KGF - Year In Review (2011 AGM Reports)
Every year at this time, we put together our Annual General Report, which is packed full of the finger-prints of God in our midst @ KGF! We are excited to have the 2011 reports now available. Hard copies will be at church Sunday but you can get a sneak peak and your own copy by clicking here. Below is my Senior Pastor report.
We celebrate our third anniversary on the pastoral team at KGF in March (where does the time go!) It’s an easy date to remember as Michelle and I began serving this amazing church family the month our youngest son, Nate, was born. In the midst of the great things that are happening, I love these moments when I can ponder and reflect back on the three things I believe God asked me to do when we first came to KGF.
1. Can you love the people?
2. Can you inspire hope?
3. Can you point people to Me?
That has become a great road map for me. My heart is to love whoever brings our way, to remind them that God is at work, and that He is good. It’s been so exciting to see what God has done with us along for the ride!
Looking back on 2011, it is humbling to see God’s hand of favor on this church. I remember starting the year with conversation about a second service, and now seeing how well it has gone for the past 5 months. To see our Christmas Eve services attended by more than 700 people was amazing! Thanks for trusting us enough to invite those you love most. Our slogan was “Room for More”, and that is indeed what has happened, opening up more space for people to know Jesus and make Him known! Sunday mornings are full and fun.
We couldn’t have done this without our incredible volunteers, especially in the area of worship, front lines, and kids ministries. You serve God and this church family so well with your gifts, and my prayer is that you would find joy in the journey! Thank you for saying yes!
However we must be careful to mark our success with numbers. As I shared at the State of the Church address in early January, I believe we are blessed to be a blessing. We as a church must constantly be turning our eyes beyond ourselves. That’s what’s so exciting about the Mission Action Team, which has been prayerfully working for six months to help discern which ministry partners KGF would do best moving forward with. 2012 is the year we put more feet to these opportunities.
One such opportunity that you’ll be hearing a lot about is the work of Compassion Canada, a fantastic child sponsorship organization that is seeing amazing things happen in countries all over the world. Michelle and I will be spending a week with their organization in Ecuador in February, and I couldn’t be more excited with what this will mean for our church family’s “blessing” potential. More to come!
It has been a joy to work with our staff team. Pastor Jinger, Laura, Judy and Shari make it a pleasure to go into work each day! Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this team, and for those who the Lord wants to add in 2012. We also extend a heartfelt appreciation to Kristi Cooper and Josh Smith who served this church family well. Beyond our staff team, I have the awesome privilege of working with a great board team, marriage mentoring team, design team, worship leader team and more. Thank you for sharing your gifts for His kingdom!
Some of the exciting community building opportunities in 2011 included a KGF camping weekend to Kettle River Provincial Park (in Rock Creek) last June (and again this coming June), as well as our church picnic & baptism in the lake in September. Life Groups, Women’s Ministries, Prayer Times, social gatherings and more are part of what makes KGF special. We continue to look for ways to create places of belonging, and pray that you will find your place in this family!
I have become increasingly appreciative of my “pastoral responsibilities” in the area of child dedication, weddings, funerals, baptisms, new members and more. I truly do love the local church. It is one of the most special places on earth!
On a personal level, as the church continues to grow, I recognize my need to pull away and be with Jesus. I am pretty consistent with my Wednesday prayer, vision, writing days, and I find quiet spots around the Central Okanagan to do that. I have also been so blessed by my Tuesday morning men’s prayer group. These 4 guys are a gift to me and this church family, as we intercede on behalf of each other and KGF.
What does 2012 have in store? Great things because we serve a great God! May we lean into our three core values afresh this year: Grounded in the Bible, Guided by the Spirit, Growing in Prayer. It’s so awesome to see those values being lived out by our church. Would the Word of God ground us, the Spirit of God guide us, and the presence of God grow in us. Thank you for your faithfulness in your walk with Jesus. It is a constant encouragement and blessing to me.
May we take more risks for Jesus this year. May we trust Him enough to give Him our yes before He asks. May we look for ways to know Him and make Him known. And may we see the fruit of His Spirit more and more at work in our lives. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22
I want my kids to graduate from KGF. That might be scary to you, but I would love to help shape a church that my kids can grow up knowing God’s love for them and being equipped to serve Him. That means another dozen years here! We’re in for the long haul, and ask that you would choose to give some of the best of your years to helping shape this amazing church family for His glory.
Speaking of kids, I wanted to close with a kids song that is a reminder of the God we serve.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there’s nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are his, the valleys are his, the stars are his handiwork too.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.
May you and I encounter this big, strong, and mighty God in fresh ways in the days, weeks and months to come. Know that you are loved!
Pastor Mike Penninga
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord turn His face to you and give you His peace.
Numbers 6:24-26