A Brief Background of Olivet
Olivet has been in the Muskegon community since the church was established in 1887. We are part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, which is an affiliation of churches with common beliefs. Our church family is made up of those who have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The “Free” in our name refers to that fact that we are free from state control and, also that we are led by the local congregation.
Our Beliefs:
“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ.”
We believe:
- that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and seek to live by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus is the Son of God who paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, rose again and is reigning with the Father.
- by trusting in Him alone for salvation, we can enter a personal relationship with God where we can grow and become more and more like Jesus.
- that the Holy Spirit enables us to grow and serve God and share Him with others.
Our Statement of Faith:
We have adopted the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Click here for more details.
Our Mission:
Our mission is directly tied to Jesus’ great commission in Mt 28:18-20. As followers of Christ, we see the need to be involved in reaching out to the community and the world to meet the needs of those around us. And every believer needs to be challenged to grow and be transformed in their walk with the Lord in order to make disciples who make more disciples.
Our Vision:
Olivet will stand as a vital lighthouse by cultivating a strong disciple-making culture and motivating God’s people to personally engage in meeting the needs of our community and the world.
We will be intentional about investing in children and young people to accomplish our Mission and our Vision.
Our Values:
Olivet is a unique body of believers with a shared set of values. Some of these are values we are actually practicing and others are values to which we aspire. Included are these:
- Preaching & teaching clearly God’s Word
- Supporting world missions for the Gospel
- Communicating with God through prayer
- Evangelizing & caring for our local community
- Loving relationships with one another
- Transforming lives through disciple-making
- Worshipping the Lord with heartfelt joy
- Creating change that promotes the Gospel
- Living authentically without hypocrisy
- Reaching children & youth for Christ
Our Staff:
Sam Burba
Sr Pastor
Sam and his wife, Taryn just joined the Olivet family in July! Sam comes to us from Shiloh Community Church in Phoenix, AZ where he served as Executive Pastor. He also has extensive experience with the Arizona Governors Office of Youth, Faith and Family Substance Abuse Initiatives. His passion is to lead the lost to Christ, teach sound doctrine, equip the church to meet the needs of the community and to disciple inividuals effectively for Christ. He and Taryn have four children, Luke, Audrey, Jackson and Ethan.
Debbie Randall
Office Administrator
Debbie is the face and voice of Olivet, including our previous Marquette campus for over 20 years. She and her husband, Warren, have been married for 40 years and has four adult children and 12 grandchildren.
Jana Erickson
Children’s Ministry Director
Jana and her husband Phil grew up as part of the Olivet family. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Calvin University. Jana has a passion for kingdom-expanding, heart transforming ministry to children. She and Phil have three children Teddy, Johanna and Ben that Jana also homeschools.
Matt Kooi
Student Ministries Pastor
Matt is the full-time Discipleship Pastor at the Muskegon Rescue Mission and serves part-time as our Pastor of Student Ministries. Matt grew up at Olivet and met his wife, Becky, as a student at Trinity University. He served as Youth Pastor for 9 years in Coldwater, MI. He then served as director of Spectrum Ministries for nine years, leading a team that ministered to the poor and needy in Tijuana, Mexico. Matt and Becky have 4 adult children and 1 grandchild.
April Mead
Outreach Coordinator
April and her husband, Brandon, have been part of the Olivet family for over 13 years. She was a youth leader for 10 years and has served in other various ways including Tech Team, Meal Makers, and Children’s Ministries. She finds joy in helping others and loves to see people find their gifts and use them for God’s glory. April and Brandon have 3 children.
Employment Opportunities
We currently have no open positions but welcome you to join us any time for our Sunday morning services!
