Water’s Edge Church is located near campus at 1228 Presque Isle Ave, here in Marquette, MI.

Benny Veale has been the pastor of Water’s Edge Church since 2022. As a child, his heart’s cry was “Here am I Lord, send me.” That journey led him to Water’s Edge church in 2003 when he was a leader in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at NMU. Benny graduated with a teaching degree as God sent him to a missions school in Senegal, Africa. From there, God send him to St. Paul Island in Alaska before setting off on years of leading missions teams around the world in dozens of countries. God used those years to refine, challenge, encourage and mold him into the man he is today. While serving at AIM, he met his wife Angie who also had been serving God through missions for multiple years and countries. Benny and Angie have 3 kids and spent time working in missions, Christian camping and as a counselor/teacher at a rehab center. In 2021, God sent them back home to Marquette where they are now as leaders at Water’s Edge Church.

We have a church landline that you’re welcome to get a hold of at (906)226-9727. However, this isn’t checked daily so if you’re looking for a more prompt reply, the best strategy is to contact the pastor at wechurchpastor@gmail.com or our office at wechurchoffice@gmail.com.

The first thing is that we are glad you are considering joining us! Come as you are. You don’t have to dress up but you can if you’d like. Our goal each week is to connect with God and so you’re invited to do that however you are comfortable. We’d rather meet who you really are with whatever you are really going through rather than a façade. We’ll do our best to return the favor. We acknowledge that we are all on a journey towards God and come from various starting points. You’re invited to join us as we seek Him.

Our normal service will start with worship songs followed by a member of the church sharing a 5 minute encouragement, challenge, wisdom and/or invitation for the church to consider. Then, we break up for about 15 minutes with people around us to pray with each other. Our desire is to cultivate a community where praying blessings and empathizing with others is normal. The likelihood of us being intentional blessings outside of the church increases as we practice those things inside the church. We understand that this can feel awkward for someone new as we’ve all been in your shoes, so we will be gracious. This is an invitation, not an obligation or expectation on you.

During our prayer time, parents of children aged 1.5-5 years old can bring their children downstairs to kid’s church (through the school year.) There is also a nursery room in the basement that has comfortable seating and a live stream of upstairs. Any parent with an infant is welcome to use this room at any time. After our prayer time, we will move into some short announcements and a sermon followed by some more worship songs. This is a general outline of our common service but ultimately we do our best to try to lean more into where we feel Holy Spirit is leading each week rather than follow a specific formula.

The short answer is yes! Periodically, the church leadership will have informational meetings where you can learn more about the process. The gyst though is that if you align with the basic foundational beliefs of the church, have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior and desire to join our local expression of the Family of God then we will consider you for membership. We will encourage you to look through our church constitution/bylaws/foundational truths and covenantal commitment. If you prayerfully consider these things and agree to follow, then the Elders will take up your commitment for review and add you into the church membership.

WE believe that God is the leader and head of our church. The pastor is the Lead Elder and is responsible for leading the church with a group of Elders who are duly voted on by the covenant members of the church. Eldership terms are 5 years at a time and yet we encourage each of our leaders to yearly evaluate their commitment to God in this role, the church and search themselves to see if there is any reason why they ought to step out of leadership. There are many members who use their gifts to serve and lead in various ways. We are a church body with many parts and various gifts and we increasingly are trying to find ways to help empower people to use their gifts.

Many of God’s promises are often tied to “and keep my sabbath holy” in the bible. Humanity often sees that as another rule or law and yet it’s an invitation to stop working, rest, be still and be with Him. It’s an invitation to be a human being instead of a human doing. American culture is increasingly busy and filled with constant stimulus and movement. At Water’s Edge, we are looking for ways to slow down, rest and actually be present with others in our community and become aware of His presence in our lives. One of our practices is to meet most Thursdays from 5:30-7:30pm. We eat together from 5:30-6:30pm followed by an hour where the youth group splits away for a meeting and there is a space for kids to break out as well. Meanwhile, the adults spend time in the presence of each other and God with guidance.

“The Well” name was created after a conversation with friends who had recently traveled out to Montana. They kept driving past massive ranches where cattle roamed without fences. It piqued their curiosity as to how the ranchers were able to keep all of the cattle straight without fences marking all of the boundaries. They found a rancher and asked that very question. The rancher simply remarked that they’re strategic with where they place their wells and the cattle will always come back to their source of water. What a beautiful visual!

So many churches and parents spend incredible amounts of time trying to keep their children or congregants within familiar or safe boundaries. We definitely believe that boundaries are necessary and appropriate in plenty of areas of life, parenting and even within churches. Still, the truth is that we have a generation of youth looking for ways to explore outside the fences. We have Christians pushing boundaries or rejecting them all together as they leave home. The solution isn’t focusing on bigger or better or more boundaries. The solution is found in helping people find living water. People will come back to where they have tasted and seen of His goodness when they are dry and thirsty. Our goal has shifted as a church from the defining of all the moving boundaries and instead we focus on how do we invite people to the well where they can come in contact with the one who can give them living water. Then, as our youth grow and expand their territory, how do we help them dig wells where God leads them. Our goal is to come to the water’s edge but the choice to drink is yours.

There have been a number of names we have used over the years for our college/young adult ministry but currently we call it “The River” which is actually short for “REEDS at the River.” This group meets every Monday following the university schedule from 7-8:30pm. Joy and Dave Routheaux, who have a long history of ministry positions lead this group. You’re welcome to ask them about all of their experiences and degrees but honestly their identity is increasingly found more in looking like their Father than what the pieces of paper say they can do. They’re emphasis is in the group is:

R- Rest

E- Encounter God

E- Encouragement

D – Discipleship

S – Sending out