The next morning, as we drove past the church, I heard my four-year-old from the car seat behind me.  'Look, Mommy,' he said.  'There's my church.'  Was it a prophecy, or only the recognition of a building by a small child?"

Karen and her husband decided to give Pender one more Sunday before visiting other churches.  "The next Sunday I met an outgoing young woman who recognized us from the week before.  After that, we were hooked on Pender." 

Karen says, "I started attending Pender with knowledge about God and the Bible, but I wasn't convinced that what I knew was real or true.  Some days I could not escape my fear of dying.  As I attended worship, a Bible study and talked with new Christian friends, I found peace, and discovered that God is alive and wants to help me in my life.  I experienced the joy of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

That was 29 years ago, and Karen is still growing.  "At Pender, I became rooted in Jesus Christ, grounded in God's Word (the Bible), and am continuing to grow in my faith as a Christian.  It is such a wonderful gift that our Pender family has loved, supported, encouraged and prayed for us through all our 29 years of membership."