U of M Main Church Staff
Bruce and Johnye Lynn Harpel are the senior leaders of Maranatha Christian Church. We have been leading young people since 1979. We are the parents of 5 wonderful children and the grandparents of 18 grandchildren. We love all of the excitement and joy that overflows in the events and social life of a young and vibrant church. Bruce is often quite disappointed that at 70, he can no longer beat the students in raquetball and other sports (including card games like spades.)
Pastors Parnell & Becky Mahoney have been involved with Maranatha since we were students at the University of Minnesota, and have been on staff since 2008. Parnell grew up in California in a secular home, and Becky is a Minnesota girl raised in a Christian home. The Lord used this ministry to win and train Parnell and to bring Becky deeper in her Christian walk. God brought us together in 2002 – a match made in heaven. We have six great kids that we homeschool, Becky enjoys writing and singing worship songs and cooking, and Parnell enjoys preaching, evangelizing, and making disciples. We both love seeing students come alive in intimate experience with Jesus Christ, showing hospitality, and adventure in the outdoors.
Peter & Amber Peterson are key players in the international student outreach (ISO) at Maranatha. Pete began attending Maranatha during his freshman year in college 16 years ago. Amber, as one of the senior pastor’s five children, has been attending Maranatha her whole life. We married in 2005. We currently have five adorable children with one more on the way. Our family’s vision is to serve as many international and college students as we can, in order to share the love of Jesus, and bring glory to God in doing so.