Mike's Journey in Photos

In 1989, Mike Maturen began preaching on a part-time basis in a Brethren In Christ church.  In addition to preaching, Mike served as Youth Pastor in this church for three years.  Here, he developed his love for Scripture, and was guided in his preaching skills by Pastor Ron Smith, a dedicated preacher of the Gospel.  In this photo, Mike addresses the congregation at Easter.

Preaching has always been an important aspect of Mike's ministry.  Mike is the founder and President of Upon This Rock Ministries, an organization dedicated to evangelization and discipleship.  Mike was ordained a Deacon in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches in July of 2000.  In this picture, Deacon Mike emphasizes a point in a sermon preached at his first wedding.  In Mike's many sermons, he uses humor and real-life illustrations to make the Gospel message clear.  Even now, as Mike speaks to churches and conferences around the country, he continues to use humor.  He believes that if he can get an audience to laugh, they will remember more of what is presented.  He is known for his sermon titles, such as "Fire, Ice and Lukewarm Spit", "Whose Dirt Are You Digging?", "From Puppychow To Priesthood", and "Where Did You Leave Your Shopping Cart?"

Mike really enjoyed presiding at weddings while still in ordained ministry.  He emphasized the permanence of the marriage covenant, and spent a great deal of time counseling couples before the wedding.  In this photo, Mike prays the final blessing over Jim and Trina Fritz, before pronouncing them husband and wife.The Fritz's were the first couple he married in his ministry.

In January of 2002, Mike was blessed to be ordained to the Priesthood in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.  His ordination took place in Atlanta, Georgia.  In June of that same year, Mike received his Master of Divinity from the Minnesota Graduate School of Theology, the School of St. Alcuin.  Mike started a small home church in an effort to slowly build an Anglican presence in his home area.  Unfortunately, there were already several small, struggling churches in the area.  Mike quickly realized that this was not God's plan for his life.  It was about this time that Mike felt a strong pull back to the Catholic Church.  In August of 2002, Mike gave up his Priesthood to return home to the faith of his youth---the Catholic Church.  Shown in this picture, Mike poses with his son, Jeremiah after service.

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