Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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Whitewater welcomes new senior pastor Christ's Church at Whitewater will welcome its new senior pastor, Kenny White, during a community-wide reception Sunday, March 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. White will preach during both worship services at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Several county officials will participate in the program. White, 35, last served as the student minister at First Christian Church in Johnson City, Tenn. Anticipating that he would be a youth pastor for his entire ministerial career, White relates how God continues to take the things he says he could never do and turn them into -- "Oh yeah? Watch Me do it through you!" Having faith in God and saying he believes that this is His will for their lives, White and his family walked through the door of opportunity when Christ's Church at Whitewater offered him the position of senior pastor. White says the great potential for what the congregation of Christ's Church at Whitewater can accomplish for the Lord here in the Fayette county area is what "attracted" him to the role of senior pastor. "God is bringing people to Fayette County and it is our responsibility as Christians to introduce them to Him. We must love them, serve them, and help them in any way we can because that is what Jesus did and what He expects us to do," White said. White reflects on the fact that he is coming to serve in a church that has a great history. He assumes the role of senior pastor after Paul Carrier, who retired from full-time ministry in August, had the led the church (formerly known as Kenwood Christian) for almost 18 years. White states, "A godly man in Paul Carrier developed a church family that cares, an eldership that leads, and a staff that is so gifted! What more can a new minister ask for?" He says the opportunity to participate and work with all ages and ministries within the church is what he looks forward to the most about becoming a senior pastor. According to him, the basics for being a pastor are "to love God, love people, and teach them to do the same by modeling it." "Seeing the look on someone's face when it truly sinks in that Jesus loves them and that He truly wants a personal relationship with them is what brings me the most joy in my pastoral career," White said. As Christ's Church at Whitewater begins this new chapter in their history, he says he does not want to impose his personal goals for the church but, rather he envisions the body of believers developing their own vision for the church together. He wants to come in, listen, observe, review the situation, and then develop goals as a church family. "I truly see a vibrant church that is making a difference in this community. We need to accomplish such big things for God that if He is not in it we will fail," comments White. "With God all things are possible: waters divide, staffs become snakes, the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead live again!" White says his philosophy of ministry focuses on relationships: one's relationship to Jesus, to God's Word, with one's family, with the church, and with the community and the world. "The Great Commandment to love God and to love people, and the Great Commission, which commands us to go into the world to preach, to teach and to baptize are the basis of my philosophy of ministry," he says. "Ministry should always be doing things that reflect the Great Commandment and the Great Commission." Associate Pastor Dwight Wilkins states, "Kenny will bring a sense of Spirit-filled joy and enthusiasm to the position of senior pastor. As we enter the next chapter of our history, Kenny will be out front leading and teaching us to reach out to the world, professing the name of Jesus Christ. Kenny's greatest attributes are the ability to draw the best out of the people around him and to lead them in the direction God wants them to go." Darryl Brooks, an elder at Christ's Church and member of the pastoral transition team, communicated with White through many phone conversations before meeting him in person. During that time, Brooks said he learned of White's heart for ministry and appreciated his enthusiasm. "I had a strong conviction that this is the man God would send to Christ's Church at Whitewater," Brooks said. "We knew we were looking for a man who would encourage and motive us to get outside the walls of our building and affect our community for Christ. Meeting Kenny and his wonderful wife, Cindy, confirmed that these are people who you immediately love and who you cannot wait to work with." Although White attended Kentucky Christian College in Grayson, Ky. with aspirations of becoming a schoolteacher and coach, he said God had other plans for his life. During college, he became the part-time youth minister at Saltair Church of Christ. He served as youth minister at Raceland Christian Church before being called into his first full-time youth ministry at Pinedale Christian Church in Winston-Salem, NC. In addition, he was also the youth minister at Hillsboro Church of Christ in Hillsboro, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from KCC in 1991. While at college, he met and married his wife, Cindy. They have been married for 12 years and have two daughters, Hannah, 8, and Rebekah, 6. He grew up in Bethel, Ohio, a small community outside of Cincinnati. Guided by his parents and especially his grandfather, he says his relationship to the Lord began at an early age. His "Pap, " he says, has always modeled to him the example of a "Jesus with skin." He was baptized in the same church in which he was ordained, the Bethel Church of Christ. White follows all sports and enjoys playing softball, basketball, golf, and skiing. In addition to spending time with his family, his interests include movies, reading, traveling, and sightseeing. The White family was introduced to the congregation of Christ's Church the first weekend of January through a series of activities, including a welcome reception and a question and answer session.
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