Maureen Pennal

I was born and raised in foggy San Francisco.  My early childhood memories of church include communion, attending church on Easter and Christmas and going to a neighborhood Sunday school class when my parents had time to bring us to church.

I do believe in generational blessings being carried through a family line. My grandfather, Herbert Pennal, read the bible every day and I am sure prayed for us all. He was born at sea, so the UK is his given country.  At one time while living in Canada with my grandmother Nellie, he pursued becoming a “preacher on the commons.”  The winters there proved to be too cold, so they moved to California where my family has lived for many years.

I have always been a seeker, asking many questions, reading spiritual books, and knowing from my experience in Sunday School as a child, and guided by my parents’ faith and love, that God was real.

When I was living in Novato, I was presented by a friend with the question: “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” After a while, he introduced me to a Christian family that led me to accept Jesus as my Savior. This was indeed a divine appointment that God arranged just for me. I will always be grateful that I accepted the offer to know more about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, my Savior.

Shortly thereafter, while playing tennis I was invited to attend the Open Door Christian Church in Novato. That was the beginning of a solid Christian Walk for me.  The Open Door Church in Novato was a guiding light in my growth in the knowledge of God and I am still friends with the pastor and many others from this great fellowship.  

In 1986, after moving to Petaluma, I attended the Petaluma Open Door Christian Church. The pastor asked me to help teach 4th & 5th graders in Sunday School, which I did for 20 years. 

In 2004, while going through a divorce, my rental home burned down. I was away at the time attending an Alpha Retreat at Alliance Redwoods.  While going through this difficult trial God fed me with His Word and sustained me by reading a Psalm and a Proverb each day. 

After relocating to Santa Rosa, I have served for almost 15 years on the Oakmont Community Church Board under Pastor Dan Melligan, then under Pastor Brinda Peterson and currently under Pastor Greg Fauss.  

I love to share the hope of Jesus and the amazing ways he reveals himself to me. God has healed my son, his wife and my granddaughter from some very difficult health situations. My faith in Jesus is rock solid, and my prayer for you is that your heart is open to receive His glorious love and guidance too!