Pastor Steve grew up in southern Ohio just outside of Cincinnati. He attended Grace Baptist Church in Mason under Pastor Pelfrey. When he was about 16 years old while attending Camp Chautauqua, and felt the Lord calling him into the ministry. In the fall of 1998, he left for Springfield, MO to attend Baptist Bible College. It was there that he met his wife Angie. They graduated in the spring of 2003, at the time they were unsure where God wanted to use them in ministry, with their first child on the way they moved to Middlebury, Indiana to be closer to family.
They became active in the church that Angie grew up in. Over the years the Lord allowed them to move from teaching Sunday School Classes to Steve becoming the bi-vocational youth pastor. During this time the Lord blessed them with two boys and two girls.
In January of 2017, the Lord opened yet another door in Middlebury as Pastor Chesher retired after 32 years of serving the Lord here in Middlebury. It had been about six months earlier as the Yater's were attending teen camp that Steve felt the Lord calling them to something more. In November of 2016 as it became evident that Pastor Chesher would soon be retiring, Steve felt a strong calling to stay in Middlebury and pastor Faith. On January 15th, the church voted to bring Pastor Steve on in a full-time capacity. The first year of ministry proved to be a bit difficult, six months in the pastorate the church building the congregation had been meeting in since 1974 caught fire.
However, out of that apparent tragedy the Lord provided. He moved Faith into a new facility that met their needs better than before, as well giving opportunity for growth.
