23 New Deacons Recognized at Celebration Sunday

Walnut Creek recognized 23 men and women as new deacons during Celebration Sunday on June 28.

During this year’s Celebration Sunday service on June 28, Walnut Creek Church recognized 23 new deacons in addition to four pastors to help meet the needs of the growing church. The pastors of Walnut Creek Church and the congregation have observed and approved the following men and women as deacons, having demonstrated proven character and service to the body of Christ.

Deacons

Twenty-three men and women joined 27 other men and women currently serving as Walnut Creek Church deacons:

Downtown
Laura Brill – Laura began attending Walnut Creek in the fall of 2004 after being invited by members of Campus Fellowship at Drake University. Through the influence of other believers and God’s grace, she began to follow the Lord. Laura teaches music in Southeast Polk Community Schools. She began serving regularly on a worship team as part of the Walnut Creek West church plant. Laura currently attends the 5pm service.

Brandon Johnson – Brandon began attending Walnut Creek with the start of the Downtown location in 2006. He made a decision to follow Christ in 1987 after a sermon on the result of sin without Christ. Brandon works as a real estate agent in the Des Moines area. He and his wife, Ashley, have been working with the Karenni refugees for the last 1.5 years. They have two children: Avery and “Drewie” (Andrew).

Kyle Kurtenbach – Kyle became a Christian in April 2003 and started attending Walnut Creek Church in early 2006. Kyle has been with the Downtown location since it started, and he currently serves at the 10am service. Kyle is a Community Group leader and is involved in Walnut Creek’s soccer and basketball ministries. Since 2005, Kyle has worked at Wells Fargo in accounting and finance roles. Kyle will be married to his fiancé, Keli, and become a stepdad to her daughter, Hanah, in August.

Mike Lock – God has led Michael and his wife, Jenessa, to focus the last 4 years on ministering within (Burmese) refugee populations in Des Moines, specifically with Karen and Karenni people. The Karenni Christian Fellowship is one of the first Karenni Christian churches in the United States. Michael and Jenessa are both optometrists at Lock Family Eye Care in West Des Moines and have 5 boys. They’ve been with Walnut Creek since 2012 and attend the 10am service along with the Karen families.

Dan McGuire – Dan started attending Walnut Creek in 2007. He serves as a Community Group leader and worship band coordinator for Walnut Creek Downtown. He has been married to Melissa for five years, and they have two daughters: Layla and Kenzie.

Kayla Waters – Kayla began trusting Christ for salvation in 2004 at the University of Northern Iowa. In 2008 she moved to Des Moines and currently works at Nationwide Insurance. Kayla has been a member of Walnut Creek Downtown since 2008 and attends the 5pm service.

Johnston
Dave Andorf – Dave began attending Walnut Creek Church through Friday night discussion groups. In 1985 he gave his life to Christ, the first person in the Des Moines church plant to become a Christian. Dave and his wife, Cindy, have three grown children who are all following Christ and serving Him at Walnut Creek South and Downtown. Dave is a small group leader at the Johnston location and works for a contracted security firm at Principal Financial.

Bryan Kammerer – Bryan started attending Walnut Creek Church in 2000 and became a Christian in 2001. He is a part of the Johnston congregation and has served in several ministries. Bryan also serves as a Community Group leader. He and his wife, Lindsay, have five children.

Duane Laugerman – Duane and his family moved to Des Moines in 2004 with the purpose of joining Walnut Creek Church. Duane thanks the Lord every day for this church and the continual blessing it has been. Duane and his wife, Jolene, have four children: Joanna, Janelle, Andrew, and Alex. Duane owns his own contracting business in Grimes.

Windsor Heights 
Rachel Bohacek – Rachel became a Christian in elementary school but really started living for the Lord her freshman year at Drake (2005) when she started to attend Walnut Creek Church. Rachel knew she’d found a great community of Christian men and women who would encourage her in the faith and love for the Lord so she decided to stay in Des Moines after graduation. Since 2009, Rachel has worked at Principal Financial Group as an accountant.

Collin Cameron – Collin gave his life to the Lord during the Faithwalkers conference in 2007 as a freshman at Drake University. He became involved in Drake’s Campus Fellowship ministry where he met his wife, Jen. He serves as a Community Group leader and works as a pharmacist. Collin and Jen are expecting an addition to their family this September.

Cameron Green – Cameron experienced the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ in 2003. With his wife, Jamie, and their children, they relocated back to Des Moines and began attending Walnut Creek Church in 2010. Being blessed with four children, Benjamin, Kate, May, and Beau, the Green family serves alongside the church in a Community Group, AWANA, and simply “locking arms” with brothers and sisters in Christ for the sake of the Lord’s Kingdom.

John Michael Hall – John Michael is originally from Moultrie, Georgia and has lived in Des Moines for 8 years. In 2011 he married Rachael who also graduated from Drake University. Their daughter, Lydia, is two and is excited to welcome “Baby Sister” in July. He has served as a Community Group leader at Windsor Heights for several years. John Michael helps individuals and families with investments, insurance, and retirement planning.

Melissa Holle – Melissa began going to Walnut Creek in 2009, shortly after becoming a Christian during college. After finishing her four years at Drake University, Melissa joined the Central City Bible Study. She has been involved with Youth For Christ as a middle and high school Bible Study Leader as well as a soccer coach. Since 2013, Melissa has worked for Nationwide Insurance. She currently attends the 11am and Shalom services.

Justin Hummel – Justin began attending Walnut Creek in 2010, where he fully committed himself to following the Lord. Justin graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and now works for John Deere. He and his wife, Alicia, were married in 2014, and they attend the 9:30am service where Justin is a Community Group leader.

Chris Meyer – Chris Meyer, son of Brad and Brita Meyer, has been a lifelong member of Walnut Creek Church. Chris has been actively involved in music ministry since high school and still leads worship on Sunday mornings at Walnut Creek Windsor Heights. Chris and his wife, MaryBeth, have two children, Addison and Owen. Chris leads a Community Group in their home each week.

Cole Meyers – Cole became a Christian in 2006 when he was a student at Drake University and began attending Walnut Creek Church soon after. He is currently a teacher and instructional coach at Harding Middle School in Des Moines. He and his wife, Dayna, have a 13-month- old son named Westin. They both work closely with Youth for Christ to reach central-city teenagers with the Gospel.

Loren Pavel – Loren began attending Walnut Creek in the fall of 2008 as a Drake University student. At Drake, she gave her life to the Lord and was involved with Campus Fellowship for 4 years. After graduation she worked for Walnut Creek as the Office Manager for 3.5 years before taking a job at Principal. She serves as a young adult leader with Parent Teen Ministry and is involved in a Young Adult Community Group.

Jonathon Rector – Jonathan began attending Walnut Creek Church in 2005 as a freshman at Drake University. He came to know Christ as his savior that same year through Campus Fellowship. He and his wife, Emily, attend the 9:30am service where he serves as a Community Group leader. Jonathon works as a CPA for Hamilton Juffer.

Jason Rude – Jason has been a regular attender of Walnut Creek since 1987. He attended Drake University where he became very active in Campus Fellowship. After graduating in 2009, Jason starting serving with the Young Adult Community Groups in Windsor Heights. He married Amanda in 2011 and together they have two children, Max and Gwenyth (and a third due this November)! For the past 5 years, he has worked as a real estate agent in Des Moines. Recently, Jason has coached Upward, and he currently leads a Community Group.

Bob Sheely – Bob has been attending Walnut Creek Church for about 23 years. Bob’s wife, Carol, was part of the team who planted Walnut Creek in 1985. Bob is a Community Group leader and has served as an Awana leader for 13 years. Bob was also involved with the Parent Teen Ministry for 7 years. Bob works as a transportation manager at Marzetti.

Jacob Van Sickle – Jacob grew up in a Christian family and became a Christian at a young age. When he transferred to Drake in the spring of 2008 God really grabbed ahold of his life as he got involved with Campus Fellowship and Walnut Creek Church. Jacob now serves as the Campus Ministry Director at Drake. Jacob and his wife, Sasha, are parents to Grace, Annabelle and, soon to come, Jack.

New Pastors Recognized at Celebration Sunday

Walnut Creek pastors pray over the four new ordained pastors and their families at Celebration Sunday on June 28.

During this year’s Celebration Sunday on June 28, Walnut Creek Church recognized four new pastors to help meet the needs of the growing church.

Pastors 

Greg Altmaier, Jon Crane, Tim Greeno, and Steve Rude were recognized as pastors, bringing the total number of Walnut Creek Church pastors up to 14.

Greg Altmaier – Greg became a believer on February 1, 2009 and has been calling Walnut Creek Church his church home since then. Originally from Iowa City, he has worked at Principal Financial Group as an accountant since 2008. Greg married Haley in 2011, and they have two girls, Harper and Willow. Greg enjoys spending time with family and friends, eating delicious foods, and engaging in physical activity. They serve at the Downtown location, where Greg is a Community Group leader.

Jon Crane – Jon Crane grew up in Walnut Creek Church as the son of pastor Bruce Crane and his wife Becky. Jon has been actively involved in the church’s college ministry since 2003 when he began attending Drake University. He went on staff with the church when he graduated in 2007 to help with college ministry and church planting. He serves at Walnut Creek South as a Community Group leader with his wife, Agatha, and their newborn son, Dawson.

Tim Greeno – Tim came to know Christ as his savior in 2005, as a sophomore at Drake University. That same year, he began attending Walnut Creek Church, where God began to transform his life and grip his heart with the gospel. Since that time, Tim has been involved with the Walnut Creek West church plant and AIB College ministry, and he now serves as a Community Group leader at Walnut Creek Downtown. Tim and his wife, Jenna, have three vivacious little children: Noah, Jeshua, and Kolbie.

Steve Rude – Although Steve has grown up in Walnut Creek Church from childhood, he really started following the Lord whole-heartedly toward the end of high school. At Drake University he continued to grow in his commitment to God’s Word and fellowship by being an integral part of the church’s first student group on campus. Following graduation, Steve devoted his next 8 years to helping begin and lead the campus ministries at Grand View and DMACC, as well as spending time on international mission trips. Steve works as an international student advisor at DMACC. Steve and his wife, Amber, have three children: Hudson, Mia and Elsie. They serve at the Downtown location where Steve is a Community Group leader.

Mustaches That Matter: Growing Season Begins June 28

Growing season begins June 28. 

Mustaches That Matters begins June 28, kick-starting three weeks of facial hair competition to raise our base goal of $50,000 for adoption.

Although the United States is the leading adopting country, international adoption has dropped nearly 50 percent since 2004. Mustaches That Matter leverages the power of mustaches to help families in the adoption process cross their financial finish line. All funds raised go toward our adoption assistance fund to support multiple families each year adopting internationally or domestically.

Last summer 206 men helped us raise over $76,000, more than three times our initial goal of $25,000. With the money raised, Mustaches That Matter financially supported 15 families in the adoption process. All people are created equal in God’s image. God is passionate about His children and so are we. Mustaches That Matter is a response to God’s call to care for orphans as we desire to align our heart with His.

You can join the cause in two ways: by growing your own mustache and raising support as you grow, or by financially sponsoring someone else's mustache. Each man participating is responsible for inviting friends, relatives, and coworkers to vote and financially sponsor his mustache. Once men reach their fundraising goal, they can shave.

#m2tc | Refugee Donation Drive Blesses 67 Families

The M2TC Refugee Donation Drive collected enough items to deliver to 67 Karen and Karenni families living in Des Moines. 

Throughout Mission to the City, Walnut Creek organized its first Refugee Donation Drive to collect gently used furniture, kitchen, and kids' items to bless refugee families living in Des Moines.

This past weekend with a U-Haul and multiple trucks and vans, four Community Groups delivered the donated items to 67 Karen and Karenni families living in 15 different apartment complexes and houses throughout the Des Moines area.

The Karen and Karenni are people groups that come from Myanmar (Burma) and Northern Thailand. There are about 4,000 Karen and Karenni in Central Iowa, having fled political instability and persecution. Many Karen families attend the Sunday morning service at Walnut Creek Downtown, while a Karenni Fellowship meets at Freedom For Youth Ministries on Sunday afternoons.

During Mission to the City, teams went door-to-door in Des Moines neighborhoods asking the community if they would like to join us in helping our refugee neighbors. As an extra service, other M2TC teams collected donated items from community members and delivered them to Jordan Park Camp. The most needed items were mattresses, couches, and cooking supplies.

"A need was seen and the church rose up to meet that need. It was awesome to see people in the community and from our church come together to serve their neighbors," said Ashley Caycedo of Walnut Creek Downtown. "The refugee drive ran smoothly, and we were able to bless families with multiple items to make their new place feel like home."

The organizers would like to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to the Refugee Donation Drive by donating, delivering, and organizing items as well as inviting people in the community to join us in helping these families.

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By Jackie Wallentin  

Walnut Creek Windsor Heights