KGF Summer Update - What's in Store?
Summer is here and I for one am excited to enjoy all the Okanagan has to offer! I wanted to send out this letter to connect with everyone in our church family as we take a moment to look back and ahead.
It’s been an incredible journey over this past year. I love seeing all the kids and young families feeling at home at KGF. I have enjoyed the many conversations with individuals who have been away from church for a long time finding a church home. It’s amazing to see people stepping up in areas of service. I have been blown away by the generosity of this church family. All in all, it’s so fun to be excited for church!
I recognize there have been a lot of changes in the look and feel of KGF and that can be difficult, as there is a lot of history here (50 years!) And yet through it all, I have so appreciated the grace and openness with which these changes have been received. Still, I am under no illusion that we are going to be able to shape a place that will meet everyone’s needs. Ministering in a multi-generational church can be challenging, but also so rewarding. For those who have sacrificed personal preferences and style, I want to say thank you. I pray that we will all get to see the fruit of our efforts in a kingdom sense.
Again, I can’t say enough about the men and women that have and do serve on our board. These people love KGF and have the church’s best at heart. They sacrifice time and energy to help create a place of belonging where people can discover Jesus and be equipped to follow him. Thank you!
It’s been a season of transition in staffing. May 1st we welcomed Kristi Cooper in the area of Kids Minstry and Josh Smith in the area of Worship. Both have hit the ground running with big visions, and are a joy to work with. We also say thank you to Kevin Loewen, who worked on staff with our youth ministry since January 2009. Kevin has stepped down to pursue other full time ministry opportunities. We are looking to present some ideas to the congregation at the September 26th membership meeting.
It’s been exciting to see the way our church has once again got on board with the Baby Bottle Campaign for the Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Center. This year, we were able to raise $6,332, beating our goal of $5,000. A generous donor and topped up our giving by 50% (and a bit) donation making the final donation $10,000! That’s incredible people!
We have another opportunity this month to be generous with our community, as we launch our second annual “Christmas in July” Food Bank Campaign. The goal is to raise 2000 pounds of food (equivalent to $6,000 donation). We’re asking each person to donate between 5 and 10 pounds of food. You’ll get the full picture on July 4th and receive bags and shopping lists on Sunday July 11th. This is such a great way to be the hands and feet of Jesus in practical ways. Looking forward to this group project!
As you are probably aware, our summer message series is entitled “Building on the Rock”. It’s an 11 week look at the Sermon on the Mount, and will take us through to September 5th. If you miss a week or two, you can catch up online.
Speaking of our website, it has really come along since we re-launched it in September. You can find messages, testimonies, videos, resources, events, and photos, lots of photos! If you haven’t been online lately, do check it out, www.kgfchurch.com. And when you’re there, sign up for our weekly email update on the front page. That way you’ll be sure to be on top of everything that is happening around KGF.
One of the big “happenings” around here is our 50th Anniversary Celebration. We are setting aside Thanksgiving Weekend to celebrate the goodness of God over these past fifty years. So mark your calendars now. Friday October 8th we’ll have an informal meet and greet at the church with displays that show the journey of our church since 1960. Saturday October 9th is our big banquet, and this is going to be amazing. Special guest speakers, music, great food. Tickets will be $20 and will be on sale in August. And then Sunday October 10th (which happens to be 10-10-10) at 10am, we’re having a big 50th Anniversary Celebration service. Wow!
As part of that weekend, we want to release a new Pictoral Directory of our church family. To do that, we need to take everyone’s pictures. There will be no cost to having your pictures taken (and we really do want everyone to be in this album). We’ll be taking pictures here at the church over a three-week period, from August 22nd to September 5th. Stay tuned for more info.
Here are some other dates for your calendar:
Sunday August 22 – Child Dedication, 10am service
Sunday August 22 – Newcomers Lunch Out, 11:30am, Fireside Room
- Board Visioning Retreat @ Big White
Sunday August 29 – Baptism / Membership Class, 7pm
Sunday September 12, Kickoff Sunday - 10am
New Series “The Life You Were Made For” 1 John Study
Sunday September 19 – Lake Baptism & Church Picnic, 12:30 – 3:30pm, Kinsmen Park
Sunday September 26 – Congregational Meeting, 7pm
Saturday October 9 - 50th Anniversary Celebration Banquet, 6pm
Sunday October 10 – 50th Anniversary Celebration Service, 10am
Sunday October 10 – “Together We Can” Capital Fundraising Campaign Kickoff
We have a great season lying ahead of us, as we as a church seek to know Jesus and make Him known! We continue to ground ourselves in the Bible, be guided by the Spirit and grow in prayer. It is a joy to be your pastor. Thank you for loving my family and me so well. Enjoy your summer!
Pastor Mike Penninga
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it