Mike grew up in a family heavily involved in the church. In middle school he saw his dad follow God’s lead to leave retail and become a pastor. While Mike respected his dad’s decision and loved the church, he had no desire to be a pastor. As a result, he ended up at Oregon State University where he graduated with engineering degrees in 1996. A year after graduating he completed the Bible Grad Certificate program at Multnomah in Portland. His desire was to use his engineering to serve God in some way.
In 1998 he married Sarah, who he met at Camp Tadmor. They moved to Trout Lake, Washington where he worked as a land surveyor. He was living his dream! He had an amazing wife, a new son, a dog, he lived in the woods, had elk in his back yard, and regularly had to use 4-wheel drive to get to work! It doesn’t get any better than that!
In the fall of 2000, through some life circumstances, Mike and Sarah began asking the question, “If we could do anything, what would it be?” That question ended up leading them to Agape Family Fellowship where he served at the pastor. Both Mike and Sarah had grown up in pastor’s homes, but this was a whole new challenge. They spend the next 20+ years experiencing new freedom in Jesus and offering it to others.
In 2022 they sensed a transition. They ended up moving to Madras, Oregon to serve at a church there. Over that year and a half, they met some amazing believers and got to see God work in new ways. It was also a time of great personal growth.
In January of 2024 they came to JBC and look forward to journeying with this new family.
When Mike is not at his office you will probably find him outside. Whether it’s fishing, hiking, backpacking, floating the river, or just exploring, the outdoors is regularly a place where he finds refreshment.
