Here we go – More people on our Staff Management Team.
Christine Feenstra – Lakeside Kids Co-Director – Programming
Christine is very nice and very creative. She gets along great with my kids. I appreciate her around the table. Here is her story in her own words:
In 2010 I went from being a Large Group Co-ordinator to a Small Group Co-ordinator. Today I work with a talented team of staff & volunteers as the Co-Director of Lakeside Kids.
I have a Diploma from Humber College in Packaging and Graphic Design. I have a background in marketing and advertising. I am using these skills here at Lakeside Kids.
I love seeing the kids of “Lakeside Kids” learn God’s Bible Truths with excitement and enthusiasm. My husband Rick also serves on the Tech team at “Lakeside Kids”. We have 2 teenage kids, Alex & Lucas that serve on the Tech team as well. Being involved at Lakeside Kids has helped our family grow in our relationship with the Lord.
Janet Collins – Director of Spiritual Growth –
Janet is our newest member to the Staff Management Team. Her positive energy, ability to connect people and overall desire to deepen our relationship with God is evident. I have been very impressed with her as I have gotten to know her as the main Small Group leader at Lakeside now. I have started leading a small group – by the way – on Saturday mornings – if anyone is interested – contact me. Here is Janet’s words about Lakeside and herself:
I feel extremely blessed that the Lord has called me to be on the staff team of Lakeside Church as the Director of Spiritual Growth. My wonderful husband Jonathan and I were married in June 2007 and came to Lakeside Church in 2008. After a few short months I became involved in the small group ministry and have not been able to stay away since. I absolutely love watching people grow in their faith and helping them connect with others.
After graduating from the University of Guelph with a B.A in psychology I started on staff with Youth for Christ. During this time I completed my Master of Divinity at Tyndale Seminary and in 1999 the Lord led me into full time pastoral ministry. At this time I was also ordained by the Congregational Christian Churches in Canada. I discovered that God has called me to equip and empower people to serve him, and reach out to those around them. Before coming on staff at Lakeside I was full time faculty at Emmanuel Bible College as the Director of Expedition & Field Education where I worked to help students discover the gifts, calling, and passions God has given them.
Outside of work, I love to read, walk, scrapbook, knit, travel, and sit on the beach.
I have always dreamed of being involved in a church such as Lakeside. A church that cares about those who do not have the hope Jesus offers. A church that desires to see believers grow in their faith, use their gifts to reach out to others and make a difference in their community. I praise God for this amazing opportunity to serve Him through the ministry of Lakeside Church.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4
Matt Naismith – Student Ministries Teaching and Leadership Pastor –
Matt – what can I say about Matt. Well, first off – he is super cool. And he NEVER has a loss for a question – a good question. His leadership in Young Adult Ministry has been great and evident. I look forward to what Matt will do in the future.
Here’s his own words about life, ministry and himself:
To whom it may concern. . . haha!
I came to Lakeside after completing three years at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto where I acquired a Bachelor of Religious Education degree specializing in Youth Ministry.
Youth and youth ministry have always been my heart’s passion and desire. I love hanging out with them and speaking to youth of any age. My desire for youth and discipling young people was fostered through a youth leader that I had when I was 13 and 14. This guy invested in me and sought to help me experience a relationship with God. From there, I started getting involved in youth ministry at my local church and by the time I graduated from High School, I knew God was calling me to be in youth ministry.
While at Tyndale, my love and passion for youth was deepened. I began to see the hurts, pressures and pains that youth deal with. I also saw the bland/empty messages that youth pastors were giving which provided no substance to encourage or spur on those who listened. These things hurt me and made me angry, and this is why I have dedicated my life to trying to make a difference in some way. The Apostle Paul comments in 1 Thessalonians 2 on the Thessalonians’ faith and their desire to be imitators of Christ. My prayer is that when I look back at some of the kids I had an opportunity to minister to, that they too will have a striving faith and a longing to be an imitator of Christ. If I can be a part of that, then I have done my job. So . . . if you have a child in Grades 6-12, bring them out, I would love to get to know them and watch God spread some of his truth in their life!
On a more personal note, I am married to my beautiful wife, Andrea. Both Andrea and I feel so privileged to work with the youth at Lakeside and we look forward to the future and our ministry together here.
Lastly we have
Karen Kamphuis: Executive Director of Hope House – Helping Overcome Poverty Everywhere
Karen was a highly valued Lakeside Staff Management Team member for the last number of years – until she become the Exec. Dir of Hope House. She is still a highly valued member of this Team – but we really don’t see her that often any longer since she is now almost permanently at Hope House in the heart of downtown Guelph.
Here is a brief bio of Karen – talking about her, Lakeside & HopeHouse:
After many years of a successful sales and marketing career, Karen felt the call to do something that would allow her to make a difference in the lives of others. Going from the corporate world to the not-for-profit world began when she accepted a position at Jewels For Jesus as their Fundraising Director. Karen eventually found herself as the Community Care Director at Lakeside Church after working in that capacity first as a volunteer and then in a paid position. While in this role, Karen began focusing much of her attention on Community Impact Initiatives with the development of the Lakeside Food Pantry, the city-wide backpack project, the Christmas hampers, developing the Christmas JOY Home Tour in Guelph every November and building up volunteer teams to help with the many projects. Karen has also served on the Board of Directors for Guelph Community Christian School as well as on the board for the Guelph Synchronized Swim Club.
Karen has been married for 25 years to her husband Rob, they have 2 children, their son is 20 years old and their daughter is 18 years old. One of the greatest JOYS of Karen’s life is to be able to give back to the community in a way that makes a difference offering love and compassion to those in need in our city. For more information about HOPE House, please contact Karen at kkamphuis@lakesidehopehouse.ca or give her a call at 519-265-4299, ext 23.
That’s it! Those are the people who make up our team.
Again – I think it’s important to think about your own organization:
Do the leaders all come together – share – talk – debate – agree – challenge and discuss – OR do your leaders simply make decisions in a “silo” nature – never finding out what the others are doing?
Food for thought.
Next time – The Programming Team