Chief of Sinners, Saved by Grace (...Pastor)
Van Kierstead
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”
Galatians 2:20-21
Living a full and meaningful life—crucified with Christ. That’s what Van has been striving for since he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior on August 9, 1976—not that he has attained it, but he celebrates each forward step along the way. And all those steps backwards? That's where forgiveness comes in. Either way, in strength and weakness, Van relies on God's grace to see him through.
In 1994, Van brought his family to Nampa to begin the work at New Covenant and teach in the Nampa School District. (He retired from teaching in 2024.) New Covenant began by meeting in a local grade school for the first year but has since moved to its current location at 624 Lake Lowell Avenue in Nampa.
Van is married to April. They live in an “empty nest” which occasionally fills up again with the voices of their family including four of the best grandchildren ever!
May the joy of knowing Christ be yours today.
