Taylor Kauffman will serve on the Penn State Team!

Taylor Kauffman

We're happy to report that Taylor Kauffman will serve on the Penn State campus team when she reaches her ministry funding goal!

“This is perfect!" said Taylor. “I served on this team during my internship, so I'm totally ready to continue the work of building relationships with the DM staff and students in State College."

Taylor is progressing well in her fundraising so far, now just over halfway to her ministry funding goal! Please pray for her as she works hard to raise the remaining funds she needs for her ministry with DiscipleMakers.

Kevin and Maria Noyes to serve on DM’s “Mason-Dixon” campus team

Kevin & Maria Noyes

We are pleased to announce that Kevin and Maria Noyes will join DiscipleMakers’ campus team ministering at Gettysburg College, Dickinson College, and Shippensburg University.

This transition is the fulfillment of a hope Kevin and Maria have had for some time. For as long as they’ve been married, they’ve had different roles in DiscipleMakers: Kevin has served primarily in DiscipleMakers’ headquarters in State College while Maria has served primarily on campus at Penn State. In addition to their  desire to serve together, Kevin wanted to be more personally involved in making disciples on campus. But in the same way that Maria has been a key member of our ministry team at Penn State, Kevin has been a core member of the headquarters team. In fact, given his extensive skill set, for some time there was simply no one to replace him.

Kevin and Maria responded in faith to this predicament. Far from insisting upon Kevin’s being transferred to campus, they spearheaded a campaign to recruit new missionaries to serve in the headquarters. This included Kevin’s personally visiting campus fellowships all over Pennsylvania in the fall of 2016 to recruit headquarters interns. Maria’s ministry on campus served this end as well, with one highlight being her ministry to Kaitlyn Moore (who recently joined the headquarters team) when she was a student at Penn State. Overall, their efforts contributed to an encouraging result: five new staff have joined the headquarters in the past year, with two more on their way.

As much as they’ve looked forward to this transition, Kevin and Maria feel it as bittersweet as they consider their cherished friends among the students and staff in State College. Please pray that God would help them to finish strong in their ministries at Penn State and in the headquarters. Please pray too that God would lead them to a favorable housing situation in Gettysburg (they hope to move later this spring), and that He would aid them in connecting with students at Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Shippensburg.

TJ Renninger has reached his ministry funding goal!

TJ Renninger

We are happy to report that TJ Renninger has just reached his ministry funding goal! Over months of full-time fundraising, the Lord has connected TJ with a team of supporters eager to be a part of God's work on Pennsylvania campuses. Their faithful giving fully supports TJ's ministry with DiscipleMakers.

TJ's 15 month support-raising journey began in November 2016. After successfully building up a small team, TJ reached the halfway point, but his progress was soon stunted. “I started to run out of people I knew, and I hadn't networked very well. I realized the need to put myself in more uncomfortable situations to meet new people. I didn't want to do that because I didn't realize just how much I needed help." 

This connected in clear ways to TJ's relationship with the Lord. “I wasn't much for praying before this milestone in support raising. Through my mentor, prayer, and the Bible, the Lord began to show me that I was bringing a lot of pride in my work. Learning to cry out to God showed me how good it is to trust Him."

In his great mercy, the Lord slowly and surely grew TJ. It was a humbling experience that has taught him much. “A lot of my pride has been torn down" concluded TJ. “This is essential if I'm going to work well in a team environment."

As TJ prepares for his new ministry assignment, he is planning to move to State College on Sunday and start in the DM headquarters shortly after. TJ will bring with him a wealth of knowledge in the field of information technology, but even more so, he will bring a newfound humility that will further his knowledge and love for the Lord.

God has given DiscipleMakers a valuable laborer in TJ, and we are grateful for His provision as we continue to make disciples of all nations.

Kaitlyn Moore has reached her ministry funding goal!

Kaitlyn Moore

We're praising God today that Kaitlyn Moore has reached her ministry funding goal! Over the past eight months, God has brought together a team of partners whose giving fully supports Kaitlyn's ministry with DiscipleMakers.

Like most missionaries who raise support for their ministries, Kaitlyn encountered some challenges along the way. She got off to a fast start, but then her progress slowed. “It's amazing to see how much God has stretched me,” Kaitlyn said. “Something I think about is how much control I don't have—and how much control He has."

As of the beginning of December, Kaitlyn had just reached the 70% mark toward her goal. She was working diligently, but she knew that at her present rate it would be many months before she reached her goal. However, in faith that God is in control, Kaitlyn prayed that God would provide for her to reach her goal in far less time than that: by the beginning of February.

“It really stretched me in trusting that He is sovereign over my life,” Kaitlyn said, “and if He wants me to be in a certain place He will make that happen."

God did make it happen. Starting the second week in January, he provided a full third of Kaitlyn's overall funding goal in just five weeks! This timing will allow Kaitlyn to begin her work in the Event Planning Department of DiscipleMakers' headquarters in time to make a meaningful contribution to the busy spring event season.

Please praise God with us for His power and faithfulness in providing for another laborer for His harvest!

Mike Kreider has reached his ministry funding goal!

Mike Kreider

We are grateful to God to announce that Mike Kreider has reached his ministry fundraising goal!

While every one of our new missionaries is urgently needed in the field, in Mike's case the need was particularly striking. The team to which he had been assigned, our “Mason-Dixon” team, had seen several missionaries depart over the past year. There was a clear need for more help, and a corresponding hope that Mike would arrive quickly.

But the work of recruiting a network of financial partners always has its challenges.  “There were times when God's direction in my support raising didn't make sense to me,” Mike said. “There was one particular moment in early– to mid–December. Progress had been slow for a few weeks, and I knew the new semester would start in a month. It just felt like it would never come together.”

While wrestling with this discouragement, Mike read in 1 Chronicles 29 about how God's people gave joyfully for the work of the Temple. He realized his focus had slipped from what God was doing to his own desires. “The Lord brought me around a corner," Mike said. “It jump-started my vision for support raising."

Attaining this milestone clears the way for Mike to join the Mason-Dixon team (which ministers at Gettysburg College, Shippensburg University, and Dickinson College). Praise God for His provision for Mike, and please pray for Mike as he transitions into his new role.

Kate Wetzel to Serve in DiscipleMakers' Headquarters

Kate Wetzel

We're pleased to announce that Kate Wetzel will serve in DiscipleMakers' headquarters when she reaches her ministry funding goal.

“I’m really excited that I can take my skills and passions—especially in administrative work—and use them for the Lord in serving this ministry,” Kate said. “Being able to do that as part of a ministry with an eternal purpose is very exciting."

We're very thankful for Kate and for God's provision for her ministry so far. She is halfway to her ministry funding goal! Please pray for her as she seeks to raise the remaining funds she needs for her ministry with DiscipleMakers.

The Father Rejoices: A Testimony by Mark Campbell

Kutztown University alumnus Mark Campbell shares about God's faithfulness in helping him grow from a hopeless student into a hopeful ambassador of the gospel.

Kutztown University senior and new DM staff member Mark Campbell shares about God's faithfulness in helping him grow from a hopeless student into a hopeful ambassador of the gospel.

Felicia Gater has reached her ministry funding goal!

Felicia Gater

We're pleased to announce that Felicia Gater has reached her ministry funding goal and will now begin her new ministry assignment: serving in the Development Department in DiscipleMakers' headquarters.

“I'm thrilled to move on to Development and help care for the new missionaries who will soon be embarking on their own support-raising journeys," Felicia said. “The Lord has been so faithful to provide, and I can't wait to begin this new work!"

Since Felicia will help train and equip our newest staff, God's provision for her shows His provision for the growth of our entire ministry. Praise the Lord with us!

Cassie Wells has reached her ministry funding goal!

Cassie Wells

Praise the Lord! Cassie Wells has reached her ministry funding goal and will now begin her new ministry assignment: working full-time on campus with the Lehigh Valley West Team, especially Kutztown University.

“The Lord taught me so much through fundraising." said Cassie. “It's been a humbling experience to see Him provide over the last 18 months, and so I'm all the more excited to see how He will continue to provide on campus."

Pray for Cassie in this new season. She moved to the Lehigh Valley about a month ago and will be preparing to welcome the students back on campus for the spring semester in January.

Steph Hartman has reached her ministry funding goal!

Steph Hartman

Praise God! Steph Hartman has reached her ministry funding goal and will shortly begin her next ministry assignment: working full-time on campus with the Susquehanna Valley Team!

“I'm looking forward to leading Bible studies at Bucknell and Bloomsburg and helping to disciple students," Steph said. “I'm also excited to help train the students involved on the worship team in any way I can!"

Pray for Steph during the transitional period. She'll be moving into an apartment in early January, with the new semester beginning shortly after.