ABOUT PHIL AND ELIZABETH

Phil and Elizabeth Stepnowski got married October 2018 in Lansing, Michigan with a firm foundation in Jesus Christ and serving God with their whole lives. Phil grew up in the west suburbs of Chicago in a Polish Catholic family and accepted Christ at a Young Life camp when he was 17. God took him to 3 different colleges and a variety of majors, but eventually graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Social Work from Calvin College (now Calvin University) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Elizabeth grew up in a Christian home in Lansing, Michigan and has

only grown deeper in her relationship with God as she’s grown older. Elizabeth graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Spanish.

 

God has taken them across the continent from Michigan to Costa Rica and Mexico and has taught them a lot about disciple-making and the richness of Latin American culture. While on an MCMD trip to Costa Rica in early 2019, God put in them a call to be missionaries, though they didn’t yet know what that would look like. In August of 2019, God clarified His vision for them by asking them to stay in Lansing to be local missionaries there. Phil worked as the 5th -8th Grade Coordinator at Trinity Church from September 2019 - June 2021 and is now full-time with MCMD. He is a middle school small group leader at Trinity and is also actively involved in discipling men in their 20s through Network 20 International. Elizabeth served with Americorps as the Garden Coordinator at the South Lansing Community Development Association (SLCDA) from Fall 2019 - Fall 2021, while also serving with Trinity’s middle school ministry. She joined Phil full-time on MCMD Staff at the end of September 2021. They are intentional about investing in the neighbors around them and are living in the Churchill Downs neighborhood on the southside of Lansing, Michigan.