MEET OUR NEW PASTOR & HIS WIFE: KEVIN & KIM FORQUER Pastor Kevin was born in Cadillac, Michigan. His family moved to Redlands, California when he was a toddler, and that is where he grew up and graduated from high school. Kevin’s family, including two brothers, and one sister attended a Presbyterian Church, where he was baptized and confirmed. He attended North Arizona University in Flagstaff, and graduated in four years and one summer semester with not only a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree; in public administration and accounting. His goal was to work for the FBI, but that year they had a hiring freeze, so he moved to Bellevue, WA where his family had moved when his father, a vice-president for Lockheed, had been transferred to the Lockheed Shipyards in Seattle. Kevin began working at Lockheed, and for a time was a teamster. In 1977, his very healthy father died very suddenly at age 47 of a massive brain aneurysm. The family were members of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Bellevue. Kevin became a close friend of their lay associate, Buzz Kahn. One day, Buzz asked Kevin if he had ever thought of being a pastor. Surprised, Kevin said no, he hadn’t. By then Kevin was working on a management team for Hormel in Renton and loved his job. Buzz also played Cupid by suggesting Kevin date a fellow member, Kim. Her family were charter members of Cross of Christ. Kim has two sisters and had one brother, who was a special needs child with cystic fibrosis that her parents adopted when he was 15 months old and Kim was in Jr. High. Her father was a machinist at Western Gear and Boeing, then taught his skills at Renton VoTech. Kim graduated from Bellevue’s Sammamish High School. She attended and graduated from LBI (Lutheran Bible Institute), then a twoyear Bible college, now Trinity College, the four year college in Everett. Twyla Lucas was in the class ahead of her. She first worked for Amtrak in Los Angeles, then for the Burlington Northern Railroad for a total of nine years. Kim loves ballet, and took ballet lessons as an adult for 20 years. In 1975, while on a tour of Russia with fellow ballet students, she smuggled in a few Russian–language Bibles, also an official ”Open Letter of Importation” papers to a family that would allow them to emigrate to the U.S. Kevin and Kim were married in June of 1980, and left soon after for St. Paul, MN where Kevin enrolled in Luther Seminary. Still unsure if he wanted to become a pastor, Kevin felt God wanted him to attend seminary. He now deeply feels God called him to be a pastor. He served his internship at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church at SeaTac, and since ordination in 1984 has served at Our Saviors in Salem, OR, for 13 years at Christ the King in Snohomish, and for 14 years at Salem in Mt. Vernon before coming to Bethlehem last October. During his internship, Kevin and Kim began the expected long process of applying for a special needs adoption. Soon after they filed the papers, they received a reply, and two days after that they received their 3-day-old daughter, Karoline Rose (Katy). Her only special needs were that she was part Hawaiian, and the parental rights had not yet been relinquished…a risk that ended well. Kim gave birth to their second daughter, Mandy, 2-1/2 years later. Katy, a graphics artist, is now a stay-at-home mom with two sons, 6 and 2 years old. Her husband is a paramedic fire fighter and they live in Chula Vista, CA. Amanda is married to Lucky Lufkin and resides in West Seattle. She is a men’s hairstylist at Gene Juarez Men’s Salon in Bellevue. Her work was recognized by her being sent to New York to style the hair of models for a men’s hair products ad.

The girls grew up on their family’s property, 12-1/2 acres near Snohomish (Kevin commuted to Mt. Vernon) where they were 4-H members and had many animals; a horse, goat, chickens, etc. The property borders a lake and is part trees, part wetlands, and part pasture. Kevin’s exercise program consists of mowing about 4-1/2 acres with a gas powered, but not self-propelled, walk-behind lawn mower; no running or other exercise. Kim does the gardening and weeding. Kevin’s other hobby for about 15 years, was being on the crew maintaining a race car owned by his dear friend and neighbor. It was a “sprint” car. Kim’s hobbies included a little quilting and Ukrainian egg dying using her own designs. For many years Kevin & Kim’s vacations were spent helping Kim’s father build a log home at Belfair, WA, starting with curing and debarking the logs. Her dad machined the tools they used. After being a stay-at-home mom for many years, Kim started assisting a friend who was a pre-school teacher. She ended up loving it, became a preschool teacher herself, and for the past 10 years or so has been a preschool teacher through Prince of Peace Lutheran Preschools at their Advent Lutheran location in Mill Creek. She teaches both a morning and an afternoon class three days a week. Kim would love to take ballet lessons again, if she could find a teacher that has a pianist playing live music. Kevin says he loves being a grandfather. He only gets to see his grandsons a few times a year, but Kim’s work schedule allows her to travel and visit them on week-ends more often. When their girls were small, they called Kevin, “Daddy-O”. His grandsons now call him “Grand-daddy-O”. He says, “I love it!”