Open letter to Kelowna mayor and council:
On behalf of the 1,500 plus people who call Kelowna Gospel Fellowship Church home, I want to say thank you for the contribution the city makes in the form of a not-for-profit property tax exemption. For our church family, this means a benefit of $4,194 in 2016, and I can assure you this does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
As part of this amazing community since 1960, KGF is a family of like-minded people that desires to have a positive impact wherever we go. We support many amazing organizations in our community with resources and volunteers, including the Kelowna Gospel Mission, Freedom’s Door Recovery Home for Men, The Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre and more. Our next campaign is Operation Christmas Child, raising 500 shoeboxes filled with Christmas presents for kids around the world who would otherwise not get a gift. We are also working with Mennonite Central Committee to sponsor a refugee family in need of a safe new home.
Everyday we are influencing hundreds of families to be positive contributors to the place we are blessed to live. Seniors have a family to walk with so they aren’t alone. High schoolers are taught to live beyond themselves. Young adults discover they can be a catalyst for good. Marriage mentoring and counseling are among many other areas where we work to build healthy, contributing members of society.
Your support of Kelowna churches this coming year is $280,318, but I am convinced that the return on investment is ten-fold. The pastors and leaders who I work with are constantly looking for ways to strengthen and pour into this amazing city. We also want to be partners where and when needed by the city, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it is the perfect time to say thank you. Thank you for your leadership and love for this city. We are for you and pray for you. What you are doing matters, so keep going. God bless.
Pastor Mike Penninga, Kelowna
