July 27, 2024 ~ Pastor Lorenzo Sewell grew up in Detroit, and while in high school, his father went to prison and his younger brother was killed. He then became a drug dealer, but a "Damascus Road" encounter with God transformed his life and he then earned a B.A. in General Bible Studies from Destiny University. From 2013 to 2018, he was the Lead Pastor at Woodside Bible Church's Pontiac Dream Center. Since 2019 he's been the Lead Pastor of Evangel Ministries/180 Church of Detroit.

July 20, 2024 ~ Mark McVey grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, earning a B.A. in Marketing from Marshall University. In 1991, he won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor as he made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables." Since then, he has played as Jean Valjean in 3,265 performances. In 1997, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with Marvin Hamlisch and was Marvin's tenor of choice for 22 years performing with the greatest symphonies around the world.

July 13, 2024 ~ Patrick Rugiero grew up in Dearborn, Michigan and began working at his family's restaurant at age 10 as a dish washer, box folder, and bus boy. He earned a bachelor's degree in business and psychology from the University of Michigan. In 1964, his parents, Antonio Sr. and Enrica aka "Mamma Rita," founded Roman Village Cucina Italiana in Dearborn, Michigan. Since 1980, he's been the executive director of Roman Village Restaurant Group, including four Antonio's Cucina Italiana restaurants. Since 2018, he's been the board chair of Life Directions.

July 6, 2024 ~ Jack Lintol grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan, earning a BA and an MBA in Accounting from Michigan State University. From 1994 to 1999, he was the Vice President for Credit Acceptance. From 2007 to 2017, he was the COO of Auto Credit Express. From 2018 to 2021, he was the CEO, President, and COO of Detroit Trading Company. In 2021, at age 53, he said "I came to the end of myself."

June 29, 2024 ~ Bethany Madonna grew up in Melbourne, Florida, earning a bachelor's degree in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Central Florida. In 2007, she joined the Sisters of Life and made her final vows in 2015. The Sisters of Life is a contemplative/active Roman Catholic community of religious women who profess the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The fourth vow is to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.

June 22, 2024 ~ Ben Carter grew up moving around, from Virginia to Alabama, Detroit, Switzerland, then back to Detroit. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Michigan. From 1988 to 2005, he held various executive level positions at Oakwood Healthcare. From 2005 to 2010, he was executive vice president of the Detroit Medical Center. He joined Trinity Health in 2010 and has been the executive vice president and COO of Trinity Health since 2020, which is one of the largest non-profit, faith-based healthcare systems in the nation.

June 15, 2024 ~ Mike Zafirovski was born in Macedonia and emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio at age 15. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Edinboro University, where he captained the swimming and soccer teams. During his corporate career, he served as President and CEO at Nortel, Motorola, and five GE businesses. From 2011 to 2021, he was an executive advisor to the Blackstone Group. Since 2012, he's been the founder, chairman and president of The ZAF Group.

June 8, 2024 ~ Mark Middendorf grew up in Chicago, Illinois, earning a B.S. in Marketing from Northern Illinois University and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University. From 2005 to 2015, he was the founder and president of Lighthouse Catholic Media. In 2015, he led the launch of the FORMED platform. Since 2022, he's been the president of Ave Maria University, which is a Catholic, liberal arts institution of higher learning devoted to Mary the Mother of God and inspired by St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta.

June 1, 2024 ~ Ross Woodstock grew up in Howell, Michigan, earning a bachelor's degree in management of human resources from Spring Arbor University and a master's degree in management and administrative services from the University of Texas at Dallas. For 20 years, he was an Executive Coach/Leadership Consultant/Author and speaker for Kolt Communications, Inc. On September 21, 2007, his wife Sharen suffered a devastating stroke. Ross then authored "Lead to Lift Up Others: Leadership Insights from a Caregiver's Journey."

May 25, 2024 ~ John Wentzand grew up in Lostant, Illinois, earning a bachelor's and master's degree in Evangelism and Church Planting from Lincoln Christian University. From 1999 to 2006, he helped launch several campus ministries at various universities. Since 2022, he's been the CEO of Alph

a USA. Alpha is a safe place to ask spiritual questions and explore the Christian faith.