We are excited to welcome Nathan Hoff to the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Nathan is senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro, CA and a member of the Board of Directors for Lutheran Renewal.

Nathan writes, “The Lord has been teaching me that thanksgiving is a fruit of true humility. Thanksgiving also severs the entitlement nerve that runs so strongly in me. ‘Thank you’ says ‘you have given me something that I didn't necessarily deserve.’ So I'm thankful! Thankful to introduce myself to a network that looks good on paper, but better in person. I'm thankful for good leadership in the ARC from the beginning days to today.

I'm thankful for my wife of 15 years, Joy (again much more than I deserve). She and I are grateful to parent 4 kids (Christian, Annika, Samuel, and Peter). I am thankful to serve as pastor at Trinity Lutheran in San Pedro, California. We have been at Trinity for 6 years. Trinity is giving thanks to God for 90 years of His faithfulness this fall. We are grateful for our past, and all that God is up to in the present, but also that He is leading us into a hopeful future here in the Harbor area of Los Angeles.

I thankful to join the ARC because I realized that ARC folks are the folks that I love to be with, minister with, and call when I'm in a bind and need prayer, support, or guidance. I love that the ARC values relationship.”

ARC members, you can meet Nathan at the ARC Midwest Gathering in St. Paul, MN on Oct 26-28. Welcome to the ARC, Nathan!

We are excited to welcome Corey Paxton to membership in the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Corey lives in Roanoke, VA with his wife Danielle and three little girls-- Hannah, Shilloah, and Norah-- serving as the Youth and Young Adult Minister of St. John Lutheran Church (LCMC). Corey also created and directs “Epic: Experiencing Passion in Christ”: a week of mission, discipleship, and adventure for teenagers in the Roanoke Valley. Before coming to the Lutheran Church, Corey served on Young Life staff and then as volunteer staff with Mosaic in Los Angeles while earning a dual master’s degree in Theology and Cross Cultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently finishing his MDIV with the Master’s Institute Seminary and is excited to join the ARC to connect with a band of brothers and sisters passionate about Jesus and His mission in the world.

Please add Corey to your prayer list, and you can look forward to meeting him at the ARC Midwest Gathering in St. Paul, MN on Oct 26-28. Welcome to the ARC, Corey!

We are excited to welcome Rev. Dawn Lundgren as the newest member of the ARC! Dawn is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Walker, MN, founder of Sundawn Ministries, and a graduate of The Master’s Institute Seminary. She and her husband Ed, will be married 53 years this July and have five grown children, nine grandchildren & four great-grandchildren. Wow! Talk about being fruitful and multiplying.

Following a devastating diagnosis of the onset of early Alzheimer’s Disease in 1983, Dawn retired to their home and began searching for God’s will in her life through His Word. In 1984 she experienced a “Damascus Road” encounter with the Living Lord, was touched, healed and commissioned on a path that eventually lead to an International ministry in 17 countries, plus conferences, seminars and worship services in many churches in the U.S.

In 2008 the Lord called her to become the pastor of a small, struggling church in northern Minnesota. With the support, love and prayers of many ministry friends and leaders, the church is growing, thriving and recently purchased the building they have been renting! Dawn writes: “I have chosen to become a contributing member of ARC partially because of my deep respect for the founders and leaders of this organization. After attending the 2010 Conference in St. Paul, and observing the number of passionate men and women of like minds and hearts, I was strongly moved to become a contributing part of this lively, inspiring and dedicated group of followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Welcome to the ARC, Dawn. We are excited to add you to our growing number in this band of brothers and sisters who want to kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.

We are excited to welcome Ryan Kowlessar to membership in the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Ryan is serving as Campus Pastor and Mission Developer in Hastings, MN for Community of Hope Lutheran Church (CoH). Ryan came on board officially as staff in the Spring of 2010 but has been part of the CoH faith community since its early stages. A graduate of The Master's Institute Seminary, Ryan didn't know he would enter into the realm of church planting until half way through the program. That particular call was later affirmed after meeting his wife Renée, a Luther Seminary graduate, during his second year at an LCMC conference where they both were sitting in on a church-planting seminar. They now live in Hastings where they plan to develop the second campus for CoH and are expecting their first child in the Spring of 2011. They both enjoy camping and the outdoors together. Ryan has been known to say that if he was not in church work, he would be aspiring to be the next Survivorman. Ryan is enthused to be part of The ARC and its ministry. He hopes to develop life-long friends and partnerships in Kingdom Ministry. Ryan hopes to add to the conversation of church planting and mission developing within The ARC and would love to see ARC plants in the near future.

We are excited to welcome Brendon and Shanna Fairley to the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Brendon is the director of youth ministries at Penasquitos Lutheran Church (PLC) in San Diego, CA. A self-described third generation PK (pastor’s kid), Brendon received his BA in Biblical Studies from Eastern University, began studies toward his MDiv at Fuller Seminary and is completing his MDiv through The Master’s Institute Seminary as part of their distance-learning program. Shanna is a second grade teacher at a Christian school in central San Diego.

Brendon writes: “Hi all! My name is Brendon Fairley and I am the director of youth ministries at Penasquitos Lutheran Church (PLC) in San Diego. I have served at PLC for the past three and a half years and it has been a wonderful ride. God is doing amazing things amongst our youth. It has been my call to help equip our students for life in Christ, moving them beyond the decision to accept Him as Lord and Savior and into an intimate relationship with Him. Both Shanna and I have been extremely blessed by our time with the ARC and the powerful things God has been doing. It is our desire to continue to participate with what God is doing and what He wants to do in and through the people of the ARC. We are excited to play our role in this wonderful ministry.”

Welcome to the ARC, Brendon and Shanna!