Mike Usilton has reached his ministry funding goal!

Mike Usilton

Great news! Mike Usilton has successfully reached his fundraising goal and transitioned to his new role in the DiscipleMakers Headquarters in State College. Mike tenaciously worked at support raising, beginning back in June and finishing in mid-February.

The Lord has provided all of Mike’s funding, but that’s not all. Character growth is a substantial way in which God grows His people during the season of support-raising. Mike had this to say as he reflected on the journey: “I learned how to be brought low and blessed. There were seasons where it was hard and I had a lot of failures and missed opportunities. There were also seasons where I was courageous and willing to take big steps of faith to speak publicly and meet people I never imagined I’d meet. My outlook changed and, by the end, I realized support-raising was a real opportunity for ministering to people.”

Mike would like to offer thanks to his parents for their encouragement and support along the way, along with Meadowcroft Church, which became his home church as he was raising support. 

Finally, Mike would like to thank his support-raising mentor, Josh Herring, for helping to guide him through support-raising. Having a front-row seat, Josh had this to add about God’s good work in Mike’s life through support raising: “Time and time again, Mike humbly resolved to live by faith as he grew in the joy of fearing God and not people. God has placed a great burden on Mike's heart for the lost to know Christ, and it was evident that this fueled his ministry over the past eight months.”

Praise the Lord for His good work! Mike is now already hard at work in the Headquarters, helping to support our campus staff.

Congratulations, Mike!

Clark Mummau has reached his ministry funding goal!

Clark Mummau

We are happy to report that Clark Mummau has successfully reached his fundraising goal and transitioned to his new role on the Lehigh Valley team! Clark worked very hard to meet the goal, especially when he was able to transition to full-time fundraising in June of last year.

While we praise God for the full funding that has come in through Clark’s many generous and faithful supporters, it’s not the only thing we’re celebrating. What we’re also excited about the character growth that the Lord brought about during his season of support raising. In fact, Clark had this to say about how specifically he saw the Lord grow him: “General discipline was the main thing [I learned]. Being willing to follow God even when my next steps weren’t so clear. To that end, I quickly discovered that support raising was something I couldn’t do alone. Because of that, I was so thankful for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and for so many friends and family who helped me along the way: specifically, my parents, my mentor [Chris], and the many other DM staff who were in a season of support raising right alongside me.”

Now, as Clark transitions to the Lehigh Valley, he has already been welcomed heartily by his new teammates. His new team leader, Joel Martin, was eager to share how much he was looking forward to working with Clark, saying this: “The Lehigh Valley team has a deep need for more laborers, especially among our freshmen and younger students. I'm eager to see what God does as Clark focuses his efforts on the younger students and seeks to transform that generation for the kingdom of Christ.”

Congratulations, Clark! We’re grateful to God for your faithful, continued labors.

Jay Svec has reached his ministry funding goal!

Jay Svec

We are happy to report that Jay Svec has successfully reached his fundraising goal and transitioned to his new role in DiscipleMakers’ Headquarters!

What’s worth celebrating, however, is not simply the funding that has come in through Jay’s many generous and faithful supporters – but the character growth that the Lord has provided in Jay’s life through this season. Regarding this, Jay remarked: “The Lord has taught me many things throughout this experience. He has taught me that all resources, especially money, belong to Him, not me. He has shown me that He will provide every need of mine, even when I have no idea how or when that will happen. My work or effort is not the driver to accomplishing things in life, but rather His sovereign hand working beyond what I can see.”

Jay’s support-raising mentor, Jared Knorr, agreed with Jay’s self-assessment, adding: "I was really encouraged during my time mentoring Jay. He was always wrestling with the Lord in the midst of not being in control, continuously coming out on the other side praising God for the hard times. Jay was always looking for the ways that the Lord was growing him, and stepping out in confident faith. I am so thankful to have witnessed the Lord's work in Jay firsthand."

Indeed, support raising is more than raising funds, it’s a ministry in and of itself, teaching dependence and new skills to those who persevere. To that end, Jay has acquired much that will benefit his new role in the Headquarters’ Finance Department.

Welcome to the Headquarters, Jay! We’re grateful to God for you.

Micah Natal has reached his ministry funding goal!

After beginning full-time fundraising in January, Micah Natal has reached his ministry funding goal and is beginning work with his assignment: to serve on campus on our Lancaster Team.

The adventure of fundraising began a bit earlier for Micah part-time just one year ago, and the journey was challenging and encouraged in a number of ways. Micah had this to say about the experience: “The Lord taught me dependence upon him and his provision. He taught me that His provision is not dependent on my tenacity or grit but upon his sovereign power and timing.”

Micah’s mentor, DM staff Mark Campbell, had much to add about Micah’s growth along the way: “[He is] a man hungry to labor for the LORD. Time and time again I saw Micah do the hard thing, the necessary thing, and the wise thing; all to meet his goal of getting on campus quickly. Mentoring Micah really looked like letting him loose, encouraging him as he worked, and praying for him. It's hard to add anything to someone as self-motivated as Micah.”

Indeed, these skills will transfer extremely well to the campus, so it’s easy to be excited at what God could do through Micah. Mark, himself an experienced campus worker, summed it up in this way: “When Micah applies his tenacity for the LORD to his work, amazing things happen. I'm confident the LORD will use Micah powerfully as he ministers to college students in the Lancaster region!”

Praise God for Micah, a faithful laborer throughout fundraising and now a hungry campus worker eager to share the Gospel message on campuses in the Lancaster area! Please pray for him in this exciting new season.

Taylor Maslin has reached her ministry funding goal!

We are happy to report that, after only beginning this past May, Taylor Maslin has successfully reached her fundraising goal and transitioned to her new role in DiscipleMakers’ Headquarters!

What’s worth celebrating, however, is not simply the funding that has come in through Taylor’s many generous and faithful supporters – but the character growth that the Lord has provided in Taylor’s life through this season. Regarding this, Taylor remarked: “You can feel desperate for a lot of things [in support raising]. For support to come in. For people to meet with. For people to like you! I learned that clinging to Jesus alone would satisfy me during that season – or in any season.”

Taylor’s support-raising mentor, Christianna Otto, agreed with Taylor’s self-assessment, adding: "Taylor really demonstrated a persistent faith throughout her support-raising. In uncertainty and mixed emotions, Taylor faithfully made a habit of returning to the Lord, looking at biblical truth, and choosing to submit to Him. I've been so encouraged by Taylor's confident, hope-filled vision throughout her support-raising!"

Indeed, support raising is more than raising funds, it’s a ministry in and of itself, teaching dependence and new skills to those who persevere. To that end, Taylor has acquired much that will benefit her new role in the Headquarters’ Event Planning Department, leading her to comment: “I learned a lot about work and rest balance in support-raising. I really think that will be helpful in my new role. Though it’s more of a “9-5 job”, there are busier seasons in my department. So, just as I practiced clinging to the Lord during the harder season of support-raising, I’ll need to practice it all the more here in State College.”

Welcome to the Headquarters, Taylor! We’re grateful to God for you.

Megan Weik has reached her ministry funding goal!

Megan Weik

We’re pleased to announce that Megan Weik has completed her initial fundraising for her ministry with DiscipleMakers! Having reached this milestone, Megan will begin ministering to college students at Gettysburg College and Shippensburg University this fall.

Since June 2022, Megan has been working on recruiting a team of partners to support her ministry with DiscipleMakers through prayer and financial support.

Upon reaching her funding goal Megan had this to share: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9) Ultimately God determines success. I fundraised knowing God provides, and it has been such a blessing to see the Lord doing that throughout my support-raising journey. It has been a joy to invite others into the work God is already doing. Support raising has been one of the best opportunities to love God and make Him known. I can’t wait to continue to do that on a college campus in a couple of weeks!”

Megan also walked through her support-raising journey alongside her mentor Carolyn Falcone who had this to share: “Megan is a woman who is passionate about making Christ known, and that was evident throughout her entire support-raising journey. Her love for the gospel and her zeal for the Lord came through in almost every conversation. It's no wonder that so many amazing people were excited to join her prayer and financial support teams for her ministry with DiscipleMakers! When Megan faced trials along this journey, she clung to Christ and His promises. The Lord has been faithful, and I can't wait to see how He faithfully works through Megan as she starts on campus!”

Praise God with us for His provision to send another laborer into the harvest field on campus!

Justin Negron has reached his ministry funding goal!

Justin Negron

We’re pleased to announce that Justin Negron has reached his ministry funding goal! Justin will now transition to his next ministry assignment: ministering to students at Kutztown University and schools in the surrounding area as a member of DM’s Berks Team.

Justin has been working on recruiting a team of partners to support his ministry with DiscipleMakers through prayer and financial support for a little over a year now.

“To no one's surprise, the Lord has provided!” he said. “I'm looking forward to joining the effort to raise up not only disciples, but disciple makers”

Jordan Eyster, Justin’s mentor through the support-raising journey, shared, “During this support-raising season, Justin demonstrated a mighty trust in God and commitment to his future mission of making disciples on campus.

He faced trials and difficulties, and through it all, deeply entrusted himself to God’s provision and grace. Justin has a strong passion to describe the good news of the gospel, and it saturated his support-raising work. This boldness for Christ will undoubtedly carry him on to make a tremendous impact on campus. I’m eager to see God continue to use this faithful man of God!”

Praise God with us for sending another laborer into His harvest field on campus!

Colby & Kierstyn Benedict have reached their ministry funding goal!

Colby & Kierstyn Benedict

We’re pleased to announce that Colby & Kierstyn Benedict have reached their ministry funding goal! They will now transition to their next ministry assignment: ministering to students at Wilkes University as members of DM’s North Eastern PA Team. In fact, they reached their goal just in time to connect with students from Wilkes at our Focus Conference which is going on right now!

Upon reaching their funding goal Colby and Kierstyn shared, “We had no idea what the journey would look like when we started support raising 10 months ago, but what a journey it has been! Preparing for our ministry with DiscipleMakers has been full of ups and downs. But no matter what, God has constantly been good and faithful to us. We have learned more about expectant prayer, faithful striving, and patient endurance than we ever could have imagined. We are so excited to finally get on campus and reach students with the gospel so that they too can experience the love and grace of God, just as we have over these past months!”

We also talked to Mike & Felicia Kreider, the Benedict’s mentors through their support-raising journey who shared, “Colby and Kierstyn displayed an incredible amount of perseverance and commitment to the Lord through their season of ministry support-raising. They have a strong desire to see the gospel advance among college students, and that showed through their ferocious work ethic over these past 10 months. They encountered many joys & sorrows along the way, and yet time and time again, they learned to trust the Lord as their Refuge. We loved seeing their reliance upon Christ deepen and transition from a theoretical concept into a tangible need for His daily strength. We’re so excited to see how the Lord uses Colby & Kierstyn in this next phase of their DiscipleMakers ministry!”

Praise God with us for sending another laborer into His harvest field on campus! Please pray for Colby & Kierstyn as they move, find a church, and get settled in the Wilkes-Barre area. Pray that the Lord would use the summer to prepare them to jump head-first into ministry on campus this fall.

Tony Beard has reached his ministry funding goal!

Tony Beard

We’re pleased to announce that Tony Beard has reached his ministry funding goal! Tony and his wife Angela will now transition to their next ministry assignment: ministering to students at Elizabethtown College as members of DM’s Lancaster Team.

Tony joined DiscipleMakers after a successful career in higher education. He has a passion for reaching college students with the gospel and can’t wait to do that directly through his ministry with DM.

Upon reaching his ministry funding goal Tony shared, “Support-raising was a unique challenge that God called our family into. Through this process, it's been incredible to see how supporters have surrounded us in prayer and affirmed this calling into college ministry. God grew my faith in ways I never imagined and revitalized a prayer life that was nearly dormant. We are so excited to start connecting with students and be part of what God is doing at Elizabethtown College. It's such an exciting time!”

We also talked to Gary Christman, Tony’s mentor through the support-raising journey, and his new teammate on the Lancaster team, who shared, “Tony’s journey through support-raising has been marked by God’s hand of faithfulness. Over and over when the way forward seemed unclear, God led Tony forward. I marvel at Tony’s response in each of these circumstances to move forward, with God, in faith, and despite uncertainty. I’m thankful to have him as a friend and coworker!”

Praise God with us for sending another laborer into His harvest field on campus!

Tim and Holly Howden have reached their ministry funding goal!

We are excited to announce that Tim and Holly Howden have reached their ministry funding goal! They have now transitioned into their next ministry assignment in DiscipleMakers’ Headquarters where they will serve in our Media Department.

Since January 2020 the Howdens have worked faithfully to recruit a team of partners to support their ministry with DiscipleMakers through prayer and financial support. Just after starting their support-raising journey, they were faced with the Covid-19 pandemic and had to shift all of their meetings online. The Lord worked mightily through many Zoom meetings over the past year and a half to faithfully provide for the Howden’s ministry with DiscipleMakers. “While our support raising journey was not what we would’ve ever expected,” Holly said, “we experienced God’s kindness and mercy through many brothers and sisters partnering with our ministry with DiscipleMakers. We are deeply grateful and eager to begin serving in the Media Department for many years to come!”

Moving forward the Howdens will be working to expand God’s kingdom on college campuses through the exercise of their creative gifts. Tim will be using his background in filmmaking to capture stories of how God is at work in the lives of students on campus and work to recruit more laborers to join DiscipleMakers staff in the harvest fields. Holly will be using her background in graphic design to draw students into Bible studies, outreach events, and conferences where the word of God will be taught and the gospel of Jesus will be preached!

“We could not be more thrilled to have the Howdens on board,” said Caleb Olshefsky, who works in our Media Department and mentored the Howdens through their ministry funding process along with his wife Kaylah. “Kaylah and I have had a front-row seat to God's provision for the Howdens over the past year and a half. They are going to be an incredible asset to our Media Department moving forward, and we are eager to be able to offer our staff and students even more media support because of the expertise and creativity the Howdens bring to our team.”

Please praise God with us for sending more laborers to our Headquarters to support the vital work of making disciples of college students!