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!