Connections Summer/Fall 2016

WELCOME FROM OUR LEAD PASTOR I’m Richard Kannwischer, the Lead Pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, and I thank you for taking a look at this issue of Connections magazine.

Connections is a publication featuring stories from individuals in our church family and community. Whether you attend St. Andrew’s or not, my hope is that you read the personal stories in this very special issue entitled “Extending the Family” and, as a result, would be encouraged and inspired to extend yourself to others – going beyond your comfort zones, breaking through barriers and discovering new friendships. As a church community, St. Andrew’s has been in an intentional season of Extending the Family since Fall 2015. During this season we’ve seen incredible action taking place; individuals and families have traveled across town, and across the globe to serve others in need. Homeless children and their families in our own backyard of Orange County have been permanently housed and supported as they make the transition to stability and a future of promise, and so much more.

While summer may offer you the time to take a deep breath from the normal routines of life and fall can become distractingly busy, remember that in the midst of any season or circumstance you can make a lasting, positive impact in your life and in the lives of others.

With great anticipation in Christ,

Richard Kannwischer Lead Pastor

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“In the midst of any season or circumstance you can make a lasting, positive impact in your life and in the lives of others.” .................................................................................................

Hi, I’m Kerri Kumar. I worked with Enlace in El Salvador when I was 20 years old. When I came home after that year, all I wanted to do was go back. I laid it at the Lord’s feet at that time. Over the years, I never imagined that it would come back around. Never ever.

Dan Wendell, the Minister of Missions and Outreach, came looking for me because he’d heard I had been a part of Enlace for over 20 years. He said, “Let’s go!” I said, “I’m so excited that you want to bring Enlace to St. Andrew’s, but I don’t go anywhere anymore. I have kids; I have responsibilities.” But he said, “I think you should pray about it,” and of course you can’t say no to that. So I prayed about it, and I felt like the Lord said, “You can do that.” Then I talked to my family, and they were like, “Yeah, you should do that.” It wasn’t even that I was pursuing it; it fell in my lap.

Last year, we went to El Salvador as a family. I was worried about how it was going to work out. I thought, “There’s going to be bickering and all the normal family stuff while we’re trying to focus on serving.”

But it was actually a really neat experience. It gave us an opportunity to see each other in different circumstances. At home, I’m just mom. I’m not usually leading a team and speaking another language. I got to see my husband in a new situation. I got to see my son Kallai at six years old in that completely foreign setting doing what he does, which is making friends and playing. I saw Kala, my teenager, being at peace and knowing that she could do what she needed to do.

Their circumstances are extreme. I was overwhelmed with pity, and there’s no good outcome of pity. Pity does nothing for anyone. I had figure out how to love without the pity. All I could do is ask God, “How can I encourage this person, Lord?” Not in the sense that, “That’s it,” as if I have nothing to offer, but in realizing that is the best I have to offer. We all have something to give.

Enlace goes into rural communities and trains local pastors how to address the needs of their community, connecting whomever they can bring to the table. The lady down the street who knows everybody, the local government official who is willing to help, the guy who is a bricklayer, etc. Enlace helps them have that conversation of “How can we work together to serve our community?” In the process that follows, relationships are built. A neighbor across the street that you haven’t spoken to in twenty years is all of a sudden in your yard helping to build a latrine. Their whole approach to poverty is that it’s a relational issue at root; when relationships break down, everything breaks down.

We have the same struggle here. We have resources, but we’re relationally as poor as anyone. We don’t feel connected to our neighbors or people at church. But we want to. Our desire is to feel at home with people, to know them and to have them know us.

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“Last year, we went to El Salvador as a family. I was worried about how it was going to work out.” .................................................................................................

St. Andrew’s found me. Through their graces, they engaged me. I was not a member. I was not even a Presbyterian. It took me 50 years to find a church that could change my life. Maybe they didn’t even know it, but they paid it forward by embracing me first, without any conditions.

Since then, I have become a deacon and serve with the Pastoral Care department. I visit those who are sick in hopes of just letting them know that God is with them. I pray with them, read scripture, bring them lunch, and just comfort them emotionally and physically in the best way that I can on behalf of St. Andrew’s.

Part of the reason for my desire to choose this particular ministry is because of my husband, who passed away a couple of years ago after being seriously ill for a few years. I became very familiar with hospitals, home care, and the revolving door of the emergency room. I became my husband’s advocate and knew this was something I needed to continue for others. I remember a time in the many hospital stays, asking God, “Why has this become my life?” Caring for another is completely absorbing. The life you had is taken away and replaced with something completely different. God answered me with, “I am giving you this opportunity to learn and experience so that in time, my time, you will have this ability to share with others.

You will have compassion.” I didn’t have that kind of compassion, that level of empathy, because I simply didn’t understand it. I’ve always been a nurturing person but I really had to sharpen my skills even if I was afraid. I had to step outside of what was comfortable for the sake of my husband. I had to go beyond myself. In return, God gave me examples throughout my life to develop my heart towards severe illnesses, addiction, and loss.

Upon my husband’s passing in 2014, I began to be involved with the Hoag Hospital Foundation in the Emergency Room and Palliative Care Program. I really feel I’m just kind of the beacon for the Lord. It’s not me but Him that gives insight to others through me. For me, palliative care or hospice without the spiritual component just doesn’t work. Being a deacon with St. Andrew’s also gives me a chance to share the values and programs of what we have to offer. I’ve become more involved in doing so, which gives me this umbrella or position and lends itself to open many types of discussion.

I stay very connected with God. I don’t just wait for the church. I go out and find people to care for. I always ask that everyday; I say that, “You give me the signs and you allow my spiritual eyes to see them, my spiritual ears to here them and for me to make that spirit-mental connection. To receive the blessings that you show in everyday things.”

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“I visit those who are sick in hope of just letting them know that God is with them.” .................................................................................................

My wife, Linda, and I were members of a Presbyterian Church in Mission Viejo. They had been pursuing dismissal from another denomination but were denied. Due to how these denominational tenets ended up conflicting with our personal viewpoints, we decided to leave. It was disappointing to say the least. I approached St. Andrew’s right away. There was a familiarity here since Linda and I were both charter members of Irvine Presbyterian about 40 years ago, which was sponsored by St. Andrew’s. Now here we are doing it again. We are honestly so impressed with the new denomination, it’s basic tenets, its guts. Richard Kannwischer, Shawn Reilly and I have been working together since October of last year, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I frankly felt called deep inside to do this, not nervous or anything. I was certainly outside my comfort zone because this is completely different than 40 years ago for one thing, but it really was providential. The biggest motivator for this is the mission. Sure enough, the Lord blessed things very much. It’s not us. We’re just following instructions, many of which are divine. There’s empirical evidence that this is all true because we have already seen things fall into place in a way we could not have orchestrated. Now we have a core group that is a new type of family to me. There is no way, leaving it up to ourselves that any of this would have happened. It’s God. Currently, Linda and I are leading a small core group in the pursuit of planting a new ECO church in South County. We meet every week on Monday night. We pray, look at scripture, and evaluate the basic tenets of both ECO and St. Andrew’s. To reach 21st century under-churched or even un-churched people has to be thought through and enacted in a different way with more of a local feel. Our ultimate goal is to open the doors of the church around the end of February 2017.

We’re not looking to clone ourselves as another St. Andrew’s, but ultimately, we are looking for a younger congregation.

One has to minister to the people who are there. The primary focus of this church plant is not just to help spread a new denomination, but a movement of gospel-centered Christianity. Frankly, the Lord can do whatever He wants. However, I believe the culture of South Orange County is starved for the truth just as it was 40 years ago. Affluence seems to protect you from reality. Even though our affluence can be a wonderful blessing from the Lord, it can also be dangerous. It has the potential to anesthetize you to things like happiness, or joy, or even the Gospel. We are a very generous church. In that, we are living out Jesus’ call to “give it away.” If we were to stay completely self-sustaining, we would implode. We have to reach outside ourselves.

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“Linda and I are leading a small core group in the pursuit of planting a new ECO church in South County.” .................................................................................................

In 1994, after years of wrestling with God, I was finally convinced He was calling me to leave my 10 year career in Commercial Real Estate and become a Pastor. For years I’d been telling God He’s got the wrong guy, I was a businessman, not a pastor.

I would often remind Him, things were going just fine in my career. I would recap with Him my long list of credentials for the marketplace and the obvious void of qualifications for Pastoral ministry. I reminded God that I had some practice at sinning, was introverted, scared of public speaking and lacked the necessary experience or education.… But I could not escape God’s persistent call to leave my career working for the big commission, and instead, invest my life in the Great Commission.

I learned that although I didn’t have the skills or experience that would give me confidence, I did have the one thing God required, the conviction that I was desperately dependent upon God’s personal intervention and power in my life if there were to be any beneficial impact to His Kingdom at all. I knew (and still know) I do not have what it takes.

Following my first 15 years in Pastoral ministry at Mariners Church, God led me to join the St. Andrew’s staff in 2011.

Recently, I have transitioned into the role of Senior Associate Minister leading the Build Department, (Adult, Family and Tuitions Ministries.) We fondly think of our ministries as the spiritual formation engine of our church. The Build Team’s goal is to build up followers of Jesus Christ by loving God with all our heart, soul and mind. Build ministries provide opportunities to grow spiritually and connect relationally. We’re also passionate about Spiritual Leadership development, convinced that every follower of Christ is a minister with a ministry. We believe God has called each of us to lead and serve in unique ways with purposes He prepared in advance for us to do.

For the person who is thinking, “God could never use me, I don’t have enough experience or confidence… I don’t have the right gifts or enough strength... I don’t have enough love… I’m not good enough… If people really knew me or what I’ve done in the past…” I want to encourage you! All of these are things the enemy uses against us to make us feel unusable and they couldn’t be further from the truth. Absolutely nothing qualifies or disqualifies us for ministry other than Jesus Christ Himself-- no amount of ability, good deeds, education, skill, hard work, or attempts at righteousness qualify us. Jesus calls and Jesus equips, and when He equips, His power is perfected not by our strengths, but out of our weaknesses. I rejoice in the fact that God uses us just as we are. When we are most humble and insecure and weak, that is when we become strong through Christ.

Today, I have great joy working with a tremendous team of staff and lay leaders. There is no question God is on the move in our church and is raising up many leaders to step outside their comfort zones and advance His Kingdom as we partner in this great calling!

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“For years I’d been telling God He’s got the wrong guy, I was a businessman, not a pastor.” .................................................................................................

Previously, I was at another church and kept trying to fit in. I come from a family that is not particularly religious. My mom would tell me I was just going through a phase because my friends all went to church…and that turned out to be the case.

As soon as my friends stopped going there, so did I. The message was still the same but the people weren’t. That’s when I realized that I was just going for the people and I stopped going to church altogether. I needed the motivation from my friends before finding another church. I was just in a bad place. It was then that my friend Cameron invited me to Refuge at St. Andrew’s. I’ve never been the same since.

The first time that I came to Refuge, I was very scared. I knew two people and that was it. I knew some of the people that went there, but they weren’t people that I ever talked to at school because we all have our own little groups and you stay in those groups. I expected Refuge to be the same way but it was the complete opposite. I walked in and people I’d never talked to in my life hugged and welcomed me. This made it an easy adjustment. Cody was wonderful from the first night.

Now, when I go to St. Andrew’s for lunch, he greets me and gives me a high-five. I think, “Oh my gosh, he remembers me!

He knows who I am.” That’s the kind of community it is here.

There have been a few times where I had some hardships at home and I was just in a really bad place. When I’d feel this way, my boyfriend would encourage me to go to Refuge because he knows it’s what makes me happy. Once there, I felt safe and cared for. It’s changed me. It affects me even outside of church. It’s affected me as a person and people are noticing. I guess that’s a pretty big change! All of the sudden, the motivation and love that’s happening inside of me is pouring out to others.

As for the Arrowhead Junior Trip, that was really incredible. I signed up for it right after joining Refuge because of how welcoming everyone was. I had to really get outside my comfort zone because I only knew two people in the group. The thought of spending three days in a house with everyone made me worry a bit about cliques forming, but that wasn’t the case. As soon as I walked in, people were singing and playing games. It was only a matter of time until we were all laughing together. I ended up getting really close to a few people I never expected and I have a new community because of it, almost a new family. We opened up to each other in ways I never thought I would. Even though the trip was a few months ago, the bonding stuck. The group of us still share inside jokes and memories from then, it’s deepened those relationships.

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“There have been a few times where I had some hardships at home and I was just in a really bad place.” .................................................................................................

I heard about the opportunity to serve at Whittier Elementary two years ago from Pat Kishi. I had just retired after many years of being a workaholic and was praying in my own quiet way that God would show me what to do next. I decided to start serving at Whittier since the minimum requirement is an hour a week. I wound up going 2 days a week since there is really a need for auxiliary help. I’ve served in a 4th grade classroom with the same teacher for the past 2 years. Nearly every child in the class is a non-English speaker, many of whom are below grade-level. One girl had never been in a classroom in her life before coming to Whittier. There are advanced children too, so both ends of the spectrum are fun. The teacher, Miss Anderson, has said some really nice things about how glad she is for the St. Andrew’s presence at the school. I think we’re probably making a huge statement to that entire community.

Last year, I focused mostly on reading. We would make flashcards together and I would work with 3-4 kids for about an hour and a half. This year, we shifted the needs to be more on math. Right now, I’m helping them learn their multiplication tables up to 12. I build relationships with the students by just asking straightforward questions. If a kid comes and sits down with me at a small table to work one-on-one, I can just say, “What did you do this past weekend? Anything fun?” Just something like that and they immediately open a crack to their lives. One happy thing was with one of the little girls that I worked with last year, who was not only behind for her grade level but learning English for the first time. Now she’s in 5th grade. As I was leaving the campus a couple of weeks ago, she came running up yelling, “Mr. Fratt!” and wanted to hug me. That’s what makes me realize that my work there does enter the realm of spiritual encouragement. I gave her a little view that she could succeed. It was gratifying.

I found that I really had to get outside of my comfort zone in working one-on-one with the children. I’d almost gone in reverse. I was used to standing in front of a couple thousand people and speaking, which doesn’t make me nervous … but being in front of a smaller crowd proved to be a whole other thing.

I always come away feeling like they make my day. That’s when you know you’re in ministry. It’s very hard to be overtly spiritual in a public school setting. You just have to trust that God uses the small things that you say. I always was taught that you will know you’re operating in the spirit of your gifts when you’re happy doing it and you get joy out of it. It just always takes me back to kids, I don’t know why. I’ve done all kinds of things, I’ve been a deacon, been a small group leader but my heart is really for the children.

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“I found that I really had to get outside of my comfort zone in working one-on-one with the children.” .................................................................................................