Pastor Appreciation
Below are posts from two community members sharing their stories of appreciation for Karen and Stephen. Please, share your own appreciation in the comments on this post.
Stephen and Karen, we love you and are so grateful for you!
Heather Niemyer
Since I was an 18 year-old kid, the Hanscoms have curated spaces for me to feel loved and to become who God has always said I am.
Sometimes it looks like a Sunday morning service at Divine Life. I arrive to a building that’s been cleaned by their family, snacks and coffee prepared by them, and a sermon that has been studied for and prayed over. This has been a constant for years and has been the setting for so many formational moments of my faith.
Sometimes it looks like a meal in their home, and Karen making sure everyone has what we need. Toys and games have been thoughtfully laid out for my children, and great food and conversations are enjoyed because of the preparations that went on before we ever arrived.
Often it’s a text from one of them in the middle of a hard day that simply says, “I love you and I’m praying for you today”.
Now I’m 36, and when I feel like there is not much left to be said, or that my faith is cemented as what it’s going to be, I am again and again challenged and moved by the spirit working through Stephen and Karen as they walk me through this life. I am grateful for their willingness to lead all these years. I know it’s been hard at times, but their love and devotion for me and my family has never failed. Not once. And I am who I am today in part because of their devotion and leadership to our church body.
Sherrie Black
We came to Divine Life utterly broken and worn down from years of ministry that ended with deep pain. After moving to this area, we had looked for a place to worship for two years and never felt fully at home, never ready to let our guard down and call a place family. We had walked out of many, many services, from gatherings all over the metro, saying time after time, "Well, that's not it," and then trying again somewhere else. We visited Divine Life because of Kent and Mandy and stayed because of all of you. :) We have no doubt that the sense of safety and healing we found here is due to the leadership of Divine Life. We came at what would typically be the worst time to visit a church - the pastor leaving for three month sabbatical and the rest of the leadership team leading services in varying and unique ways each week. While this gave us no idea of what "church" looked like there, it gave us a huge picture of the heart of this place. And we never left (except to camp, of course :) )
The first time we spent any time with Stephen and Karen was when they had asked us to eat dinner with them. We were both still pretty burned out and a bit skittish about Church in general and even joked as we were getting ready to leave our house, "What if they're just wanting to sell us something?" -- About fifteen minutes into our meal, Stephen began a schpeal to get us signed up for... I don't even remember now what company he said, because he couldn't keep a straight face for long. We have spent many hours since that evening laughing, lamenting, dissecting important church, world and bible issues. We rarely find firm, black-and-white answers, but we always find fellowship and acceptance. Having pastors that are as transparent and honest as Stephen and Karen, that allow space for questions and anger and doubt, has met us exactly where we were when we landed at Divine Life's doorstep (and often still are today). Having pastors that love like Jesus - exuding kindness, mercy and grace, but also willing to speak difficult-to-hear truth, feels very rare in much of the American church today. They have led a body of people faithfully to learn how to extend grace in sometimes dramatic differences, to bear with one another when life circumstances are difficult and to rejoice when life brings reason to celebrate.
We know first hand the challenges of leadership and have watched Stephen and Karen meet those challenges with humanity, integrity, transparency and a love for Jesus that transcends the craziness of living in today's American culture. We are thankful for their friendship and their leadership.