WHO WE ARE
Strait Paths Foundation is a 501-C3 non-profit ministry. We offer Biblical mentoring, teaching and training and are located in Lancaster, PA. We also offer personal and group sessions, with a heart toward discipleship and leadership, that is Biblically founded and Christ centered.
OUR VISION
To see eyes open to spiritual realities that exist in our world today, and the realities of eternity: That through understanding these realities, Christians would regain their inheritance: That in this pursuit of Christ, maturity would have occur, and in this maturity the glory and the healing that Christ designed for His church to produce, would become a way of life.
BEGINNINGS
In 2009, discussion began about the possibilities of the Stutzman Family becoming an independent agent. In November 2009 a board was formed, and a meeting held in Florida over New Years. As of January 1st, the Stutzmans became officially hired by Strait Paths. Time is leased to Gospel Express or Door of Hope as needed, and the remainder of the time is underwritten through Strait Paths Foundation.
OFFICE STAFF
LYLE & CARLA MARTIN
We are Lyle and Carla Martin. We both grew up in the Shippensburg, PA area, now we call Lancaster County, PA home. We live here with our five children, Patrick, Payton, Olivia, Preston, and Addelyne. I ran a small family business for 9 years, after a back injury that kept me from being able fully engage in the business, I decided to sell it. Any time I get a chance I like to drive bus for a local coach company.
Carla loves to be with her family, and home-educates the children.
Several years ago, living with piles of hidden pain, we encountered Strait Paths, and our lives were radically changed. We have been delighted since to be involved in the ministry here in various roles. Carla helps with work Dorcas can’t keep up with, like bus cleaning, and helps at seminars with everything from registration to small group leading. I work in the office as office manager, coordinating events, helping with tech issues, setting up fund-raisers, conferences and any other organizational things that come up.
Linda Stoltzfus
I’m Linda, a Lancaster County native, and very proud of it. I’m a big fan of
plants, sunshine, raw milk, and mountains. I dislike tea, cold weather, and
contrary to the Lancaster County stereotype, I do not enjoy volleyball.
I’ll chase a sunset whenever I can, go camping as much as possible,
always advocate for eating healthy, nutritional foods, and travel to beautiful places whenever time and budget allows. Barely anything I do is done solo, because being raised in a family of nine children, and being surrounded by so many solid friends, there hasn’t been much room for that. Not that I mind, of course.
I will always get excited about seeing others experience deeper emotional healing, and I’m honored to work alongside an organization that is passionate about seeing people set free and walking in abundant life.
STEPHEN & DORCAS STUTZMAN
We are Stephen and Dorcas Stutzman of the Stutzman Family Singers and Strait Paths Foundation. We started writing down the songs God was giving us, and singing/recording, in 1993. 7 years later, in 2000, we began a more public phase of ministry under Gospel Express Ministries. We continued running our family business in Iowa, and traveling with music, ministry and Prison efforts for 7 years. In 2006, we sold the business and moved to NC to work for Door of Hope, a counseling and Discipleship ministry run alongside Gospel Express. After 3 years there, we founded Strait Paths Foundation and relocated to PA, where we reside today.
Dorcas grew up in OR, married Steve in 1990 and moved to Iowa. She is an author of several women’s books, and a beautiful cookbook. She enjoys being a mother to our 3 daughters and 2 sons, and connects with each one often. She also loves the Grandma stage, now with 5 grandbabies. She also does some speaking at womens events, and is a vital part of many of the seminars. She is also at each Training Event we do, and handles most of the organizational side. Dorcas has the further stress of extensive travel, and keeping up with the cleaning of the bus, and helping with Cruise schedules. On the side of her busy life, she enjoys the creative side of making new recordings, and the formulating of videos.
Stephen is a speaker and Biblical teacher. His role in the ministry as founder and CEO keeps him very busy, along with scheduling events, doing podcasts, writing, overseeing Newsletters, and occasional counseling sessions. He also manages 4 Land of Promise Conferences each year, 3 Training Events, several Men’s Conferences, music tours and multiple other events. Some of these events take him out of the country, including conflict resolution and mission structural advising for other entities. He recently completed his first book, and has several DVD teaching series, and he also serves as an Overseer in a local church. Steve likes occasional golf, snorkeling, and his favorite pastime is any time spent with Grandbabies and family.
The Stutzman’s passion is to know Christ and live His reality. They make their home near Lancaster, PA, with the office of Strait Paths in Bird in Hand, PA.
BILL & SHARON WIEBE
We are Bill & Sharon Wiebe, born and raised in the far north Canadian Alberta town called La Crete. We met as local youth in 1990, married in 1991, and raised our three children in LaCrete, and then later in Peace River. Our two sons are Colter and Tyrin, and our daughter, Falynn, now married to Brooks Miller, the father of our one Grandbaby, Theo.
I worked as a Hockey Coach for six years, ran a hockey rink, and drove truck in La Crete. In 2008, I was ordained to the ministry, and subsequently sent to Peace River to plant a church there, where I Pastored for 7 years. Also in 2008, I attended a life-altering Take Back Your Life seminar in NC where Steve was speaking. In 2009, we helped sponsor a tour of the Stutzmans in our local area, and we became friends. We then helped to sponsor a TBYL Conference in our area, and since I was a pastor/teacher, I was asked to become one of the teachers/speakers. From there we continued with further Counselor Training in a variety of places, out of desire to see people set free.
When Strait Paths began operations in 2010, some big changes had entered our lives in the form of personal healing. The first Land Of Promise was held in Manitoba in 2012 and we helped with it; we have been involved ever since. We both took counselor training at Wellsprings Ministries in Alaska and through Family Foundations International.
In October of 2021, we came to PA by invitation for approximately five months to see if our personal calling and giftings meshed with Strait Paths, and to see if we could make it home. God opened the doors, so in April 2022, we went back to Canada to pack our possessions. We bought a motorhome and made an official move to Bird in Hand, PA, where we currently serve as Counselors, Teachers and event facilitators for Strait Paths. Bill's great delight in off-time is the plentiful golf courses in the region. Sharon assists with many of the sessions with couples, and with Ladies, while reserving time for coffees, and to be a wife, mother, and her great joy as Grandma.
JAMES & DONNA YODER
We are the James and Donna Yoder Family from Kalona, IA. This is the area where Steve grew up - He and James have known each other since school days. James is self-employed as a farmer and businessman. He cash-crops, raises hogs and chickens, has a custom manure-hauling operation, and has a trucking business, along with other fledgling enterprises. In between all these demands, James also is the regional live-sound man, setting up sound for many gospel venues in our area. Donna works at a local pharmacy as a certified pharmacy technician. We make our home in the hills east of Kalona- when we are home.
We travel a lot for business, pleasure, music, and meetings, and someone has to keep all the schedules straight, and much of this falls to Donna. James travelled with the Stutzmans on several extensive tours scheduled under Gospel Express, as the sound tech. During these travels he heard and saw their passion to reach hurting souls both through music and other ministry. He also saw their heart to reach out to other people groups. Through these connections, the Yoders were asked to and consented to be on this board, to invest in the cause of Christ thru this ministry. James brings clear values and solid Midwestern business perspective to Strait Paths Board.
JASON & LOUISE ZOOK
We are the Jason and Louise Zook family, and we make our home in the countryside near Marengo, Iowa. There are nine children in the family, and Jason makes his living as a roofing contractor. “Lou” is a midwife in the area and is active in births and coaching the mothers before and after the births on good health and parenting. The Zook's circle of friends is very wide and includes folks from all over the US.
Jason grew up in the area and attended the same church as Steve. In later youth years, they piloted a van together, taking a group of Amish boys to Alaska. They also taught school together for a short period. Jason then moved on to the mission scene, ending up in Guyana, South America. On the Pomeroon River, he convinced Louise to spend her life with him, as her family was stationed there for a time. Steve and Dorcas traveled down with their family to attend the wedding.
Several years later, we moved back to the US due to health complications in their firstborn son. They landed in Iowa and were close to the ministry of Strait Paths from its very beginning. At this stage, our lives are very busy with our children, business, midwifery, and homeschooling the developing children. We very much enjoy being a part of the ministry, hearing the updates as things happen, and helping with decisions as they need to be made. We are both passionate about helping people find the true reality of Christ and the freedom He has promised us in following His ways.
BOARD MEMBERS
LARRY & MARGARET WARFEL
We are Larry and Margaret Warfel from Halsey,OR. Larry is a cash crop farmer and sells tons of grass seed each year. He also enjoys financial coaching and travels some each year to make connections for his business, along with helping other farmers make wise investments and deal with risk management. Larry also serves on several boards for different operations across the country, and is a Pastor in a local church near Halsey.
Besides running a business, Larry also has his Private's Pilots Licence and enjoys flying his Cessna 150 either for business or pleasure. Larry and Margaret have known the Stutzman family most of their lives since Dorcas Stutzman's home town would be where Larry and Margret reside. After a lot of prayer and consideration Larry and Margaret joined the Strait Paths board and is currently filling the position of Chairman of the Board.
RICHARD & TINA MILLER
We are Richard and Tina Miller. After living in the South and the West most of our lives, we now live in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Richard works in the portable shed industry and recently joined our son, Jayberry, as a partner in his outdoor gear business. Richard loves grilling and smoking meat for his family and friends on his many Weber grills.
Tina is an artist and homemaker.
We love the work Strait Paths is doing, and are excited to serve on the board.
JOHN & ROSA MARTIN
We are John & Rosa Martin, Located in Lancaster County, PA. John & Rosa were married in July of 2009 in Lancaster County PA, Rosa’s home area. John is employed at Detwiler Roofing, a family-owned business. Rosa stays busy mothering her growing family, helping her widowed mother, and loves working in the sun planting garden and flowers, etc.
John had a chance to get to know The Stutzman family better while driving their coach on a western tour some years ago. This opportunity to be exposed to a broader worldview of the bondage that so many people live in and call "normal" gave John a passion and a deep desire to be involved in bringing freedom. Both in regular life and in ministry, we want to be tools that God can use to direct people to true freedom and Light, that only come through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. John and Rosa enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and making new friends. Johns’ passion for expansion and excellence in approach, and his love for learning and new ideas, are a big part of his contribution to the Board at Strait Paths.
Strait Paths takes the Land of Promise Conference, and the other conferences we present, very seriously. There are many elements of this effort of safety behind the scenes, such as Prayer Teams, and individuals assigned to identify potential threats, that are not obvious to attendees. These components of LOP have been developed over time through the input of many different people, staff, attendees, and professionals. We are constantly improving protocol, yet in the end, all our dependency is on the God Who has called us to this ministry.
As Strait Path's Foundation Board, we are dedicated to making Strait Path's office and events safe places for people to find freedom and healing in their lives and hearts.
We have had, and continue to have either a Board Member or a person designated by the board, to monitor the Conferences for accountability and safety's sake. It is our goal for the Land of Promise Conferences to be a safe place for both victims and the offenders of all kinds, and we believe the same blood shed for all, can find redemption and healing for all. If you feel like something out of line is occurring, please do not hesitate to notify one of us on the board, or one of the event organizers.
Larry Warfel | 541-974-0267 | ldwvv@me.com
Richard Miller | 817-659-9925 | 22rifle@gmail.com
James Yoder | 319-936-7763 | riverland@kctc.net
John Martin | 717-322-4379 | martinjohn87@gmail.com
Jason Zook | 319-530-3601 | kingdomconstruction17@gmail.com
ADVISORY BOARD
PD Weaver
Lyle Miller