Stories

God graces each of us with gifts for use in advancing his kingdom. Laurie Kehler began her career in advertising as an art director but always enjoyed keeping her hand in copy writing. The work helped hone her talent for using the written word to influence the...

God knows our needs before we even ask. Adora Palmer witnessed that Bible lesson in action five years ago when she volunteered to rekindle the dormant Mariners Meal Ministry. “I got tapped on the shoulder by God and thought, ‘You know, there’s a place for a food...

One day in 2000 at age 26, Sam Beard was tasked with collecting eggs on a chicken farm.  As he bent over to collect the eggs while holding a bar for support, he touched a wire sticking out of the auger of an automatic feeder sending the shock through his body. In the...

Moving across the country is hard. But Curt and Becky Vanderstelt’s decision to leave Two Rivers, Wisconsin, for Half Moon Bay was easy. They heard God’s call for Curt to apply to become youth pastor at Mariners Church, they saw God’s plan unfold, and they acted....

Have you ever felt alone at Christmas? “My family lives out of state and I usually don’t go back. I don’t really have a place to go for dinner, other than a friend’s house,” said Diane Lynn. “The holidays always make me feel lonely,” So, last year Diane decided to...

Each Christmas Eve, when Debbie Gehret and her family would return home from her mother-in-law’s house, they would find a basket filled with pine boughs, tangerines and nuts. “It was a sweet gesture from a neighbor that served as a seed of inspiration,” she said. ...

When Jared Larsen first got involved in youth ministry, he felt neither called nor equipped. He felt compelled by God. So, he reluctantly took on a small-group leader role in the grade school and middle school program at his Minnesota church. ​ A year later, when the...

As a kid, Ole Hurst loved to go to church with his Dad. His neighbors also went to church. Ole enjoyed the fellowship. Life was good. God’s love stood strong in Ole through the support of Mama Sue, Ole’s aunt who lived with his family.  She was like a mother to him. ...

Who greeted you the first time you attended Mariners?  It might have been Judy Baker. Through her work as a greeter, Welcome Center host, Office Angel, Connections Team Member and more, Judy enjoys dedicating time and effort to making sure first-time guests, and even...

Lynn Wilson stepped out in faith five years ago when Shana Pond invited her to lead the worship enhancement team. The team is responsible for creating worship environments that reflect the theme of a message series and/or season. Lynn had never considered herself...

Faith was not part of the picture in 2008 when Clarise Lyon and her husband found themselves both unemployed with a recently purchased home that needed major repairs. They discovered that their house had been built without a cornerstone and it would be necessary to...

It wasn’t until Craig and Marian Pollock immersed themselves in the Word that God began showing up regularly in their lives. ​Marian began attending and then leading weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) classes about 15 years ago. “Prior to that I thought I knew...