If you’ve been around VMC for a while, you will recognize Ben Peltz.
Ben has provided wisdom and guidance to VMC churches over the years regarding relationship with Indigenous communities.
As the pastor of Curve Lake Christian Assembly, he is familiar with Indigenous culture and has graciously been a sort of bridge for VMC settler churches.
This past fall (besides his pastoring job at Curve Lake), Ben became the interim Executive Director for the Kawartha Youth for Christ.
It’s an opportunity that arose last summer as they were in need of someone to manage the 20+ ministry staff spread throughout five different communities in the Kawartha region.
Because they are in transition, Ben is helping the team grow in unity and spiritual health, as well as discern how God wants them to move ahead in their particular contexts.
It’s alot of collaborative equipping and empowering of others.
It’s interesting to see how God weaves everything together.
He’s aware of the grace of God – in that he is well prepared for the task at hand. He gets to put into practice what he’s been learning and practising in other ministry experiences over the last few years.
Ben’s DMin learning at Tyndale as he used participatory action research to study Cree mentorship training, along with church work, student ministry, his VMC experience – all of these have provided the things he needs for right now.
Although he admits that his natural tendency may be to quickly make decisions and judgements, he recognizes the core drive within him is to seek true understanding of people and situations.
God has fanned that into flame over the years by teaching him how to lead collaboratively, to be an active listener, and to connect and learn with others.
It’s one of those moments when you sit back and think “Oh, God has been at work all along. And God has given me what I need for the current task at hand.”
This is the amazing grace of God.
Always at work and sometimes we catch a glimpse of it all.