“Let us run the race with endurance the race set before us …” (Hebrews 12:1)
Mike was raised in St. Louis, experiencing the ups and downs of the Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues. His father was a regional sales representative for Allstate Tires. Mike’s mother had a position in the banking industry that provided numerous opportunities for Mike to meet St. Louis Cardinal stars like Lou Brock and Stan Musial. Mike initially burned out on running during his high school years of football practice. Running hills was punishment for a poor team effort, and his Brentwood St. Louis high school football team was not very good! Mike prepared academically for his pastoral calling by acquiring a B.A. in Psychology from Culver-Stockton College, a Masters of Divinity from Emory University, and further doctoral work in Church Growth at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Later after relocating to Georgia, Mike pursued more Masters work in Adult Education and Gerontology (to assist us runners in the 70-74 age group) and Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Georgia. Mike has made a sincere effort to acquire as many degrees as Bo Ryles!
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Mike and DaughterMike and his wife Allison will have been married for forty years this coming November. They have two grown children and five grandchildren. Son Chris and his wife reside in Buford with their three children while daughter Catherine and her husband and two children live in nearby Cumming. Mike has been a pastor for “nearly all his life”, beginning his calling in the ministry in the fall of 1973. Mike has served churches in Missouri, Alabama, and Georgia. His pastoral experience included organizing a new church in the East Orange County, California communities of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. In the 1990 Mike had an eight-year stint outside of pastoral ministry where he worked with Christian Financial Concepts of Gainesville, GA-a ministry that taught how to manage money on Biblical principles. In his role with that ministry Mike traveled, training volunteer budget counselors and teaching church members to become debt free. Mike co-authored several books and workbooks, some of which are still in print-Money before Marriage, Hope When It Hurts, Money in Marriage, Damaged but not Broken, and Hope at the Bottom. Some of these would be good titles for races! Mike currently serves his Flat Creek Baptist Church of Gainesville family as pastor since the fall of 2011.
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Mike did not return to running until age 53, when he registered for his first of what will be this year his eighth Peachtree Road Race. To qualify Mike had to submit a 10K finish time, which he acquired while learning about age groups, points, and series. Despite not enjoying winter running (his joints hurt and as we say in the South “stove up”) and scheduling few races before March of each year, Mike peaked at eighty-eight races in 2010 and has been a familiar site at area races since then. He was “blessed” to meet and know Will Chamberlin, who encouraged Mike and many other race participants. Mike prefers running in hot weather. Among the hottest races, he has endured was a “Burning Up the Blacktop” in Athens and a 91 degree “Miles for Moriah” on 21 June 2016. He is thankful that he got hooked into the “Run and See Georgia” series, then connected with the Black Bag Race Series, and now Mark and Nancy Kelly in the AAA Health Race Series. The Flat Creek Baptist Church through Mike’s initiative has sponsored the Chris Gaunt 5K Run Over Parkinson’s for the last five years. The race honors Chris Gaunt, a Flat Creek member and runner now sidelined with Parkinson’s. The race to date has raised over $20,000 for Parkinson’s research. Those of us who know Mike know that he runs with a purpose!
Bob checking out from the back of the pack. Watch for the profile on Marie Jesweak and the profile of ageless Ken Brown.