Generational Impact
Mike ('00) grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. While his parents weren’t overly religious, his grandparents had been saved at a Billy Graham Crusade in the 60s, and he fondly remembers them praying for him.
As he looks back on his formative years, he finds comfort in seeing God’s sovereign guiding hand helping him make the decisions that have gotten him to where he is today.
Mike heard of Emmaus often while at bible camps and youth groups. As he approached his high school graduation at age 17, Mike made his faith his own, and he felt the calling from Christ to go into some form of ministry after graduating from university.
There was no doubt – Emmaus was his top pick for an undergraduate degree.
Not only would he get an education steeped in the Word, but he had friends at Emmaus and knew he could continue to play basketball. The best part – the financial aid package from Emmaus made it affordable.
His choice was validated his freshman year. Not only because he felt a closeness to the entire student body, but also because he met his now wife, Julie. Emmaus was happily his home.
History professor Tom Marinello was a dear friend and brother in the Lord to Mike. Tom and his wife exemplified what Emmaus stood for. It was common for them to have students in their home for meals and worship. In fact, they both provided marriage counseling to Mike and his soon-to-be wife Julie. Mike was grateful for the frank marriage conversations Tom had with him and knows he’s a better husband thanks to the sage advice he received.
It's been an honor for Mike to spend his life teaching and preaching the Gospel, and he is currently the Dean of Spiritual Life at Tri-State Christian School, a PreK-12 school that delivers the same Christ-centered education that Emmaus does.
Today, Noah, one of Mike and Julie’s seven children, is a member of the Emmaus class of 2027. Noah grew up hearing numerous Emmaus stories, he was familiar with campus, and knew many of the faculty and staff by name.
Once Noah made it to high school, Assistant Basketball Coach Tomlinson began corresponding with him. He’d come to his games and truly went out of his way to share with Noah, from a different vantage point than his mom and dad could, how he felt the University was right for him.
Today, Mike and Julie are thrilled as Noah starts down the path of getting dual Bible and Science degrees. Thanks to Emmaus’s academic rigor and full accreditations, he’ll have no problem getting a graduate degree should he want to further pursue his Sports Medicine or Physical Therapy passions.
The faculty and staff discipling Noah have God as their guide, and Mike is so grateful Noah is receiving the training to be part of the next generation of Christian leaders.
Mike wants to thank donors who support Emmaus. God’s work is never done, and gifts allow the University to continue to glorify Him through its teachings and deliver an education for those who seek Him and want to share His Word in their adult lives.
Hear more from Mike in his appearance on the Concerning Him podcast:
Support the Impact
Your gift helps further our mission to educate and equip more students like Mike & Noah to impact the world for Christ.
Funds are used to support students through financial aid, educational programs, student life, facilities, and more. Emmaus University not designate donations to individual students or to individual faculty/staff/missionaries; Emmaus is not collecting gifts for Noah specifically.
