Parenting Pathway

In Part 2 of our conversation with our resident 30 something Sarah Mcfarland, and Julie MacManus our Mom raising a teenage daughter, Pastors Dave Carl and Nathan Kocurek break down what this new generation is looking to find. In our discussion we understand that this generation is looking for purpose more than anything.  Unfortunately, with God taken out of most of our society, they are seeking purpose in various causes. They will donate time, money and energy.  The cause is giving them purpose. and the cause is becoming the idol. So we breakdown what young adults are looking for and how can the church engage in a way that draws them in, but also makes them comfortable and shows them God's purpose for their life.

Parenting Pathway Podcast looks at the strained relationship between the church and the millennial generation. This generation came of age in a period of time when institutions and leaders are perceived to have failed them. This generation is fearful of offending people and not being accepted The question is how do you show Christ's love, open the doors of the Church to a generation who does not understand or see the value of being loved by and serving Christ.

In this Parenting Pathway Podcast Part 2, Pastor Dave Carl and Student Ministry Pastor Nathan Kocurek  talk about all the losses and disappointments our children are facing in this COVID-19 world. They focus on the steps to helping our children move through their loss experience, recognize the validity of their feelings and embrace their feelings without becoming victims of their circumstances.

In the Parenting Pathway Podcast Part 1, Pastor Dave Carl invites Student Ministry Pastor Nathan Kocurek to talk about the all the loss and disappointments our children are facing as a new and very different school year is approaching. How we train our kids to respond in the face of such adversity will have a big impact on the adults they will become. Since the goal is to teach resilience, we discuss how to step into their lives in such a way that does not bring shame upon their feelings, but encourages children to grow as a result of their experiences.

What does "grace" mean? What difference would it make if I drank deeply from it and lived in the joy and freedom God has offered us? It would change everything, absolutely everything. A misunderstanding of grace can keep you from the very relationship with God you were created to enjoy. In this podcast episode, Pastor Dave Carl talks with High School Pastor Nathan Kocurek and Associate Pastor Brandon Fletcher to dive into why one of the best gifts in Christianity can be so confusing.

As you look across the landscape of your current life, you may see it's one marked by loss—you might have lost someone close to you, lost a job, be missing a milestone moment with family and friends, or simply lost your freedom to come and go. We are all losing something these days. You might be telling yourself that you are fine, and you just need to get through. But are you fine?

We are taught from an early age to get over it, to push through, etc. We are not taught to grieve well. We seldom see others publicly grieve. But if you take a step back, you might see that you are experiencing both emotional and physical pain these last few weeks. You may ask, "Is this grief?"

In today's episode of the Parenting Pathway podcast, we will hear from Family Ministries Pastor Dave Carl, Care Ministries Pastor Steve Fischer, and Women's Pastoral Leader Chrissy Smith. Listen in as these three discuss what grief looks like and how we can understand that there is healing and closure on the other side—if we grieve well, which can only be done with the help of wise friends and guidance from God.

Recently, Melissa D’Arabian stopped by to talk about her new book, Tasting Grace: Discovering the Power of Food to Connect Us to God, One Another, and Ourselves. She is the winner of the The Next Food Network Star, season five, and the author of many cookbooks including The Ten Dollar Dinner. In our conversation, Melissa [...]

We are excited to invite Lauren Reitsema, author and esteemed speaker, to share her new book In Their Shoes with us. In her book, Lauren challenges us to look at divorce, remarriage, and blended families from a child’s perspective.

In this episode of the Parenting Pathway podcast, Pastor Dave Carl introduces you to our new Associate Pastor of Junior High Ministries, Gary Steffes. Gary followed a unique path to ministry through professional hockey at the ECHL and AHL level.

We recently invited Julie Hornok, a friend of our church's special needs ministry, to sit with us and talk about her new book and the ministry she leads for parents of kids with autism. Julie shares her personal journey of watching her daughter Lizzie slip away from world at about 9 months, and the crushing weight of an autism diagnosis.