Page 32 - Mariners Church Jubilee Book

The world was changing rapidly in the early 1990s. Nelson Mandela was freed, the Soviet Union collapsed and something called the Internet was starting to taking off. The Cold War officially ended, and Operation Desert Storm began. As the Mariners congregation was growing, its culture was changing as well.
The value for community was evident in the use of the patio as a gathering place and events geared to growing together as a church family. Our worship style was changing too. No longer did the choir wear robes accompanied by an organ. Guitars and drums made their appearance on the stage and
hymnals gave way to big screens in the auditorium. This was not an easy transition for the people of Mariners. Some liked tradition, others felt it important to be relevant to the changing times and culture.
The leadership of Mariners was true to the founding values of creating a place where people who didn’t have a relationship with God would feel welcomed, so Kenton led our church through this season with a vision to reach and be relevant to
our community. God blessed this commitment to cultural relevance and we experienced tremendous growth in those years. We were quickly outgrowing our worship center and parking had becoming a significant issue.
In 1994, we went through another financial downturn. The Elder Board made the difficult decision to cut the budget, impacting staff and ministries. Because of the conviction that God provides all we need for the work He has called us to, the leadership of Mariners accepted this opportunity to reevaluate the way we did ministry.
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