Mark Karls

Senior Pastor

Family: Wife, Sandy.
Children: Son, Jesse; daughter, Heather; daughter-in-law, Jenn.
Grandchildren: Josiah, Abigail, Levi, Benjamin, Naomi

Background: grew up at Ames, 11 years of college, 3 post graduate degrees, 3 years U.S. Naval Officer, combat action in Vietnam (which led to seminary and the ministry), 28 years as a pastor.

Random Facts: has a passion for people to know Jesus; has a passion for the city of Saginaw to turn around spiritually, racially, socially, economically (in that order); active in many comminuty groups; in 2001 received Religious Leader Award from Bridge Center For Racial Harmony in Saginaw; in 2006 received Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Award jointly from Saginaw Interdenominational Ministries, Saginaw City Council and Saginaw County Board of Commissioners.

Jesse Karls

Youth Pastor

Family: Wife, Jenn.
Children: Josiah, Abby, Levi, Benjamin, Naomi

Background: grew up in Michigan, went to Wheaton College in Chicago in '95, stayed there for the next 11 years between schooling (double major in Math and Computer Science) and working as an actuarial analyst for Allstate Insurance Company; led a weekly Bible study and planted a second one in the office; felt called to youth ministry fulltime, so completed two youth ministry internships, first with Discipleship Inc. in Fort Wayne, IN, and then with College Church, Wheaton, IL.

Random Facts: on a nursery rotation with wife, Jenn, and occasionally leads the children's church time on Sunday mornings; hobbies include guitar, music, composition and editing, video creation and editing, basketball, and cycling; favorite food is lobster (gets to enjoy this about once every other year); favorite color is blue; favorite book is Designing and Delivering Expository Sermons by Haddon Robinson; favorite movie is "What About Bob?"; and last but not least, "one thing about me that most people probably don't know is that I used to suck on loose strands of hair that I could find in the sofa cushions at home and would eventually swallow them during my childhood years."

Doug Hasse

Spiritual Growth Minister

Family: Wife, Sharon
Children: son Jeremy, daughter in-law Carrie, daughter Amy, son-in-law Phil, daughter Joy, son-in-law Kevin, daughter Jennifer, son-in-law Dean
Grandchildren:  Emily, Nathan, Luke, Jordan, Austin, Tyler, Meghan, Abigail, Grace, Sydney, and Faith 

Background: certified Christian counselor through A.A.C.C., certified Lay Speaker with the United Methodist Church.

Random Facts: plays keyboard for the Ames Praise Band; leads the 101-401 classes; favorite hobby is sitting down to the keyboard and playing, writing, and rewriting music for the Praise Band; likes to take his boxer, Champ, to ball games in the summer; not a good gardener and doesn't like any bushes or flowers in his yard ("I think it all started when I was 8 years old and I thought that my dad's rose bush was a picker bush so I cut it down. I was so pround of myself for getting rid of those pickers that I ran right in the house to get my mother to come and see what a great thing I did. My dad didn't see things the same way I did though, and he never let me forget what a prize bush I did away with. I still don't like taking care of plants so I just don't plant them").