NOTE: SOUND STARTS 1:05 INTO RECORDING
Meeting June 6th, 2026 at 8:00 am
Speaker:  Mitchel Jon
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Born in North Dakota and growing up in Laporte, Minnesota, Mitchel Jon Kentizer was raised in a Christian home with a great family but he did not come to know the Lord for many years after a lot of miles down the wrong road. He began playing guitar and singing in his first band at 15. The door opened to start playing local clubs at 16 and for the next 12 years drugs and alcohol became a normal part of his life and journey.  Mitch finally met the love of his life, Holly, at of all places, a bar in Bemidji. The Lord had His hands on both of them and in 1991, He presented an opportunity for Mitch to sing in a tourist show in Keystone, South Dakota at the foot of Mt. Rushmore. This move removed them from the drug connections and party life and inevitably saved their lives.


They were married in 1992 and had two children, Allegra and Lincoln and in 1996 Holly and Mitch finally surrendered their lives to Jesus in a powerful small church in Sturgis, South Dakota. Mitch vividly remembers the Pastor saying, hang on! Your life is never going to be the same!
And he was so right.


In 1998 Mitch felt led to pack up his young family and head for Nashville, TN. The Lord led them to Cornerstone Church where the family was baptised. In 2001 Mitch, and two friends, started the Trio, "Three Bridges" where he was the lead singer. Almost immediately, the group landed a recording contract and began touring the United States and Canada. They were blessed to garnish three #1 National radio hits along with six top 20 charting songs. The lord opened up the doors to sing on several Gaither Homecoming videos, work and record with Edwin Hawkins, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Fortune, Gloria Gaither, Billy Walker, Donnie Mcclurkin, Duane Allen, Ricky Skaggs and more. The group recorded 6 albums and won the Horizon award as favorite Trio in 2005 and Mitch won the Horizon Award for Favorite vocalist the same year.


In 2007, Mitch left the group and started his solo ministry using his first and middle names, Mitchel Jon. The industry thought he was crazyt) He has continued ministering in churches large and small across the country and is available wherever ministry is needed. As a soloist, Mitchel Jon became a regular guest for several years at Dr Charles Stanley's First Baptist Atlanta Church and also hosted the 2010 Charles Stanley Christmas Program with Franklin Graham. Mitchel Jon Ministries is still active and he and Holly recently relocated back to Northern Minnesota to be closer to family for a new season. The ministry goal and vision remains the same, to see the broken healed and souls saved.

​Romans 15:13 A vessel emptied can then be filled! May the God of hope fil you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overtiow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
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 Speaker: Mike Kaehler

 How God has changed the desires of a man's heart...

 I had struggled with my past for most of my life, and God made a way for me to be a better man, husband, and father. I've been married to a godly woman for 3 years, and I have a beautiful baby girl that fills my heart with joy.  God has blessed me with my own business, Northern Minnesota Local Services LLC (NML Services), helping people with their home care and repair needs.  God has put on my heart to share my story with others so they can know that our LORD is a living and loving God.

 Matthew 5:14-16
 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill can not be hid. Neither
 do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
 giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men,
 that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We will be meeting at First Baptist Church
1555 Paul Bunyan Drive NW, Bemidji, MN 56601
8:00 am. (7:30am for fellowship). All are welcome 

Speaker: Larry Richter
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Larry Richter comes to us from Wadena, MN where he resides with his wife, Ruth and raised four children. He is the son of Don and Margaret Richter who was the former president of Wadena's Fuil Gospel Business Men's Fellowship.
Larry was raised in a home and believed his religion was enough for him until Christians spoke into his life. He was prayed for at a FBMF in Alexandria, that changed his life forever.
He worked as a Dairy Route Sales Specialist for nearly 40 years until his retirement in 2020 when his health made it difficult to work any longer. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and von Willebrand in 2021. After a multiple prognosis and hard first year, the Lord and continued treatment has stabilized the disease.
He believes:
... my times are in thine hand. "Ps 31:14-15
"After David had served the purpose of God to his own generation, he was laid to rest." Acts 13:36

​Tamarius Harvey, 25, serves as a Children and Youth Director among Native American communities on the Red Lake Reservation.  He and his wife, Megan, were married May 2024 and are joyfully expecting their first child in ebruary 2026.

Tamarius and Megan met at Bemidji State University in 2019. At the time, neither knew Jesus or understood His saving grace. In the summer of 2021, God radically transformed Megan's heart through a small college Bible study that later grew into a vibrant young adult ministry at Calvary Chapel Bemidji. During that same year, after enduring seasons of hardship, Tamarius surrendered his life to the Lord --- and Jesus faithfully saved him.


Since then, God has used mentors to strengthen their walk and grow them in maturity. He has opened doors for them to share about the life-changing power of Jesus.
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Today, Tamarius is a full-time, support-based missionary serving alongside two churches on the Red Lake Reservation-one in Ponemah and one in Redby. Megan is a teacher at Heartland Christian School. Their passion is to proclaim the hope and salvation found in Jesus Christ.

Our next meeting will be at Beltrami Electric Community room on Saturday, December 6th, 2026 at 8:00 am.

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Our guest speaker will be Ben Corradi.

A light breakfast will be served.

Ben Corradi is a 21 year old student-athlete at Bemidji State University. As a college baseball player, he's learned the importance of teamwork, dedication, and perseverance. In addition to his athletic performance, he serves as president of the Bemidji State Turning Point USA chapter. Encouraging others to live with courage, think critically, and stand strong in their beliefs is what influenced Ben to start a local chapter. Most importantly, his daily walk with the Lord and sharing the gospel with others are what help guide his life. Ben's testimony will share how God has shaped him through both the triumphs and challenges of life.

Sam writes:  I was born and raised in Bagley, MN. I attended Bagley High School and graduated in 1997. When I was a junior in high school I joined the U.S. Navy. After graduation I was shipped out to boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing boot camp I was sent to Basic Enlisted Submarine School in Groton, CT. After spending a year in Training on the East Coast I was stationed aboard the USS Louisville SSN-724 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1998. I quickly became one of the crew and these men became like brothers.  

The Louisville was a Fast Attack Nuclear Submarine that was tasked with hunting and killing other submarines and surface ships. The Louisville was also Vertical Launch equipped to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles at land targets, In fact the Louisville was the 1st Submarine to launch missiles in a time of war in 1991. The area we operated was the Ring of Fire region which included Japan, Korea, Australia, Singapore, China, Guam, & Okinawa.

While I was in the Service I met my wife Caren, who was also in the Navy as a Fleet Marine Force Dental Tech. Liert the Navy in 2001 as an MM2 (SS) Machinist Mate, stayed in Hawaii, and attended the University of Hawaii. After Graduating from UH, we moved to Albuquerque, NM and worked and lived there for 1 1/2 years. When we had the opportunity to purchase the family business, Itasca Sports, we moved back to Minnesota. In 2004 we moved back, grew our family and built a home.

After being married for 7 years we had a RADICAL encounter with Jesus Christ, and gave our lives to him.  Currently Caren and I have 7 AMAZING children. After owning & operating Itasca Sports for 21 years, we sold it to dear friends, where it is still in operation today. We began Off Grid Armory in 2015, when a passion turned into a business. Off Grid Suppressors was created in 2024, when an Invention turned into a futuristic & cutting edge product. Both of these businesses are an absolute thrill to be involved in. For the Rest of the Story including how Christ RADICALLY changed us. Come to the meeting! I can't wait to share what God has done in our lives!

Hello, my name is Wayne Wilde born in Bagley MN in 1949, the second of 6 children. My folks, Milo and Ruby, moved the family to Shevlin when I was about 4 years old. I attended Shevlin School grades 1-6 and then in Bagley grades 7-11. I graduated from Thief River Falls in 1967. After graduation I went to work for my uncle on his farm and in 1968 | got my first pipeline job with Leonard Pipeline based out of Canada. In April, 1968 l joined the US Army.
I was a 31M20, I served in Texas, Korea and Germany and was honorably discharged in April of 1971. I went back and got a job on the pipeline again and from there decided to go into business for myself. It was then that Wilde Construction began.
I met my lovely wife Debbie in January of 73 and married that Fall at the Congregational Church in Bagley. We went on to have 4 children, 3 daughters and 1 son, "the magnificent 4".  I now have
been blessed with 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
And for the rest of the story... come to the meeting!

We will be meeting on Saturday, September 6th, 2025 at Beltrami Electric at 8:00 am.
A light breakfast will be served.

Hello, my name is Robert C. Karbowski. I was born in Omaha Nebraska in 1956.
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At the age of 9 my parents bought a resort near Bena Minnesota.
I have lived in the Bemidji area to this day. I graduated from Cass Lake high school and went on to Bemidji State University. I spent a year and a half studying for a business major, but realized I had more of an ability and desire to work with my hands. I spent the next year and a half at Bemidji Vocational School to become an auto mechanic. Before I could finish I was hired by Northern Amusement in Bemidji to be their vehicle repairman. I retired from there 6 years ago, after 42 years of employment. A good share of my life was spent in the Catholic Church and serving as an altar boy till I was 19. After that I joined Ridgewood Baptist Church in Bemidji, as a Deacon, Treasurer, Bible study teacher, and fill in for the pastor to give sermons when he was gone. I'm currently a member of 1st Baptist Church of Bemidji, serving there as Deacon Chair and a Gideon in the Bemidji Chapter. As a Gideon I give church presentations, and for the last 3 plus years I have led Bible studies in the Beltrami County Jail. In the last year I have had the opportunity to go on a couple mission trips and with the desire to do more. The first trip was to Ontario to continue building a Bible Camp for 1st Nation Indian children. The second trip was to Honduras to build 2 houses for two families and to do evangelistic outreach. My desire is to continue to serve the Lord wherever and whenever He calls me.