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.
↓ 2022 Summer Program Guide Week at a Glance ChannelPhilip Miller is the 17th senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago. Philip holds a B.A in Pre-Seminary Bible from Cedarville University (’04) and a Th.M. in Pastoral Leadership and New Testament Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary (’10). His wife, Krista, also holds a B.A. from Cedarville University and a Th.M. degree from DTS. They have four children: Claire, Violet, Cora, and Jude. Philip enjoys cycling, Garrett’s Caramel Crisp popcorn, Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza, and craft root beer.
Joe Stowell served as president of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI, for 13 years. An internationally recognized conference speaker, Stowell has filmed Christian historical documentaries, written numerous devotionals for Our Daily Bread, and authored several books—including The Trouble with Jesus, Simply Jesus and You, and Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders. He formerly served as the president of Moody Bible Institute and as a pastor in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
DOOR International's mission is bringing God’s Word and reproducing Christian fellowship
to the Deaf world-wide.
Pastor Brian Smith and Associate Professor Elizabeth Smith, MA, LCPC have been married for 32 years and have been in pastoral ministry their entire married life. Pastor Brian loves teaching and preaching at MBI and his favorite hobby is magic. Elizabeth is MBI’s Program Head for the Children and Family Ministry, a licensed clinical professional counselor and author of God Never Changes But My Family Always Does. Brian and Elizabeth are blessed to have 3 adult children and 2 children-in-laws, all serving God in ministry.
Dr. Michael Rydelnik is professor of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. He is also the host of “Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik,” a weekly 2-hour radio program in which listeners call in Bible questions to be answered. 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 co-editor of The Moody Bible Commentary.
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.
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, has earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the editor-in-chief of Outreach Magazine. He is the Founding Editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than 1.7 million individuals each week for Bible story.
Brady serves as the lead teaching pastor of Keystone Community Church in Ada, MI. He is passionate about communicating the story of God in a way that is relevant, engaging and applicable. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Western Theological Seminary, Brady is an avid Wolverine fan, coffee drinker, and home improvement aficionado. He lives in Ada with his amazing wife Sarah Anne, four boys, three cats, one dog and a chicken named Leia.
Keys for Kids (formerly CBH Ministries) is an international Christian ministry based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, producing and distributing excellent media resources to evangelize and disciple kids and their families.
Pastor Bryndan C. Loritts, the son of Dr. Crawford and Karen Loritts, felt the call to full-time ministry at the age of 18 and attended Moody Bible Institute. After serving as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lansing, IL, he and his wife Lucretia Renee moved to Nashville, TN, where they are involved in a church plant. Pastor Loritts’ mission is to be a man of integrity and to preach the Word with power, passion, and persuasion. He and his wife have 3 daughters.
Mark Vroegop has been lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis for over ten years. He previously served as senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Holland, MI from 1996-2008. He is a contributor to 15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me and the author of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament. Mark and his wife Sarah are parents of four living children and a stillborn daughter.
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
George Murray is a missionary at heart. He and his wife Annette, along with their four children, were engaged in pioneer evangelism and church planting for 13 years in the spiritually needy country of Italy. Following his leadership and experience in the field of missions, he assumed the leadership of Columbia International University (CIU) in Columbia, South Carolina, first as CIU’s president (2000-2007), and then as CIU’s chancellor (2007-2017). Dr. Murray loves good music, reading, hiking, fishing, and playing tennis
Matt Heard is the founder and principal of THRIVE, a teaching, speaking, and coaching ministry that engages people to flourish as human beings to God’s glory in every arena of their life, journey, and culture. He is also the senior pastor of Northland Church in Orlando and Woodman Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs. Matt is the author of Life with a Capital L: Embracing Your God-Given Humanity. He and his wife Arlene have 3 adult sons and 2 daughters-in-law.
YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to prayer and the Word of God, passion for sharing the love of Christ and commitment to social involvement.
Dr. Mark L. Bailey came to Dallas Theological Seminary in 1985 as a professor in the Bible Exposition department. In 2001, Dr. Bailey was named as the Seminary’s fifth president. After 19 years as president, he transitioned to the role of chancellor in July 2020. For over 40 years, his career passions have been theological education and pastoral ministry. Dr. Bailey and his wife, Barby, have been married over 49 years. They have two married sons and six grandchildren.
Pastor Jamie Rasmussen has been the senior pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church for the past 14 years. With evident gifts in teaching and leadership, Jamie brings a unique combination of well-reasoned research, life experience and authentic application to his teaching. More than all of this however, Jamie loves God and commits every day to helping those around him understand and know God on a deeper level. Jamie and his wife Kim have three adult children.
Haggai International exists to equip and inspire strategically positioned leaders to more
effectively demonstrate and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to prepare others to
do the same.
After coming to faith in Yeshua the Messiah, Larry Feldman felt the calling to prepare for full-time ministry and enrolled in Moody. He led a Messianic congregation in Brooklyn, New York, for the next five years. Larry has founded six Messianic congregations, including Shuvah Yisrael in California. He is the former president of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, and is presently on its executive committee. Larry lives in Irvine, CA, with his wife Fran.
Dr. David Gibbs, Jr. is the founder and president of Christian Law Association, a nationwide legal ministry dedicated to defending Christian liberty in America. Gibbs & Associates Law Firm represents over 10,000 ministries nationwide. Dr. Gibbs has appealed and argued before 15 different State Supreme Courts in defense of religious liberty. Dr. Gibbs and wife Glorianne have been blessed with four children and eight grandchildren.
Alpha Ministries aims to motivate and mobilize nationals spreading the message of Christ
to the unreached people of the world.
Michael Card has recorded over 37 albums, authored over 27 books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. His primary goal in life is to simply and quietly teach the Bible. In his writing and conference speaking, Michael leads audiences on a spiritual journey through questions and meaningful discussion. He and his wife Susan have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.
Ron Hutchcraft is a contemporary evangelist, speaker, author, and radio host. As president of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Ron and his team seek to “Bring the lost to the Cross.” Ron is the co-founder of On Eagles' Wings, an outreach and leadership development program for Native American and First Nations young people. With his late wife and ministry partner Karen, they have 3 children and 9 grandchildren.
On Eagles’ Wings is a movement of Native American young people bringing hope to their communities through Jesus Christ.
Walt Wiley leads Winning With Encouragement, Inc., a ministry based in Charlotte, NC. He also travels and speaks across the United States in addition to leading annual trips to places of the Bible and to European cities of the Reformation. He and his wife Patti have two married sons and four granddaughters. Together, they frequently host a marriage seminar with the title, “How to Get Your Mate To Be Just like You...So You’ll Both Be Perfect.”
Dr. Gary Chapman is a well-respected family counselor and author of several books including The 5 Love Languages, which has sold more than 12 million copies and is consistently on the New York Times Best Seller list. He hosts two nationally syndicated radio programs. He also serves as senior associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. He and his wife Karolyn have been married for more than 45 years and have two adult children.
Bill Crowder joined Our Daily Bread Ministries in 2001 after more than 20 years in the pastorate. Bill provides Biblical and theological evaluation of the ministry’s content for their various ministry efforts. He is a contributing writer for the Our Daily Bread devotional and has also authored numerous books as well as serving as a co-host of the "Discover The Word" daily radio program. Bill and his wife Marlene have 5 children and many grandchildren
Maranatha's mission is to provide spiritual renewal in a recreational setting emphasizing Bible teaching and worldwide missions.
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.