MPW stands for Ministry of Prayer and the Word which comes from Acts 6:4 when the Apostles said to the church "and [we] will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." The Apostles were serving as the Elders of the new church in Jerusalem, and their priorities (prayer and the Word) we have adopted for our own Elder Team here at Adventure Christian Church.

	Rick Stedman Senior Pastor and MPW Chair Rick and Amy have three children, Micah, who is 19, Jesse who is 15 and Noah who is 17. Rick committed his life to Christ at a Jr. High summer camp, and committed to a life of ministry during his freshman year of college, because of the encouragement of a young medical doctor named Wayne Bigelow. He went to San Jose Bible College (now WJU) and served a pastoral internship under Bryce Jessup in San Jose. Rick is the founding and Senior Pastor at Adventure, which began on Easter 1994. His hobbies are reading, working around their home, and hanging out with his family. His spiritual gifts are preaching, leadership and teaching. Rick's favorite Scripture is Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." What he loves most about Adventure is the gracious hand of the Lord that is so clearly on this place.
	Bryce Jessup MPW Vice-Chair Bryce and his wife Jo Jessup have three children, 7 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. All three children are in full time vocational ministry along with their spouses. Bryce grew up in a Christian home where his dad was the minister. He gave his live to Christ and was baptized when he was 10 years old. Bryce has served for the past 25 years as President of William Jessup University, and just retired in May of 2010, though he continues to serve the University in a reduced roll. His hobbies include fly fishing, backpacking, Ping Pong and ham radio. He has the Spiritual gifts of leadership, encouragement, teaching and preaching. His favorite Scripture is Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." What he loves most about Adventure are the people, and their passion to be both a local and a global fellowship of "world changers". He loves the serving impact Adventure is making in the community and upon all who walk through it's doors.
	Bill Twelker MPW Bill and his wife June have been married for 54 years and they have been blessed with three children and 8 grandchildren. Bill also has been a Christian for 54 years. He received Jesus as his Savior at the age of 23 while living in Lynn, MA. He had rejected Christianity and became Agnostic by the end of his college years, however he was challenged in this through a small Bible Study. The leader spent many hours answering his theological questions. After being in the study group for awhile there was a communion service. Bill was driven by the Holy Spirit to go home, kneel beside the bed and gave his heart to the Lord. Everything changed then, and he knew he had to live his life for the Lord from that moment on. Bill is retired, and he tries to use his income to advance the Lord's work. He and his wife enjoy taking their grandchildren, two at a time, on fun, education trips each summer. His hobbies include working in the yard. He has his wife enjoy a ministry of healing prayer which they do at Adventure Christian Church, which is available free of charge to anyone who has a need and requests healing prayer. His Spiritual gifts are exhortation and teaching. His favorite Scripture is Romans 8:33-34, "Who will charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." What Bill loves most about Adventure is the illumination of the gospel by Pastor Rick. Rick is always on point, brings relevant Biblical illustrations, is never boring, and is clearly completely dedicated to preaching the Word with conviction and excellence.
	Frank Nitto MPW Frank and his wife Peggy have been married for over 43 years. They have been blessed with two children and five grandchildren. Frank has been a Christian for almost 41 years. He became a Christian in Japan, while he was in the Air Force. Frank just recently retired from a healthcare consulting firm that he owned. He loves to play golf and collects model trains. His Spiritual gifts include leadership, faith, and hospitality. His favorite Scripture is 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." What he loves most about Adventure is the opportunity to serve, and the people he serves with.
	Randy Blair MPW Randy and his wife Joanne, have three daughters - Danielle (32), Shannon (25) and Jenna (23). They also have two grandsons, Brendon and Parker who are both 3 years old. Randy has been a Christian for 49 years. He grew up attending a Baptist church in Muskogee, OK and he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 10. Randy works as a Financial Planner/Investment Advisor. His hobbies are tennis and golf. His Spiritual gifts are faith, encouragement and leadership. His Favorite Scripture is 1 Cor 13:1-7 - "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." What Randy loves most about Adventure is the sound biblical teaching, having communion every week, and most importantly (and not true of many large churches) that Adventure focuses on bringing others into God's Kingdom and offers a meaningful and sincere invitation for people to accept Christ.
	Mike Edwards MPW Mike is married to Jennifer, and they have two children, Andrew who is 14 and Grace who is 12. Both kids were baptized at Adventure. Mike has been a Christian for 11 years. He became a Christian here at Adventure Christian Church! Mike is in Finance, working for U.S. Bank. He is also a School Board Member. His hobbies include reading, his kids and yard work. His Spiritual gift is discernment. Mike's favorite Scripture is Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Armor of God). Mike says that what he loves most about Adventure is that it is a place that teaches the Bible. He loves that people consistently feel that the Holy Spirit is speaking directly to them through teachings/sermons at Adventure. He loves how Pastor Rick engages his mind.
	Brad Dacus MPW Brad is married to Susanne and they have two children, Austin who is 8 and Amy who is 6. Brad has been a Christian since 3rd grade, when he was 9 years old. He heard the pastor's sermon on salvation, knew he was a sinner and needed forgiveness and it just clicked. When the hymn began for the altar call he stepped forward and came down the aisle by himself and he prayed to God. He became a radical zealot for Jesus at the age of 9. His first case came right after that as he petitioned his school library to put a Bible in the library - and they did! Brad is an attorney, and is the President of the Pacific Justice Institute. He also is a guest preacher at churches. Brad's hobby is spending time with his wife and kids. His Spiritual gifts are evangelism, leadership, and he is a visionary. His favorite Scripture is Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." What he loves most about Adventure is how they reach out to everyone in the community in a personal way through their ministries. He especially has seen first hand how lives have been changed through Adventure. He has seen God's hand raising Adventure up and has seen the fruit produced at this church in real and tangible ways through changed lives.
	Ken Oosting MPW Ken is married to Angelica Oosting, and they have 4 sons, Christian (12), Joshua (11), AJ (8) and Seth (3), and one daughter Marguerite (8 months). Ken has been a Christian 37 years. He made a decision at Indian Lake Christian Camp, and then was baptized at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, MD. Ken is an Entrepreneur, and Chief Technology Officer for Inspired Solar Technologies, Inc. and Inspired Surgical Technologies, Inc. His hobbies include camping, boating, and spending time with family. Ken's Spiritual gifts are prophecy (not in telling the future, but in saying what needs to be said and doing what needs to be done), teaching, knowledge, giving, faith, and leadership. His favorite Scripture is 1 John 3:16 - "By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us and we should lay down our lives for one another." What Ken loves about Adventure Christian Church is that it is an exciting, uplifting and enlightening body. What he loves most is the opportunity God gives him to be the man He designed him to be as he serves here at Adventure.