Heart of Our Community

Derrick Hamre

Lead Pastor

This week Emmanuel Church has been at the heart of our community. During dark days of tragedy and significant grief our people have rallied around to be “the people of God.” There’s been prayer, servanthood and gestures of love that have deeply impacted our community. I have received dozens of emails and calls from people around West Kelowna and Peachland. The messages thanked us for the Candlelight Prayer Service, our presence at Mount Boucherie, the open building and kindness of our people. On Wednesday night Cindy Raichuk organized people to come to the church kitchen to cook meals and to pass them along to the families touched by last week’s tragedy. Yesterday's memorial service was the largest event we’ve hosted in my 13 years here, probably the largest single event ever. Dozens of Emmanuel family members came to help with parking, ushering, kitchen staff and to run the service. I was very proud of the tremendous support.

Cindy sent me the following note:

I got a hold of Ashlee’s mom and took stuff to her last night. She was so grateful and just overwhelmed. She couldn’t believe it, she passed on her thanks!! I also spoke with Greg, Ashlee’s dad and made arrangements to meet him on Friday with a boxful of food. He didn’t know what to say – he just can’t understand how people who don’t know him would be so supportive and kind. It was a good feeling to be able to reach out to him.  He said he can’t begin to thank Emmanuel for everything that’s been done to help them through this.

This week’s events reminded me of Kim Weiler’s word from God for us given in January:

You are not simply the Pastor of Emmanuel Church and a congregation, but you are now Pastor of a community called West Kelowna and the members of Emmanuel are not just members of a local Church called Emmanuel but they are elders of a community church called West Kelowna. This year is a year in which you will be established and recognized in this role and Emmanuel members will rise to become elders in the community. The church as we know it and its facility is about to become the headquarters For the Lord where strategy and blessings will flow down into and out of to the community. Prepare the facility and prepare the people for increase.