Who We Are

BA in English Education from Elmira College MDiv at Capital Bible Seminary Currently in dissertation phase of DMin We have loved Forcey ever since I interned in children’s ministry and directed the Day Camp in the early 2000s. We served for 13 years in Buffalo NY before returning to the DMV and Forcey. Meg and I met in college where we both came to trust in Jesus. We will be married for 20 years this August. She is a gifted singer, pre-school teacher, and mentor to young women. We have the privilege of parenting six amazing children from three different continents. Love coaching soccer, playing guitar and songwriting, disc golf, and bike trips with our kids. Our greatest passion is to help people know and follow Jesus, who has been so good to us. When you can’t find us around Forcey, we’re likely exploring state parks in Maryland or swimming in a mountain lake up in the Adirondacks of New York.

I am the pastoral intern at Forcey bible church, and have been interning here since June of 2019. I have my Bachelors in Pastoral Ministry from Lancaster Bible College, and am currently working on my Masters of Divinity at Capitol Bible Seminary. I am married to my awesome wife Anne Itzel since September of 2019, and we are currently living in Columbia. We love to spend our time serving together at Forcey, in the youth and young adult ministries, and seeing people grow together in knowledge and love for God. When we are not at Forcey, we like to spend time on walks with our dog or biking around the neighborhood.

I’m the oldest of 5 children. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. I’ve been married to my wonderful wife, Megan since October of 2015. We welcomed our smart, beautiful daughter, Addison into the world in July of 2020. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian household. Both of my parents came to know the Lord in their teens. They met, and got married, here at Forcey. They made a point to teach us about Jesus and the sacrifice He made to pay the price for our sins. I can’t remember a time not knowing who Jesus is. Because of them I accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation and began a relationship with Him at the age of 4. Favorite Verses: There are two verses that have always stood out to me. The first is John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The second is John 11:35 – Jesus wept. Both show God’s love for us in similar yet different ways. God loves us enough that He paved a way for us to have an eternal relationship with Him through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (John 3:16). He didn’t have to pay the price for our sins, but He did so because He loves us and wants to have an eternal relationship with us. I feel that John 11:35 shows the emotional aspect of God’s love toward us. Jesus, being God, knew Lazarus was going to die, and the He would raise Lazarus from the dead(read all of John 11 😉). Knowing the outcome could have removed emotion from Jesus in this situation. Instead, He felt deeply for the sorrow of Mary and Martha and the loss of his friend Lazarus. Passions – I’ve always been drawn to music. I played clarinet in elementary school. I really like the saxophone, but we couldn’t afford one, and we had an old clarinet my dad used to play. Figured that was the next best thing… I also loved singing along to the radio, movies, and pretty much anything with words as a kid. One of my earliest memories was listening to, and attempting to mimic, an old Mariah Carey CD in the basement. I pursued singing as I got older. I sang in choirs, sang with praise bands, run sound for worship, led a choir for a year, and even led worship with UMD CRU for a short time. In my early 20s I pursued a singing career. I never followed through with it, but I did win the Country category of a big performing arts competition in California one year. I’ve always loved helping to lead in worship. I believe God will provide the opportunity again, but for now God has filled my time with family, work, and serving Him in other capacities. Other Passion? –In some ways I’d say I’m a perfectionist. I want things to work well, run smoothly, and get done correctly. I also want to see truth prevail. I think, for me, they go hand in hand. I Corinthians 10:31 plays a part in this for me – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. For me, that means doing everything to the best of my ability. If we have knowledge and truth of the many aspects of life, and try to make wise decisions with that information, we can be more efficient and better live out the lives God has given us. We can help more, fail less, and love better if we have full knowledge and understanding of the matter at hand. This impacts my approach to politics, relationships, work, family, and anything other situations I may be face. I’m not perfect, and never will be, but I hope and pray that this approach to life will help honor and glorify God.