Church name: Prairie Winds Church (PWC)
Pastor(s):
• pastor/elder serving at PWC – Willard Hasmatali
• pastor/elder currently serving in Tanzania – David Hildebrandt
• worship pastor – Myles Shaw
Location: Moose Jaw, Sask.
What is your mission statement?
To know, love, and serve God, and one another.
What makes your church unique?
Plurality of leadership: There is no senior pastor. The moderator provides leadership to the elder board, consisting of elders and pastor/elder, who lead, pray, study Scripture, and make decisions as a unit.
Mentoring: A number of the elders and senior men and women are mentoring the younger adults in the congregation.
What was the defining moment for your congregation?
It occurred in 2004 at an elders meeting. PWC seemed lifeless and we were thinking that the future was very uncertain. As we opened in prayer, the Holy Spirit entered the room and we began to praise God, confess our sins to one another, pray for one another that we might be healed. Each elder had a breakthrough with the Lord that night.
How would you describe your church?
Our congregation desires to meet with God every time we gather. Much time is given to prayer – in our care groups, in designated days of prayer and fasting, prayer vigils, prayer services, pre-service prayer, and prayer retreats. Prayer is a huge part of our service.
We also are trying to understand what it is to be missional in our context. This entire year has been dedicated in preaching on what it is for PWC to love and reach the world.
What does it mean for your church to be evangelical Anabaptist?
We are a congregation comprised of folks from other Christian faith traditions, so we have not yet explored our denominational distinctives. Our focus has been on the question “what does it mean to be fully engaged disciples of Jesus Christ?”
