When I stepped on campus, I just knew this was where I belonged,” Kaylee Skelley ’08, ’25 says.

As a child in Spokane, Washington, attending a Nazarene church with her family, Kaylee vividly remembers accepting Christ every Sunday out of fear that she had somehow lost her salvation during the week. “I thought if I sinned, I had to be saved again,” she says. It wasn’t until sixth grade, when her grandparents began attending a Grace Gospel Fellowship (GGF) church, that she began to see a different side of faith, one that emphasized the security of salvation through Christ alone.

The following summer, at a camp in July 1997, Kaylee truly met Jesus. Amidst the challenges of a turbulent home life, her relationship with Christ deepened and she found a hope and security she had not known before. That same thread of security would later draw her to Grace Christian University.

Though she can’t recall exactly how she first heard about Grace, Kaylee remembers that as early as fourth grade, she dreamed of attending Grace Bible College. Throughout high school, that dream developed as she attended Berean Church, where Doug Kessler ’83 and Brad Bruszer ’95, ’98 were youth pastors and Dr. Kemper ’85 occasionally visited. Despite her mother encouraging her to look elsewhere, Kaylee’s heart was set. A campus visit solidified it; she immediately sensed that Grace was a place where she would feel safe, valued, and wanted.

More Than Academics

Initially, Kaylee set out for an associate degree in business. She completed her two years, but during a sleepless summer night after her second year, she clearly felt God urging her to finish her degree.

The next morning, she met with Linda Siler ’67 in the registrar’s office, registered for classes just a week before they started, and ultimately graduated with an associate’s degree in business and a bachelor’s degree in human services. Now she could help kids who had faced difficult situations like her own.

Kaylee’s years at Grace were rich with growth, community, and life-changing experiences. Bible classes with Professor Phil Long ’87 were “epic” and Dr. Jan Schregardus left a lasting impression. But it was Dr. Shaw who impacted her the most, not only academically but personally. She recalls group counseling classes that sometimes met at Applebee’s, and a final exam that took place over a home-cooked dinner at Dr. Shaw’s house. “It wasn’t just academics, it was real life and applying those skills,” Kaylee says.

Spiritual disciplines also took root during her time at Grace. Through chapel, small groups, and church involvement, she developed a lifelong commitment to not only being fed spiritually but also serving others. And somewhere in between classes and chapels, she was getting to know Adam Skelley ’08, ’25. They met at freshman orientation and spent time together at Grace Adventures. They dated for two years, were engaged for two more, and married shortly after graduating in 2008.

A Life of Service

Life moved quickly. The couple relocated to Arizona and Kaylee and Adam both found jobs. Kaylee first worked with children with disabilities, then moved into high-needs case management. But the emotional toll of that work led her to seek a different way to serve. She transitioned into higher education, working at Grand Canyon University, where she discovered a new passion: helping students discover their callings and futures.

Throughout her career, Kaylee has always viewed her work as ministry. Whether serving children or college students she sees each role as an opportunity to be a light for Christ. “I always knew I wanted to serve,” Kaylee says. “Grace helped solidify that through opportunities to serve at church, in the community, and through internships. It doesn’t always have to look the same, the heart behind it is the same.”

Today, Kaylee serves as the Director of Online Admissions for Grace Christian University, while Adam works as a business analyst and leads the multimedia team at their church. Their life has been full of unexpected turns, especially when their second daughter was born with significant medical issues. But through every season, God has been faithful.

Still Being Written

Looking back, Kaylee hopes the legacy she leaves is simple.

“My mission is to be a light and make a difference, to reflect Christ and not myself. ”To current students, Kaylee says, “Don’t get discouraged. Trust God’s plan. We often think we know our trajectory, but God is in control.”

Now, Kaylee and Adam have both completed master’s degree programs at Grace and graduated in 2025. Kaylee earned an MA in Higher Education Leadership and Adam, a Master’s of Business Administration. Their oldest daughter plans to attend Grace as well, a testament to the lasting impact Grace Christian University has had on her family. “Always keep growing,” she says. “Keep asking God, ‘What else do you have for me?’”

For Kaylee and Adam, their story is still being written. But one thing is certain: through every chapter, Grace has been, and will continue to be, a vital part of their journey.

About the Author: Stephanie Maendel ’26 is a Communication & Christian Studies student at Grace Christian University. She’s passionate about missions and inspiring her generation to live out the Great Commission. After graduation, she hopes to pursue ministry and community outreach, serving and empowering individuals and families locally and globally. 

Earn your Degree at Grace

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Born in Uganda to parents in ministry, Philip was introduced to Jesus from the very beginning. Even in stressful moments, like a hospital stay as a young boy, his desire for spiritual comfort was clear.

One night after surgery, he cried inconsolably, asking repeatedly for someone called “Aunt Bible.” Nurses and family puzzled over the request until they realized he meant his Aunt Nivas, a key figure in his early faith formation. When she arrived, Philip lit up, not because he wanted toys or comfort food, but because he wanted to pray and talk about Jesus before bed.

It was the first of many moments that affirmed how deeply Jesus was woven into the fabric of Philip’s life.

From the time he could walk, Philip was involved at church. He led worship for the first time at age 7, joined the production team at 8, and by age 10, he was managing bilingual presentations during services. He adjusted slides in real-time to make sure the Luganda-speaking congregation felt just as seen and ministered to as the English-speaking one. It wasn’t just about excellence; it was about ministry.

Building a Life

At 12, Philip began attending a Christian boarding school, where Saturday nights were marked by student-led worship and fellowship. Upperclassmen mentored younger students, modeling faith, leadership, and service.

Though he joined primarily for production, Philip gradually taught himself to play various instruments just to ensure soundchecks went smoothly. What started as a workaround became a full-blown passion.

By 15, Philip’s musical gifts and production instincts were impossible to ignore. He joined a prayer group, started reading the Bible for himself, and recognized God calling him into ministry, not just as something he did, but as someone he was becoming.

Though he was also gifted in math and physics, Philip never wavered in his conviction: “I knew that my life would forever be leveraged for the life of the local church.”

After graduating top of his class with an engineering focus, Philip took a gap year to work full-time at his father’s church. It was the first time he saw ministry not just as a weekend rhythm, but as a vocational calling.

That same year, while leading worship at a conference, he was awarded a full-ride scholarship to a Bible school in Sydney, Australia. The opportunity was life changing. “I realized that, yes, I’m in Bible school, but I have to know God personally, not just as a scholar,” he says. His time in Sydney solidified his calling, but just as he was preparing to apply for a bachelor’s program, God shifted the course again, calling him back not into ministry, but into engineering. “And frankly,” he laughs, “I was mad.”

He applied to schools around the world and was only accepted to one: Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He took the open door and moved halfway across the globe. It didn’t take long to discover that the engineering industry wasn’t the right fit. But even then, God was at work. Philip got involved in campus ministry through Cru, helped build the production team, and spent the summer of 2019 on staff at Grace Adventures, drumming, mentoring, and making connections. It was there he met students from Grace Christian University. Curious, he caught a bus from Allendale and attended chapel on campus. The community, he says, was warm, grounded, and full of purpose.

He applied to Grace and another Bible college, and though both accepted him, he sensed clearly that he should stay in West Michigan. “God said to stay local,” Philip says. “And wherever He sends us in the world, Michigan will always be home. ”He began classes at Grace Christian University in the fall of 2021, and three weeks in, he had a job as a worship leader.

More than that, he had a renewed clarity of mission. “Most people figure out who they are during their bachelor’s,” he says. “But for me, Grace was like a master’s program in calling. I already knew who I was; I just needed the space to live it out.”

Building a Family

Grace became the place where Philip sharpened his identity and walked fully in his gifts. He never had to apply for jobs during school; every opportunity found him. One of the greatest of those opportunities came not in chapel or on a stage, but through a person sitting next to him in a Dr. Sam Vinton ’55 class. Her name was Ayondria. “I wasn’t looking to date anyone. I even thought about wearing a fake wedding ring!” he says.

They sat side-by-side for six weeks before he realized she was the one God had for him. But when they finally connected, it was undeniable. “It’s a miracle how God has woven our story together,” he says. “My ministry life is so much better for knowing and being known by Ayondria.”The two married in 2024, graduated in May of 2025, and had baby Hannah shortly after.

After serving on staff at Rush Creek Bible Church for several years, he stepped away from full-time ministry to return to the root of his faith: just being with Jesus. “It’s the invitation to be that kid again, the one who just wanted Aunt Bible so he could pray before bed.”

The Next Adventure

While the Kirabiras weren’t looking to move away, Philip received four different job offers in Ludington, Michigan. It became clear Ludington was the next destination.

Philip will be the Worship Director at Radiant Church. He says he’s both nervous and excited—“nervoucited”—and a bit sad to be leaving Grand Rapids, where so much life and growth happened. “But we prayed for this, and the Lord has provided!” Philip says. “We’re excited to be stepping out in faith and obedience because that is ALWAYS the best place to be with God.”

As Philip reflects on everything God has done, from Uganda to Sydney, Grand Valley, Grace, and now in Ludington, he sees a clear thread: God’s grace, guiding every step.“Grace Christian University has been a place where I lived into my mission and purpose. God gave me the opportunities I needed and sharpened me to be who I know I’m meant to be.”

And for Philip, that purpose has never been clearer: to live a life where the spotlight fades from him and shines on Jesus. Just like he hoped as a child, when all he wanted was five minutes to talk about the Savior who’s been with him all along.

About the Author: Stephanie Maendel ’26 is a Communication & Christian Studies student at Grace Christian University. She’s passionate about missions and inspiring her generation to live out the Great Commission. After graduation, she hopes to pursue ministry and community outreach, serving and empowering individuals and families locally and globally.

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His job at Yellow Rose Transport was empowering, and he was one email away from signing on to a high paying career with Caterpillar (CAT). With a workaholic schedule during his senior year and a passion for mechanics, his next steps seemed obvious.

Until he served in a vacation Bible school at the prompting of his pastor, who had been encouraging him toward ministry. Working with the kids at that event planted seeds of calling in Isaiah’s heart: “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” And with that, he turned down the job at CAT and prepared for a career in ministry.

Next Steps

At a local Christian music festival, Isaiah discovered Grace Christian University. He stopped by their booth almost on a whim, but the conversation that followed lingered in his mind. “Grace was like a calling, God was telling me I needed to go here,” he says.

After a tour of Grace’s campus, he was locked in. And so he enrolled. But following God’s direction didn’t mean the road was smooth. While he was eager to serve, ministry opportunities were few and far between. It seemed like he’d never be able to “spread his wings,” and he struggled to balance his passions for mechanics and ministry.

A Turning Point

In his junior year, he hit a wall of discouragement. Old friendships pulled him away from full devotion to the Lord. He was torn between loyalty to his friends and the realization that they were leading him away from Christ.

He decided to invest in friendships with peers who were running toward God. It was a difficult choice, but a turning point. Where there had once been silence, there was now abundance. The darkness gave way to light. Opportunities began to pour in. Internships opened up. Ministry doors swung wide.

“Staying faithful when God was silent made me realize that now, in these opportunities, I have to stay faithful too,” he says. “It’s not forgetting God on the mountain just because I cried out to Him in the valley.” One class in particular, about modernity and theology with Dr. Mat Loverin ’98, played a pivotal role in reshaping Isaiah’s understanding of God and theology.

He realized it was okay, even necessary, to wrestle with faith and rebuild it with conviction. The process allowed him to claim his beliefs as his own. “That class started the snowball,” he says. “It opened my mind to realize what actually matters: it’s not about every little doctrinal detail. It’s about salvation, knowing Jesus as your Savior. Everything else flows from that.”

The lesson hit even closer to home when his grandma passed away. Watching her face eternity crystalized what he had been learning: at the end of life, only two things matter, did you love God, and did you love people?

Freshman and sophomore year, he had lived as a severe workaholic, stressing over finances and future plans. Grace provided a space, and mentors, who reminded him: these years are about growing in Christ, not about hustling for money.

Looking Ahead

“Be patient, and trust. Fully let go of control of your life because God is sovereign. Whatever you try to do in your own strength will never work. You have to trust the incomprehensible power of God.”

Falling in love with Jesus, he explained, means realizing just how deeply Christ loves you, and responding with trust. He says it’s like riding a tandem bike. For much of his life, he had been steering while God pedaled. Now, he’s handing over the handlebars too.

His prayer for his life is simple, but profound: that people wouldn’t see him at all, but would see Christ through him. Whether fixing engines, preaching sermons, or simply being a faithful friend, he wants his life to echo one truth: Jesus is everything. “I want to leave a legacy where, when people think of me, they think of God,” he says. “Not for selfish gain, but because my life pointed to Him.”

About the Author: Stephanie Maendel ’26 is a Communication & Christian Studies student at Grace Christian University. She’s passionate about missions and inspiring her generation to live out the Great Commission. After graduation, she hopes to pursue ministry and community outreach, serving and empowering individuals and families locally and globally.

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Grace Christian University’s mission is Graduating Courageous Ambassadors for Christ Who Make an Eternal Impact Wherever They Go. To prepare students to make that impact, they engage in biblically-integrated learning experiences and key transformational relationships with faculty, staff, and other students on campus and online.

Our academic courses and programs play a pivotal role in the Grace experience, and overseeing all of those programs presents a unique challenge and responsibility that I take very seriously.

Refreshed Learning Outcomes

Without apology, we want the education Grace offers to students to be biblically distinctive. So in the Spring of 2025, the faculty approved these new learning outcomes.

We want our graduates to:

LEARN: Cultivate Bible-centered wisdom in every area of academic learning and professional skill.

GROW: Reflect the love of God and Christian character through transformational relationships.

SERVE: Engage in Christ-centered service in church, career, and community.

Moreover, we want every graduate to display these things with excellence and character that is reflective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every area of life.

Biblical Integration in Every Course

The “biblical integration” we strive for is the intentional, holistic blending of biblical truths, rooted in Scripture’s narrative of creation, fall, and redemption, with insights from the natural and social sciences.

In every class, Scripture serves as the authoritative lens for evaluating and critiquing ideas, values, and culture. Affirming that “all truth is God’s truth,” this approach gives a privileged place to the Bible as God’s normative authority, guiding a dialogue with human reason and experience both inside and outside of the classroom.

It also helps students develop a biblical imagination, engaging learning with their emotions, senses, and creativity, so that Scripture shapes how they think, feel, act, and respond as courageous ambassadors for Christ.

Academic Programs

I’m happy to say that Grace continues to offer degree program majors that clearly reflect our mission and identity as a biblical university. In the Online campus, our Leadership & Ministry major continues to lead the way, with Psychology, Human Services, and Business degrees going strong.

On Campus, our most popular majors are Business, Leadership & Ministry together with Biblical Studies, Sports Communication and Management, with Psychology and Criminal Justice programs as well. As of 2025, students who take our 30-credit Bible Core can also be eligible for a second major in Christian Studies alongside their professional degree. Grace also offers the two-year Associate of Arts degree, as well as four Master’s degrees in Ministry, Organizational Leadership, Higher Education Leadership, and Business Administration (MBA).

As I lead Academics at Grace, we continue to examine the marketplace for degrees that will be attractive to prospective students. A recent survey indicated that one of the most important things we do for our students is develop degree programs that lead to meaningful jobs in the future.

Artificial Intelligence & Higher Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field and higher education is consistently challenged to keep up. I, along with Associate Provost Dr. Scott Shaw, have been named to the national Higher Education Artificial Intelligence Council sponsored by the Center for Digital Education, a division of eRepublic.

This gathering of higher education leaders is meeting several times through the 2025-26 academic year to discuss how AI is affecting colleges and universities in the areas of teaching and learning, student success, and process efficiencies. We hope to both learn a lot from this group, and represent faith-based and biblical higher education well.

Here on campus, I am currently leading the Grace AI Guidance Council, a group composed of a wide array of faculty, staff, students, administrators and board members. Our task is twofold. First, to assemble as much relevant information as possible from the current trends in AI and higher education in order to inform our decision making here at Grace, especially as it pertains to our biblical worldview.

Second, to develop guidance and recommendations for decision-makers on campus when it comes to any and all implementations of AI: we want any interaction with this emerging technology to be reflective of our mission, vision, and core values, in short, our identity, as a biblical university.

Rooted in Mission

At Grace Christian University we remain unwavering in our purpose, which remains essentially unchanged since our founding as Milwaukee Bible Institute in 1939.

I can remember when I was a student attending Grace Bible College from 1994 to 1998 and a “new” mission statement was established: Graduating Godly Individuals Prepared to Serve Christ in Church and Society. I remember thinking at the time, “Wow! That’s a pretty succinct statement of what this place is all about. ”I am so grateful to be a graduate of Grace Bible College; this experience made me who I am and is such a key part of my story.

Today, as a biblical university, our mission statement is refreshed once again to reflect both our heritage and the unique brokenness of a fallen world that needs the truth of the Gospel as much as ever before. I am excited to lead Academics as we navigate the changing landscape of higher education.

We are cultivating a learning environment where a new generation of students will understand and experience what it means to be rooted in a biblical identity and to be transformed into courageous ambassadors for Christ.

About the Author: Dr. Mat Loverin ’98 has served Grace Christian University as Professor, Director of Assessment, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Dean of the School of Bible & Ministry, and since June of 2025, has served as the Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Here he shares his vision for Academics at Grace and key plans for moving forward.

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Where My Story Changed

Growing up, Carter didn’t have faith of any kind. His parents weren’t Christians, and Christ was never a topic of discussion. When Carter was two years old, his parents divorced and he was thrown into daycare. Throughout his time in daycare during those developmental years, Carter began forming a severe anxiety disorder that continued into middle and high school.

“I was anxious around people,” Carter says. “I struggled with making friends and having friendships growing up.”

Without the ability to talk to people and develop relationships, a future seemed hopeless. The only thing he really felt comfortable doing, and really enjoyed, was playing baseball. After graduating high school, Carter searched for colleges with baseball teams. That’s when Coach Wolfe from Grace Christian University reached out to Carter and invited him for a tour.

“I believe it was God, honestly,” Carter says. He had no intention to travel for school but the baseball team appealed to Carter, so he decided to visit. “When I first came on campus, Pastor Rick, President Kemper, and every faculty member talked to me like they knew me.”

A pleasant surprise.

“I walked on this campus and felt a draw to it.”

Carter built relationships with his teammates and professors. For the first time in his life, it felt easy. The community at Grace pulled him in, and that was something he never felt before.

“Grace is very personal, and that’s where we are different,” Carter says. “That was something I really needed.” He knew he wanted to explore the Christian faith but didn’t know where to begin.

Finding Christ and a New Direction

At a place like Grace Christian University, that’s not a problem.

“I didn’t know what accepting Jesus meant, so that took me a while,” Carter says. “I got really close with Pastor Rick and we dove into my beliefs, and that led me to become a Christian and accept Jesus.”

New to the faith, Bible classes were foreign for Carter, but he put in effort and that paid off.

“Communicating with your professors makes a world of difference,” Carter says. The professors at Grace care about students and their success and well-being in and out of the classroom. Now Carter is in the business program and is interested in sales–a field that requires relationships and communication, a once impossible avenue. But through Christ, all things are possible.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, honestly,” Carter says about coming to Grace. “And I’ve made the best friends I’ve ever had.”

Read more stories like this in The Journey Magazine | Spring 2025 >

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The story of how I got to Grace is part of a love story between Jesus and me. When my Sunday school teacher said that to me, I was a 16-year-old girl who had left home due to traumatic circumstances and a toxic situation in mid-Missouri.

Although I was still living a lukewarm life, I had been taught to attend church, so I knew quite a lot about Jesus. But I didn’t know the depths and beauty of having a relationship with Him. During this time, I started to pursue that, and I wanted Him to be more to me than just someone I read about—more than the religion I’d learned about as a child. I wanted to do more than go to church; I wanted to learn how to become the church.

Over the next couple of years, God began to show Himself to me. My home life was still difficult, but it was where He taught me to pray. He comforted me and drew me to Himself. I began growing in my relationship with God, but I’d never dreamed of the bizarre idea of Christian college—especially a small one in the middle of a city I’d never visited or known anything about.

Choosing Faith Over Comfort

I’d always excelled in academics, and as a high school senior, I’d been accepted to more than 20 colleges, including my dream schools. Turning them down for a small Christian school I—nor any of my peers—knew about was inconceivable.

However, I reached a defining moment of my faith journey. I had decided I was no longer going to have one foot in the world and the other in faith. This didn’t necessarily mean I had to go to a Christian college, but I didn’t feel strong enough yet to go to a secular college. I was ready to have a firm walk with Christ as my Lord, and I wanted to limit my distractions while I was still a baby Christ follower. (Despite having believed in Him my whole life, I hadn’t followed Him. Those are two different things.)

Having my mind made up, I did a quick Google search of Christian colleges in my denomination. While Grace isn’t my denomination, it popped up on Google, and for some reason, I was drawn to it. Upon browsing its website and social media platforms from the Twin Cities of Minnesota where I was living, somehow I knew this place—ten hours away—was where I was supposed to go.

I prayed, applied, got accepted, received confirmation from the Lord, and with that, I came to Michigan for move-in day.

Becoming Who God Called Me to Be

I graduated in 2024, and I do not regret any of it. Grace was a safe haven for me in so many ways. I was surrounded by the most supportive staff and faculty during some personal challenges, and in my time there, they showed me that the experience of being a Grace student was about more than academia. It was about never having to walk through life alone, and about having a safe place to develop into the woman that God has called me to be.

Furthermore, I took classes that taught me how to better explore the Scriptures, which helped me in my passion to learn, apply, and teach them. Beyond the classroom, I heard, saw, or experienced something that pointed me to God every day.

Grace has made me a better person, and I will forever be thankful for the school I call home.

Read more stories like this in The Journey Magazine | Spring 2025 >

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TAKEOFF

Born to missionary parents, Benaiah was raised in Kenya where he and his family were constantly involved in ministry. As early as he could remember, he was in church.

“If I had to count how many times I’ve missed church, I could count it on one hand.”

He didn’t have a choice. His parents served in leadership roles, so they practically lived at the church. Benaiah even had a place to sleep during prayer nights. By 8 years old, Benaiah spoke Swahili and English. Then his parents sensed a calling to serve in Ecuador—an entirely different continent, culture, and language. There, he learned Spanish.

“I was like a sponge,” Benaiah says. “My sister and I were still young at the time, so it was easy for us to pick up the language.” His parents didn’t catch on as fast, but they were determined to show their children that learning new things should happen at any age.

“My parents have been great role models for me and my siblings growing up,” Benaiah says. “They still are to this day.” Although Benaiah always admired his parents’ heart for missions, his strong sense of independence motivated him to pave his own runway. Benaiah discovered an excitement for aviation through an online video.

“It inspired me,” Benaiah says. “I felt a strong desire to become a pilot.”

TEMPORARY TURBULENCE

In hopes of beginning his aviation journey, Benaiah decided to attend a conference in Quito, Ecuador, where schools from all over the globe came to offer education opportunities for people in that region. With a borrowed baseball cap from his dad and a hopeful heart, Benaiah left for the conference. With every conversation, the weight of discouragement grew. Benaiah realized there were no aviation program opportunities in Quito. On his way out, a woman stopped him.

“Are you from Michigan?” She referred to his baseball cap, which had the University of Michigan logo on it.
“What’s Michigan?” Benaiah asked.

The woman was Diane Finch, and she opened the door to an aviation opportunity in Michigan. She connected Benaiah with a family in the area who welcomed him into their home and practically adopted him as one of their own. He worked at an aviation museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan and began attending a community college. Benaiah didn’t think a university was in his future because of his finances, but Grace Christian University kept popping up in conversation and advertisements. He meditated on Matthew 11:28 throughout that time, knowing that God’s plan isn’t heavy, but light, and that He would provide a direction for him. But the more that Benaiah held off the thought of Grace, the more unsettled he felt in his spirit. Benaiah decided to simply tour Grace.

ON THE TARMAC

In Grace’s parking lot before the tour, he prayed that God would give him a sign—not just a tug of his heart—so he would know for sure. During his tour, everyone was welcoming and friendly, but it wasn’t enough for him to consider it a sign from God. On his way out, President Kemper stopped him to introduce himself, and he asked Benaiah where he was from. When he answered Kenya, suddenly, President Kemper began speaking Swahili.

“This came as a shock to me,” Benaiah says. “President Kemper doesn’t look like someone who would speak Swahili.” They instantly connected over their similar experiences as missionaries. “This was part of the sign,” Benaiah explained. “The other part was when he quoted Matthew 11:28 to me. That was the verse I had been meditating on during that time.”

Benaiah felt affirmed in his decision to come to Grace after that, even though he thought he would not be able to afford it.

“God knows us so well. He knows the answers we need in order for us to take the next steps,” Benaiah says. “God has taken care of my every need and I’ve been able to pay for every semester.”

At Grace, Benaiah has not only been cared for, but he has thrived in many ways. He’s grown closer to God, and has a deepened appreciation of the body of Christ and a growing reassurance that God will take care of him wherever he goes. “Just like when grabbing that Michigan hat,” Benaiah says. “God was in that decision and I didn’t even know it.”

But Benaiah has always been sure about one decision: intentionally including Christ in everything. Becoming a missionary pilot is Benaiah’s hope for the future, though he realizes it will take some time.

“Waiting to be a missionary pilot doesn’t mean I’m holding off God’s work,” Benaiah says, “because I’m doing His work right now, every day.”

GOD KNOWS US SO WELL …
GOD HAS TAKEN CARE OF MY EVERY NEED.

Read more stories like this in The Journey Magazine | Spring 2025 >

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“I was the only young person sitting in that theater,” Morgan says.

A Winding Path to Passion

Though history has always been her passion, it took her a while to pursue it. After high school, she earned her associate’s degree in general studies from a community college. And then the pandemic happened. So rather than being cooped up at home, Morgan traveled to Alaska to attend a Bible institute, where she earned a two-year Bible certificate before transferring to Grace Christian University to finish her bachelor’s degree.

“Coming to Grace was the best decision I ever made,” Morgan says. At Grace, she pursued psychology because at first, it seemed more practical. But she made sure to fill up all her electives with history classes. Morgan’s heart wasn’t in psychology—but nobody had even suggested pursuing a history degree, until she met Grace’s history professor, Dean Dykstra. The way he taught history and his engagement with the class captured Morgan’s attention. He noticed and seized the opportunity to support her passion for history.

Encouragement That Changed Everything

“I remember feeling discouraged one day about history, and Dean said, ‘Whatever you don’t know, the gaps will be filled with your enthusiasm for what you’re doing.’”

It was Professor Dykstra who helped her switch to interdisciplinary studies with a minor in history—but it didn’t end there. He connected Morgan with Erin Schmitz, the historic sites director at Hackley & Hume Historic Site Museum. With a new degree path and an exciting connection, timing aligned just right and Morgan became an intern at the museum, where everyone is a history nerd.

“It’s like I’m geeking out over this stuff, but I’m really not because everyone is a geek for history here,” Morgan says.

“We never have to apologize for geeking out,” Erin Schmitz says. “We are in like company.”

Where Calling and Career Meet

As part of her internship, Morgan researched the Hackley family and their surrounding history. She finished training and even led tours as an intern. She learned the information well enough to have a conversation about it, instead of simply memorizing content. Morgan was also involved in conducting inventory of the over five thousand items in the house, individually numbered and photographed. Morgan’s internship even materialized into a full-time position, and she became a part of the Hackley & Hume House staff, leading tours and even playing a role in the organization’s live Clue Game event. She thanks God for giving her lifelong friends, providing a church family, a place to live, and for the internship that affirmed and fueled her passion for history.

“Everything I have now is because I came to Grace.”

Read more stories like this in The Journey Magazine | Spring 2025 >

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“There will always be a student that can reach that level, but if I only teach that student, then I’m going to have another dozen students in the class who are frustrated. The real magic of the classroom is when you can curate an environment that’s transformational for everybody.”

Mat has been teaching at Grace Christian University for nearly two decades, with a classroom philosophy focused on transformational relationships. After graduating from Grace Bible College in 1998, he went on to the University of Notre Dame where he earned his master’s degree and eventually his PhD in theology with an emphasis in moral theology and Christian ethics. With a wide breadth of knowledge and a foundation in the Bible, Mat teaches theology, philosophy, and ethics at Grace today. But for Mat, it’s not just about the content; it’s also about the context.

“The classroom is a gateway to mentoring,” he says, and his track record with students proves his commitment. In addition to mentoring, Mat and his wife, Michelle, provide premarital counseling to couples before Mat officiates weddings—a rich and rewarding way to impact students.

“I just got an email from a student who said, ‘Your words of affirmation to me and my performance in class have been one of the most meaningful things.’ I don’t necessarily feel a personal connection with every student,” Mat says. “But the fact that this student would say this to me, showed me that my feedback to that student was transformational.”

Theologically equipped

When Mat was a student, he says the emphasis on academic rigor was exactly the environment where he excelled. Pursuing his degree in biblical studies, he describes his undergraduate self as “academic,” “critical,” and “a handful.” He wasn’t satisfied with the answers everyone else accepted, and he pursued truth with an uncommon fervor. He pushed boundaries with doctrinal and denominational beliefs but was always well-intentioned. He wanted his faith—and Grace’s beliefs—to conform to Scripture in a way he could understand.

“I benefited tremendously from language studies,” he says. “I felt like I got a world-class education.”

He learned to read and translate Greek from Dale DeWitt, professor emeritus of Bible and theology, who wouldn’t accept his students’ “slapdash” translations and demanded higher quality work. The high-level expectations forced Mat to have high-level performance, and he benefited from it.

“And so when I got to Notre Dame, I felt extraordinarily well prepared,” he says. “There was nothing that came at me that I wasn’t theologically equipped to at least negotiate.”

While at Notre Dame, Mat returned to Grace’s campus for an alumni weekend with hopes to introduce himself to the new staff and faculty, which had changed since his time as a student.

“I came to meet the new administration and say, ‘Hey, this is who I am and I’m finishing my PhD, and I’d like to come teach here at some point.’ Just to get my foot in the door.”

During that alumni weekend, he met Michelle (Spykerman) ’04. A year and a half later, they were married and moved to Grace’s campus where Michelle was a resident director in the women’s dorms. Mat began teaching part-time while finishing his dissertation.

Teaching it forward

His teaching style was impacted especially by his professors at Notre Dame. He had been a teaching assistant; mentored by a professor, he learned teaching and grading techniques he still practices. One professor in particular, he recalls, would seamlessly incorporate student questions into his lecture, which made students feel heard and valued.

“I would be sitting in class thinking what he did was really cool. I wanted to be like that,” Mat says. From these experiences, he crafted his own classroom philosophy and prepared to teach. But the classroom today is a little different than when Mat was a student. It’s more than just education. With fewer college-ready high school graduates, and with the decline of biblical literacy, demanding academic excellence isn’t always helpful for every student.

“I was fortunate to grow up in a church with a lot of biblical literacy, so I was well-trained as a teenager coming to Bible college for the first time,” Mat says. “But that’s not the story of every student who comes to Grace.”

Transformational Relationships 

Although there are many students who attend Grace for its biblical rigor and scholarly expectations, for the students who are already motivated to educate themselves, Grace’s community is key.

“You can learn anything through the internet or AI now—with good search terms, you can learn whatever you want, and you don’t need the classroom. But what you do need is someone who knows how to draw out of you something that couldn’t be drawn out any other way.”

Grace’s classes provide opportunities for transformational student-professor relationships that fosters growth and excellence, both academically and personally.

“There’s an ‘aha!’ moment in the classroom where you can see on people’s faces that they get it in a new way,” he says. “There’s a moment of illumination.”

With a college environment where the professor-to-student ratio is more manageable than most universities, Grace professors have more opportunities to connect with students on deeper levels, like spiritual and personal development.

“You know, in conversations that happen at 10 o’clock at night, when I come to my office to get a book that I forgot, and I happen to run into a student, and we have a 20-minute conversation that is life changing. That’s my impact. And it wouldn’t happen unless the student felt a relationship with me that comes from the classroom.”

For professors like Mat, those moments, however big or small they may be, are the most rewarding.

“I just want to make a little contribution. Maybe that little contribution for some people will be a life-changing contribution.”

Mat’s goal is to see students fulfilling their calling in whatever capacity that looks like. Maybe it’s starting a business, or being part of a church, or going to graduate school to pursue an academic career, or coming back to Grace to pay it forward. This is what success looks like for Grace graduates. There are certainly other aspects of life at Grace that impact students’ spiritual lives: chapel, athletic teams, student events, and peer relationships. But the impact of transformational relationships with professors like Mat is crucial for students, and it’s what sets Grace apart. Because at Grace, the goal goes beyond academic credentials: “I want my students to be transformed into the image of Christ.”

Read more stories like this in The Journey Magazine | Spring 2025 >

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