Pat Feder
Office: (262) 367-1212
1999 | Began attending Oakwood
2019 | Started serving as an elder
About Pat
Pat is an enthusiastic motorcyclist. (According to his wife, Jeanene, he’s a little too enthusiastic about it with five motorcycles in the garage and zero cars!). When he’s not busy as an IT instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College, you can find Pat outside hiking, biking, or kayaking – when the Wisconsin weather cooperates. Pat is enjoying being an elder – a role he felt called to and prayed about – and also enjoys serving in Oakwood's Middle School and Men's Ministries.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU COME TO FAITH IN JESUS?
I grew up in a great home where my dad modeled love for Jesus, God’s Word, and serving. As a kid, my dad would read books to me about lives transformed by Jesus, such as The Cross and The Switchblade.
I grew up knowing that the bible was God’s word, I had no doubt that God had created me and the world that I lived in. I knew God cared about our lives and that we could come to Him in prayer during life’s various trials. Prayer was an everyday part of our lives. I recall a dramatic answer to prayer while I was in college, when my mom was healed of a very serious illness.
I thought I had accepted Christ at a young age, but my heart wasn’t there. In college, I specifically recall wondering what the absolute least was that I could do and still go to heaven. I definitely wandered in college. In hindsight, I was more in a position of believing about Jesus but not in Jesus.
Jeanene and I joined a couple’s study in 1992 at Elmbrook Church and it seemed to be the first time that I studied God’s word, which resulted in a moment where I accepted Jesus as my personal savior and made Him Lord of my life.
SINCE THEN, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN USING YOUR GIFTS AND SERVING JESUS?
I have tried to live out my faith at home and work. I take very seriously praying for my family, teaching them, and leading them over the years. I try to honor the Lord at work by serving as an example to my co-workers by being honest, fair, and kind.
I have served in various capacities at Oakwood Church throughout the years. Most recently I have been helping out with the youth group on Sunday mornings and leading a men’s group on Wednesday nights. I also really enjoy attending Mighty Men of God several days per week.