Legacy Ministry Overview

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As part of the Lead Team, my added responsibilities from the Executive Pastor role required me to step back somewhat from the Legacy Ministry. However, my focus in the 2024 Legacy Ministry remained strong, centering on visitation, ministry planning, and leadership development. It was a deeply rewarding and successful year of ministry.

I was blessed and encouraged by many visitation opportunities—whether in people’s homes, hospitals, St. Joe’s, care homes, or through the chapel ministry. I was inspired by the enthusiasm of my ministry teams and their willingness to take ownership of their roles. It was also exciting to see many new seniors joining our church, often invited by other seniors. Their support, encouragement, and enthusiasm have been invaluable.

With the dedication of 64 volunteers filling 90 volunteer roles, I’m proud to share some of our ministry highlights:

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Visitation

Leadership

  • Melissa Toth

  • Darlene Hjelte

  • Ruth Moerman

In 2024, one of my key leaders, Lynn Schellenberg, had to step down. As a result, I took on much of the administrative work Lynn previously handled and delegated some of those responsibilities to Linda Freimark, one of our administrative staff.

While some of our visitees went to be with the Lord in 2024, we were also blessed to welcome new visitees. We continued to provide regular visits to approximately 26 members of our church family, with around 14 visitors actively engaged in this ministry—numbers that remained consistent with 2023.

Four times a year, we sent hand-made cards—crafted by Ruth Moerman—to all our visitees, along with words of blessing, Our Daily Bread devotionals, and bookmarks. Additionally, I sent a personal Christmas letter to 100 seniors, which included a special illustration by Harper Hickman, an 8-year-old from our children’s ministry.

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Widowed and Singles Fellowship

Leadership

  • Pat Anderson

  • Ruth Moerman

  • Ruth Bruins

  • Carol Kulhavy

  • Betty Kramer

Our group nearly doubled in size in 2024, growing to around 20 members, including several new attendees—some of whom are new to our church. One individual, who initially learned about the group at our Pancake Breakfast, began attending solely because of this ministry. Several others joined after first connecting with our church through Grief Share.

During the summer, the group continued to meet at Kin Coulee Park, fostering connection and community. I’m incredibly excited about this ministry—not just because of the great turnout and meaningful discussions, but also because of the dedication of this leadership team. After assisting me in running the ministry for several years, they were eager and fully prepared to take on the responsibility themselves. They now oversee everything, from planning and greeting to food preparation and teaching, allowing the ministry to thrive under their capable leadership.

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Legacy Bible Study

Leadership

  • Ron Prosser

Our Legacy Bible Study, held on Tuesday afternoons, continues to be led by Ron Prosser. In 2024, the group explored 1 Corinthians, 1 John, 2 Thessalonians, and completed a six-week session on Grandparenting. Attendance has grown significantly, with an average of over 30 participants engaging in study and discussion.

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Young at Heart

Leadership

  • Mary Ann Westgard

  • Lance Duncalfe

  • Stella Friesen

  • Phil and Annalora Horch

  • Don and Darlene Adolf

Over the past year, I have been transitioning the leadership of Y@H to my team, and it has been a smooth and natural process. They have observed and learned, but more importantly, they share a deep passion for spreading the Gospel within the Chinook community and a love for the Lord. I have been truly impressed and inspired by their dedication, creativity, and heart for reaching the lost.

Chinook Village has become a mission field for seniors, and the team has worked diligently to organize events and bring in speakers that seniors can connect with—many of whom share a Christian testimony. Attendance has ranged from 20 to 80, with events including a Christian movie screening, an astronomy presentation, an ornithology presentation, musical performances, and features on Whispering Pines Camp and Operation Christmas Child.

They also began a rather major Legacy project: a time capsule. The project is called, “SnapShot In Time: Celebrating Our Beginnings”. Its purpose is to celebrate and memorialize the Christian faith community and purpose of Chinook Village with future generations, so that it is not forgotten. The capsule will contain photos, documents, relics and more, representing Chinook Village’s founding years (1991-2012). The ceremony will be held June 5, 2025. The planned opening of the capsule is scheduled for June 5, 2075.

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Chapel Services

With the help of Darlene Hjelte, Karen Bolender, Ruth Pahl, Jamie Deibert, Esther Weeks, and others, we provided monthly chapel services to the following locations:

  • River Ridge – 2nd Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM

  • Meadowlands – 2nd Thursday of the month at 10:30 AM

  • South Country Village – 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:45 PM

  • Meadow Ridge – 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM

  • St. Joe’s – 3rd Wednesday of the month at 3:30 PM

  • Valleyview – 4th Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM

  • River View – 4th Monday of the month at 2:00 PM

  • Hillcrest Church – March

  • Masterpiece – 4th Thursday of the month at 10:30 AM

  • Chinook Village – Sundays, as needed

  • NEW: The Wellington – Monthly

In the fall of 2024, Karen Bolender felt led to start a chapel service at The Wellington, where she lives. I plan and develop the services and provide Karen and her team with music and song booklets. Attendance has been steady, with 20–30 residents participating.

Attendance at the care facilities we visit varies between 6–40 people, and I estimate we minister to 150–200 residents each month.

In March, my wife and I were invited to lead an Easter Sunday service at Meadowlands. Attendance was strong, and it was well received by residents who can no longer attend their home churches.

We also continued distributing recordings of our Sunday services and HEMC chapel services to multiple facilities, where recreation directors used them weekly. Several care homes also stream our Sunday services and Christmas Eve services, allowing residents to stay connected to worship.

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Grief Share

With the leadership of Terrill Wiesner, Sherry Larter, Carol Kulhavy, Elsie Arnold, and Ron Prosser, we successfully held two Grief Share sessions—one in the spring and one in the fall. In 2024, 30 people participated, with several now actively engaged in other ministries, such as Widowed and Singles and our church services.

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Senior's Day Camp

It was a perfect day at camp! The seniors enjoyed a variety of activities, including board games, lawn games, archery, RC cars, and the shooting range. We were excited to welcome a few first-time attendees and also provided a bus from Chinook Village for about a dozen participants. Julie Knodel was our guest speaker, making the day even more special.

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Grandparenting Ministry

Leadership:

  • Ruth Bruins

  • Doug and Heather Roberts

  • Phil and Annalora Horch

In 2024, we offered two Grandparenting classes:

  1. Grandparenting Matters (Tuesday afternoons)

  2. Equipping Intentional Grandparents (Sunday mornings)

These classes were designed to help grandparents be intentional in nurturing their grandchildren's faith. They also addressed common grandparenting challenges, featuring relevant topics, guest speakers, testimonies from other grandparents, and practical advice to help grandparents move beyond the role of "baby-sitter" and truly impact their grandchildren's spiritual growth.

The Legacy Grandparenting Summit 2024 was rescheduled for February 2025.

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Operation Christmas Child

Each year, the Legacy Ministry oversees our contribution to Operation Christmas Child (OCC), serving as the regional collection center for Southeast Alberta. We had another successful year collecting boxes for OCC, with 18 volunteers assisting in the effort. This year, we collected 1,750 boxes, which is 103 more than last year.

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Legacy Christmas Banquet

Since becoming the Pastor of Legacy Adults, it has been my goal to create intergenerational ministry opportunities within our church. I strongly believe it is essential for our seniors to connect with children, youth, and adults, offering them the chance to share their spiritual legacy with those who follow. The purpose is not only to bless the younger generation with their faith, history, and heritage, but also for them to be blessed and encouraged in return.

Over the past three years, Pastor Alisha and I have collaborated to bring together Youth and Legacy Adults. Once again, she organized and brought in 10 youth to help decorate (under the guidance of Candice Meier), set up, serve, and clean up. They were outstanding, and the Legacy Adults were once again thrilled to interact with them.

My wife, Jamie, who has been studying Jazz Piano for the past few years, was excited to provide an hour of jazzy Christmas music during the meal.

We intentionally scheduled the banquet for Saturday night to coincide with the King’s Kids production. The seniors were absolutely delighted by the children’s performance and thought it was a wonderful addition to the evening.

After the production, a fellowship time was provided for everyone to enjoy.

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Furniture Ministry

Leadership:

  • Christy Wonnenberg

While the Furniture Ministry doesn't directly fall under the Legacy Ministry, the majority of our volunteers are seniors. This year, I continued to work closely with Christy Wonnenberg as we navigated the numerous challenges of pickups and deliveries around the city. We have three teams working together:

  1. Cleaning Team – This team ensures all donations are safe, clean, and ready for use.

  2. Organizing and Packing Team – This team fills request forms, packs the boxes, and prepares everything for the delivery team.

  3. Delivery Team – This team handles deliveries throughout the city and also picks up donations from around town.

In 2024, we completed 176 pickups, 178 deliveries, and distributed 157 beds—all of which are an increase from 2023.

We also collected donations for the Furniture Ministry during the Kyle Church Christmas concert, further supporting this vital ministry.

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Lunch Cafe

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many businesses were closed and gatherings were limited, the ladies from our Widowed and Singles Ministry began meeting in Hub 2 once a month. They would bring their own bag lunches, eat together, read scripture, and pray. Recognizing the value of gathering at the church and wanting to create a shared meal experience, we thought, “Why not open it up to the entire church, and why not make it a welcoming, safe space to bring friends?” And so, Lunch Café was born.

With Karen’s leadership in the kitchen and the help of many dedicated volunteers, we were able to provide fantastic meals and create a safe, quiet atmosphere in Hub 1 and 2. Donations are requested but not required, and people are always encouraged to "bring a friend." There is no formal program—just food, fellowship, and the opportunity to introduce new people to Hillcrest Church.

Lunch Café far surpassed my expectations, consistently attracting 60-80 people each month.

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Pastoral Care and Other

I continued to spend as much time as possible visiting in person (home/hospital) and over the phone throughout 2024. I deeply value these opportunities to connect with our church family, listen to their stories, and pray with such wonderful people.

I was privileged to officiate or co-officiate at the funerals of Ephraim Haas, Ira Heebner, Darlene Martens, Peter Hoeppner, Lily Klose, Stuart Fauser, and Dianne Thorne.

Each year, I send out letters and booklets titled "Journey Through Grief" to encourage and support those who have lost a spouse. These resources address the challenges and emotions we experience at various stages of the first year following a loss. In 2024, I sent out 41 letters and booklets.

I had the opportunity to preach a couple of times in July but was unable to preach in December due to a significant back injury that made sitting and standing difficult.

On April 26/27, I attended the EMCC Regional Gathering with the theme "Collective Impact – Engaged Together in His Good Work."

I also occasionally assisted the tech department on Sundays, serving in roles such as Production Manager, Worship Centre Sound, and Online Sound.

I served a couple of times each month as the Online Pastor for the 10:00 AM Online Service, which averaged between 40-80 views.

Finally, I have truly enjoyed working with Pastor Steve and Pastor Jamie on the Lead Team. It was another challenging year, but I am learning to balance my role as Legacy Pastor with the added responsibilities of the Executive Pastor role. I’ve particularly appreciated the opportunity to supervise 13 staff members, who are an incredible team to work with.

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Palliative Care Bags

Leadership

  • Sarah Mellish and her children

Palliative Care Bags, filled with snacks, cards, Gideon Bibles, magazines, and other thoughtful items, are distributed by the palliative care nurses at St. Joseph’s Home to families of patients in their ward. Once again, Sarah Mellish and her children faithfully prepared and delivered these bags. In 2024, we were able to distribute 85 bags, providing comfort and support to many families during difficult times.

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