John Knaack, pastor of Living Hope Christian Fellowship in Buffalo, New York, grew up on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin. “I began attending WCG in 1974 after my dad and I began listening to The World Tomorrow. We asked for a ministerial visit and were invited to attend the local congregation.”

John’s parents and most of his siblings eventually became WCG members. About his early life, John says, “I loved the fact that our family had many activities and social events that involved extended family and I realize now how much that shaped me to be part of a bigger spiritual family.”

John went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas in 1976. After the campus closed, John transferred to the Pasadena campus for a year. In 1978, that campus started reorganizing and John left for a year to return in 1979. He was part of a ministry training program during his senior year (1981). That May, John was hired to serve as a ministerial trainee. His first assignment was Monroe, Louisiana.

John met Hannah (Pope) in college and their relationship blossomed while serving at the SEP camp in Orr, Minnesota. “Hannah and I celebrated 32 years of marriage last October; we were married in Wausau, Wisconsin, six weeks after our second year as SEP counselors.” John says, “God has blessed us with three children: Matthew is an officer with the Milwaukee police department, Sarah and Andrew live locally and enjoy coming over to harass their dear old dad on frequent occasions. Hannah and I have been dropping hints about grandchildren, but they seem to fall on deaf ears. Hannah’s mother has lived with us for the last four years. She will celebrate her 90th birthday in May.”

After getting married, John and Hannah began serving three congregations in Monroe. “From there we moved to Iowa where we served for ten years. We are in our 17th year of service here in the snow belt of Western New York.” John says he and Hannah love old movies. “And soon I’ll be watching my favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life.”

About being a pastor, John shares, “I truly enjoy being able to help people through the difficult journey of life. I’ve noticed over the years that my gifts fall in areas of comfort and encouragement. I receive more feedback from this area than any other. Pastors like encouragement, too!” This ties in with what John enjoys most about being part of GCI. He loves, “being able to freely share how much God loves each person. I realize this can be done outside of a church, but this is where being a part of GCI has brought me over the years.”

When asked about his passion, John said this: “Bottom line: telling others how special they are to our Lord and how much he cares for them. I find this to be the central theme in my sermons and in my work as a chaplain.

Due to declining financial resources, John took a second job as a chaplain. “Because of our transitions in GCI, I’ve been encouraged to share the gospel wherever I go. My work as a chaplain allows me to do that. I’m now a division director with Marketplace Chaplains, USA where I oversee 60 chaplains in the upper Northeast. I love most of the work, but driving in Boston traffic is not one of them!”

John said his most memorable moment as a pastor was “being able to baptize each of my three children!” When asked when he feels closest to God, he said, “It’s in the ‘aha!’ moment that comes after I’ve been burdened with an issue or trial for some time and finally I hear the Spirit’s voice in the matter. Praise God!”