Our Introduction to KCN, Hawaii

Beautiful Feet
Well, if you’ve tracked along this far with Pastor’s Perspectives or you’ve popped in every so often, you’ve likely read about the “ambitious” vision God has given KCN. I feel obligated to put quotes around “ambitious” because is there really anything ambitious for the Creator of this World? God’s work throughout history renders our mission of transforming communities on the Big Island with a team of missionaries and pastors as hardly ambitious. Wait, but it is ambitious, at least to the extent that it’s unprecedented–small churches simply don’t multiply themselves this quickly. Moving forward, we see both perspectives, but we’re holding more tightly to the former: God grows the church by giving it a mission to offer salvation, and then God offers the resources to accomplish the task, should we choose to accept it (right out of Matthew 28 then the Book of Acts). At KCN, we’re hoping to continue this mission that began in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. The only difference: we’re on the Bid Island of HI. So our methods, strategy, and approach may be a bit different, but that we are offering the truth of salvation found in Christ is timeless and will not change.

Let me introduce you to some “beautiful feet” that will be part of our team at KCN.

I love this imagery because 1) I think the role of a missionary is captured well in this verse, and 2) the work of KCN to reach the 96,000 that are lost on the Kona Coast is truely a beautiful call:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

KCN is welcoming two families to join our team in 2013 to proclaim peace and to bring Good News to the Big Island. The first family currently lives in Richland Center, Wisconsin and they have been discerning a call to missions for years. They’ve explored several international placements, but when they were connected to KCN, the lights of their call suddenly shone brighter. Jesse and Tiffany Boyarski have four children, Makayla (9), Ethen (8), Ashlyn (7), and Ellie (3). The call on their lives is to missions generally, but specifically, it’s to live out the transformative love offered through Jesus Christ in a mutlicultural setting. Through relationships in community and through blessing their neighbors, the Boyarskis hope to be a family-of-grace deeply rooted in their community. They are not a “come-in-the-church-and-hear” family; they will hit the streets, bless people along the way, and then offer them the hope of Jesus. We are thrilled to have the Boyarskis on board and (soon) ministering in Ocean View and Miloli’i. We anticipate them laying a strong foundation for God’s work down south.

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The second family, the Pauls, are from Nashville, TN. They have one daughter, Justice (1), and are both strong additions to the KCN Team. Eric and Joy have worked extensively in cross-cultural and economically diverse settings. Eric has a heart for the work of the Holy Spirit in diverse neighborhoods. That’s right. His first focus is not large but small; he has a keen sense of how God uses the assets already present in neighborhoods to offer grace. Wherever he is put, Eric will find the seeds of grace already planted and nurture them. Joy has a knack (and a call) for working with underpriviledged children. Where the challenges of life and childhood needs are, there too is Joy’s heart. We look forward to Joy and Eric (and Justice) doing ministry in North and Central Kona.

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The call on our church is “ambitious”, but with confidence we’re taking the first few steps. More importantly, the call on our church is beautiful because we believe that we are at the beginning of blessing thousands of neighbors and offering them a different future–a future marked by hope and peace. But our vision is not the only thing beautiful; even more so, the feet of the Boyarskis and Pauls are beautiful because they are responding “YES!” to God who calls them to bring Good News and proclaim salvation on the Kona Coast! We are blessed to have them on board and soon settled in!

Anticipating God’s work,

PASTOR RYAN

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