“I can outlast the criers.”

            How can two southpaws join hands in marriage?  Jim and Kim Hagel have midwestern roots but met in Southern California.  A friend asked Kim if Jim could call her.  “Tell him to call me at work between 4:30 and 5:00,” were the starting parameters.  He did.  They dated and eventually married.  Jim, the MBA had the wedding on a spreadsheet.

Jim: “We came in under budget.”

     Jim works for the Integer Group, a promotional advertising agency.  Kim is in HR with Research Electro-Optics, a company that makes precision optical components in Boulder. 

What brought you to the Lord and Discovery?

Jim: “I dropped out of church after high school.  I came back to it when Kim and I got married.  I felt it would be a good example for Cameron and would provide me with an opportunity to connect spiritually with a group”

Kim: “I grew up in church, but it was not a priority for our family.  When Cameron was two, I felt the need to return to church.  A kid working in the mailroom at work witnessed to me.  I finally accepted Christ.  Our church merged with Shepherd of the Hills Christian Church.  I was involved in their children’s & youth programs.  We came to Colorado and started with Discovery when Rocky Mountain Christian Church planted it.

Jim:” We’ve been setting up for ten years.”

What do you like about Discovery?

Kim: “It feels comfortable – like home.  People genuinely care and take care of each other.”

Jim: “People are genuine.  Our small group got us through Cameron’s cancer.”

Kim has been involved in Little Explorers, the 2 – 3 year-old children’s class.  She’s in there every other Sunday.

Kim: “It’s my favorite age.  I lead the lesson and move the kids from activity to activity.  The challenge is connecting with them and making them feel comfortable and safe.  They still like to give hugs.”

Kim is known for helping children deal with separation anxiety.

Kim: “I can outlast the criers.”

Jim works with Adventure Zone, 3 to 5 year-olds.

Jim: “Generally I’m the storyteller.  I enjoy drama and like to act out the story.  I live in my own world anyway”

What is the next step in your spiritual journey?

Jim: “I need to be around more people.  If God’s kingdom is here on earth, I need to interact and be an integral part of their lives.”

Kim: “I’d love to staple myself to someone and learn from her.  I've found good mentors to be wonderful.  I’ve learned so much from them.

“How you are on the job speaks volumes about your faith.”

Saginaw, Michigan and Peoria, Illinois aren’t that far from each other, but it took the experience of working side by side in a pediatric unit in a Chicago hospital to bring these two nurses together.

Tom McNally now consults on clinical health information systems for an international consulting company. His job takes him traveling across the country every week. His wife, Rhonda, works for Boulder County Public Health doing home visits for at-risk families who have infants.

Tom committed his life to the Lord in high school at a Billy Graham movie. Rhonda was baptized at age 9, took advantage of the Young Life program at her church and refreshed her faith as an adult.

“College was the most formative time for my faith,” reflects Tom. At Wheaton College I was introduced to urban ministries.” After graduation, Tom moved into a community house in Uptown Chicago with other friends from college.

“Rhonda & I were involved in a storefront church in Uptown Chicago. Seven different language groups worshipped at our church, including Asian refugees (Cambodians, Vietnamese, Hmong from Laos), African refugees and others. Once each month we would have a combined communion service and each national group would have a public part. It was inspirational. (And the potlucks afterward were delicious!)”

They spent the past twenty-two years in Pittsburgh where they raised their two children, Brianne and Kevin, and were very active in their church in Pittsburgh. “We tried to weave faith and work. Service vocations lend themselves to blend both. How you are on the job speaks volumes about your faith.”

What is Growing Home’s Ministry and how did you get involved?
“Families with children who find themselves homeless can work with the Growing Homes program to find housing. During that time they are sheltered in churches one week at a time for up to six weeks. We got involved when Growing Homes sent a representative to Discovery seeking a support church. They were looking for a coordinator. With Steve’s encouragement we decided to do it. We are reaching out, sharing God’s love in a concrete way to people who need support. We could be those people any day.”

What does a person have to do to be involved with Discovery's Growing Homes participation?
“They need to be interested in providing a meal, food or supplies that are used at the church. Or they can be overnight hosts at the church. We do this 12 nights a year.”

Stop by the Growing Homes display in the lobby.

If I’d had Jesus in my home I might have made different decisions.

Jack Paul is a gregarious guy. Husband to Lisa and father to Jackson and Connor he was reared near Orlando and served four years in the Navy as a cryptographer.

He attended college and worked as a server in a local restaurant. “My customer wanted cocktail sauce for his Calamari. We were out, so I ran down the street to get it for him. It turns out he was the president of a hotel chain and offered me a job in hotel management." Today Jack is the General Manager for Doubletree Hotel in Westminster.

Jack had it made: wife, children, great job, home in McKay Landing.
Almost.

“My earliest experience with the Christian faith was in the Navy. Sundays we were given the choice of church or cleaning the barracks. I chose the protestant church service. I thought it was cool that they sang the Beatles song, “Let It Be.”

“I was approaching a mid-life birthday and knew something was missing. My brother had recently become a Christian. That’s amazing! We were born into a Jewish home, but were not familiar with the Jewish faith. I could tell a difference in him. He was at peace. I thought, ‘I want that!’”

Jack had some requirements for any church that he would attend: no formal dress, no guilt trips, no pressure about money. Lisa Cuss told Jack’s wife, “Oh you’ll love my husband. He wears jeans and a sweatshirt.”

The community and acceptance they found at Discovery brought Jack and Lisa back again and again. The sermons spoke directly to Jack’s questioning heart. He chose to follow Jesus and was baptized in March of this year.

Who has helped you along on your spiritual journey?
“My small men’s study group has been important. These guys really know the Bible.”

What kind of service for the Lord stirs you?”
“I feel like I’m guided to find people who are growing – who need the Lord. I was cynical. I want to help others. It’s easy to talk about Jesus and the church. I talk about Him to other people.”

What’s next? What is the next stage of your growth?
“My life group. I need to get better at reading the Bible. It’s still new and unfamiliar – except for the Gospel of John. I need a ‘Bible for dummies’.”
“I’d love to be able to quote scripture. I admire those who can.”
“I want to become more of a role model for my boys and other people. If I had had Jesus in my home, I might have made some different decisions.”

"Why are you being sanitized, Mommy?"

“Why are you being sanitized, Mommy?”
This questioning insight came from Jacy Pringle at her mother’s baptism.
Sara and Chad Pringle now live in the Broomfield neighborhood where Sara grew up. Coming from a broken home and life-shattering experiences, Sara chose to be a servant of the Lord. She was baptized into Christ at Discovery three years ago. She is pursuing a degree in education, teaching at a local preschool and working part-time at Discovery assisting Kim Koole with the Nursery and Little Explorers.

Born into a military family with Denver roots reaching back 100 years, Susanne Eck earned a degree in geology and a career working in oil exploration in Midland Texas. But, people, not things, were her passion. When a hearing impaired co-worker taught her sign language, Susanne returned to C.S.U. for a Masters in Special Education-- Hearing Impaired. It was there that she met and married Randy. They were baptized into Christ the year of their marriage. They have two children. Susanne teaches at the Betty Adams Early Childcare Center and works part-time at Discovery assisting Kim Koole with Adventure Zone.

• What are the goals for the preschool program at Discovery?
  Susanne: We free parents to worship without the distraction of their children. While this is important, it is more than babysitting. We want children to learn the excitement, joy and love of God. They are loved, special. God made them. God is forgiving. They learn positive loving correction. It is a nurturing environment.
  Sara: We have a sign in the classroom that says, “Making mistakes is O.K. We can learn from them.” We want to provide an environment in addition to parents and school where children can find people to look up to. We want to teach the relevance of faith.
  Susanne: Tom and Rachel Morris developed a three-year curriculum that we help Kim Koole tweak each week. It’s good material and flexible.
• What are the rewards for teaching preschoolers?
  Sara and Susanne: We get immediate hugs. We get to see them develop and watch their excitement in learning.
• If you could gather adults considering teaching preschoolers, what would you like them to know?
  Susanne: I want them to learn how to take the abstract to the concrete for preschoolers.
  Sara: Get excited about children. I want them to see through kid’s eyes. Enjoy them!
• How many more workers would you like to have each week?
  Sara and Susanne: 12 more adults and teens would be ideal for our three class areas.

Contact Kim Koole if you are interested in working with children.

Our faith experience is like a roll of barbed wire – cyclical.

the stretch
Can you improve an ideal world? Rebecca Bennett was born and reared in Connecticut with vacations in a beautiful, protected chautauqua village on Maine’s southern coast. Her parents worshipped and served with a 350 year-old Congregational church that met in its original building. “I remember it being about God, but there was no personal relationship with Jesus.” She traveled to Vermont to go to college. Then, Rebecca decided to stretch. Leaving her home and ignoring an elusive faith, she crossed the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, the Mississippi and the Plains. “I came out because I wanted to go some place different, I loved Colorado, and, by the way, Steve was here.”

the reach
Marriage and a career in pharmaceutical marketing consumed life.
When did she discover her own faith in Jesus Christ?
“It was in the middle of our struggle to conceive children that my faith began to emerge.” Dreams of parenthood seemed repeatedly elusive. Anger directed toward God turned to complete trust as she released her control of the situation.
“A minister once told me that our faith experience is like a roll of barbed wire – cyclical. There are ups and downs, some pain and sticking points. But you make progress.”
How did she come to Discovery?
“Steve was motivated to find a church, so he started the search. Discovery was meeting in Lafayette at the time. It was too far and didn’t have a Sunday school. We had all the excuses. Besides, Sunday morning was when I did gardening. Then the church moved to Aspen Creek. We attended and grew.”

The grasp
How did Rebecca get involved in the meals ministry?
“I was asked to prepare a meal for a lady who was coming home from the hospital with a newborn. It was a great opportunity to serve and was appreciated by the new moms. But the meals were only taken to new moms and the ones well connected to the church. When Steve and Lisa came from Vegas, he encouraged me to pursue my vision and expand this ministry.”
What is the meals ministry doing now?
“The women of Discovery are amazing! We are taking food to others, as we know their needs. Discovery’s outreach to the community is great. We get to help people we don’t know.”
What does the future of this ministry look like?
“I hope we will be able to help moms with child care, the elderly with yard work and become a source for community help. It’s not easy for some to accept help.”
Rebecca has a gift for organization and coordinating programs. So, how does a controller stay spiritually refreshed?
“My personal dream as a control person is to have the peace that comes with turning it all over to the Lord. Having a verbal five year-old is humbling and reminds me of spiritual things. Surrounding myself with the right people is important as is placing myself in situations that stretch me: serving, Bible study, and parenting.”

I decided I needed to pursue Jesus.

January 18, 2003
“Damn! How could God let this happen!” Fifth year long jumper Todd Bjerkass from Washington University in St. Louis lay on a gurney after his first meet of the season. Nationally ranked in Division III track and field, he was trying for a jump of 22 feet. He hit the take-off board with the force of one landing from a second story window. His foot broke, his athletic season ended and his anger went heavenward.
January 19, 2003
Lying in the hospital, Todd read the story of his friend and fellow athlete who suffered a career ending injury in football. “Don’t worry coach, God has a lot more in store for me,” was the player’s response.
“Something clicked inside me when I read that,” said Todd. “I decided I needed to pursue Jesus.”
An Air Force kid, he had lived in Boston, the Azores, D.C. and O’Fallon Illinois.
“We went to church every Sunday, but that was the extent of our spiritual life. I met Katelin the year I was injured. Our first quality conversation was about our faith.”
Todd, with degrees in architecture, landscape architecture and planning, works for a landscaping design firm.
2008
How did they connect with Discovery?
“We moved here and did the church shopping thing. At Discovery Laura Brasov connected us with several families. There is a real sense of community.”
Todd is active in men’s Bible studies.
“I can’t imagine living life without it. We were meant to be in community. Men need to talk about their issues. I can see how our study together bleeds into our work, family church and personal life. There is a difference in the relationships between couple’s and men’s small groups. Men respond differently from women. Men can encourage each other about their own issues: leadership, family, work, anger, temptation.”
Why don’t more guys get into small Bible study groups?
“A couple of reasons. First, life is so busy. Second, our pride stops us.”
How does Todd Bjerkaas stay refreshed?
“Foundry, Discovery’s 20’ & 30’s group meets once a month. That’s important to me. So is my men’s Bible study group. Sunday morning is very refreshing for me.”
2009 & beyond
What are Todd’s plans and dreams?
“My plans have never turned out the way that I thought they should and I’m grateful for that. For me it’s about a life well lived, as the Book of Proverbs describes. My goal is to have open ears and eyes to find God’s will.”
What’s the upcoming Thursday men’s breakfast about?
“We thought that other men need to experience this.” We’re inviting all the men of the church to join us at the warehouse for breakfast, catching up and study. We’ll share our joys, struggles, needs and pray for each other. Open and honest is the key. It will be an appropriate place to share.”

One cloud. One lightning bolt.

One cloud. One lightning bolt. One star over a manger scene in suburban Indianapolis. Kazaam!! Baby Jesus was blown out of his splintered manger on New Year’s Day. The high voltage jumped to the doorbell and traveled into Jeff and Jennifer Stanley’s dream home expending its wrath. What a way to start the year!
Jeff and Jennifer are Hoosiers who started dating while students at Indiana University.
Jeff: “I majored in pre-med. and psych. wanting to be a psychiatrist until I discovered I don’t like blood.” Jeff spent some years in administration at I.U and the Indiana State Department of Education before assuming his current role as a senior policy planner for State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEA). “I love making policy!”
Jennifer is a pediatric nurse with Denver’s Children’s Hospital.
Jennifer: “I can sleep anywhere. Once I slept through a tornado.”
With roots in Indianapolis, what brought them to Colorado and Discovery?
Jennifer: “I began my faith as a child and deepened my commitment during my college years.”
Jeff: “I didn’t take my early church training seriously until after we were married. Jennifer told me, ‘This is important to me. I’m going and you can come if you want.’
Since it was important to Jennifer, I decided to give church an honest try. One day I was really seeking God and prayed, ‘What do you want me to do?’ Then it hit me. I came alive!”
“God brought us to Colorado. I had an opportunity with SHEEA and Jennifer had a job with Children’s Hospital.”
How did they connect with Discovery?
Jennifer: “Our home church helped plant Discovery. We came wanting to serve with this congregation.”
That’s quite a transplant! What motivates you?
Jeff: “I want my life to be defined by service. I fought the Lord during my young adult years. I’ve got time to make up.”
Jennifer: “We want to give our children a solid foundation to return to.”
What do they like doing at Discovery?
Both: “Kid’s Quest. We set up each week and teach every other week.”
Jeff: There’s something to be said for worshipping in a school. We develop community and ownership. It’s not about the possessions or a building.”
Jeff: We started a group who will help people sign up for Social Security and get through the paper work. That’s an exciting ministry.”
How do you keep yourself refreshed?
Jennifer: The Bible and Bible studies. Worship songs.
Jeff: Service – I’m not over committed yet. I love being with people who love me and want to be my friend.”
They still have a manger scene, but the Stanley’s relationship with the Lord is not confined to the front lawn. There’s lightning in the air.