’t survive because it had great financial equity. They survived because they had massive relational equity.

When the crisis came, the community didn’t rally to save a building.

They rallied to save the people who had been saving them for twenty years.

It’s easy to get discouraged when you look at your budget sheet.

But never forget the hidden balance sheet of the lives you’ve touched, the hungry you’ve fed, and the addicts you’ve welcomed.

Keep making those deposits. Because when you truly serve your city, your city will fight to keep you.

I’m Justin Trapp, and this has been Ministry Minute.