By Gavin Arucan | Staff Writer

Mind Above, one of this semester’s new clubs, was started by the current president of the club, Michael Olson, and his friends who all went to church together at the Honolulu International Christian Church.

The ministry club came to fruition when Olson noticed that there were only a few active Christian clubs on the KCC campus, and he wanted to form his own. Mind Above offers open discussions and Bible studies three days a week for students to come together, get to know each other, share their faith, and study the teachings of Jesus.

“It’s also a great way to build character,” Olson said. “One of the cool things I like about Christianity is the nobility behind it.”

The Bible studies are open to anybody on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. on the Kamōkila floor of the ʻIliahi building, which is where Subway is located. The club leaders have been inviting students around campus to attend the discussions through word of mouth, and a couple of interested students have stopped by at many meetings to study with the club.

“Some of the students who come have been thinking outside the box a bit,” Olson said. “Sometimes a student will get in a rut about school or paying bills, so we encourage them to see a little bit beyond that and focus on what may be more important spiritually. That’s why the club is called Mind Above.”

Olson is also actively looking for community service projects for the club to do in the future. Unfortunately, his busy schedule limits what he can do, but he’s always envisioned the club helping out in the community since its inception. He and his church buddies have done volunteer work outside of the club, including helping out at the Next Step Shelter, which is a homeless shelter, during the Christmas season for the last six years.

Mind Above hopes to become a club that will always be there for the students of KCC and help them improve their lives.

“School is a stressful place and a lot of crazy things happen. It’s a turning point for a lot of people who are growing up in life and aren’t sure how to overcome certain obstacles,” said Olson. “We want to provide a way for people to grow and overcome those obstacles.”