June 30, 2023, I retired, after 42 years of service in public education, the last 8 years as Superintendent of Berrien Springs Public Schools.  In January 2024 I became a member of the BCBC leadership team as Ministry Director.  My wife LeathAnn and I have two adult children and three grandchildren all of whom are active in the BCBC church family.  My desire is to serve God while doing my part to build and grow His kingdom.

I absolutely love making the Bible's truth come alive for people - and I love seeing people take life-changing steps forward! My wife Melissa and I parent ten children (we adopted six through foster care), love hospitality, enjoy spending time outdoors in our beautiful Michigan community, and serving the BCBC family. I've served at Life Action Ministries as a writer and speaker, been trained at Moody Bible Institute and Liberty Seminary, had experience leading churches in Florida and Ohio, been attached to multiple ministry and humanitarian efforts in South Asia, and most of all have been impacted personally by the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to the adventure of serving Jesus, Matthew 6:33 is the key! I'd love to meet you and hear how God is working in your life, and what your next steps might be.

I love helping people step into a deeper relationship with God, while bringing insight about human personality and relationships to Bible teaching. My passion in life is to help people thrive emotionally and spiritually, which is why serving at the church, along with my friends, is such a joy for me.  I've also worked for many years as a family counselor and therapist, in addition to pastoral and ministry work.

I love great coffee and conversations, especially with my wife Debra and our four children.

Helping people grow and mature is what activates my passion. Whether teaching a class, training a leader, counseling a weary heart, walking with someone through the valley of grief, linking arms to achieve a goal, or enjoying a conversation with a cup of coffee, I seek to help people take the next steps in life. I’ve been privileged to be a part of the BCBC family since 1996.

Ever since I was quite young, I loved being with students. In sixth grade, I told my parents that I wanted to go into student ministry, and I started pursuing that option, asking God to lead me in a different direction if that wasn't his will. He kept me on the path to Student Ministry. I graduated from high school and received my Bachelors degree in Youth Ministry from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. From there, I have been working at BCBC, and have absolutely loved sharing the love of Jesus with any students that I come into contact with, either through our student ministry or within the school systems where I coach multiple sports. I love being active, and working with students definitely keeps me on my toes in that regard. I am outgoing, and my passion is to care well for anyone that God brings across my path.

As a lifelong attender of BCBC, I am so grateful for the many people that poured into me over the years, and showed me what it looks like to walk with Jesus. I began serving as the Life Group Coordinator in 2023, and it has been exciting to be a part of what God is doing here. My passion for this ministry stems from the personal experience I have had with the transformative power of this type of “life on life” gathering. I love helping others make new connections that help them to grow in their faith and in their relationships with Jesus!

In addition to my position at the church, I have worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse since 2007. It’s an incredible blessing to come alongside women in one of the most challenging and joyful times of their lives. When I’m not working, my husband Mike and I love being active outdoors with our 5 children, especially around and in the water. 

Our schedule is full with work, sports for all 5 kids, other extracurriculars, teaching Starting Line (the Middle School Learning Elective at BCBC), assistant coaching cross country and track etc, but it is our desire to use these activities to build relationships, invest in others, and to be a bright Light for Jesus!

I didn’t hear about Jesus until adulthood - but I'm so glad I met Him!  After beginning to follow Jesus and living out my faith, my life changed dramatically! In fact, He led me here - from the other side of the world.  

I love my family - my kids, my husband Ray - sharing meals and fellowship with other people, and hearing stories about how God is changing lives. And, I like administrating and "details" - which is why I love my job at BCBC! 

My goal is to add value to people around me, no matter where I am.

My experience in music ministry began as a young boy, hand whistling for a church talent show, and grew from there! I’ve always had a love and natural bent towards music, and where better to use that gifting than to help lead God’s people in worship! My desire is that every week, when you visit BCBC, you hear the gospel, even if you miss the preaching. The music itself, and the lyrics, should communicate gospel truths clearly and soundly every week. You might also spot me with a new instrument every once in a while, it is too fun to learn new things, I can’t ever just stick to one. Currently, I am trying my hand at saxophone, but you might also find me on the bass, guitar, drums, keyboard, penny whistle, ukulele….and yes, perhaps even hand whistling.

My husband (Andy) and I have been married for 16 years.  We currently have four children ages 13-24yrs.  We hope to add another soon, as we are in the process of adopting from South Africa.  

I wasn't raised in the church and didn't surrender my life to Christ's Lordship until I was an adult.  Looking back over my life I am grateful for people who took the time to share Jesus with me and plant seeds of truth in my heart.  My goal is to do the same for others, that many people young and old can experience the joy of knowing Jesus personally!  

My favorite season is summer, you will find me in the sun either on my paddleboard or sitting with a book.  

I grew up in rural west-central Illinois where I met my husband, Rick. We have two children, Curtis, and Caroline. I didn't come from a Christian home and gave my life to Christ in my late 20s. I began serving in our small local church right away. By 2021 God had placed a call on our family and my husband was to come work with Life Action Ministries. We moved to Michigan the summer of 2022 and started attending BCBC right away. We are thankful for the open arms they received us here. I look forward to serving with the staff and volunteers here as we continue to raise up kids who love Jesus and continue to learn how deep his love is for us.

My name is Lauren Monroe and I have been attending BCBC for about 20 years. I am married and have 4 children, the oldest is 12 and the youngest is 3. I have an associate degree in Early Childhood Education.  I have always loved working with kids, growing up I babysat a lot, then through college I worked at a daycare and then I nannied for about 5 years before I had children of my own. The last 8 years I have spent full time as a wife and mom.  A couple verses that have been an encouragement to me during my life are Romans 12:11-12 and James 1:2-4. 

A couple things that I love to do are spend time with my family, water skiing/boating, hiking, and playing volleyball.

I was born in southwest Michigan and started attending BCBC at the age of two. As a missionary kid growing up, we lived overseas for the majority of my grade school years, and I have attended BCBC for the past 25 years ever since returning to the US. I met my husband, Corey, who has also attended BCBC his entire life, and we are now raising our three boys, Cael age 13, Cavan age 10, and Cam age 7, here as well. I have attended and participated in a number of church activities over the years including choir, special event music ministry, youth leadership, Bible studies and book clubs, VBS, nursery volunteer, card care ministry, fair outreach, and for the past year, nursery coordinator. I have never desired to be in a position where I am up front or center stage, and love that there are so many roles, ministries, and opportunities to serve within the church to fit any stage of life and any type of personality! Our family currently  resides in Berrien Springs and we enjoy spending time in or near water, fishing, biking, youth sports including baseball, wrestling, and soccer, the South Bend Cubs, watching football, church events and activities, extracurricular activities through school partnerships, travel, especially to northern Michigan and Mackinac Island, and by God's calling and grace, homeschooling our three boys and attending a wonderful homeschool co-op located in South Bend. We love our church family, and it is so  for us to see our boys beginning to look for ways to serve and be active participants within our church body as well!"

My husband Jason and I settled into the BCBC church family almost 12 years ago after relocating from New England. Over those years, it's been such a joy to build relationships and grow closer to Jesus with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I love my role as an Advocate - coming alongside those who call BCBC their home church and helping each one feel cared for and connected to the church family!  When I'm not making memories with our large family, I love reading, sipping coffee and munching on chocolate (dark chocolate, of course!)

My wife Holly and I have recently retired from working careers that took several different paths.  Those winding roads helped us fulfill our desire not to be defined by what we do, but rather by how we do it.  God has filled our lives with joy, and we want to continue living this way.  We will also come alongside to support and encourage you in your Christian walk to find that same joy in whatever you do.  "Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God."  

Berrien County and BCBC are my "home." My husband, Ryan, our four young men, and I are making memories in a small, sunny house in Niles. Ryan and I love to laugh, learn, and have deep conversations. These are a few of my favorite things: the purple smell of September, reading, writing poetry, spending time with people like you and your family, asking questions, adventuring with our four boys, joining God in what He is doing. I look forward to getting to know you...and helping you feel connected to and cared for by your church family!