Welcome to my home page. My name is Lydia Penner, and I'm 39 years old. Many things define me:



I'm married to Lyle Penner,



I'm a mom to 9 year old Joel Penner,



I work by day as an elementary school teacher,


and I live in Winnipeg's West End. But what I'd like to do is tell you how I fit in the picture of the Watershed community, and how I came to be there.

I grew up in a suburb of Winnipeg, the youngest of four daughters. All my life I have been curious and hungry to know about God and the meaning of life. I remember standing in the local library when I was 12 years old, transfixed by "The Prophet", by Kahlil Gibran, a book of poems about life and God. As much as one can define such things at that age, I knew without a doubt there was within me a calling to search for "GOD", that mysterious being out there.

Although the Mennonite church I was raised in provided some places to listen to the call more deeply, I still had itchy feet on that God path when I became an adult. I felt called to a road less travelled, but where was it?

The answer came when as newlyweds, my husband and I joined a small unconventional church in Winnipeg called Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, led by Paul Patterson. This place provided life and learning, but after 6 years, the structure changed to its present day form, Watershed.

Watershed is not a church or a building, but a group of people who are stewarding a vision of caring about the meaning of why we're on this earth. I have been challenged to grow like no other place I've ever been part of, I've been helped to learn many lessons along my life's winding pathway, but most important, I've been encouraged to live out my unique calling. Some aspects of that calling include Odd Job Squad, Writing, and Music.