Pastor Todd and Toni VanDeWiele

On the morning of Sunday April 13, 2008, Todd and Toni packed their two young daughters into the car and headed off to Keener Church, passing several churches along their 12-mile journey.  As they walked into church that morning, they had no idea of the impact that God would have on their lives, but they knew that He spoke to them both in a way that was unmistakable, and their lives would never be the same.

 

Over the next several years, they continued to attend Keener Church and in 2014, they moved from Waldron to Parks where they would plant their growing family right in the heart of the Keener Community.  As they settled into their new home, they felt a calling to focus on growing the ministry of Keener Church. Through their walk with God, their dedication and commitment to serving the Kingdom has fueled their passion to be intentional about reaching the unchurched throughout the greater valley.  During this time, Pastor Bill Money embraced the VanDeWiele family and served as a Mentor to Todd for many years.

 

Todd and Toni have raised two beautiful daughters, Tristan who attends the University of Arkansas Fort Smith where she is an active member of Baptist Collegiate Ministry’s Worship Team.  She is majoring in English Ed with a minor in Psychology.  Tristan leads worship on Sunday mornings and is also the Sunday School Teacher for our TYouth Ministry.

 

Taylor attends Waldron High School where she is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Future Farmers of America (FFA), and a proud member of the Waldron Lady Bulldog softball team. 

 

In 2021 God brought four siblings to Keener Church that were in foster care and over the next several months, Todd & Toni were blessed to welcome these amazing kids into their family.  The oldest of the four is now happily married, and Todd & Toni are actively pursuing the process of adopting the three younger siblings and are excited to share more about them once the adoption is final.

 

In late 2021, Pastor Bill Money stepped away from his role at Keener Church due to health concerns and in January 2022 Todd was joyfully appointed to fill the role of Pastor where his heart has been focused on God and the Keener Community. 

 

In the words of his former pastor and mentor Bill Money, “People will never care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  It’s Todd & Toni’s prayer that the congregation of Keener Church continue to grow their relationship with Christ and that they know that they are loved by God and their church family every single day.