Student Profiles

Introducing Kevin Wattel

Hi, I’m Kevin, and the two beauties with me in this picture are my wife Josina and our vivacious little girl named Solace. By the time you read this biography, our second baby will have been born, Lord willing. We are very excited about this new stage for our family and are eager to see where God will continue faithfully to lead us.  

Josina and I met while working together at Campfire Bible Camp back in 2017. We both have a love for teaching youth about the amazing love of our Saviour Jesus. We are both home-grown Ontario kids. Josina grew up in Burlington and Smithville, and I enjoyed growing up in the flatlands of Kerwood. Josina is the brains in the family, with a BA in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies and Counseling. She has a gift and passion for music that she uses in our church and in teaching a number of piano students. Her big dream is to have a garden even bigger than her grandmother’s and spend more time outdoors than indoors. 

So, what made me want to go into ministry? Well, if at any point before 2016 you had told me that one day I’d be graduating from seminary and hoping to enter pastoral ministry I’d have found that hilarious and absurd. I grew up dabbling in several types of farming and working with my dad in masonry. To this day there’s a sense of relief that comes over me when the familiar weight of a trowel sits in my hand and a satisfying sense of accomplishment when stones are worked together to create a piece of art. In my early twenties, I pursued a career in sales and made a mess of my life. What changed my course was coming face to face with my own brokenness and experiencing the unbelievable grace of God there. With a newfound love for Christ, I’ve cautiously and slowly, with a lot of trepidation and prayer, gone down the path toward ministry. 

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always been drawn to working with kids and teens. I also have a love for bringing the gospel to those who have never heard it before. My wife and I love to get to know our neighbours and be involved in our communities. I have some experience in overseas mission work and have grown in my passion for church planting through interning in Grace Canadian Reformed Church (Brampton) and Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship in NYC, and through my involvement in Mercy Christian Church in Hamilton, where we’ve been members these past few years. I am also forever grateful for the kindness and investment of time and wisdom given to me by both the pastor and congregation of Redemption Canadian Reformed Church in Flamborough where I interned in 2022. 

So, what’s next? With a new baby on the way and a desire to enter the calling process feeling prepared and energized as a family, I’ve decided to postpone my examination until June 2025. In the meantime, I’ll be participating in a year-long internship at Mercy Christian Church to grow in preaching and discipleship. If, under God’s blessing, I pass my examination, we are open to go wherever the LORD leads. It is our prayer that God would use our ransomed lives in any way he chooses, and we are eager to see what he has in store.