Keynote Speaker
Reverend Christopher Thoma |
Host
Pastor Jeremy Schossau |
Emcee
Fr. Adam Nowak |
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Keynote Speaker
Reverend Christopher Thoma
“Get in the Game; Take to the Field for Life”
Senior Pastor, Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church
Hartland, MI
Reverend Christopher I. Thoma serves as pastor of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church & School in Hartland, Michigan.
Pastor Thoma is deeply involved in issues pertaining to the relationship between the Church and the public square. He regularly engages with executive, legislative, and judicial leaders at the local, state, and federal levels, not only to communicate the concerns of Christians, but to carry back knowledge and resources to his congregation and the Christian community at large. He is involved in the efforts of various action committees in Lansing, Michigan. He is the director of the annual “The Body of Christ and the Public Square” conference. He is frequently called upon to address listeners at various gatherings, including religious liberty rallies, Michigan Right to Life and Lutherans for Life assemblies, and theological conferences. Additionally, he continues to be an invited guest on local and national radio stations to speak to current political issues as they intersect with the Christian perspective.
Pastor Thoma is a frequent contributor to “The Lutheran Witness” magazine, “The Reporter” newspaper, and offers regular content for a number of various theological and political media outlets. He provides a steady stream of editorial pieces for local newspapers and has a fixed segment on metro-Detroit radio entitled “A Minute to Stop and Think with Pastor Christopher Thoma.”
In the spring of 2017, Pastor Thoma was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship from Salt & Light Global Wilberforce Academy (Great Lakes Justice Center).
Pastor Thoma is an avid writer, having written notable volumes such as Kids in the Divine Service, Feeding the Lambs: A Worship Primer for Teachers of Children, The Homiletical Canvas: Poetry in Service to Preaching, Ten Ways to Kill a Pastor, and Type One Confessional: God, a Pastor, and a Girl with Type 1 Diabetes.
Pastor Thoma is married to Jennifer. They have four children—Joshua, Madeline, Harrison, and Evelyn.
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Our Host Pastor
Pastor Jeremy Schossau
Lead Pastor, Metro City Church
Taylor & Riverview MI
If one word was used to describe Pastor Jeremy it would have to be: PASSIONATE! If he loves something he’s selling it. He loves Chipotle…and he let’s everybody know it. He loves music…and he’ll tell you all about it. He loves history and if you let him, he’ll bore you to death with it!
And it’s not a fake kind of a passion either. He gets fired up about all kinds of things in life and nothing gets him more fired up then his love for Jesus and the local church. Pastor J, as most people call him, truly believes that the local church is the hope of the world.
Pastor Jeremy is an entrepreneur at heart. At 19 he started a small ‘building business’ and became a licensed General Building Contractor. The business grew and grew and he loved doing what he did in the market place. But his real passion was God’s church and God’s kingdom being built into the hearts of people. So while working the marketplace as a building contractor he went to and graduated from Bible College with a Bachelors in Student Ministry/Theology and Minored in Psychology. And it was during college that together with his wife Lynette that they started a small ‘Youth Ministry’ in the Downriver Community.
Early on in his life he was petrified to get up in front of a crowd but God has somehow used that weakness to grow something good. After Spending his 20’s in the marketplace and as a Student Pastor, in the fall of 2000, God planted the desire to start and pastor a ‘grown ups’ church. He wanted to build the kind of church that unchurched people would love. He wanted to build the kind of place where The Bible would be taught and a relationship with God would be made real to people. He dreamed of a different kind of church, one that is modern and relevant…a good kind of different.
So, at 30 years of age,‘while young and dumb’ as Pastor J likes to say, he and Lynette started Metro in their living room in Taylor, Michigan! And it’s been an amazing ride since. He says he’s learned more than he’s ever taught, received more than he’s ever sacrificed, been loved more than he’s ever loved.
Early on in his life he was petrified to get up in front of a crowd but God has somehow used that weakness to grow something good. Pastor Jeremy is the Lead Pastor at Metro and brings all his passion for life, Jesus and the Christian faith in his communication. Expect creativity, humor and spiritual depth when you hear him teach at our Weekend Experiences.
Pastor Jeremy has been married to Lynette for 29 years…he was 18 and she was 19 when they married! They have four amazing, loving and talented kids. They home educated all of their children. Pastor Jeremy loves to read and is a history buff and he’s really into his kid’s music. (Check out ALIVE | CITY on Spotify. That’s his kid’s band!!!) Their family loves music, camping and traveling. Most of all, the Schossau's love each other and the church that God has allowed them to be a part of!
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Our Emcee
Fr. Adam Nowak
Associate Pastor, St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church
Allen Park, MI
Fr. Adam Nowak is a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit and serves as Associate Pastor at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Allen Park. He was ordained on 08 June 2019 after graduating from Sacred Heart Major Seminary with degrees in theology and philosophy.
