Pastor: Kel Penny
Kel came to Water's Edge in July of 2017. Kel grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2006 with a degree in Religious Studies. He also holds two degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary, a Master's of Arts in Theological Studies and a Master's of Divinity. When it comes to church, Kel loves teaching people new ways to interpret the Bible, connecting with people in the community and only working on Sundays (Ha!). Outside of church Kel is kind of nerdy. He leads dungeons and dragons games with various groups as he has time, loves action and hero movies, and has been known to read entire series of sci-fi and fantasy books without stopping. Kel loves spending time with family and exploring all that this beautiful world has to offer.
Worship and Creative Arts Director: Tara Dodge
Tara and her family have been in New Buffalo for four years now. She has been participating in church music since her childhood. Along with her job here at Water’s Edge, she is also a part-time elementary art teacher in St. Joseph. She loves being able to share both her gifts in music and art with others. She also has a small art business, Designs By Dodge, with pieces that reflect the Harbor Country area. Her life is very busy with her two teenage children, husband, six cats, dog and horse. She loves to ride in her spare time and enjoys watching sporting events of all kinds.
Office Manager: Jennifer Carlson
Jennifer lives in Union Pier with her wife and their son. She and her family came to Michigan from California over 10 years ago, and now can’t imagine living anywhere else! Her previous career was as a technical writer who owned a small business in the San Francisco Bay Area but when she came to Michigan, she decided to focus more on family life and learning about her new home. She enjoys having many moving parts to her life, so she operates a small book resale store on Amazon (specializing in theological studies). She is an unrepentant (and rather unproductive!) crafter whose current favorites include making art through junk journaling. Her home is populated with two dogs and two cats belonging to her and her wife. Her son and his girlfriend have adopted five (!!) cats of their own who fill the house with chatter at all hours of the day and night.
