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Matthew Deprez is the Lead Pastor at Inspire. He has been in full-time ministry since 2005 and married his wife, Megan, in 2007. Everybody agrees she's way cooler than him and likes to make fun of his weird obsessions, like racquetball, documentaries and tattoos. After struggling through years of infertility, God opened the door for them to adopt both of their sons (Isaiah and Silas) from birth, and they're passionate about adoption advocacy.
In addition to pastoring, Matthew also spent a few years working for the Fuller Youth Institute, where he resourced and trained thousands of church leaders at some of the largest churches in the United States. Holding a Master’s Degree in Family Ministry, Matthew has become a nationally recognized speaker and thought-leader, and has spoken at some of the leading family ministry conferences in the world. He is passionate about intergenerational ministry and has pioneered research studying the way grandparents shape the faith of their grandchildren. Matthew has authored or coauthored multiple books and is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church.
Matt is so committed to serving Jesus and others! His servant heart is evident in his role as Executive Pastor as he oversees the daily operations of Inspire Church including all the building maintenance, First Impressions/Connections, Care Coordination, Treasurer, Worship Ministry and Missions. His desire to honor the calling on his life to ministry is evident in everything he does. He has an incredible wife and two amazing kids and they love to spend quality family time together.
Moving back home to the West Michigan area in 2021, it wasn't long before Mike and his family found Inspire Church. Along with his wife, Joni, and their two boys (Miles and Otis), they love living on family farmland, just west of the city of Big Rapids.
At the age of 14, Mike experienced God's call to serve in worship ministry. From that time forward, He has been serving the local church. From student ministries to church planting, and church revitalization efforts to strong and long-established churches, Mike has followed God's leading, trusting the Holy Spirit to empower at each step of the way.
Alongside serving at Inspire, Mike also serves full-time with our denomination, The Wesleyan Church, helping to engage churches in the global mission and supporting the Wesleyan church around the world.
Originally born and raised in Indiana, Brady has called Michigan home for over 10 years. He loves Jesus, his wife Linda, his daughter Hannah and son Jack, student ministry, and football! Brady strives to lead his family closer to Jesus and help students develop a love for Jesus that will sustain them throughout their lifetime!
Esther puts a lot of energy into creating safe and fun environments where kids can learn about Jesus! It’s a place where faith, imagination, and learning go hand-in-hand and it’s a place where loving God is cool! We think church should be fun for kids and Esther creates experiences that are blast for kids of all ages! Esther is married to Ben and together they have 4 sons. They've been missionaries in Africa with Africa Inland Mission and their passion for sharing Jesus with others is evident in all they do! Esther does an amazing job making sure your children are loved and well taken care of while you enjoy the service!
Megan didn't just come along for the ride when her husband, Matthew became the lead pastor at Inspire in 2022. She brings with her much experience in Children's Ministry. Megan has a big heart and is very creative in engaging kids to learn to love God. Being a mom to her two boys, Isaiah and Silas, is very important to her as she relates with parents who want the best for their families in training them to grow up to be like Jesus. Megan also loves wood working, doing fun projects around the house, reading, baking and trying new recipes. Megan makes the best chocolate cookies.
Jesse Powers is an Eagle Scout, a dog dad to an energetic golden retriever, Duke, and hungry to serve the Lord! (he’s also hungry for ice cream – his weakness!) Jesse is following a calling into youth ministry. As a Resident at Inspire Church, he’s excited to learn and grow his faith and in knowledge of our God. He has quite a few valuable life experiences that help him connect with others. He finds it life-giving to serve as the Director of Gamer Chapel, which is Inspire White Cloud's youth ministry. Jesse also works full-time as a mobile technician for farm/construction equipment. That being said, some days he may look a lot like Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown; all covered in dirt! Jesse is fully dedicated to the Lord and to helping others.
Linda has always had a great love for people and thinks it has something to do with her Italian heritage. She loves meeting new people and making others feel special. Linda, and her incredibly supportive husband, Jim, share four awesome children: Shaun (28), Anna (25), Julie (24) and son-in-law Bryce (27). In her free time she loves reading, drawing and painting in her art room and hunting for rocks and fossils.
Having grown up as a Wesleyan “PK,” Val truly finds great joy in serving at Inspire, be it through Care ministry, praise team/band, in the nursery, or on the LBA (church board). Having retired from over 30 years of teaching elementary school, Val happily fills her time with her roles of Scott Jensen’s wife, mom of 4 young adults (plus their spouses), and grandma of (currently) 3 adorable granddaughters. What does she do for fun? She loves taking care of her granddaughters, spending time with family and dear friends, making music (whether singing or playing or both), listening to music, cooking & baking, reading, and driving
Tiffany brings a smile to work with her every day. Her outgoing personality adds a positive atmosphere to our church office. Tiffany loves praise and worship, diving into a good devotional, and sharing Christ through relationships with friends and family. She is an active member here at Inspire Church, where she and her family serve in many ministries. In her spare time, you can find her working in the church garden, or on her hobby farm with her husband Jason. She enjoys animals, canning, and learning food preservation methods. Jason and Tiffany are parents to 5 children, and one grandson, who fills their heart with joy!
