The Doners
Restoration Community Church, Big Lake, Alaska
About the Doners
Pete and his wife Cora have enjoyed 14 years of marriage together and have been blessed with 3 children: Abigail (12), Josiah (11) and Lucy (8). As a family they enjoy hiking, skiing, and reading together around a fire. Before their conviction to plant Restoration Community Church, the Doners were longtime members of Wasilla Bible Church. Pete had attended WBC since he was three years old, and was on staff as a youth minister for the 7 years prior to planting. In preparation for planting, the Doners moved to Big Lake in July of
2023 and enrolled their kids at Big Lake Elementary and at Houston Middle School. They are enjoying the process of building relationships with their new community! The Doners and a Core Team from WBC soft-launched RCC in Big Lake on June 16th, 2024. RCC is a family of believers who gather in Big Lake, Alaska, who have been restored to right relationship with God through His son, King Jesus!
Ministry Update & Prayer Requests
How has the lord been at work in your ministry this past year?
What began last summer as a small gathering since we planted Restoration Community Church last June has now grown to 41 committed Core Team members who long to see Jesus bring restoration to the lives of their friends and neighbors here in Big Lake, Alaska. Every time our Missional Communities gather, one of our members shares a short story of God’s work in their life, and we regularly hear a common refrain: “This church has been an answer to a lot of my prayers.”
This Easter marked a milestone for RCC as we transitioned from a Core Team-building stage of church life to being fully open to our community. We kicked it off by hosting a special Easter breakfast that brought many new visitors from our community through our doors.
The next Sunday followed with our first baptism of 2025! The man’s testimony of God’s work in his life was a powerful reminder why we planted this church—to see lives changed by the incredible love of Jesus!
This Easter marked a milestone for RCC as we transitioned from a Core Team-building stage of church life to being fully open to our community. We kicked it off by hosting a special Easter breakfast that brought many new visitors from our community through our doors.
The next Sunday followed with our first baptism of 2025! The man’s testimony of God’s work in his life was a powerful reminder why we planted this church—to see lives changed by the incredible love of Jesus!
How can we pray for you?
-That God would open many doors for the gospel with unbelieving friends and neighbors in our community
-Children’s ministry for 0-4 year olds is launching this fall
-Transitioning to church membership (hopefully in January 2026)
-For the Doner family’s health (2025 has been a little rough so far)
-Children’s ministry for 0-4 year olds is launching this fall
-Transitioning to church membership (hopefully in January 2026)
-For the Doner family’s health (2025 has been a little rough so far)
how do you hope to see god work in the coming year?
In this next year of church life, we hope to be used by God here in Big Lake, Alaska to draw many people currently in darkness into the light of Jesus. We hope to see God bring our unchurched and dechurched friends and neighbors to worship with us at RCC. As our Core Team grows, we hope to see our members living out the mission of our church in everyday life, and growing in Christ-likeness. Finally, we hope to see progress towards the development of elders in our church family.
