ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

Maranatha’s purpose is to foster and develop gospel clarity, biblical depth, and a noticeable Christian community in the local areas God has placed us. We teach God’s Word faithfully and passionately. We pray fervently for His will to be done in and through our church. We expectantly share the gospel in hope. We desire that those who are lost will be saved and that those who are saved will be strengthened in faith by Jesus. We purposely care for all people—displaying the love of Christ and endeavoring to equip the whole church body to join in the mission of the kingdom.

What we believe

WHAT WE BELIEVE

THE TRINITY. We believe that the true God is one, triune God, who reveals Himself as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Godhead possess distinct attributes but do not mean any division of nature, essence, or being in God.

GOD THE FATHER. We believe that God the Father reigns with providential care over His entire universe, according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise.

GOD THE SON. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who was born of a virgin and is both fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life, and His substitutionary death on the cross paid the penalty for sin. He was raised from the dead in bodily form, ascended into Heaven, and will return in power and judgment.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s presence within Christians. He convicts, cultivates, and comforts the believer and is the guarantee that God will bring the Christian into the fullness of Christ.

THE BIBLE. We believe that the Scriptures are divinely inspired and are God’s revelation of Himself to man. The Bible is true and trustworthy, and sufficient to teach and instruct the believer.

MAN. We believe that God created mankind in His image. He created them male and female to be equal in personhood, but distinct in role. All mankind has transgressed against God and is guilty of sin.

SALVATION. We believe that salvation means the redemption of the believer and the restoration to relationship with God. Salvation is only by the grace of God, and through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

THE CHURCH. We believe that the Church is God’s vehicle to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Church practices baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As members of local churches, believers are called to give of their time, talent and finances.

END TIMES. We believe that God will bring the world to an end in His own time and in His own way. At that time, Jesus Christ will return to the earth to judge all mankind in righteousness. The righteous will exist with God in Heaven forever, while the unrighteous will spend eternity in Hell, separated from God.

EVANGELISM. We believe that it is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ to witness to the Gospel, in an effort to make disciples of all nations. In addition, some believers are called to the work of global missions--to take the Gospel to unreached people groups.

FULL STATEMENT OF FAITH

WHAT OUR NAME MEANS

Maranatha is an Aramaic word that means, "Come, Lord." As the early church faced intense persecution, believers in Jesus Christ found comfort in the promise of Christ’s return. The greeting "Maranatha" became a common encouragement among Christians during times of hardship. The writer of the book of Hebrews refers to the Christian’s life on earth as an exile. As we endure the effects of a broken world we long for our heavenly home. We long for the end of suffering and sin. We long for Christ to return and establish his kingdom. We long to be united with God. Until that day, the cry, “Maranatha,” compels us to live urgently on mission, encouraging others to come to the Lord and find the joy, purpose, and life they long for.

CORE VALUES

The core values that guide Maranatha Community Church are founded in Acts 2:42-47. Here we see the early church relentlessly worshiping God and devoting themselves to teaching, prayer, community, and service. We seek to uphold these values as guideposts, learning from the new covenant church, which is established by Christ.

[42] “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44] And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

[ACTS 2:42-47]

WORSHIP

The human heart was created for worship. We are constantly worshiping what we love most, but God is the only one worthy of our unending affection. Worshiping God means first knowing him and then honoring him in everything we do. As a church, we proclaim God to be our good portion and our greatest treasure, that he would be glorified and we would be satisfied in him.

TEACHING

Biblical teaching is meant to build up and protect the church in order that everyone may be presented as mature in Christ. As a church, we submit ourselves to the teaching of the Word, believing that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

PRAYER

God has called us to pray. Through our prayers we demonstrate our dependence on God, our trust in God, and our worship of God as the all-sustaining and satisfying creator of the universe. Through Jesus Christ, we are able to come to God in prayer with full assurance that he hears us and will work for the good of those who love him.

COMMUNITY

We are designed to carry out our faith within the community of the church. If you have been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have been saved into the people of God. Within community, believers are equipped for ministry and spurred on toward love and good deeds. We bear one another’s burdens and encourage one another toward maturity in Christ. It is through our love for one another that individuals will know that we are his disciples.

SERVICE

As believers we emulate the servant-heart of Christ, not because God needs anything from us but that our heart might be set on that which is eternal and that our hope might be set on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. We serve by practicing sacrificial love toward our neighbor, the stranger, the widow, the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned, etc. Through our serving, we testify to God’s sufficiency and abundant grace in our lives.

STAFF

MEET OUR
STAFF & LEADERSHIP TEAM

Lead Pastor of Pickerington - Elder

JEFF BEISEL

Jeff and his wife Jen met in Orlando Florida and have since put down roots in Pickerington which is Jen’s hometown. Jeff has been serving in different ministry positions since 2005. It was in 2008 that Jeff and Jen began to process the desire to plant a church.

After years of prayer and preparation, God led Jeff to begin Maranatha Community Church in the summer of 2016. Over the next year Jeff and a group of other faithful members sought to officially open Maranatha on September 17th 2017.

Jeff and Jen have four daughters and see it as a blessing that God has given them the opportunity to raise them within this church community.

Lead Pastor of Canal Winchester - Elder

DAVID APPELT

David, a Southeast Columbus native, met his wife Rachel in 2015 while he was attending Capital University and she Cedarville University. They were married in 2017 and have continued to call central Ohio home ever since.

David has been involved in ministry since 2015 and has a specific passion for the Word of God being preached through singing. He has helped lead, administrate, and grow various church music ministries with the aim of equipping the saints. In addition to seeing the Word of God preached, David is also passionate about writing and men’s ministry.

David and Rachel are eager to join God’s mission through the local church and are desirous to help plant churches that go on to keep planting churches. Together, they are passionate about building deep, discipleship friendships and strong families that help share the gospel and extend the kingdom!

Music Ministry & Discipleship Director - Elder

RANDY SURFACE

Randy has been serving in ministry since shortly after he accepted Christ at the age of 18. In addition to his passion for leading the Church to worship God through music, Randy also loves to equip leaders, disciple young adult men, and encourage believers to use their giftings to glorify Christ and edify the body.

He and his wife, Sarah, met at Ohio University, where they were both involved with the worship team for Cru, a parachurch ministry. Together, Randy and Sarah have a heart for hospitality and helping people connect in a local church community. They have been married for over 16 years and became parents through adoption when their son Preston was born in 2015.

Lay Elder

JUSTIN ROLSTON

Over the past fifteen years, Justin has been involved in various church leadership positions and ministries. He has served as a deacon, community group leader, and teacher. He has also served in children’s ministries for all ages, volunteering in nursery and school-age classrooms, as well as leading as a youth group director.
Justin is eager to serve those around him, both inside and outside of the church—by meeting needs, sharing the gospel, practicing hospitality, and cultivating discipleship. He is passionate about investing in deep and authentic friendships, aimed at building up the body and spreading the gospel.

As an elder, Justin desires to encourage and support the leadership of Maranatha, while caring for and helping the body through "servant leadership" (Mark 10:42-45). His hope is that Maranatha’s congregation would be saturated in gospel-centric, Christ-exalting teaching and discipleship.

Operations Director - Deacon

HANNAH MCCARTHY

Hannah and her husband Kevin were a part of Maranatha’s core planting team. They met in college, at The Ohio State University, while leading Young Life at Pickerington High School North. Through this parachurch ministry, they gained a heart for the community of Pickerington. Before planting Maranatha, Hannah and Kevin were actively involved in Veritas Community Church. This church played a significant role in their understanding of church community, biblical teaching, and leadership.

Since graduating college, Hannah has spent time studying biblical counseling and is passionate about Bible literacy, women’s ministry, discipleship, and writing. Hannah and Kevin have enjoyed leading a community group—working to foster healthy relationships that equip individuals and build up the body of Christ.

Family Ministry Director - Deacon

KYLE BAFIA

Kyle graduated from the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago in 2017 with a major in Bible and Youth Ministry. He began attending Maranatha after a spontaneous conversation in a coffee shop with Jeff Beisel about Bible commentators and reformed theology.

Over the last several years, Kyle has served in various ministries focused on communicating the Gospel and building Christ-centered relationships. His experience has taken the form of street evangelism, outreach at public high schools in Chicago, Christian summer camp in Georgia, and traditional youth ministry in Ohio. He is passionate about biblical exposition, student ministry focused on practical theology, and building community within the local church.