Desert Winds Community Church

Pastor Ken and Kathi Bayard

 

I was born in Orange, CA and lived in the same house until I moved away to college (Cal Poly Pomona).  I met my wife, Kathi, while working at Sonshine Ministries – a Christian houseboat camp.  We were married on August 12, 1989 in Artesia, CA.  From that time until 2002, I was involved in both volunteer and vocational youth ministry at different churches as well as with the National Institute of Youth Ministry (now called “HomeWord”). 

 

We moved from Southern California to Northwest Washington in 1994.  I was the youth pastor at First Reformed Church in Lynden, WA for 7-and-a-half years.  It was during this time that God started to stir my heart and passion in the area of worship and music. 

 

In 2003, my wife, Kathi, our awesome kids, Sarah and Andrew, and I embarked on a year-long adventure to do two schools with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Lakeside, MT.  We sold our house and left Lynden with no idea where God would lead us after our schooling.  We completed YWAM’s Discipleship Training School and an eight-week outreach to Argentina, as well as the School of Worship and an eight-week outreach to Thailand and Hawaii.  Through all of these experiences God cultivated, in all of us, a heart for worship and missions. 

 

Following our time with YWAM, God led us back to Lynden, WA.  In March 2004 I started as the Pastor of Worship at Faith Community Church where I served for three years.  Through a mutual friend, I was introduced to Pastor Ned in September of 2006.  Over the next several months we began to get to know the staff and people of Desert Winds Community Church.  It soon became clear that God was paving the way to move back to Southern Cal.  That was confirmed as DWCC extended a call to me to come and serve them as Worship Arts Pastor beginning in July 2007.  We are thrilled to be here in the Antelope Valley and excited to see how God will stretch us and grow us.  We trust that He will continue to teach us and our new church family what it means to be worshippers of the True and Living God.