Michael and Elizabeth Bouchard
Teaching, Community, Church Planting
We believe that the movement of Jesus is much wider than we think, that the way of Jesus is fully accessible to all, and that love itself is not a spectator sport.
Michael and Elizabeth have been married for five years. They love Jesus, people, camping, and kayaking. They currently live in Clarkston with their annoying-yet-cute little dog, Chewie Burrito.
In 2021-2022, Michael will be focusing on three different ventures.
See below for descriptions and ministry plans.
Good Neighbor Collective
Lead Organizer
Launching in 2022, Good Neighbor Collective is a progressive, fully-inclusive church plant that seeks to impact its world by loving, looking, and living like Jesus. We intend to do this by fostering authentic, welcoming communities, by providing online and in-person opportunities for spiritual and personal growth, and by partnering with our towns and cities in tackling local and global justice initiatives.
As Lead Organizer, Michael will be casting the vision, collecting people, working with others to build the church as a grassroots organization from the ground up. The ultimate goal is to create a church that is not simply led by one person, but instead by a collective of people. Because as he believes, the church is not a building, it is not a one-man show. The church, at its core is people on mission to love. Anyone can be a part, and everyone leads.
For more info on the Good Neighbor Collective church plant launch, contact Michael at
michael.bouchard@bluenoteministries.org
House of Hope
Development
House of Hope is a faith-based community enhancement program focused on the betterment and support of families in trailer park communities. Michael helped to start it in 2011, and ran it until 2016. Since then, Brooke and Alyssa have grown and solidified it as a 501(c)(3), turning it into a multi-site org with two locations.
Michael will be supporting the leadership of HOH by building and growing partnerships with local churches as well as school districts.
For more info on House of Hope, visit their website.
North Oakland County Schools
Substitute Teacher
When Michael first started subbing over seven years ago, he realized that he had stumbled across a great need in a very tough field. The amount of life-shifting—even faith-related—conversations he has had in public school classrooms has been mind-boggling.
As a substitute to primarily Clarkston and Lake Orion schools, Michael will sub twice a week, and will continue to be intentional with the classes, teachers, and students he chooses.
In the long term, Michael is also seeking to develop a way to train, equip, and connect churches and communities to support their local schools by becoming subs as well.