So, what exactly does a "vacation with purpose" mean? At Maranatha, it means worshipful concerts, poignant messages, singing children, challenging Biblical conversations, crafts, tie dye, ice cream...and so much more.
Week by week, see what's happening at Maranatha.
↓ 2019 Summer Program Guide Week at a Glance Channel
Dr. Crawford Loritts, host of the “Living a Legacy” and “Legacy Moment” radio shows, is Senior Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church, Roswell, GA. He and his wife are featured speakers at Family Life marriage conferences, and he has also been invited to speak for many international audiences as well as to groups at the Pentagon and Super Bowls. Dr. Loritts has authored 9 books including his latest, Your Marriage Today … and Tomorrow, which he co-authored with his wife, Karen. He and his wife have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
A former Muslim who came to Christ after a 9-year investigation of major world religions, Dr. Abdu Murray is an acclaimed lawyer and apologist, frequently asked to speak to diverse international audiences. He serves as North American Director for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, hosts the radio show and podcast, “Embrace the Truth with Abdu Murray,” and has written three books including his latest, Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World. He and his wife live in the Detroit area and have 3 children.
Alpha Ministries aims to motivate and mobilize natives (nationals) in reaching their world for Christ.
Dr. Mark Jobe, recently named as Moody Bible Institute’s tenth President, is the founding pastor of New Life Community Church, a multiple-campus ministry in Chicago. In 2005, as a practical means of reaching out to underserved people in the city, Dr. Jobe founded New Life Centers that provide programs for such issues as gang violence, unemployment and teen pregnancy. He is also the author of Unstuck: Out of Your Cave into Your Call and is host of the daily program “Straight Talk” on Moody Radio Chicago, 90.1 FM. He and his wife, Dee, have 3 children.
Dr. Gerald W. Peterman is a Professor of Bible and Director of the Master of Arts, Biblical and Theological Studies program at Moody Bible Institute. Prior to coming to Moody, Dr. Peterman was a college professor, a church planter, and a chaplain with the Air National Guard. With Dr. Schmutzer, he co-wrote Joy and Tears: The Emotional Life of the Christian. He and his wife, Marjory, have two adult daughters and one grandchild.
Dr. Andrew Schmutzer is a Professor of Biblical Studies at Moody Bible Institute and has authored numerous articles on the Old Testament, an exegetical theology Be Fruitful and Multiply, and forthcoming commentaries on Ruth and Esther. He has also edited or co-written books including Between Pain and Grace: A Biblical Theology of Suffering, which he co-authored with Dr. Peterman. Dr. Schmutzer’s wife, Ashley, is a trained counselor.
Moody exists to equip people with the truth of God’s Word to be maturing followers of Christ who are making disciples around the world.
Dr. Erwin Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church where he served as the Senior Pastor for 36 years. A clear expositor of the Bible, he is the featured speaker on three radio programs: “Running to Win,” “Moody Church Hour,” and “Songs in the Night.” He has authored several books including One Minute After You Die, When A Nation Forgets God, and the Christian Bookseller’s Gold Medallion Award winner, Hitler’s Cross. He and his wife Rebecca have co-written the books: Life-Changing Bible Verses You Should Know and Jesus, Lover Of A Woman’s Soul. A frequent Bible conference and seminar speaker, he also leads tours to Israel and the cities of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Dr. Lutzer and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area and have 3 children and eight grandchildren.
Dr. Michael Rydelnik is Professor of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute and is the host of “Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik,” a weekly 2-hour radio program in which listeners call or post Bible questions to be answered by a Bible teacher on the air. He is the author of Understanding the Arab Israeli Conflict: What the Headlines Haven‘t Told You and The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? and is the co-editor of The Moody Bible Commentary. He and his wife, Eva, love teaching/studying the Bible in Israel, hiking in the Adirondack Mountains with their sheltie (Frodo) and their boxer (Jake), and hanging out with their adult sons.
Mission Eurasia’s mission is to train, equip, and mobilize Christian leadership throughout Eurasia, who will engage in indigenous evangelism, church-planting, holistic ministries, and church growth by developing creative and strategic ministries and by facilitating partnerships between nationals and Western Christians.
Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, which is an Internet-based ministry that serves Christians in 225 countries. He has authored 29 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain, Credo, The ABCs of Christmas, The Healing Power of Forgiveness, An Anchor for the Soul and Why Did This Happen to Me? He and his wife, Marlene, have three children and several grandchildren. His hobbies include biking, surfing the Internet, and anything related to the Civil War.
Dr. Ron Cline is the former president of HCJB World Radio, later known as HCJB Global and now Reach Beyond. Many listeners recall his distinct and familiar voice heard on the radio program, “Beyond the Call.” Dr. Cline’s background as a pastor, educator, counselor, missionary, and author gives him credibility and rapport with audiences worldwide. As global ambassadors for Reach Beyond, he and his wife, Barb, travel the world teaching, training and encouraging the Body of Christ. They have 3 adult children and several grandchildren.
Reach Beyond exists to mobilize the Body of Christ to make disciples among the least reached.
Charles Price is Minister at Large with The Peoples Church of Toronto, Canada. Originally from England, he came to Canada in 2001. He has presented to audiences in over 100 countries. He hosted “Living Truth TV,” which was broadcast weekly in approximately 70 countries, and was translated into several languages. He is married to Hilary, and they have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren who live in various parts of the world. Both Dr. Price and his wife have authored books on Christian living.
In 1930, Stuart was born in England and began preaching at age 17. He met his wife, Jill, at a youth conference, and they married in 1958. Soon, they left their careers in banking and teaching to enter full-time ministry. In 1970, Stuart was asked to become senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI, and so with their 3 children, the Briscoes moved to the US. During the 30 years he was senior pastor, the church grew from a congregation of 300 regular attendees to 7,000. In the year 2000, he became Elmbrook’s Minister at Large and has preached in more than 100 countries and on every continent while Jill has also been a popular conference speaker. Stuart has written over 50 books including his life memoir, Flowing Streams.
World Mission delivers the Word of God in audio format to oral learners living in unreached people groups.
Dr. Jim Samra is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, husband to Lisa, and dad to four children. He feels privileged to serve as the Senior Pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where his main responsibility is to lead others in worship of God. He has authored several books on Biblical texts as well as Christian living, and he holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Dallas Theological Seminary, and the University of Oxford. His wife is the daughter of former Dallas professor Dr. John (Karen) Grassmick, who is currently Maranatha’s adult Sunday School teacher.
Tom Olsson and his wife, Jen, have been married for 28 years and are adjusting to life as empty-nesters after sending their third child off to college. Tom is the Lead Pastor at Calvary Church where he provides leadership and pastoral oversight to the congregation and staff and serves as part of the Sunday morning preaching team. Over the course of his life, Tom has spent a number of summers at Maranatha and has loved sharing this special place with his family. Tom’s parents, Wally and Midge Olsson, are long-time members of the Maranatha community.
Mission India's mission is to equip India's Christians to plant reproducing churches.
Christopher Brooks is the Senior Pastor of Evangel Ministries in the heart of Detroit. He is the national radio host of “Equipped with Chris Brooks” airing on Moody Radio and broadcast throughout the U.S. and Canada. Pastor Brooks is also the author of Kingdom Dreaming and Urban Apologetics and has served as Dean of Moody Theological Seminary in Detroit. He is completing his doctorate through Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Yodit, have five children and live in the Detroit area.
Dr. George W. Murray is the former President and, later, Chancellor of Columbia International University (CIU) in South Carolina. Earlier, Dr. Murray and his wife were church planters in Italy, and he also served as President of two international missionary agencies: The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) and the Bible Christian Union (BCU), which merged with TEAM in 1994. He currently travels the world, preaching and teaching the Word of God, and providing spiritual and organizational consultation services for churches, para-church organizations, and individuals. Dr. Murray and his wife, Annette, have four married children, six grandsons, one granddaughter, and two step-grandsons.
Wycliffe’s mission is to see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025.
R. York Moore serves as National Evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and is the author of Do Something Beautiful: The Story of Everything and a Guide to Your Place
in It, Growing Your Faith by Giving it Away, and Making All Things New: God’s Dream for Global Justice. Once an avowed atheist, he became a Christian while studying philosophy at the University of Michigan. R. York Moore has a degree in philosophy from the University of Michigan and an MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. He lives in the Detroit, MI area with his wife and 3 children.
Bill Crowder joined the Our Daily Bread Ministries staff in 2001 after more than 20 years in the pastorate. Bill spends much of his time in a Bible conference ministry around the world, is a contributing writer for the Our Daily Bread devotional, and serves as a co-host on the “Discover The Word” daily radio program heard nationwide. He is also a prolific author. On the personal front, Bill and his wife, Marlene, have five adult children, and a growing legion of grandchildren. To relax, Bill enjoys playing golf whenever possible and following sports, especially the English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Club.
Crossroads connects prisoners with mentors in Christ-centered relationships so that lives, prisons and churches are restored through the Gospel.
For nearly three decades, Phil Tuttle has been involved in Walk Thru the Bible ministries, beginning with his teaching live events while pastoring in Illinois before moving to Atlanta to serve as Dean of Faculty and later as Senior Vice President for International Ministries and Global Teaching Pastor. In 2007, he assumed the position of President and CEO. He currently shares God's Word throughout the world in churches, Bible conferences, Christian education conventions, and corporate gatherings and is the author of several books including Revolution: How Millennials Can Change the World. He and his wife, Ellen, have two adult children and a daughter-in-law.
Ministering in churches since 1987, Randy and Marilyn have an active presence in the Batan Rouge, LA community by serving in prison, inner city, Bible studies, and women's ministries. They are trained teachers for Walk Thru the Bible for over ten years passionately teaching the Bible to adults and children.
Walk Thru the Bible’s mission is helping people everywhere live God's Word and love God's Word. That's where "igniting a passion," a phrase we use frequently, comes in. Our mission is to set people up for an encounter with God, to connect them with His heart and open their ears to His voice. We believe that making disciples is more than simply making converts; it's helping people cultivate a dynamic, growing relationship with God. And igniting a passion for His Word is a vital part of that mission.
A native of Wales, Dr. Tim J.R. Trumper (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) and President of From His Fullness Ministries (www.fromhisfullness.com), travels the world preaching the gospel and training students and ministers of God’s Word. Previously Senior Pastor of Seventh Reformed Church, Grand Rapids (2007-2017), Dr. Trumper was heard for years on TCT’s internationally broadcast program, “Ask the Pastor.” He has written extensively on subjects of the Christian faith, including the book, When History Teaches Us Nothing: The Recent Reformed Sonship Debate in Context. He is married to Brenda, who is from West Michigan.
Maranatha's mission is to provide spiritual renewal in a recreational setting emphasizing Bible teaching and worldwide missions.
Lon Allison is Pastor of Evangelism and Development at Wheaton Bible Church in the Chicago area. Lon is also a professor and has taught evangelism courses at the master’s and doctorate level at many Christian universities. He had served as a youth minister, pastor at four churches, and as Director of Evangelism and Prayer for his denomination, and for fifteen years he served as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. He has been a guest speaker at churches and conferences across the world. His newest book, which is about the life of Billy Graham, was released in 2018 and is named, An Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary God. Lon and his wife, Marie, have 3 grown children and enjoy being grandparents.
The mission of TACTICA is to fulfill the great commission by investing into the lives of Central American authorities and their families through high quality police training, evangelism and discipleship.
Between your kids' morning and evening sessions full of Bible teaching, worship, and games, there are so many activities happening around Maranatha's campus! From swinging down the zip line to swinging on the beach, from building muscle in our exercise room to building friendships over a game of pickleball - we've got something for you.
Week by week, see what's happening at Maranatha.
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Use your free time in the afternoon and after the evening program to explore our campus. From building muscle in our exercise room to building friendships over a game of pickleball, there’s something for everyone.