Quarterly Ministry Report

3 hours ago

6 min read

July-September 2026

The purpose of this “quarterly report” is to communicate new or important things to the church about what the staff, boards, teams, and committees have been doing or planning over the last three months. These reports are by no means comprehensive, but are meant to be short, easy-to-read highlights of things that are happening at Lockwood.

Senior Pastor and Elders: Kevin Looper

The newest thing that has happened at church lately is our newly formatted Sunday School. We have well over 100 adults participating, and it seems to be going well!
This year we held our first annual business meeting in August. We will be holding our meeting in August from now on. We approved the budget, our revised articles of incorporation, and two new deacons (Jim Holb and Earl Leas). We also voted for new team leaders for various ministries. Tracy Kelley is our Administrative Team leader. Chris Hoop leads the EPT (security team). Patrick Kelley is the Buildings and Grounds team leader. Rob Cooper leads the Kingdom Investment Team. Rob Kunkel continues to lead the Global Missions Team. THANK YOU to all of them!
We no longer have an Administration Board, due to our attorney’s recommendation that our church should only have one board of directors (which are the Elders). Tracy Kelley will lead the Administrative Team, which will be more project-oriented. When we have an administrative project that requires a committee, Tracy will get a temporary team together to research, do the legwork, and make a recommendation to the Elders. Tracy will work closely with Jenny Wickey, our Administrative Assistant.
Sarah Bancroft, our church secretary, will be stepping down from her role in November because she and her husband are preparing to adopt a child. We will be looking to hire a new part-time person to replace her. Sarah has done a great job for many years, and we will miss her friendly smile in the office.

Associate Pastor of Discipleship & Connection: Hal Nottingham:

In July, Cherith, Eben, and I took a vacation visiting Ethan’s family. It was a refreshing time away.
The annual Picnic & Baptism was held at the Hoop’s property with the best weather in a few years.
We had our 11th year of Family Camping - such a fun and profitable time together!
August was less busy as we prepared for the new Sunday School classes.
I started NFTC (Narrative Focused Trauma Care) training in September. The longer I am in ministry, the more I see how our stories impact how we live and respond to others because of the harm (trauma) we have experienced. Whether that harm was sudden or the result of a “thousand cuts” to our soul, it impacts how we respond to God and others in our lives. The Narrative Focused Trauma Care program is designed to “equip you to support others by first exploring your own story. You’ll uncover the profound narrative of God and gain essential psychological and theological frameworks for personal and collective trauma recovery.”
I preach at the jail once each month and meet with individuals and couples for encouragement and growth.
I’ve been leading Fire Shop as we’ve discussed 1–3 John and Ephesians, and we recently started The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope.
I researched good options for discipleship material for new and renewed believers. Since 2023, we’ve baptized 54 people—33 adults and 21 youth. I’ve been giving each family or individual a copy of the book Firmly Planted: How to Cultivate Faith Rooted in Christ to help them do just that!

Associate Pastor of Youth & Children: Andrew Williams

The youth group has grown recently as we welcomed the new middle schoolers at the end of August. This fall, we have started studying 1 Corinthians.
One summer highlight for the youth group was a boating day hosted by the Crots family.
Our first youth event of the school year was an overnighter, with the boys in the barn and the girls at Sarah Bancroft’s house. It was a great friendship-building time.
The Kids Ministry area has had a substantial makeover—check it out sometime if you haven’t seen the updates! Special thanks to Lois Voss for all her work organizing this and Maureen Strang for her many hours painting a beautiful mural.
Karen Justice organized our biggest Kids Carnival yet, with more attendees than we expected, including both our church’s kids and others from the community.
Sunday School and Kids of the King were both re-launched after Labor Day and are off to a great start.
Our Pre-K class in the middle basement is outgrowing its space and has been approved to move to the bigger classroom next door.
Our new Bible memory plan (the “Kids Bible Catechism” we’ve mentioned) is now in use in our kids' ministries. I hope to see a substantial number of our kids learn all 25 passages this year.

Deacon: Michael Wickey

The Deacon Ministry continues to grow, and we are grateful to welcome two new deacons, Earl Leas and Jim Holb! Our deacons are Kyle Bowers, Jim Holb, Earl Leas, Micah McMeen, Ryan Smith, and Michael Wickey. We are thankful for these men and their willingness to serve the practical needs of our Lockwood family.

This quarter, we also had the opportunity to highlight the work of the Benevolent Fund. Since February 2024, the fund has provided 55 gifts or instances of assistance totaling $29,554.51, helping approximately 34 individuals, households, and ministries. These needs have ranged from groceries and gas to rent, utilities, car repairs, emergency housing, funeral expenses, medical transportation, and major home repairs.

Recently, our church family responded to an especially significant need involving extensive water damage to a home. The Benevolent Fund committed $5,000, and after the larger need was shared with the congregation, the entire $20,000 need was met. What an incredible demonstration of the generosity and love of our church family!

The Benevolent Fund is only possible because of your generosity. Thank you for allowing the deacons the privilege of saying to those facing difficult circumstances, in a very tangible way: your church family sees you, loves you, and wants to help. Please continue praying for those experiencing hardship and for the deacons as we seek wisdom, compassion, and discernment in caring for our church family.

Global Ministries Team (GMT):

The Global Ministries Team (GMT) was privileged to host our July, August, and September missionaries of the month in person. We make every effort to schedule missionaries when they can be present at Lockwood to update the congregation about their ministries.

The team is currently preparing for the International Day of Prayer (IDOP) on Sunday, November 8. We are pleased to have one of our supported missionaries, who has personally experienced persecution because of his missionary work, as our speaker that Sunday.

Several times a year, the team meets for a luncheon following the second worship service. When missionaries or ministry leaders are available, they are invited to join us and share about their work.

A primary focus is supporting missionaries and local ministries through prayer and financial support. Lockwood supports missionaries serving in Indonesia, Mexico, France, Chad, and Central Asia, as well as local ministries such as Gideons, Beginnings Care for Life, Reach the Forgotten, Crossroads Farms, and Joppa Ministries. The team is responsible for determining how the church’s designated funds are distributed among these ministries.

Those with a heart for missions who are interested in serving on the team are encouraged to contact Rob Kunkel, Chairperson, or Gary Crandall, Vice-Chair, to learn more.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC): Gary & Kathy Crandall

Operation Christmas Child officially began at Lockwood with our “Christmas in July” activities. A big thank you to the Lockwood Ladies for hosting a spaghetti dinner, which raised $1,383 toward shipping costs. Thank you also to everyone who took home a coin collection jar. Those jars brought in approximately $1,300, also designated for shipping.

Our goal for 2027 is to pack 500 shoeboxes and provide the $10-per-box shipping cost. We are currently at 60% of our fundraising goal and are prayerfully seeking the remaining 40%.

Praise the Lord! Through donations of items and financial gifts throughout the year, we have collected or purchased enough items to fill all 500 shoeboxes. Packing Day will be Saturday, November 7, at 10 am. Please mark your calendar and join us as we pack the shoeboxes and prepare them for shipping.

Although Operation Christmas Child receives more attention this time of year, the Lockwood OCC team works year-round preparing for Packing Day. Most importantly, these shoeboxes provide an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with 500 children around the world and let them know that Jesus loves them and died for them.