As Pennsylvania Family Institute approaches our 35th anniversary in 2024, we are humbled to reflect on how much our team has grown throughout the decades. God has blessed us with an exceptionally talented staff that is dedicated towards advancing such foundational issues important to so many families in PA!
One big area for growth is our Church Ambassador Network (CAN), which exists to bring the light of the Gospel to our elected state officials, particularly at our State Capitol in Harrisburg. We are excited to introduce the newest member of our team, Michael Kaucher, as Capitol Engagement Director for the Church Ambassador Network.
We sat down with Michael so you can learn more about who he is and what he’ll be doing!
Deep roots in Pennsylvania
Michael (MK): I’ve pretty much lived in Berks County most of my life. With the exception of some early years of my dad being in the navy and living in South Carolina and Connecticut. But I’ve been in this area since the late seventies.
My wife, Pamela and I just celebrated our 35th anniversary! We have 2 adult children that are both married as well. We also just had our first grandbaby, a little over a year ago. So we have a little granddaughter now who is 14 months old.
Building Relationships
MK: A lot of my earlier career was in sales and customer service. So I believe God used that really well with me to help me develop the gift he’s given me of building relationships with people and interacting with all different types of people. So that was a big part of my early career sales with different organizations. We also had our own business for a while, doing communications and marketing.
That was a good experience for me. But it was also during that time that I felt a call into ministry. Around the end of 2008 I got asked to be part of a parachurch organization, Transformative Solutions Network, which now I’m the chief engagement officer for. We bridge connections all the time within the body of Christ – we want to help people reach their potential and grow. I have witnessed in this role what God can do through a simple act of obedience.
That was kind of my first taste of full-time ministry.
MK: And God’s taught me a lot through that. First of all, what the capacity of the body of Christ is. I think the average person doesn’t think about it a lot, what those potentials are, and how the body of Christ impacts the community. But as you get involved in different things, it’s really exciting to see what’s going on.
At TSN, we also work in the field of chaplaincy, which is a really humbling arena in which to work. We have chaplains that work at Berks County Jail, and Berks Heim, which is a senior living center and rehabilitation center that’s run by the county. It’s been a blessing to be a part of that as well, and to see how God moves in those ministries.
Michael started out partnering with Church Ambassador Network to visit and pray with legislators.
MK: We’ve always considered PA Family as a partner in ministry. We were interacting a lot during Covid. We were letting pastors know in our region what PA Family was doing to help them be informed about how they could operate during that season. PA Family was so amazing during that time. So that’s where we had probably the start of a more intense interaction with PA Family.
This year my wife and I felt a tug to join the team that goes through the Capitol and prays. We went, and there was just something really comfortable about it, we just felt blessed in it. We saw how powerful the simple act of going in and meeting with people and praying with them could be.
So, we were taking time off to go and volunteer with the Church Ambassador Network. One thing led to another and it developed into where we’re at today and taking on the role of capitol engagement director, which I’m super excited about.
Michael is going to work to bring the light of the Gospel to our Capitol building.
MK: I’m excited to use the gifts God’s given me to help advance this work. Our goal is to be a recognized and trusted resource that people are excited about when we’re at the Capitol.
We’ve already experienced it. Last time I was there with CAN, we had a legislator walk down the hall and get excited to see us as a group of pastors. They ran over and we were literally praying in the hallway for them. So that’s the kind of thing that gets me really excited.
When you’re at the Capitol on a session day you get a sense of the tug and pull that happens. And you can see how our legislators can get really bound up in their own human abilities.
I think what’s really awesome about the light of the Gospel is that we’re a reminder that there is something higher for those moments when they hit that wall and don’t know where to turn.
There’s something higher and that light is Jesus.
It’s a blessing to be part of the team. I have such a high respect for everybody I’ve engaged with at PA family. It’s an amazing team, and I consider it an honor to be part of that team.
