KAC Podcast

We are so thrilled to introduce to you, Shaila Visser. Shaila Visser is the National Director of Alpha Canada and the Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International. She is the Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016), and currently holds positions on the Board of the Damascus Road Foundation and on the Board of Regent College - an International Graduate School in Vancouver. Shaila has a heart for people coming to know Jesus and is passionate about helping the local church flourish. She is a gifted communicator who is known for her strategic leadership as well as her ability to bring people together. Shaila is recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Christian Women in Canada. Shaila lives in Vancouver BC with her husband, Ryan Visser, a Vancouver Police Officer, and their four-legged family members, Talon and Benny. You can reach Shaila on Twitter or Instagram @shailavisser.  In this episode, Shaila and Chris talk about the very real challenge of sharing your faith with people who do not know Jesus. It is real, authentic, and raw, as Shaila opens up her heart and passion for Jesus and for people. This episode will challenge you, as well as offer hope, as you try to make Jesus known in your spheres of influence.

We are so excited to introduce to you, Jason Ballard.   Jason Ballard is a pastor at a new church in Vancouver, Canada called, The Way Church. He is a part of the team at the Canadian Church Leaders Network which helps create resources to serve the Church in Canada and around the world. Jason is also one of the hosts of the Youth Alpha Film Series. Jason and his wife, Rachael, have three kids - Hudson, Mary, and Millie. This conversation explores the contours and realities of church, in a secular world, in a post-pandemic world, and the intersection of faith and culture. In this episode, Jason and Chris talk about senior leadership, and the blessing of leading a church in Canada. It’s a raw, behind the scenes conversation about ministry and hope for the Canadian church in this time. Jason is hopeful, so very sincere, and passionate, and we hope you enjoy the conversation!

In this episode, we are so excited to introduce to you, Father Matthew Francis. Father Matthew Francis is a caring Parish Priest, and a really thoughtful student of scripture, theology, and church history. Often, we get so stuck in our own tradition as Christians. We know a lot and feel comfortable about our own theology and ministry, but honestly, we often feel confused and even hesitant about other Christian traditions like maybe Catholicism, or in this case, orthodoxy, or the Orthodox Church. Father Matthew is the founding Parish Priest of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Prior to planting Holy Apostles in 2015, he served Orthodox parishes in Edmonton, rural Alberta, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Father Matthew is a graduate of Ambrose University and the University of Manchester, where his research focused on the themes of sacred space and place, and the Book of Revelation. In addition to his pastoral work, he also serves as Regional Director for BC & Yukon with the Canadian Bible Society, where he encourages and supports pastors and communities to dig deeper in their engagement with the Scriptures. Matthew lives in Chilliwack with his wife Krista, and teenage son, Basil.In this episode, Father Matthew Francis and Chris discuss the similarities and differences between Protestant Evangelicalism and Orthodox thought and theology. Father Matthew is knowledgeable, but also pastoral, as they have important conversations like this that build bridges and link arms, instead of more confusion and caricature. Listen in on the unique history and beauty of the Orthodox Church.

We are so excited to welcome Maureen Colledge to our Podcast.Maureen is a Christian nurse with a passion for maternal/child health. She started her career as a staff nurse in a NICU and soon after became a nursing instructor at the University of Windsor. After completing her master’s degree in nursing leadership, she began her work with Christian pregnancy care centres, first in Ontario and now in Kamloops, BC. Maureen currently works as the Executive Director at the Hopewell Clinic and Pregnancy Centre on Kamloops’ North Shore.In this episode, Maureen and Chris talk about her journey into pregnancy care ministry. She shares about the amazing work that her and her team does to bring hope, friendship, and support to women and their partners who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. She brings clarity as to what they do and do not do, and dispels some myths about pregnancy care ministry. This episode will encourage you to take some time to reflect on how you mix your faith and work, and perhaps even get involved in what God is doing in and through Hopewell.For more information and to get involved, visit Hopewell.

Dave Hearn has been, for the better part of 40 years, in pastoral and denominational leadership. Dave recently finished an almost decade long tenure as the President of The Alliance Canada, loving and bringing leadership to the 440 churches with our Alliance family Coast to Coast. Dave & Agnes have recently moved to Pritchard, and now serves as our Senior Associate Pastor here at Kamloops Alliance Church.In this episode, Dave and Chris discuss what it looks like to seek revival and live with the roof off and the walls down. He is such a gift to our community, and this episode gives you a tour of his heart and passion for Jesus, revival, and the future of KAC.

We are so excited to kick off Season 6 of our podcast, and we are so thrilled to have Brent Dolfo joining us for this first episode. Brent has more than 35 years of experience in senior ministry leadership and has coached, consulted, and led learning cohorts worldwide with Alpha and churches in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Europe. He also served as facilitator to various Leadership Network events in the US and led Leadership Network’s various initiatives in Europe for many years.He resides in the Lower Mainland with his wife, Diana, and they have three adult children – Braedon, Keynan, and Tanika. In his spare time, he leads the host committee for the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Langley, BC.Brent has been coming alongside our KAC staff team over the last little while. He brings so much experience, so much insight into our church, and has been helping us explore: where are we going as a church?In this episode, Brent and Chris talk about the (exciting) future of the Post-COVID Church.

In this episode, Danielle Johnson will have a conversation with Chris Throness about our Relatable Series, where we’ve unpacked God’s good design for relationships, looking at marriage, singleness, friendship, celibacy, and sex.  We asked you to send in your questions pertaining to these topics, so in this episode Chris and Danielle will unpack your good and thought-provoking questions, as we seek to learn together what God’s heart is for our relationships.

In this episode, we are pleased to introduce to you, Toni Nieuwhof. Toni is a former family attorney and family law mediator. She is married to well-known Christian podcaster and leadership expert, Carey Nieuwhof. She has decades of experience working with couples who are struggling, and she just released a book in 2021 entitled, "Before you Split".  In this episode, Toni and Chris talk about ways to rebuild connection after seasons of disconnection. She is honest and vulnerable, as well as experienced and knowledgeable on how to coach couples back to health.  For the video version of this podcast, visit our Youtube channel HERE.

In this episode, we are pleased to introduce to you, Paris Simpson and Alana Martens. They are the hosts of the Kingdom Sexuality podcast. The Kingdom Sexuality podcast was an initiative started by these two ladies who had a passion to help other couples flourish in this area of their marriage, all from a Christian perspective. They have seen the podcast grow in influence and impact and offer us so much in this episode.   Paris Simpson is a woman who wears many hats, and loves life that way. The Lord continues using her passionate heart and desire to serve Him, through opening doors for ministry and opportunities to be His hands and feet. As a wife, mother, farmer, entrepreneur, birth keeper, and the Kingdom Sexuality Ministry co-owner, Paris yearns to live her callings in life faithfully and anointed by the Lord for His Glory. Alana Martens is a saved by grace, wife to her high-school sweetheart, mama of two, photographer, podcaster, and an everyday adventurer. The birth of this passion project, the Kingdom Sexuality podcast, has been such a beautiful experience and something Alana had been pursuing with the Lord for months before it began. Alana’s learned there's something so exciting and freeing about jumping in with both feet and trusting that God will provide and lead!   In this episode, Alana, Paris, and Chris talk about how Christianity views sex within the context of marriage. They talk about how the church has got this conversation wrong and cultivated a sex negative view that has created damage in people; they talk about the goodness of sex and how God has designed our bodies to enjoy it; they talk about why it is so hard to have good sex, and also offer hope to those who feel like this area of their marriage has been a complete disaster. These two ladies are courageous, wise, and helpful as they open up their lives, and desire to see couples flourish in their sex lives.  

In this episode, we are pleased to introduce to you, Tony Schnare.Tony and his wife Gwen began formal pastoral ministry in 1991. Tony and Gwen are Maritimers at heart and enjoy opening their home and lives to others. Prior to coming to Fairhaven Leadership Retreat Centre, Tony served at Briercrest College and Seminary as Director of Counselling and Health Services and as Faculty in the graduate Marriage and Family Counselling program for 20 years. The last seven years of his Briercrest tenure, Tony also served as the Associate Dean of Seminary Students. Tony continues as Adjunct Faculty at Briercrest Seminary teaching classes on an annual basis. Tony is a registered Marriage and Family Therapist and is a Clinical Supervisor with AAMFT, CCPA, and PACCP. Having walked through their own challenging season of ministry, Tony and Gwen have had the privilege of walking alongside ministry couples throughout their time at Briercrest and now in their current ministry position at Fairhaven. In this episode, Tony and Chris have a rich conversation about conflict, communication, getting stuck, and how to get unstuck, in marriage.

In this episode, we are thrilled to introduce to you, Gary Thomas.Gary Thomas is a bestselling author and international speaker whose ministry brings people closer to Christ and closer to others. He unites the study of Scripture, church history, and the Christian classics to foster spiritual growth and deeper relationships within the Christian community. Gary is the author of 20 books that together have sold over two million copies, have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and won numerous awards . His writings have established him as a thought-leader in the areas of marriage, parenting, and spiritual formation. Gary holds a B.A. in English Literature from Western Washington University, an MA degree in systematic theology from Regent College (Vancouver, BC), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Western Seminary (Portland, OR).  Gary enjoys running in his spare time and has completed 14 marathons, including the Boston Marathon three times. He and his wife Lisa have been married for 35 years and they have three adult children and the smartest, cutest, most adorable granddaughter on the planet. Gary is humble, accessible, knowledgeable, and pastoral.   In this episode, Gary and Chris talk about the meaning of marriage. Gary brings so much experience, so much passion, and so much knowledge in this area, that we know you will be encouraged and challenged as we walk through the meaning of marriage.  

Welcome to Season 5 of the Kamloops Alliance Church Podcast! This season is all about relationships, and we have a fantastic lineup of guests that you won’t want to miss!In this episode, we are excited to introduce you to Dr. Barry N. Danylak, and Melanie Nelson.Dr. Barry Danylak is an international speaker and author, having a fresh perspective on singleness, marriage, and family viewed through the redemptive storyline of Scripture. With previous pastoral experience in one of Canada’s largest churches, Barry currently serves as the Executive Director for SEE Global www.seeglobal.net, a ministry that equips the global church with a biblical paradigm of offspring and spiritual family that fully engages single adults into church community and kingdom service. He also serves on the executive committee of Shoulder-to-Shoulder, an international organization that develops training tools for equipping missions to address issues of singles and marrieds working together in today’s culture. Barry holds a master’s degrees in theology and biblical exegesis from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College respectively, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in New Testament. He is ordained with the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada. Barry is author of a biblical theology of singleness entitled, Redeeming Singleness: How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms the Single Life (Crossway, 2010). Melanie Nelson is an IT professional with designations in organizational change management and governance, and loves to combine her occupational leadership and ministry experience for the church. She has a heart for the church and desires to encourage fellow sisters and brothers in Christ and come alongside emerging leaders, challenging them for kingdom purposes. She has graduate training in pastoral leadership and writes and speaks on community, spiritual care, and the inclusion of believers in spiritual family. She serves at Centre Street Church in Calgary, and is a ministry leader in single adult’s ministry where she leads missional community lead teams, as well as missions and spiritual care teams. She also serves as the chair of both Centre Street Church’s Board of Governors and SEE Global’s Advisory Board. Melanie is articulate, thoughtful, pastoral, and this conversation is going to help everyone to move forward - to think biblically, thoughtfully, pastorally - and as a church, to consider, how we do this well as a family. In this episode, Barry, Melanie, and Chris talk about singleness and celibacy, something that isn’t really talked about enough in the church. They explore the cultural perceptions of singleness, the lived experience of singles in the church, and how Jesus makes all the difference!

We are so excited to introduce Lisa Rohrick to you.After twenty years with the Christian & Missionary Alliance in West Africa, Lisa joined the Canadian Pacific District office team here in BC, in 2019. Lisa has a heart for the local church and the unreached peoples of the nations. She loves to tell the stories of what God is doing worldwide and to inspire others to expand and deepen their involvement in missional activities. Her role includes training, coaching, and supporting a wide variety of leaders, to increase the focus and impact of our missional efforts. Lisa enjoys photography (and visiting pretty places in which to take pictures!), knitting, kayaking, swimming, and riding her bike. In this episode, Lisa and Chris talk about the hurts of Colonialism and what KAC needs to do moving forward. Lisa has expertise, in her 20 years in West Africa in bringing love and care and holistic flourishing to the people that she was serving. Lisa is articulate, she is passionate, and she brings clarity to such an important conversation. We don't want to make the errors of the past, we want to learn from the past, and we also want to befriend and cross a culture with friendship and the message and ministry of Jesus.

We are so excited to introduce Bonnie Lepine Antoine to you. Bonnie attends Kamloops Alliance Church. She is proud of her Metis heritage and shares so much wisdom and knowledge about her story, her upbringing, and her faith.Originally form Victoria, BC and Québec City, Bonnie has been living on the traditional territory of the Secwepemc people for the past 14 years. She is a member of the Métis Nation and her ancestral people are from Batoche, SK. She is married to Kukpi7 (Chief) Frank Antoine of the Bonaparte Indian Band of Cache Creek. They have three beautiful children: Séquoia, Maya, and Riel. Their youngest, Riel, recently underwent cancer treatment over the past two years at BC Children's hospital, and in this podcast, she talks about her fears and how her son's journey deepened her faith is Christ. Bonnie's sports-minded family spends a lot of time in the rinks and on the field. She believes that sports are a therapeutic way to heal, and sports have allowed her to remain focused most of her life. Bonnie is a passionate teacher with the Francophone School District of BC, teaching grade six through eight. She is passionate about Aboriginal Education and has previously been the District Resource Teacher for many years. In this episode, Bonnie and Chris talk about what it looks like to love our community well. She shares her journey with God and her hard work to educate her children about their Indigenous culture. She shares the importance of partnering with our Indigenous communities so we as a community can learn from their perspective, and at end of the podcast, she sheds light on the recent discoveries at the Kamloops Residential School where 215 unmarked graves were found.  We are so appreciative of Bonnie for her authenticity and bravery as she shares her heart, her past, her current struggles, and her hope for Indigenous people in Kamloops, and in Canada.

We are thrilled to introduce Dave Wright to you! Dave and Judy Wright are missionaries of Osler Mission Chapel who serve under Ethnos Canada, formerly New Tribes Mission. Their primary ministry for the first 20 years was as church planters in Papua New Guinea, and the last five years in Canada, in church engagement. Dave and Judy both came to faith at early ages while Dave became enthralled with tribal missions as a teenager through the stories of furlough-ing missionaries. It was while at Millar College of the Bible that God matured Dave’s passion for missions and led Judy as well. While in Papua New Guinea, they had the privilege to be a part of the team that planted a church amongst an unreached people. They reduced the spoken only language and culture to writing to teach and translate God’s Word so there was true biblical transformation that shone through that distinct culture. Today there are three churches with 100+ believers who are well on their way to maturity. Having worked themselves out of a job in 2015, the Lord transitioned them to a new ministry with Ethnos Canada to engage the Canadian Church. They are adapting Ethnos’ sharpened approach to church planting/discipleship materials from overseas in order to provide the church with a relational structure to disciple-making so that all peoples are established in Christ and equipped to make disciples. Already, God has opened up many doors of opportunity to bless the church in Saskatchewan, working with Indigenous people.In this episode, Dave and Chris talk about what it looks like to bridge a cultural gap.  This conversation is both extremely helpful and extremely challenging, and will give you lots of food for thought!

This week we are thrilled to have Mark Buchanan joining us.Mark and his wife Cheryl live in Cochrane, Alberta. He is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Ambrose Seminary. They have three adult children. Mark is a pastor, teacher, and speaker. He enjoys scuba diving, fishing, and motorcycles. He is the author of ten books, including most recently the novel, David: Rise (Book One of the trilogy on the life of King David), and God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul.In this episode, Mark and Chris talk about what it looks like to love across cultures. This is a very candid, honest, and reflective conversation of Mark's personal journey to befriend and love Indigenous people as well as the journey he led his church on for over 20 years.

We are so excited to launch Season 4! This season will be a 5-week series packed with great conversations surrounding Indigenous Ministry, including "loving across cultures" and "bridging cultural gaps".  This week we are thrilled to introduce Elder, Norm McCallum to you. Norm is an Elder with the Woodland Cree Nation. Norm met Jesus dramatically in the 1980's, when Jesus healed him from addiction. Norm has been following Jesus ever since, making Him known and serving His people, Indigenous people. Norm has been hired in this season as KAC's Indigenous Consultant, and has been helping us through education, and understanding his people. This is a great conversation where you get the inside scoop about our Indigenous Consultant, and what he and Chris are thinking, praying, and hoping for as we move forward.In this episode, Norm and Chris talk about the difference Jesus makes. They journey through Norm's story, his calling, and his hope for what God can do in and through KAC to serve, befriend, and minister to and with Indigenous people.

This week we are so excited to introduce Dr. Gary Habermas to you. Dr. Habermas is the author or co-author of over 40 books and 100 articles and reviews in journals and magazines. In the last 16 years he has given over 1500 lectures in about 100 universities, seminaries, and colleges. He holds a PhD in History and Philosophy of Religion from Michigan State University as well as an MA in Philosophical Theology from the University of Detroit. He currently acts as 'Distinguished Research Professor and Chair' in the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, where he has taught for the past 30 years. His main areas of research include the philosophical study of miracles, near-death experiences, the historical Jesus, and the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. In this episode, Dr. Habermas and Chris discuss the question: “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?”Click HERE to order, "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus" by Dr. Gary Habermas and Michael Licona.To learn more from Dr. Gary Habermas, visit www.garyhabermas.com

This week we are so excited to introduce Dr. Tim Sansbury to you. Dr. Sansbury is Provost and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Knox Theological Seminary, as well as the Interim Pastor for Truth Point Church in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is interested in promoting coherence in faith and doctrine, especially in the area of science and theology. His research specialties include the philosophy of science, the nature of time and eternity, and the relationship between divine ordination and human and natural causation. His vocational career has been spent teaching and working in Christian education broadly, at all levels, seeking to bring a reasoned approach to preparing thoughtful believers who seek God in all endeavours. A Miami native, Dr. Sansbury's undergraduate degree is in Physics from Georgia Tech, and was followed by an MA at Reform Theological Seminary in Orlando and a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. His work on the eternity of God is published under the title, "Beyond Time: Defending God’s Transcendence".Dr. Sansbury is married to Tesa and they have three daughters, Anna, Emily, and Paige. A native Floridian, he enjoys fishing, boating, and the Miami Dolphins. In this episode, Dr. Sansbury and Chris discuss the question, "Are Science and Faith at Odds?" Dr. Sansbury is articulate, and pastoral. He has a background in science, a very skeptical mind, and he will help us work our way through the question: how does Christianity and science work together, or do they?

This week we are so excited to introduce Mary Jo Sharp to you. Mary Jo is a former atheist who came to faith. She has experienced two worlds of American culture: the post-Christian culture of the Pacific Northwest, and the evangelical culture of the Bible Belt. She first encountered apologetics in her own spiritual search while seeking answers. Mary Jo is now an Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University, and the Founder and Director of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry. She has been featured in Christianity Today's cover story, "The Unexpected Defenders", and is an international speaker on apologetics, focusing on love and logic to uncover truth. She also serves on faculty with Summit Ministries Student Conferences. Mary Jo is a published author with Kregel Publications, B&H Publications, and Zondervan. She is the author of the top selling Bible study: "Why Do You Believe That?" as well as "Living in Truth" with Lifeway Christian Resources. She recently released her book, "Why I Still Believe". Mary Jo is the founder of Confident Christianity, a Christian apologetics ministry that addresses the hard questions of Christianity through research, writing, training, and debate. She lives with her husband and family in Portland, Oregon. In this episode, Mary Jo and Chris discuss the question: How do I Reconcile the Bad Reputation of Christians? Mary Jo is a clear communicator with a heart for people, and finds great joy in sharing the deep truths of her Lord and Saviour, and she will help you along with this question.