Volunteer Spotlight: Kurt Lipsky

Did you know there are over 100 unique roles filled by volunteers each month? In this series, Cindy Ziemba will be sharing stories of some of our wide range of volunteers at Ward Church, all serving to connect people to God!

“Where have I been saying no? What am I afraid of – where I can take a step in faith and say yes? God asked Moses to just say yes, and God opened the doors for him. He’ll do that for me. Do I want to be the guy who buries what God has given me?” asks Ward elder Kurt Lipsky, “Or be one who just gives back a little? Or – do I want to be one who has done the most with what He’s given me?”

Kurt knows he has a gift of generosity, which includes easily saying ‘yes.’ It’s part of how God has wired him, but he has discovered that when he is overwhelmed or overloaded, he trusts God that much more. Kurt first felt the nudge to serve when he became acquainted with men who did construction on annual mission trips. Since then, he has said ‘yes’ many times, serving as a Ward trustee, elder, chair of the Ward Open Doors campaign, and running with World Vision team for clean water.

Kurt clearly experienced God’s strength when two of his volunteer roles collided. “I ran a marathon for World Vision on the same day we were having home meetings about the Open Door campaign. I was able to come home, rest a short time, and still make it to lead the evening meeting.” He saw God at work during the Open Doors campaign, watching God’s Spirit move people to give money to make an impact here and around the world.

Kurt has recently agreed to chair the Nominations Committee for Ward key leaders. This team is responsible for securing names for election of Ward Elders, Ward Trustees, Ward Deacons and the next Nomination Committee, which are submitted to the congregation for voting at the annual Congregational meeting.

During January and February, the committee gathers names through recommendations from leaders and staff, and from individuals whom the Spirit is leading into leadership. The committee prays over names and seeks those with the right fit, given the current direction of Ward Church leaders. The various positions are described below:

• Elder –spiritual oversight of Ward church; discerners, shepherds and guardians
• Trustee – provision for Ward; look after facilities, finances, and legal affairs
• Deacon – help and compassion; prayer, visitation, host funeral dinners, prep communion
• Nominating Committee – discern God’s calling of Ward Members to candidates openings

If you have a candidate to recommend for any of the above roles, or would like to be considered, you may fill out the form at ward.church/nominations or speak to any of the committee members: Kurt Lipsky, Chair; Debbie Meagher, asst. chair; Steve DeHorn, Kathy Ferrier, Nancy Hearn, Robert Joyce, Eric McCowan, Tim Pendell, Loretta Quan, Kathy Skupski, and Lee Haller.

You can explore Ward volunteer positions at https://ward.church/serve. Questions for Cindy about finding your spot on one of the many serve teams? Contact her at cindy.ziemba@ward.church.