A Place You Can Call Home

A Place You Can Call HomeBy Bruce Boyer

For Dr. Pete Kunkle, Kernersville is a “place you can call home.”  What seems like a no-brainer to say, actually is a difficult concept for many people to truly feel.  Pete’s life work is building a church where people without a church home feel accepted and welcomed.  He has done a magnificent job at that.  Pete began his Kernersville ministry at the Church of Christ in 1982.

The First Christian Church ministry he started in 1987 has grown into a “mega church” with worshipers coming from all across the Triad.  First Christian Church was the first Kernersville church with a contemporary worship style designed to appeal to the unchurched.  Thirty-two years later it is one of the premier worship facilities in Kernersville and plans are in the works for a Union Cross campus as well.

For some hurting people, life at home can prove challenging.  Pete refers to First Christian Church as the “healing church,” helping people to overcome a significant loss in their lives.  His goal in ministry is to help people find a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to be open and accepting, regardless of their walk or belief system.  Pete knows what it feels like to achieve a relationship with an accepting God. He knows the joy that achieving a relationship with an accepting God brings- and wants to share that feeling.

Dr. Pete Kunkle gets a great deal of satisfaction observing how well the community uses the facilities at First Christian Church.  Large funerals, meetings, blood drives, and community events such as the Job Fair are held in the worship center.  Several civic clubs meet regularly at the church and the church operates a Family Life Center.

All this is possible because Pete feels the community has accepted him and its ministries.  Worship services may have the most diverse attendance in the area.  He also recognizes a chemistry that links together area churches and organizations in the community.  And because of this, he feels Kernersville is a great place to live and raise a family.  

Love is a cornerstone of what makes him “tick,” and is the foundation of the Christian faith.  The four key elements to Pete are: loving God, loving family, loving people, and serving others in love.  

To establish and maintain these fundamentals, he must be active in the community.  Pete is also a co-founder of Next Step Ministries, which provides sanctuary and support for mothers and children in abusive home situations.  He was a key part of the Kernersville 2020 Vision plan for the community and is a volunteer Chaplain for the Kernersville Police Department.  His civic involvement includes Rotary International.  He also provides the public prayer at Kernersville Board of Aldermen meetings.

Reaching the unchurched is important to Dr. Pete Kunkle.  First Christian Church will host a community outreach event entitled The Christmas Experience, a high tech depiction of scenes from the Christmas story.  Designed by church member Bobby Davis Jr., it features amazing music, holographic multi-dimensional characters, and artistic sets created by industry professionals.  The story begins with the angel informing Mary that she would mother the Christ child and concludes with a nativity scene.  Opening on November 27, The Christmas Experience is biblically based instead of the modern marketing view of Christmas.  Pete feels the community will embrace this presentation.

Dr. Pete Kunkle is a well-spoken pastor, but he also has personal ministries that are not connected to First Christian Church.  His personal ministries involve motorcycles, Noah’s Place petting zoo and inflatables.  He has ridden his motorcycle cross country three times and often speaks to motorcycle groups.  The petting zoo started as a rescue mission for animals, but quickly evolved into a ministry, connecting people in nursing homes, children’s programs, and the general community.  He cited a recent example of taking his granddaughter, Izzi, with him to a nursing home.  Her role was intended merely to make sure everyone washed their hands, but quickly created a mutual bond of love between a caring 6-year-old and the seniors of that facility.  

When first conceived, the petting zoo provided employment for people in need.  The goal of his personal ministries are not to make money, but to provide financial stability to his employees while ministering in unique and empowering ways.

So, how does a pastor with a love for family, motorcycles, and animals thrive in a community?  He thrives because God has blessed his many ministries.  Kernersville has embraced his creative ideas, worship style, and passion to minister to the people as they are.  Kernersville has proved to be a good fit for Dr. Pete Kunkle.  He feels welcome in Kernersville as he strives for his church and personal ministries to encourage people to come to faith.

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