Students move into their cabins this weekend! Yay!

There’s a lot to learn about TAP, Mount Carmel, Quakes, how to live in community, spiritual formation…all sorts of good things. This is a “drinking from a firehose” week for students, but we make sure to have some fun this week too :)

We are thrilled to welcome Kendra Diehl back to teach for TAP! Kendra will be teaching on both Colossians as well as giving an introduction on basic biblical exegesis.

Kendra has been married to her husband Rob for 40 years, is blessed to have three adult children with wonderful life partners, and two kind, crazy, and creative grandsons. Kendra has recently served on staff with the Master’s Institute Seminary and teaches regularly at the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute.

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

This year we are thrilled to bring back Eric McIntyre for his second time teaching with The Awaken Project!

Eric is the Dean of Spiritual Formation and Contextual Leadership at the Master’s Institute Seminary. He has previously served as a worship minister in congregations in the Twin Cities and Fargo/Moorhead areas, and recently completed the Renovare Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation.  Eric is married to Kris - together they have two sons, a daughter, in-law children and two grandchildren and counting.

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

Make sure to bring your printed dictionaries for this week, because the self-proclaimed ‘savage saint’ and long-time Awaken Project supporter Paul Cross will be back teaching on the Inductive Bible Study method.

Paul resides in Fargo, North Dakota with his wife Rhonda. They have four grown children and four grandchildren. Paul tried retiring from pastoral ministry in 2022, but has recently been called to serve various congregations in an interim capacity. Paul has been a family camp speaker for Mount Carmel, taught at the Master’s Institute Seminary, and been a parish pastor for over thirty years.

Paul has three ‘Despicable Me Minions’ on his home study bookshelf that represent Trevor’s Awaken Project year! (Trevor’s is placed slightly above Joe and Jacob’s now.)

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:0am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

TAP students will be traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, to attend the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) annual gathering. This is a great opportunity for students to expand their ministry network, meet future TAP teachers, learn about the Greenhouse Collective, and explore their own ministry vocational aspirations.

This year’s students will have the opportunity to meet and connect with several Greenhouse ministry partners, program alumni, and supporters here.

Though Steve has long been a supporter of The Awaken Project, having taught several short-form classes during the program’s travels, we are extremely excited and grateful to welcome him for his first-year teaching for a full week at TAP!

Steve is married to Amy, and together they have two children. Steve holds a MDiv from Luther Seminary and a PhD from Duke University. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, and Chair of the LCMC Board of Trustees. Steve is also Provost and the Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at The Master’s Institute Seminary. He is also a member of the St. Hildegard Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.

Class sessions run from 9:00am-11:30am on Monday through Thursday. Wednesday will be an intensive with an additional session from 1:30pm-3:30pm. There is no Friday class for this teaching week. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

For the second year, we are thrilled to bring back Brian Spahr as a teacher! Brian will be drawing upon his experiences as a hospital chaplain and will be teaching students how to navigate grief within themselves, others, and the world around them.

Brian has a long standing history with TAP. He was on the original board of directors, his family donated our first-ever van (affectionately named Richard), and most importantly, Brian has been a wonderful source of wise counsel and friendship, long before TAP even became an organization. Brian resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana with his wife Michelle and their two teenage kids.

Brian’s 2025-2026 Class was voted the favorite by 4 of our 5 students!

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

The dynamic duo from Hutchinson, Minnesota return for a fifth year together of teaching the gospels! Dave and Steve, self described “the best of frenemies,” are back to teach one of the funnest classes of the year.

Both Dave and Steve serve as parish pastors in Hutchinson. Dave’s church, Faith Lutheran Church, is a part of the Greenhouse Collective. Steve also serves as a board member for The Awaken Project! Dave and Steve like to think that they’re good at the video game Warzone, and they enjoy ribbing each other whenever Minnesota (Dave) and Philadelphia (Steve) sports teams are competing against each other.

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

We are very excited to welcome back Kyle Fever to the TAP rotation! Kyle will be teaching on the Trinity and where the Trinity is revealed to us in Paul’s letters and theology.

Kyle currently serves as the lead pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Adair, Iowa. Kyle has a Doctorate in New Testament studies from Loyola University, Chicago, has taught at the Master’s Institute, and leads LeaderCare retreat weekends for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

Students and TAP staff on Thanksgiving break.

Ken Nelson will continue with his Old Testament teachings as he and TAP students will be looking at the prophetic literature during this week.

Ken has long attended Mount Carmel family camps with his wife, Marcella, and their three daughters. Ken and Marcella served in Tanzania as missionaries for a number of years and currently reside in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Ken is a retired parish pastor, having recently served in the North American Lutheran Church, and Marcella serves as the board chair for Mount Carmel Ministries.

Class sessions run from 9:15am-11:00am, and 1:00pm-2:30pm, Monday-Thursday. There is only a morning session on Friday. Anyone is welcome to attend! Looking to attend class for a few days/the whole week and need a place to stay locally? Mount Carmel has a great variety of cabin rental options, please contact Shae Smith at registrar@mountcarmelministries.com or by calling (320) 846-2744.

Students on break, TAP staff is still available throughout most of the break for any inquiries.

If you’re between the ages of 18-30 and are looking for a great winter retreat with fellow young adults, come out to Mount Carmel for “YAR” in January! TAP students, along with a bunch of other young adults from the Mount Carmel and Greenhouse Collective communities, get together for a wonderful weekend of teaching, fellowship, winter activities, and food. The link below will take you directly to Mount Carmel’s website for more information and to register!

https://www.mountcarmelministries.com/young-adult-retreat/

TAP will be visiting the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute in March again! CLBI is a partner school within the Greenhouse Collective, they graciously host us every year for either a week of class or to participate in their Youth Surge event.

Click this link for information about CLBI: https://clbi.edu/

Students and TAP staff are on Holy Week/Easter break.