Tom Kennebeck

Tom Kennebeck, pastor of Northland Community Church, GCI’s congregation in Orr, Minnesota, grew up in Fountain City, Wisconsin, which Tom says is “a small town in southeastern Wisconsin nestled between towering limestone hills and the mighty Mississippi River. As the oldest of six boys I loved to play outdoors, fish and hunt with my grandpa.”

Tom became part of GCI/WCG in the early ’60s. “I grew up in a home where my Mom was a WCG member and my dad was Lutheran. I believe one of my mom’s favorite scriptures was Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.’”

Tom remembers working on the Bible Correspondence Course when he was about 10. “I was in the upper bedroom reading about the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. It was at that point I yearned for a faith like Abraham’s. I wanted to know God better.” Tom was also interested in being part of “the one and only true church.” “I did not want to be on the wrong side with God. As I grew in faith along with my denomination, I discovered this ‘truth’ was not true after all, and I came to understand that our relationship with God is founded in Christ and Christ alone. I learned about the God who loves us, and everyone, unconditionally. The journey has been fascinatingly wonderful.”

During his sophomore year of high school, Tom’s dad accepted a job in central Florida. “It was in Florida that my mother and brothers were able to take turns going to a WCG congregation. After graduating from high school I was accepted to Ambassador College in Big Sandy in 1973. After my first semester as a sophomore I was involved in a serious bicycle accident during one of our training exercises. In the spring of that year I discontinued college and entered the work force. In 1989, I accepted a job in the maintenance department at Ambassador University and during that time was able to graduate with the class of 1995. I continued to work at Ambassador until 1999 when I was offered the job of facilities manager at our SEP camp in Orr, Minnesota. My wife and family moved there and then in 2002, when the camp was sold, we moved into the nearby town of Orr.”

Tom and Sandy met at a GCI church convention in Wisconsin Dells in 1978. “We got married in February 1979. We just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. We have two sons, Mitch (married to Simie Regnier) and Chris and a daughter Brandee (married to Ben Zacharias). We have 5 grandchildren: Esra and Zek from Mitch and Simie; Noah, Gavin and Lillie from Brandee and Ben.

Speaking of his wife Sandy, Tom says, “She is my best friend and the biggest supporter of what we are doing in ministry. She is a great planner and organizer. I believe her relationship with God is very transparent and true. I am so proud to be a part of her life and to have her a part of mine.”

At the close of the camp in Orr, Tom and Sandy said though they realized one chapter in their life was closing, their journey was to take another turn. “I felt a strong passion and I believe my wife and family supported the decision to remain in Orr. I believe it is not so much where we go, but that God is with us and doing his work in and through us wherever we are. Our relationship with the community grew; I became involved with a couple of the different denominations in town with a desire to serve in the church as a leader. My ties with GCI were strong because it is a part of our journey and I felt the strong desire to be a part of what God is doing with GCI. Our GCI district pastor visited us and we started a house church, which led to launching a GCI congregation in Orr in 2005.”

Tom has grown to love being a pastor. “What I like the most is working with people, sharing the love and life of who we are in Christ. I like relational reconciliation and counseling couples for marriage. I enjoy coming to see people become excited about God and how God involves them in his life and ministry.”

Speaking about GCI, Tom says, “What I enjoy most about being part of GCI are the friendships and the incredible journey we have been on. I appreciate the wonderful HQ staff and leadership.”

When asked about his passion, Tom said, “I’ve always liked to travel. I remember taking trips out west with my family at a young age. Shortly after my bicycle accident, several months of therapy and a lot of encouragement and help from a friend, I decided to embark on a 2,000+ miles bicycle road trip, from Texas to Wisconsin Dells to my home, which was north of Orlando. I was six weeks on the road with many flat tires, broken spokes and a lot of sunshine and beautiful sunsets. I met a lot of nice people, slept in some peculiar places and had a lot of time to think. It is during times like that when I feel closest to God. I’ve come to understand that life is a journey, sharing with one another the life and love of our triune God.”