Category: Support Pastors

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Lesley White, new Children’s Ministry Director at Lettered Streets Covenant Church in Bellingham, Washington, spent some time sharing her life and passions with us. Enjoy this introduction and help us welcome her to the conference.

“I grew up attending church in a small town in the rural Midwest. I deeply desired to walk alongside people in their faith and personal lives. This love led me to pursue a degree in counseling. After I graduated with a B.S. I moved to WA to work in an adventure based youth ministry called Youth Dynamics. During my 5 years with Youth Dynamics I also got my massage therapy license and have done that work for 14 years now.

About 2 years ago as my kids got older, I started to feel a pull to work with youth again. I applied for and was accepted as the Children’s Ministry Facilitator at my home church of Lettered Streets Covenant Church. 

Telling the story of God’s love to kids is what I am really passionate about right now.  I really want kids to know they are seen and loved by God. He created them and he created all their quirks and he deeply loves them. And not just that he loves them, but that he enjoys them, delights in them, loves to play with them, laugh with them and adventure with them. 

You can pray with me that I would get out of the way so that God can be seen and heard through whatever I do. I pray that I sit and listen to God and that I allow him to lead and guide me in whatever I do.”

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? Music! I really love all types of music. My spotify playlist has latin anthems on it, 2000’s Hits, Hip Hop, Rap and R&B, Country, Soul, Rock, and Christian. I love to mix it up 

What is the one thing you cannot resist? Fresh Sourdough bread. I’ve gotten into baking it this year and it’s so fun! The loaves don’t last long in our household

Where is your favorite place to be? In a warm lake or beach with my family. Digging in the sand or playing in the water!

What is your favorite thing to do? I love growing plants. Something about having my hands in the dirt fills my soul. I love feeling it and smelling it. 

Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why? New Zealand. I loved how content the people were. They were happy with doing a hard day’s work to have enough and there wasn’t this feeling of striving to get ahead. And the landscape was breathtaking! 

Welcome Lesley to the PacNWC!

Superintendent Greg Yee begins a short video introduction with Psalm 46 and then looks back on a month of baptisms, Welcoming the Stranger, and the Women’s Retreat.  He asks for prayer over our upcoming retreat season and staff changes.  Greg’s written article reflects on the many ways we can become distracted by the busyness of life, allowing it to crowd out opportunities for discipleship and relationship building. Building relationships with others and watching God transform our friends and neighbors takes time. Take this opportunity to read and be renewed in your call to follow Christ, as well as to be a discipler.

The soil where transformation takes root

By Greg Yee, Superintendent

I’m trying harder these days to invest time in the things I value most. I deeply care for my burned-by-Christians, atheist neighbor, but I was surprised this week by how self-absorbed I was—rushing from one thing to another—and how much effort it took to simply stop and walk out to the middle of the street to catch up. Yet once I did, it was so good to connect for an extended time.

I also care deeply about collegiality and prayer. However, I notice something in me hesitates when I see a four-hour block taking a chunk out of my calendar to connect with others. Still, investing that time with five conference pastors in listening and prayer resulted in a powerful time of worship that touched some of the deepest parts of our struggles. What a gift.

Discipleship has always been costly. Jesus never promised it would be convenient. He called fishermen to drop their nets, tax collectors to leave their tables, and all of them to lay down their own agendas in order to walk with him. That hasn’t changed. To truly share our lives with others—to stop in the street for a neighbor, to carve out hours for prayer with one another—will always require sacrifice. It means surrendering our hurry, our control, and our self-absorption.

Yet, it is in that cost that we discover the deepest joy. The kingdom of God does not expand through efficiency or convenience, but through presence, interruption, and costly love. Life-on-life discipleship is demanding, but it is the soil where transformation takes root—in us and in those we walk alongside.  It is where the light of Christ shines most brightly.

Friends, I sense the urgency of this in two directions.

First, in these unsettling times, when confusion and aggression swirl around us, the gospel calls us to resist protectionism and isolation.  Instead, it calls us out and into the mess; to be peacemakers, lovers of mercy, doers of justice, humble, bringers of the light of Christ. God bless you as you love your communities.       

Second, our main work is disciple-making. That will never happen if we remain only in safe, comfortable circles. Too many of our churches have settled into cultures of familiarity—long-standing groups that rarely make space for others, thin discipleship, and over-dependence on pastors to carry the weight. Jesus calls every one of us to invest intentionally in others. 

True discipleship demands boldness and sacrifice—pouring ourselves into others. So let me ask: Who are you pouring into? Who are you making space for?

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a [person], he bids [them] come and die.”

May we be that kind of people—for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of our communities, and for the glory of our Lord.  May the Lord bless you as you step toward others.

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Pastor Dan Whitmarsh, pastor of Lakebay Community Church for 20 years, shares with us about the 100 year celebration of Lakebay Community Church. In preparation for the community celebration the church underwent a major remodel, creating a beautiful new worship center. We celebrate with you, Lakebay! May God continue to bless you and your ministry to the community.

Congratulation Pastor Dan on the Anniversary!

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Erik Cave and the PacNWC welcome Jessy Mora to Cannon Beach Community Church. Jessy is from Minnesota but came to Cannon Beach to attend Bible School where she met her husband, a native Costa Rican. After getting married the couple lived for 3+ years in Costa Rica and then God called them back to Cannon Beach. Jessy is a passionate disciple of Christ and loves building community. Join us as we welcome her, her family, and all her pets. (Are bugs REALLY pets?)

Welcome Jessy to the PacNWC!

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Erik Cave, PacNWC Director of NextGen Ministries, says, “What happens when you fill a bus full of teenagers and travel to significant sites related to racial righteousness? Amazing things!”

This August, the conference was able to hold the first-ever Youth Journey to Mosiac. Pastors Matt Knapp and Tim Anderson directed the event in Tacoma. They share moments and highlights from the Journey and how it was impactful for students.

Visit the Youth Journey to Mosaic Website for more information about the event and for follow-up resources for students.

Visit the PacNWC Youth Racial Reconciliation Resources Website for resources for leaders.

This event was made possible through a generous grant from the TENx10 Faith and Service Project.

This month, Superintendent Greg Yee welcomes our churches and ministries into the Fall season. His brief video introduction and article challenge us to continue growing and learning. Through our denomination-wide liturgical reading of Welcoming the Stranger, and through the inspiring The Future-Focused Church, Greg encourages that this is a great season to do “cultural soul work”. Check out these great resources and the encouraging word from our Superintendent.

Being a Future-Focused Church

By Greg Yee, Superintendent PacNWC

I’ve been encouraged by how many leaders resonated with the approachable, practical insights of Anatomy of a Revived Church by Thom Rainer—a book we shared at our Annual Celebration. Our hope was to spark important conversations: to create time and space for leaders to ask courageous questions and honestly examine what might be holding us back from deeper growth and transformation (we still have copies).

Now, I want to invite you into the next conversation.  I encourage you to explore The Future-Focused Church: Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow (Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Ray Chang).  It is a collaboration between leaders from the Fuller Youth Institute and TENx10—the same network that provided the grant funding for our recent Youth Journey to Mosaic pilot.

What prompts me to share this is the growing urgency I feel around a core challenge facing so many churches: the difficulty of leading necessary culture change. 

One way we’ve seen this is with our almost 2-year-long focus on creating a discipleship pathway to resource this core work.  It’s an incredibly helpful resource that all 69 churches should be engaging.  But we have discovered how difficult it is to actually implement this work.  It is so difficult to change culture.  

Unhealthy culture too often sets in like: fear-based, conflict-avoidant, ambiguous systems/direction, inflexibility, etc. 

Peter Drucker was right when he famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” And Brené Brown, in Dare to Lead, gives voice to what that really requires: the willingness to go to uncomfortable, vulnerable places.  She says, “That kind of soul work—leaning into discomfort—is exactly what culture change requires.”  And she’s right: culture work is soul work.

It’s time for us to do that cultural soul work. 

The Future-Focused Church is not an answer book either—but it offers something extremely helpful. Grounded in research and ministry experience, it helps us name what’s most necessary for the road ahead. It casts a visionary, yet practical, model for how churches can anticipate and adapt to emerging cultural, generational, and technological shifts. Its framework urges us to lead with resilience, innovation, and a proactive spirit—while holding on to what matters most.

As God always does, this work calls us to unfamiliar places.

We are Nehemiahs, rebuilding the walls.

We are Ezekiels, witnessing dry bones come to life.

We are stewards of the new wine—and we must prepare new wineskins.

We are followers of Jesus, who is making all things new.

The authors begin by proclaiming, “The best days of the church are ahead.  Really.”  I agree.

They describe us as cartographers, leaders who help map the journey from “Here” to “There” in our local contexts. And, as we all know, that kind of journey only happens step by step. I encourage you to take that first step by reading and reflecting on this book with others.

God bless you as you move into Fall launch. 

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

JD Tuell, former youth pastor, is on a God adventure to Alaska. He is raising funds and asking for prayer support to be a part of Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK), where he will be in charge of the Aarigaa House. The ministry of this house in Soldotna, AK, exists to provide Alaskan students support in their vocational training years through housing, community, and mentoring in the ways of Jesus. (AARIGAA- Iñupiaq word meaning good/wonderful/awesome.)

JD, a passionate discipler and deep relationship enthusiast, will engage young adults in a community where they can thrive, grow, explore, and most importantly, deepen their relationship with God. Will you join us in supporting JD in God’s call on his life to the young adults of the Alaska conference?

Click here to contact JD directly

To learn more about the Aarigaa House

To Support JD:

• Go online at CYAK.org/give.
• Follow the link through Campwise and click on Make a Donation.
• Scroll down to “don’t have an account? Create one here.
• Once in your account, click on the link: Quick Access
• Click on Schedule a Recurring Donation for CYAK Felid Staff
• Click on my J.D.’s name!

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Debbie Taylor, Heather McDaniel (Bremerton UMC), and Nick Pringle (Cedarcreek Covenant) spent a few minutes with Jill Riley to talk about the Safe Sanctuary training that is happening just before the women’s retreat, on September 19th. Nick makes sure to remind fellow clergy and laypeople that this is NOT a women’s only event.

Intimate partner abuse happens in over 30% of relationships. Our churches are desperate for wise, caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable individuals. Investing a day of your time may be a lifeline for someone in your congregation or community who is desperate to know God’s love through you.

Click here for more information on Safe Sanctuaries, see a FAQ about the training, and download the short curriculum you will need to complete PRIOR to attending on September 19th.

Click Here for more information and to register for the 2025 Women’s Retreat

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

The PacNWC would like to welcome Christine Keith, Associate Pastor of Connection Groups and Business Administration at Eastridge. With her years of church and para-church ministry experience Christine will be a great asset to the ministries of Eastridge in Clackamas, OR. Welcome Christine – May you experience the wind of God’s strength and blessing as you engage in this new role.

Send an email to Christine to welcome her to the conference!

By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant

Adria Willet Leonardo of Bellingham Covenant Church talks with Jill Riley about the church’s desire to teach about local mission and compassion to the youth. Through a pre-existing grant program in the church, 17 different teenagers were each asked to choose an organization to give grant money to. Through this process the teens and the church learned how deeply teenagers understood the needs of their community and how much they desired to show that the care and love of Jesus.

Original Article from Bellingham Covenant’s Summer Newsletter

What happens when you give teenagers the choice?

By Adria Willett-Leonardo
Associate Pastor

Recently, our Missions Catalyst Team and youth staff collaborated on a project to help youth learn about generosity and joining God’s mission.

During March, the BCC Youth focused on “Living a Life of Purpose.” This included hearing from several members and friends of BCC about a variety of ministries and how God had called them into his service. They learned that God’s mission is broad; it can be local or global and involves everything from building relationships to caring for “the least of these.” In fact, anything that involves joining God in the renewal of the world and demonstrating the love of Jesus is mission!

After a month of listening to the guest speakers and talking about lives of purpose, the students were then invited to each choose how to spend $100 of the Mission Catalyst Fund on a community need. Seventeen of our students participated! They elected to send donations to places like the Lighthouse Mission, We Care/Whatcom Love Inc, Brigid Collins Family Support Center, and St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Several of the students chose their own projects, including working with their families or the church to buy food and hygiene kits for the homeless.

We asked the students to research where to send the funds and tell us how the donation would meet a need and/or join God’s work in our world. We also asked them to write cards to accompany their donations, thanking the organizations for their work or encouraging the recipients. Here are some of the things the students said about why they made their choices:

“I believe that people deserve help in all walks of life, and it is our job to help those in worse positions than us.”

“I feel that this is really important to the community because it is very important that kids grow up in a safe, nurturing environment.”

“My donation is going to the Lighthouse Mission, which helps the homeless and turns them towards God for a second chance.”

“Your mission really inspires me, and once I’m old enough I hope to volunteer and help people. You are truly doing God’s work. God bless.”

Thank you, BCC family, for your generosity, which keeps on giving, and for investing in the spiritual formation of our youth!