Hello there,

 

My name is Kenny Daniel and I am blessed to be called pastor of Colonial Beach Baptist Church since March 15th, 2020 (talk about God's timing!) Though my first year as pastor was riddled with new experiences, navigating the pandemic, I have been absolutely amazed to see how God is working in our church family. That said, here's a little about how God has been working in my life over the past several years.

 

Growing up in a military family, I proudly wore and wear the title "Army brat." When people ask me where my childhood home was, I always laugh a little bit and refer back to a wooden sign we had, which read, "home is where the heart is." Once my father retired from active duty we moved to the quaint town of Orange, Virginia, where I would complete my four years of high school at Orange County Public School. Though I was baptized at the young age of seven, and experienced a call to ministry in middle school, it was really in Orange when I first began to claim the Baptist identity, as we plugged into Orange Baptist Church. It was also in high school when I began my first "professional ministry" job, if you can call it that, working at Camp Crossroads in Lowesville, Virginia.

 

I loved working at Crossroads, and thought, perhaps, God was leading me to camp ministry. I continued to work there for seven years, eb and flowing between school and camp. Upon graduating high school, I enrolled at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA, whereby God's grace, I earned a B.A. in Religious Studies and a double minor in Ethics and Film. It was also at good ol' RMC that I would meet my future wife, Rebecca. Upon graduating both Becca and I would move out to Wisconsin for a year-long internship in Camp Ministry. God would continue to work on my heart and mind over that year, and upon completing the internship, I felt an unquenchable call to pursue a Master of Divinity degree.

 

My time in seminary was kind of wild. Becca and I had just gotten back from Wisconsin and gotten married that July. We had just moved to Richmond and were living, essentially, in the laundry room of a larger house with four of our friends from college. During my first semester of seminary, I began working at Chamberlayne Baptist Church as their youth minister, and while that job remained consistent, everything else, not so much. I actually attended three different seminaries, moving from Liberty Online to Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond to finally Union Presbyterian in chronological order. While it was not the path I would have chosen in the moment, looking back on it now I would not have changed a thing. God had a way of using this period of change to show me a large spectrum of theologies, and usher me into personal discernment. I am now happy to call UPSem my seminary alma mater. 

 

Since moving to Colonial Beach, I have become an avid fan of boating, tubing, and simply admiring this little slice of heaven. When I’m not outside or at the church, you’ll find me either in the gym, playing video games, checking my fantasy teams, or watching sports.

 

Those are some of the quick highlights, but I would really like to get to know more about you! If you are new to the area or just interested in chatting, I would love to grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat with ya. Feel free to reach me by email at kenny@colonialbeachbaptistchurch.org or you can call/text me at 540-419-3590. I hope to meet you soon :)

 

Peace and blessings,

Pastor Kenny