Celebration Community Church
Kyle Ermoian, founding and senior pastor of Celebration Community Church, is retiring this weekend after 21 years at the church.
Kyle Ermoian moved to Hays in 1993 after successful careers first in radio and then pastoring in churches in southern California. Without a church to serve in Hays when he arrived, he re-entered the broadcast business as the general manager for KJLS Mix 103 FM for three and a half years.
While speaking to a group of leadership students on the subject “Living Your Life On Purpose,” Kyle felt called to fulfill his purpose and start Celebration Community Church. Through what was at the time an innovative approach to doing church involving contemporary music, drama, multi-media, and practical biblical messages, the goal of the church from the start was to attract, connect and grow unchurched people into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
Starting in a storefront with 14 people on a Thursday night in August 1996, Celebration Community Church has grown to over 1200 adults and children attending weekly on two campuses in Hays and Colby. The first five years of the church’s life took place in rented public facilities until a 13,000-square foot truck garage was purchased and renovated into the church’s worship space. The church’s building has expanded over the years and now covers 44,000 square feet and houses a new state of the art 600 seat worship center, coffee bar, a fitness facility, Inspire, a school, Victory Christian Academy and the church’s radio station 98.5 FM THE TRUTH.
In 2004, Celebration Community Church was chosen to receive the Purpose Driven Ministries Church Health Award. Kyle and Debbie, his wife of 15 years accepted that honor in southern California from Saddleback Church’s Rick Warren.
In his time in Hays, Kyle has been an instructor in the Leadership Studies Department at FHSU, for three years he wrote a weekly article on Leadership for the Hays Daily News, and for nineteen years he served as the chaplain for the Tigers Men’s football and Basketball teams. Kyle has also served as the President of the Ellis County Ministerial Alliance. For twenty years Celebration Community Church has collected groceries on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to help feed over 700 people each year at the Ellis County Ministerial Alliance’s Thanksgiving Day Feast which began under Kyle’s leadership. As ECMA’s president, they also began a joint venture with the Hays Daily News called ONE magazine which continues to this day.
Teaching Pastor Brant Rice will become the new Senior Pastor of C3 aided by Systems Pastor Derek Mayfield and a committed staff and volunteers all of whom began as a first-time guest at the church.
The Ermoians will be moving to Ellijay, Ga., to be closer to their four grandchildren. A come-and-go reception for Kyle and Debbie will take place in the gym at the church from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday Oct. 28, and Pastor Kyle will be sharing communion thoughts at all weekend’s services, Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11a.m.