Lihue Missionary Church launches scholarship for future ministry leaders

Lihue Missionary Church used its Grad Sunday service to put a new $5,000 scholarship in front of Kauai families looking for a path into ministry. The annual Lihue Missionary Church Vocational Ministries scholarship, established in 2026, was awarded to Joshua Martin, a graduate of Hawaii Technology Academy, during the church’s May 17 celebration.

The award was designed to do more than help with tuition. Church leaders said it was created to support and encourage students who feel called to serve in ministry on Kauai, a need that can be especially important on an island where churches often help shape volunteer networks and community leadership. The scholarship gives local students a financial starting point while keeping the focus on service, not just schooling.

Priority for the award goes to students who are actively involved with a missionary church, show a strong calling to ministry and maintain deep ties to the Kauai community. Martin fit that profile through his leadership in youth activities and his participation in mission trips to Mexico, which church leaders viewed as evidence of a steady commitment to serving others. He is the son of Pastor David and Amy Martin.

Grad Sunday was not only about one scholarship. The church’s bulletin identified three graduating seniors honored that morning: Josh Martin, Kekoa Miyasato and Nate Schmaeling. Lunch followed the service, underscoring that the scholarship announcement was part of a broader celebration of local students finishing high school.

The new award also fits into Lihue Missionary Church’s larger ministry-training work. The church says it offers a free, two-year training program for ministry licensing in the Missionary Church U.S.A., a track meant to raise up future leaders for vocational ministry. The scholarship extends that pipeline by helping a Kauai student move from local church involvement into formal higher education and ministry preparation.

Martin plans to attend Bethel University in Indiana this fall. Bethel’s Ministry Scholars program combines undergraduate and graduate education in a five-year track and is built to prepare students for effective ministry through discipleship, co-curricular experiences and fieldwork in local churches and ministry settings. The program also includes eligibility for a $5,000 Kern Scholar Scholarship, another sign that Martin’s path now runs from Kauai to a broader ministry network.

For Kauai families weighing faith-based education, the new Lihue scholarship shows how local churches can help launch students into service careers that start at home and may eventually return there.