Dan and Michelle both grew up not too far from Gunpowder. Dan is from the Hanover area, and Michelle is from Waynesboro, PA. They met at Appalachian Bible College in WV and married in 1994. 

 

From 2001-2007, they served as missionaries in the Philippines with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. 

 

In 2007, they moved back to Pennsylvania to take on the role of local directors for a Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) chapter. For 17 years, they led Good News Clubs and Good News Camp for children in two counties.

 

They served in that role until 2023. Dan, who works as an online faculty member for Liberty University, started pastoring at Gunpowder in 2025 in a bi-vocational role. Dan earned an MDiv and PhD in Evangelism from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Michelle earned her MATS and PhD in Leadership from Liberty University. She currently serves as the state director of CEF of Maryland.

 

They have four children: Cora is married to Seth, and they are both schoolteachers in Oklahoma City. Caleb works for a CEF chapter in Pennsylvania. Jacob works as a computer engineer for Textron Industries in Hunt Valley. Olivia is pursuing a PhD in metallurgical engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

 

They consider themselves blessed to serve alongside the wonderful people of Gunpowder Baptist Church. They are excited to see how God is going to strengthen and grow this amazing church.