Gil Michel is the founding pastor of That Church Downtown, a multiracial inner-city church in South Bend. The Church was planted to reach an unchurched population and to be a place of authenticity, transparency, and growth for those who seek to know Christ and be known.
Gil has participated in mission work in Ghana, West Africa, and has helped spearhead initiatives such as the PURE Assembly and National Day of Prayer, which focuses on city-wide renewal and prayer.
He is also the CEO and President of The Caleb Group, Inc., a small business solutions firm in South Bend. Gil is married to Marketo and has two children, including a daughter, Jolai who serves on the Res life team at Bethel.
Reverend, Dr. Theo Williams is an Associate Professor of Communications at Bethel University, where he has taught for almost two decades. He has a master’s degree in urban ministry from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and a PhD in communication from Regent University. He and his wife Nicole have been married for 22 years and have ministered together locally, nationally and overseas. He is currently serving as the pastor at Covenant Community Church in South Bend. Theo has a heart and passion for young people, marriages, racial reconciliation and social justice.
Dr. Brandt grew up in San Diego, California. He pursued an engineering degree at San Diego State University because he wanted to build buildings. But God had different plans. After surrendering control of his life to God’s will he was called into ministry and instead would build into peoples’ lives.
Robert served in full-time ministry for 15 years in churches in California and Colorado and is now in his 21st year of teaching at Bethel.
Robert is married to his wife, Melody, and they have seven children…and three grandchildren. Robert, Melody and his family have intentionally invested in a wide variety of students over their years at Bethel.
Jordan Arce is the Student Pastor at LIFEGATE Church in Denver, Colorado. Originally from Lacey, New Jersey, Jordan is a proud “Jersey boy” with a passion for New York sports and a deep love for pizza. He has been married to his wife, Ashley, for one year, and together they serve their community with dedication. Jordan believes that God is powerfully at work in the next generation and that a revival is on the horizon. He brings passion, humor, and authenticity to his role, guiding and inspiring young people to grow in their faith.
2024 Bethel Alumni Award recipients, Tim and Sally Erdel, Leah Schwartz, and Cameron Nagel speak to the students.
Garrett serves as the prayer pastor for Asbury Church in Huntsville, Alabama, where his primary focus is training Christians in how to pray in small and large group settings. Garrett started the Asbury Furnace, a multi-generational prayer gathering that contends for awakening in the Huntsville region. Preaching stories from Scripture and writing devotionals are ways he operates in a prophetic calling to Christians in America. Garrett is privileged to learn under incredible leaders and mentors in Asbury Church and within the Seedbed community.
