College Park Church

I joined the leadership team at College Park Church as Lead Pastor in April 2008, after serving for 13 years in western Michigan. God miraculously and surprisingly called us from a wonderful ministry in Holland, Michigan, to join a clear and historic movement of God at CPC. We see God's hand all over the ministry here with a unique blend of passion for Jesus, a love for the Word, and a desire to see lives changed. That vision fit us beautifully, and we see the opportunity for our church to have maximum impact in the Indianapolis area. God is at work here, and we are thrilled to be a part of igniting a passion to follow Jesus.

Additional Information:

Mark is a graduate of Cedarville University, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and he is presently enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has written articles that are published in Leadership Journal, Pray! Magazine, Spirit of Revival, and Heart Cry Magazine. In addition to his responsibilities of preaching, leadership, and vision-casting at College Park, Mark is a conference speaker for Life Action Ministries and a prayer summit leader for Strategic Renewal Ministries. He presently also presently serves on the Advisory Council for ABWE and Life Action.

Mark and his wife, Sarah, have four children, Hayden, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Savannah, and one daughter, Sylvia, who is in heaven after her unexpected still-birth in February 2004.

God graciously orchestrated my life to be born into a Christian family. Realizing that I needed a Savior at an early age, I received Christ as a child. God called me to serve with my husband in the pastorate for over 40 years, preparing me for ministry here at CPC. Instead of being “retired”, God has “re-treaded” me to continue to serve Him with joy.

After moving to Indianapolis in 2001, I began nearly two years of searching for a new home church. As many of you know, finding a church can be a difficult search, but once I attended College Park Church I knew this is where God wanted me to worship, learn, and serve. I began serving in the Tech Ministry after about six months of attending and God made it abundantly clear that there is nothing more satisfying than using the gifts He gave me in the context of the body of Christ. After over five years of volunteering, God was calling the church and me to a full-time employment agreement. In January of 2008, I began ministry here as a Creative Media and Audio Assistant. My wife, Erin, and I are so excited to be a part of the CPC staff family.

Having been on staff at CPC for over 10 years, I have “spied God” many, many times. He has made Himself evident in the lives of our staff as He has walked with us through many trials and many blessings. He has proven Himself to be good, faithful, full of mercy, and grace.

I feel very privileged to work at College Park Church. I have been married to my beautiful wife Marla for three years. I have a bachelor's degree in ministry and religious studies and have begun work on masters of divinity. I have attended CPC for seven years and have had incredible opportunities to work with various pastors and staff here. As Pastoral Assistant for Local Outreach and Assimilation, I currently have the privilege to assist Dale Shaw in building a strong church body that serves locally. Ten years ago I would not have believed all that God was planning to do in my life. Marla and I look forward to seeing God's plan for our lives and His plan for CPC unfold in the coming years.

I was a youth pastor in West Virginia for about three years. Through some pretty difficult times there, and through some friends at College Park Church, we ended up meeting Kimber Kauffman. Through Kimber, Don Bartemus, and our friends, God made it as plain as day that we should move to Indianapolis. We moved here specifically to attend CPC and be encouraged in our lives. We were blown away by the power of God's Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the lives being changed by the gospel of Jesus. We had no idea that God would call us to be on staff and we are so thankful, six years later, to be part of a church where God is doing something new and exciting every day.

I had the privilege to grow up in a wonderful farming family in Michigan.  During my freshman year of engineering school, God changed the direction of my life from a spiritually skeptical student to a follower of Jesus.  Along with my career in business, God has given me many opportunities to serve in various ministry roles within the Church.  God has been faithful to meet every need and has used the opportunities and challenges that have come to grow me up in grace through His Word, by His Spirit, and in the context of community.  Karon and I are blessed with four daughters, and we absolutely love this season of family life.

I gave my life to Christ in the summer of 1990.

After I was saved the Lord put a burden on my heart for young people. It was that burden that led me into youth ministry and brought me to Kids Church to work with John Schmidler and the teens. In looking to change my church home I was a led to come to College Park Church. I was going to Crossroads Bible Church, a sister church to CPC and was serving at Kids Church. My wife and I, and my five kids began attending CPC in August of 2006.

My family has been privileged to be with College Park Church since it started in 1985. In 1999, the elders asked me to consider joining the staff as the Jr. High pastor and the Outreach Director. The decision was a very easy one to make for my family and me. It is an absolute blast to be part of the College Park community and to serve on staff here--it's also an honor that I don't take lightly.

I was un-churched, lost, without hope, and without God in this world for 32 years. But God, in His infinite mercy and by His amazing grace, called me to Himself and subsequently to College Park Church. Shortly thereafter, He placed on my heart the desire to work at my church. The Lord led me to pray to that end for five years. In His perfect timing, He has blessed me with the privilege of being a gatekeeper in the house of the Lord and bestowed upon me the honor of serving the servants of College Park Church.

The Lord called my family to College Park Church almost 16 years ago and growing up in College Park has been a true blessing from the Lord. 

I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education.  Although I was fully prepared to teach in the schools, the Lord had a completely different agenda.  Through His sovereign plan He led me to a position at College Park Church as the Worship Arts Ministry Assistant.  I have only begun this journey but I am thrilled to see how God is going to use me to minister to His people.  May He forever be glorified in my life!

I am the Pastor of Christian Education & Compassion at College Park Church. This includes the ministry we call Next Generations which extends from Senior High Youth all the way down to the nursery! My wife, Cheryl, and I have been in ministry for 28 years and have three grown children. Joshua is 27 and recently married to Amanda; Tim is 26 and a graduate of IU Kelley School of Business; and Debra is 22 and finishing a degree in elementary education from Indiana Wesleyan University. Our passion is to see the next generations know the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ. I double as the pastor of Compassion Ministries here at CPC. This ministry exists to respond to the physical needs of people in order to participate in the fulfillment of the purpose of God in their lives.

I came to faith in Christ at the age of five through a Christian family. I attended Cedarville College, received a B.A. in Bible and then graduated from Grace Seminary with an M.Div. in Biblical Studies. I am currently in the Doctorate of Ministries program at the same seminary.

Cheryl and I have been married for 30 years and have been in youth ministry, teaching ministries, and pastoring in the states of Iowa, Ohio and Indiana (and often the "State of Confusion!").

I graduated from Taylor University, earning a degree in communication studies with emphases in rhetoric, public relations and art photography. My master’s degree is from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with specialized studies in systematic theology and Christian education.

I came on staff at College Park at the end of 2008 as the church’s pastor to high school students. Over the past decade in student ministry, I have become increasingly convinced that teens can grow more spiritually than most adults ever imagine.

As a pastor, my fields of interest include discipleship,  expository teaching, spiritual disciplines, Reformation theology, apologetics, pop culture analysis and missions. To relax, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching movies, jogging and hiking. I married Charlotte, my hometown sweetheart, 15 years ago, and we have two kids.

As a family, we love being at College Park Church where Christ is passionately pursued through such an energetic mix of theology, worship, service and community.

I have been at College Park Church for 2 ½ years. My wife, Jo Ann, and I have been married for 29 years. We are blessed with three daughters, a son, two terrific sons-in-law, and a 9-month-old grandson. I have learned that God redeems everything we experience in our lives to prepare us for what He has planned next. I love that we are in a church that sees God as great and His grace as greater than all our sin. I love the counseling ministry because I see God transform lives right before my eyes every day.

My wife Heather and I came to College Park Church in 1998 as a candidate for Worship Arts Pastor. From the moment we walked through the doors, we knew that this church was serious about lifestyle worship. For the last decade, Heather and I have found a beautiful "freedom to be real" as a part of the community at CPC, and we love the fact that our three girls have been born into an environment where Jesus is the Center!

I am convinced that God brought me to College Park Church in 1994 as an attender, and in 1996 as an employee, to reveal Himself to me and to bring me to a place of desperation before Him. He is continually unveiling that process in my life. The ways He has shown me Himself and shown me who I am before Him have drawn me to Him in ways I never would have imagined or guessed. From darkness to Light. From aloneness to Him, and a wonderful wife and children to boot. His grace is sufficient and has been displayed in my life through the halls of CPC and through His people here.

I like to say that our fingerprints are God's personal reminder to all of us that we are each hand-crafted by God himself. There was a time, not too long ago, where I thought that it was good enough just to please myself with my writing, my art, my creativity--even my life. But I came to College Park Church back in 1996 and I discovered that God owns everything. Even my fingerprints.

Now I know my life, and any ability or idea He chooses to express through me, is owned by the great and eternal triune God. My prayer is that I never outlive that love, grace, and supernatural patience. That prayer would include His favor on my wife, Marsha, and our three children, Noah, Karis, and Eva. May God be pleased with the lives He has made in each of us.

In 2003, the Lord graciously led me to work for the College Park satellite church in New Palestine, where my husband was already leading worship. In His mercy, God directed me to leave a 20 year career as a healthcare administrator, and what a joyous journey it has been. I now work full-time for College Park Church as an assistant to the Finance Director, processing all contributions for the main church and satellite churches. It is such a blessing to daily serve our God and Savior in His Church alongside my co-workers.

I was 12 when I started attending College Park Church with my family. I became a volunteer with the Tech Ministry as soon as they would take me and have worked behind the scenes for many years. When the opportunity became available to come on staff, I prayed with my wife and decided that this was God's calling for my life. It is a pleasure to serve the body of Christ using the gifts that God has given me.

I received Christ when I was about four years old. At the age of 14 I dedicated my life to Him for full-time ministry. He led me to Moody Bible Institute, where I met my husband, Lee, and we pastored for 36 years until his homegoing in 1997. I am happy to once again be engaged in church ministry.

My name is Jesus González and I have been married for 15 years to my wife Yadira, who has been a great support in my life. God has blessed us with four daughters, Melvin, Ashley, Sirlene, and Esther.

I was raised in a Catholic home in Mexico, but it wasn't until December of 1995 that I became a Christian. After my conversion I began to feel the call to teach and preach the Word of God. I began training for this by correspondence and I am currently enrolled at Crossroad's Bible College.

Through God's providence in my life, I have been serving as the pastor of La Vid Verdadera, a Spanish language church for over three years. Our church meets at the College Park Church Ministry Center,  The mission of La Vid Verdadera is to reach souls for Christ in the Hispanic community of Indianapolis through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and the love of Christ. I am thankful to CPC for its important role in planting our church and for the continued support and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for La Vid Verdadera and CPC.

Mi nombre es Jesús González y he estado casado por 15 años con mi esposa Yadira, quien ha sido un gran apoyo en mi vida. Dios nos ha bendecido con cuatro Hijas (Melvin, Ashley, Sirlene y Esther).

Yo crecí en un hogar Católico en México pero fue hasta Diciembre de 1995, que me hice cristiano. Después de mi conversión, empecé a sentir el llamado de enseñar y predicar la Palabra de Dios. Empecé a entrenarme por correspondencia y ahora estoy registrado en Crossroad's Bible College.

A través de la providencia de Dios en mi Vida, yo he venido sirviendo como pastor de La Vid Verdadera por más de tres años. La misión de La Vid Verdadera es alcanzar las almas de la comunidad Hispana de Indianápolis por medio de la predicación y enseñanza del Evangelio y el amor de Cristo. Estoy muy agradecido con La Iglesia College Park por su importante aportación para plantar nuestra iglesia y por su continuo apoyo. Y estoy muy ansioso de ver las bendiciones que Dios tiene para La Vid Verdadera.

My journey with College Park Church began when there were less than 100 attending, during the tail end of the Holiday Inn days. Through the years I've not only watched the attendance grow but have also been blessed to see God's sovereign hand guide and direct in building locations, mission programs/projects, touching lives, the hiring of gifted and talented staff personnel and most importantly, His Word powerfully impacting lives and growing believers, myself as much as anyone. In August of 1998, God blessed me with the opportunity to work hand in hand with a very godly staff serving CPC while assisting Dave Crichlow, the previous administrator. Shortly thereafter I began working in the financial arena under the direction of the College Park Treasurer Rob Loy which was a great opportunity and learning experience. The financial team has continued to grow over the last four years and it is our privilege to serve at CPC as we strive to honor God with accuracy, precision, and integrity.

After several invitations from friends, who were growing in their passion for Jesus Christ as a result of the powerful pulpit ministry of College Park Church, my wife and I began making the trip from Columbus, Indiana. The preaching of God's word truly energized us with the desire to know Jesus Christ more. Along with that came a renewed desire to know His will for our lives. As the years have passed, we've come to know more about the unlimited patience and immeasurable love of God in Christ Jesus as He has continued to grant us a spirit of wisdom of revelation to know and enjoy Him more!

My name is Joe Bartemus and I am responsible for adult education as well as other pastoral duties at CPC. I love theology and the study of the Scriptures and I love to learn from others and share in the development of the lives of God's people in knowing Him more fully and serving Him with great passion. I have been blessed with a great wife Cathy who teaches music at Heritage Christian school and three super kids, Tami, Joe, and Christi (married to Dan) who live far, far away - but we see each other fairly regularly, especially at our summer vacations at Myrtle Beach. 

I was saved as a very young child growing up in a Christian family. I went to a Christian school and college and then taught in a Christian high school on Long Island, NY, for three years. I then sensed that God wanted me to be equipped to teach His word better so I journeyed to Grace Seminary in Indiana and received an MDiv. degree. God in his providence opened up the opportunity to return to my home church in Maryland and I pastored there for three years. After that enjoyable ministry, God led me back to Indiana through some very difficult family issues. I worked as a manager in a manufacturing plant in Carmel for almost 12 years before God opened up an opportunity for me to return to ministry here at College Park Church. It has been a real blessing to be back in the ministry, though it was exciting to be involved in ministry those years when I was not on staff. I have had many great opportunities to teach (many classes like Greek, hermeneutics, Old Testament and New Testament surveys, etc.). I have been blessed to do some counseling, preaching, marrying, burying, mission tripping, and all the things that involve the life of the church. It has been fun to minister with my brother on staff as well and to be involved in a church for over 20 years as a "lay person" as well as a staff pastor. God has been good to me and there is nothing as fulfilling as serving the church of Christ which He bought with His blood.

Since joining the staff in 1999 the Lord has allowed me to understand the purpose of the scripture found in II Corinthians 4:7 (ESV), "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." He has allowed me to see how He uses simple 'clay jars' for His own glory. It continues to be a privilege to serve Christ by serving our staff through 'taking stones out of their way' in order that College Park's ministry vision may be realized. I count it a privilege to be able to do this in partnership with my wonderful wife and five children.

Since becoming a part-time staff member in the fall of 2004, I have been blessed each and every time I have walked through the church doors. It's been an amazing place to be able to serve the Lord, but to be honest, I have received so much more from the people here than I could ever give in return. I thank our Lord for His loving grace and mercy in bringing me on staff at CPC.

My husband and I began attending College Park Church when we moved to Indianapolis during the fall of 2007, and we became members in April 2008.  I love being at this church each Sunday because I am challenged by the teaching of God's Word.  I am also blessed to be a part of a body of believers that, beyond the Sunday service, is so intentional about applying the Word to everything that is done in service to the local community and around the world.  I am so thankful that the Lord led us to College Park and that I now have the opportunity to serve on staff.  I have been blessed by all that the Lord has done, and look forward to being a part of what He has for College Park Church in the future. 

My husband and I came to College Park in the early 90's. We found a place that was teaching God's word in a way we had never experienced. Although College Park is large, we found "smallness" by joining a small group that was filled with people who love each other, and above all, love Jesus Christ. We both serve in the Nursery because we believe, as does College Park, that a firm foundation built on Jesus Christ starts with our babies.

I have been a member of College Park since 1995, and through God's wonderful orchestration, I left the corporate world to come on staff in 2000. I love my ministry to women and I'm especially passionate about one-on-one discipleship and counseling women from the Word of God. Nothing is more exciting than watching God change a person in their heart - both initially at conversion and then, day by day during sanctification. I also love to equip other women to accurately handle the Scriptures to come alongside those who are needing biblical counsel. I am grateful to God for my ministry, my salvation, and His new mercies toward me every morning. In my free time I love to read, garden, play with my dog, and be an aunt to my two nieces and one nephew.

God brought my family to Indianapolis through a job transfer more than seven years ago. I have been married for 24 years to my husband, Rusty, and we have four children. I have been blessed to be able to homeschool my kids for 11 years. God directed our family to College Park as we searched for a church with Bible-based teaching and preaching, along with a dynamic and Bible-centered children's ministry. What a blessing it is to serve Jesus every week at College Park in both the children's and counseling ministries. He has taught me so much about His amazing grace and how sweet it is to live in complete dependency on Him.

Although I was a believer when I came to College Park Church, I did not understand what it meant to grow in Christ. Through the accurate preaching and teaching of God's Word, I have grown and continue to grow and serve here at CPC. God has given me the desire to see others also understand and apply the Bible to their daily lives. As I serve in the counseling department I am able to see God change people's lives as they, too, learn the power of God's Word.

I first came to College Park Church in 1999 and then became a member in 2001.  Over the years, God has used the people and ministries of CPC to ignite in my heart a passion for Jesus and to not take His grace and mercy on my life for granted.  I am humbled and grateful to God for the opportunity to serve on staff, assisting our Administrative Pastor, since September of 2008.

3 years ago, while living in New Jersey, our family was met with some hostility within the public school system regarding our Christian faith. This event led me to decide to transfer to Tennessee to get my children into a different school. Shortly before moving, I came to see a friend in Indiana who suggested I visit College Park Church while in town. I became very excited after hearing the powerful preaching and teaching and decided right there I was going to move my family to Indianapolis so that we could become members. Upon hearing my plan, friends and coworkers told me I was crazy for going to a place where I had no employment and very few connections, but I had faith that God would provide. God has provided. I now serve at the church on weekends and our family attends the Arabic Church at CPC.

It has been obvious through the years that God was preparing me for my opportunity at College Park Church. My background has been in the medical field and I have found that a hurting heart is not that different than a hurting body. I have been blessed to have a position where I can use my gifts to listen, laugh and cry with the people of CPC. It always blesses me to see someone come in who is at the end of themselves, and through biblical counseling, find out that God's Word gives them hope and a future. It is a privilege to serve the Lord here in this way.

God began to shape my heart for the nations before I was even aware of the nations. Born to missionary parents in Pakistan, I had the privilege of growing up there as a third culture kid. However, it wasn't until college that God really began to awaken my heart to the plight of peoples like the ones I had grown up with in Pakistan, those who have not only not heard the Gospel but most likely never will because there are so few believers in their people group. God led me along with my wife and family back to Pakistan, where we served for 14 years in theological education with TEAM. Then He brought us back to the States, surprisingly, in 2000 with some health issues. Now, in His gracious sovereignty, He has us serving at College Park Church in the capacity of challenging, preparing, and enabling cross-cultural messengers of the Gospel.

My wife and I have attended College Park Church since June 2007. Since attending, we've become more aware (and grateful) of the preeminence of Jesus Christ. We have seen the Lord work in the lives of those around us through the ministries of College Park. In 2008, I was given the privilege to come on staff to coordinate church communications and to provide support to the Lead Pastor.

At seven years of age, I acknowledged my need for Jesus to forgive me of my sins, but it was not until my college years at Indiana University that God revealed to me, from the Bible, my need to surrender to His lordship as well. So, in 1993, I completely gave my life to Jesus. In 2000, God allowed me to serve internationally with The Jesus Film Project for two years. Through that experience God opened my eyes to His love for the nations. Upon returning to Indianapolis I became a member of College Park Church and began getting involved in both local and global opportunities. Through my Sunday school class, I soon met my beautiful wife, Laurel, who grew up on the mission field in Guatemala. On staff since June 2008, it is such an honor and joy for me to serve in the Global Outreach department here at CPC. My wife and I are committed to following God no matter where He has us stationed, whether it is in the USA or among the nations.

My husband and I and our three small children were invited to College Park Church in 1987 by Jevne Livengood. We were hungry for the solid meat of God's Word and how to apply it to our lives. We were also looking for friendship and a sense of belonging to a community of faith. God abundantly met those desires through the people and biblical teaching here at CPC, and continues to do so today. Our kids are grown now and I am so thankful to the Lord for the solid foundation of Truth we all have upon which we continue to build and grow in our relationships with Christ. I am overjoyed to now be serving on staff in the senior high youth ministry, helping that legacy continue for other families as well.

I was born to Christian parents who brought me along as they served in their ministries. At the age of six years old, I understood I was a sinner and deserved eternal separation from God, but through Christ, I could have eternal life. It was at this point I put my faith in Christ and became a Christian. God brought my husband, John, and me to College Park Church in 1987. After several years of volunteering in Children's Ministries, I was brought on staff in 1999 to direct our Preschool and Elementary Sunday Schools. One of the things that God has made clear to me while here at CPC, is that He is sovereign and always accomplishing His purposes. John and I have been married since 1986 and have four teenagers, a girl and three boys.

I was blessed and privileged to have grown up in a Christian home with wonderful, committed parents. I remember accepting Christ at the age of six with my mother in our living room. We regularly attended our church of where I also attended high school. It was at this church that I also met my husband and we were married. From very early on we served in Children's Ministries. We still have had that same passion for Children's Ministries for almost 30 years. We are just as passionate about serving others by way of our Compassion Ministries. The blessings we have received can never match to what we have given.

Saved by the grace of God at Vacation Bible School, God led my heart to long for all children to know the love of Jesus Christ. During my family's 15 years at College Park we have had the opportunity to serve in many different children's ministries. In the beginning of 2007, I was given the privilege to come on staff for Next Generation Ministries working with and for the children of our church. I am blessed to know the love of Christ and to share it with the children of our church.

I have been attending College Park Church since 2001 and have been encouraged and challenged in my walk with Christ and spiritual growth by participating in corporate worship, Sunday school, and a weekly Men's Bible Study. It has been a wonderful blessing to be on staff here since October 2007 and work with others who point me to Christ every day.

Several years ago God brought me, as a patient, to the hospital of College Park Church. While wrestling through an extraordinarily dark period in my life, the staff and people of CPC encouraged me daily and challenged me with the Word of God. Although I grew up in the church, this was the first time as an adult that I witnessed what it was to be in a community of believers living out their faith. Because Jesus chased me down and surrounded me with people who love Him, my life has changed dramatically and by his grace I continue to grow and serve here at College Park Church.