A Word from our Pastor:

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My passion is preaching the Word of God clearly, simply and applicably. The church is ordained by God as the best way to transform people to become all that God wants them to be. When I started this journey of serving the Lord unreservedly, I never could have imagined where God would take me and what he would do through me. That’s just how God works.

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The first of my ministries has always been for my family. My wife and I have served together for nineteen years, and the Lord has entrusted us with two beautiful children to raise for Him. James is seven and always moving; Evie is four and loves to laugh.

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In my spare time, I enjoy staying fit by running, cycling and lifting weights, and “hanging out” with my family and friends. My wife and I also both deeply enjoy music, and as trained musicians we have sung in choirs, accompanied each other on the piano, and Juliet has also played in community bands, and enjoys playing her flute for solos, as well.

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I am from a very missions-oriented family. My parents, Steve and Jan Wivell, ministered as missionaries in Australia for 35 years; and my sister, Anna Wivell, is currently a Bible translator in Chad with Bibles International. My grandfather was a pioneer missionary in Africa and a church planter in Maine. This is why I was only three months old when my parents and I left for Australia.

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Pastor John Wivell holds the following degrees:

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Bachelor of Arts (Bible, Greek, Education, music) – Faith Baptist Bible College, Ankeny, IA (2004)

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Master of Arts (Biblical Languages) – Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, Ankeny, IA (2005)

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Master of Divinity (Pastoral Training, NT, Theology) – Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, MN (2011)

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Master of Theology (Thesis on gospel passages about the Sadducees’ questions to Jesus about marriage and the resurrection) - Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, MN (2016)

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