Pete and Donna Kirchhoff Missionaries Information Page

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Comment by Greg Simons on November 22, 2011 at 8:27pm

Thanks for continuing to pray for our family and Waters Edge here in Stansbury Park, Utah.  Here’s a quick update with some important ways to pray.

 

As a family, we now have two teens in high school.  Enough said?!  God is leading us through the changes – with the many extreme highs and lows.  Rachel just finished her volleyball season and Josh is beginning another year of wrestling.  I also had fun coaching Cal’s stellar soccer team again this fall.  Donna and I got to take an amazing vacation to Maine last month.  It was very restful and beautiful along the rocky coast with the vast color of leaves at their peak.  Praise God for how our time away helped restore perspective and hope in what He is doing around us.

 

At church, we’ve been encouraging people to increase their connection with each other between Sundays.  This “sharing of life” has been emphasized while we’ve been going through Thessalonians.  Paul continually mentions the imitating and modeling of believers.  People have started six new “clusters” of 2-10 individuals meeting together mid-week.  These are building closer interdependence and enjoyment with each other.  Pray for deeper relationships to continue building among more of the new and old people at Waters Edge.

 

More than anything else, please pray for me as I am creating a discipleship process to incorporate in the near future.  This will be called Compass and include Bible studies in four areas: core beliefs, personal time with God, commitment among believers, and sharing Jesus’ grace with the world.  It is designed to help people understand God’s Truth and put it in a format they can easily share with others.  But … it’s been incredibly hard for me to set aside the time and focus to develop it.  Please pray for me with this!!

 

I am very thankful for you and your partnership in prayer.  Enjoy the pictures below from a recent dedication of parenting we had for some younger families.  We also see have pics from our vacation on Facebook.

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Comment by Greg Simons on July 25, 2011 at 7:35pm

From and Email from Pete,

We’re heading into a very full and fun week of sports camp.  75 kids have signed up so far!  The camp runs from 6-9 pm on Monday through Friday.  A mission team from Oklahoma pulls into town tonight to help us.  Please pray for …

·         Relationships & safety within each sport

·         The Waters Edge & OK coaches sharing their faith

·         My group teaching each night with everyone

·         The kids understanding & responding to Jesus

·         Connections with parents throughout the week

·         Families coming on Friday night & Sunday morning

I’ll look forward to reporting back how God moves people during the week.  Thanks for praying with us!

 

Pete Kirchhoff  (435) 840-0542

www.WatersEdgeUtah.com

enjoying Jesus' grace together!

 

P.S. The pictures below are from a baptism we had Thursday night at Stansbury Lake for Gale (right) and Lisa (left).

Comment by Greg Simons on July 25, 2011 at 7:34pm

Comment by Greg Simons on June 14, 2011 at 6:37pm

Thank you very much for praying for me, our family, and everyone at Waters Edge and in our community.  I’ve wanted to update you for a while, but my e-mail was down for about two weeks. 

 

Four other pastors joined me on the prayer and planning retreat I asked you to pray about.  Those pictured on my right and left are my youth pastor from growing up, Chuck Sabin, and a close friend from seminary days, Greg Lavine.  It was so good for all of us to pull back for a time of seeking God personally and on behalf of our churches.  In both those areas, God kept encouraging me to deepen my dependence on Him.  Since returning, I’m daily trying to stay reliant on God’s power in all areas of my life and leadership.  Praise God for His guidance and pray for my deepening dependence.

 

The Waters Edge body is growing in size and depth.  Many more people began coming regularly since Easter.  We even had a 100+ Sunday several weeks ago!  Now that summer is here, I am encouraging people to use their activities as intentional relationship building opportunities with their neighbors.  Last Sunday I gave a “summer dare” to imitate Paul’s model in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 to share not only the gospel, but their lives with people.  One way we will be doing this as a church, is by hosting a kids sports camp.  Now is the time people need to begin inviting families and kids to participate.  Praise God for who He is drawing to Waters Edge and pray for us to grow in compassion toward our community.

 

Thankful to God for your partnership in prayer,

 

Pete Kirchhoff

Comment by Greg Simons on April 18, 2011 at 6:57am

From Pete 4/15/2011 -

I often hesitate sending prayer updates because there is so much I’d like to explain & ask you seek God about.  Therefore, I will begin sending shorter notes more often.  But for now, please take a couple of minutes to pray through the following areas with praises & pleas to God.

 

1)      In the last note, I asked you to pray for several young people considering a move here.  Sadie Martin, who was on our last summer team with SportReach (picture below), has decided to move out this summer after graduating from college in Nebraska.  She got a job at the local Alpine Academy treatment center for teen girls.  Thank God for who He’s provided to join us.

2)      Sadie will begin running the children’s ministry after getting settled.  Many other leadership roles are changing.  God has led Rob from our church to begin leading the teen ministry with a strong outreach focus.  We’re working with our current worship team to determine future leadership, as Andy finishes in June.  Please pray for building just the right team of new leaders.

3)      Lisa (picture below) started coming to WE in January.  I recently learned from her that it was then she first understood God’s grace and chose to believe in Jesus as her Savior.  Now she’s growing like a weed and continually reading the Bible!  Praise God for calling her to faith after 50 years and pray for several others like Lisa who are getting involved.

4)      Today I have my second pre-marital counseling session with Cody & Johna.  They have two kids and have been living together for about 5 years.  She is another new believer who got involved with WE in November.  He has never come to church or decided to surrender his life to Christ.  Please pray for them both and for me as I counsel them.

5)      I am excited to be making plans for a kids sports camp as a local outreach during the last week of July.  It’s been very encouraging to see over 20 people from WE commit to be involved.  Mission teams from churches in CA & OK are also making plans to come out.  Pray for the many kids and families we hope to reach.

6)      Giving at WE is still very inconsistent.  In February we exceeded our limited budget by about $1,500, and then turned around with about the same shortfall in March.  I think this is due not only to financial hardships, but overall low commitments and ownership for the church’s budget.  Pray for people’s growth in faithful giving to God’s ministry.

7)      Finally, please pray for the spiritual protection of me and my family.  I have recently been wrestling with a lot of insecurity and low confidence – that I believe often comes from the Enemy.  Pray I would lead and love my family and this church with both humility and hope in my God.

Comment by Greg Simons on April 18, 2011 at 6:56am

From Pete on 4/15/2011

On a lighter note, I am running the Salt Lake City Half Marathon tomorrow.  The 13 miles will be tough, but fun with all the other runners.  The group picture below is from a trip to Moab in March with a new guys group that formed last month.  That’s my son, Josh, on the right!

 

Comment by Greg Simons on April 12, 2011 at 6:54am

From Pete:

I’ve been focusing on the apostle Paul’s reminder to be “devoted in prayer - being watchful & thankful.”  It helps me turn over the false pressure and anxiety of feeling like I need to control progress.  I encourage you to do the same while praising and petitioning God for what’s happening at Waters Edge and in our family.

 

Our church has been going through Jesus’ mountainside teaching from Matthew 5-7 from New Years to Memorial Day.  It is so applicable!  The first part encouraged us to be daily learning from God’s Word.  We then looked at God’s desire for not only our outward actions, but inner heart attitudes in relationships.  Last Sunday we began looking at prayer and we’re now focusing on one line per week of the believer’s prayer until early April.  Please pray for my weekly teaching preparation and people’s commitment to spend time on their own in the Bible.

 

A lot of new people are getting involved, many of whom are young believers or have not yet accepted Jesus’ gift of new life.  I met with a family yesterday who started coming regularly in January.  They are pulling their marriage back together after a  recent separation and abuse of alcohol.  The wife has chosen to receive Jesus as her personal Savior and her husband is committed to joining her at church while sorting out his own beliefs.  God orchestrated for them to hear the stories of two other couples who shared on Sundays about going through very similar rebuilding times.  Please pray for our ability to clearly communicate the gospel and for new people to quickly get connected in relationships with others at Waters Edge.

 

Our leadership team is changing and growing.  Andy and Julie, who moved to Utah with us two years ago, are ending their leadership with youth and worship in anticipation of leaving to find work out of state.  God has provided Rob from our church to pick up the baton with the teens.  He’s an evangelist at heart, with past experience as a youth pastor.  Our worship team has also been growing in leading alongside Andy and in his absence when he can’t be there.  In addition, God may be calling several other young people here to help in these areas as they work at local jobs.  While praying for Rob and our lay worship team,  please lift up Wade and Kelsey who visited from Colorado last weekend and Sadie who is coming out from Nebraska to explore the option this weekend.

 

With hosting these people and several other recent church gatherings at our house, we’re feeling a little more stretched right now.  Fortunately we had a lot of good family time going into this.  Donna and I had a great date day last Wednesday of cross county skiing and seeing The King’s Speech.  Josh and Calvin are back to riding dirt jumps with the warmer weather, while Rachel is enjoying a volleyball club in hopes of playing for the high school team next year.  Please pray for rest, unity, support, and good communication with each.

 

Thanks for taking a couple of minutes to, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Col

Comment by Greg Simons on February 13, 2011 at 7:22pm

Prayer concerns from the Kirchhoffs:

Thanks for encouraging and praying for us as we lead people to discover, engage, and reveal Jesus here in Utah.  I’ve got some good news to share!

 

About 10 teenage girls from a residential treatment center have been coming to Waters Edge during their year of recovery.  The night before graduating, Julia chose to be baptized last Thursday night.  She is in the white robe below.  The picture was taken at the baptism where she explained to family in town, counselors from the center, and Waters Edge friends about how God has become her hope and stability in life.  Please pray this week for Julia and her twin sister, Becca (standing on the left in pink), as they restart life back in southern California.

 

 

God has provided enough funds for me to continue putting my full focus into this ministry.  Two months ago we weren’t sure if this was going to be the case as church and support giving was lower.  Thank God with me for working through many generous people.  This allows me to keep meeting with many people each week, planning for our different ministries, and prayerfully leading Waters Edge to reach more people throughout the greater Tooele County.

 

Tonight I will be meeting with our leaders.  They are growing in discipling those on their ministry Crew Teams and Well Groups meeting in homes.  Please lift up Caleb, Julie, Andy, Jennifer, Zac, Brook, Dan, Dave, and Donna as I encourage them to be praying for and with each of those they are leading.

 

Members of Woodland Park Community Church and Santa Cruz Bible Church are considering coming out to Stansbury Park and leading a kids sports camp with Waters Edge during the last week of July.  Pray for the right people to join each mission team during this month.

 

* To reduce expenses, we’ve moved the church offices back to our home.  Please begin using only this address (185 Spyglass Drive, Stansbury Park, UT 84074) for correspondance and giving.  Check can still be made out to Waters Edge for our support.

** If at any point you’d prefer to not receive these prayer updates, please don’t hesitate to reply and let us know to take you off the list.

 

 

Pete Kirchhoff

435.840.0542

www.WatersEdgeUtah.com

 

discover ~ engage ~ reveal JESUS!