Eastiew Community Church
Eastview Community Church

Today at Eastview

Personal Link: Pam Fast

Pam Fast - 2010-10-05

 

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and was strongly encouraged and influenced in my spiritual growth through attending church regularly. Summer camp, vacation bible school, girls club, youth group leaders, Sunday school teachers and attending MBCI were also big contributors to my spiritual development as a young child and teenager. Four years after I graduated from high school, I felt that the Lord was calling me to go to Bible School. I spent two years at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford and I dedicated these two years to studying the Bible and memorizing scripture. I feel the Lord blessed my obedience to him during this time in my life. Following Bible School I travelled to the Holy Land – this was another exciting opportunity, allowing me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.

I have been employed by Great-West Life for 17 years. I enjoy my job in the corporate world and I truly feel this is where God wants me to be. I work with a very dedicated team of people and I strive to shine His light as I do my job to the best of my ability.

James and I were married at Eastview 14 years ago. We have been blessed with two children – Jenna, age 10, and Nolan, age 6 – and they both enjoy attending Kids Cove and 56 Degrees. As a family (left), we enjoy camping, biking, geocaching and spending time with family and friends. This summer we travelled to the west coast to visit James’ family and had the privilege of meeting our new 3-year-old twin nephews who were adopted from Zambia into our extended family early in 2010. 

James and I both truly feel that Eastview is “home”. We love being a part of the Eastview family and we are passionate about serving God together within this body of believers. Over the years we have been involved in various ways including singing in the choir, leading a care group and James in leading worship. Music has been and will always be a very central and integral part of my own personal worship experience. iTunes on our home computer is FULL of the many worship songs we sing every Sunday. In particular, there are some favourite worship singers/songwriters that regularly make it to the top of the “favourites” list in our home – Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Lincoln Brewster and Chris Tomlin. There is one song from Steven Curtis Chapman’s new CD “Beauty Will Rise” that has recently played over and over in my head (and in my vehicle!). The song is called “Faithful” and some of the words are:

I will proclaim it to the world.
I will declare it to my heart
And sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.

You are faithful!
You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!

And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe
You are faithful.

I love these words because they make a statement about how faith is a decision, regardless of your circumstances.

I have been a member of the Leadership Board at Eastview since May 2010. I have enjoyed my involvement in this role so far and feel blessed to be given the opportunity to serve the Lord in this way. I am very passionate about Eastview and its mission statement. I have always felt a strong desire to see people who walk through the doors of Eastview find God, find a place to connect and belong and over time feel this is “home”. I believe that God has placed among this body of believers a very dedicated team of servants who have been equipped to carry out the mission statement through the power of the Holy Spirit, and I feel privileged to be a small part of that. My role on the Leadership Board has also spurred me to pray for this church and body of believers like never before. I truly believe the Holy Spirit is at work at Eastview and that He will bless our efforts if we remain focused on Him. Hebrews 12:1-3 says,

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.