WHO WE ARE
There's room for your story here.
Life can leave us carrying questions, wounds, and burdens that are difficult to face alone. At Safe Harbor Ministry, we offer a welcoming place to slow down, be heard, and explore your story in the compassionate presence of God. In seasons when the path feels uncertain, we walk with you toward healing, hope, and a deeper awareness of God’s presence.
Meet Our Team
Behind Safe Harbor is a small team committed to offering a welcoming, compassionate place for your story. Each of us brings different gifts and experiences, but we share a common desire to walk alongside people through challenging seasons, helping them experience healing, hope, and the compassionate presence of God.
Mike Gauch
Executive Director
Pastoral Counselor | Spiritual Director
Pastor Mike offers pastoral counseling and spiritual direction for adults seeking healing, clarity, and a deeper experience of God. He helps individuals who feel stuck in recurring patterns of fear, relational strain, or unresolved wounds that effort alone has not changed. Mike offers a safe, unhurried space to slow down, explore one’s inner life, and engage one's personal story with compassion rather than shame.
His approach integrates Formational Healing Prayer, Internal Family Systems, spiritual direction, and contemplative listening, emphasizing not only insight but the healing presence of Jesus in places of pain, grief, and fear. He works with those navigating anxiety, family-of-origin wounds, spiritual questions, life transitions, and ministry burnout.
A former senior pastor for 24 years, Mike has a particular heart for pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries, and their spouses. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Grace Theological Seminary.
Liz Gordon
Pastoral Counselor
Speaker / Retreat Leader
Liz brings a compassionate presence to pastoral counseling, shaped by both her professional training and her own journey of spiritual healing. She holds a master's degree in Pastoral Counseling and has received training in Formational Prayer Counseling. Over the past 15 years, her personal experience of God's healing in places of fear, shame, and brokenness has deepened her desire to help others discover hope and freedom.
Before joining Safe Harbor, Liz served for seven years as Director of LifeCare at Tree of Life Christian Schools, supporting students and families through difficult seasons and times of crisis. She believes lasting transformation happens through genuine encounters with Jesus and seeks to provide a safe, compassionate space where people can be heard, experience God's love, and grow in emotional and spiritual health.
Liz and her husband, Cris, have been married for more than 30 years. They have four children and a growing number of grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and being outdoors.
Marcy Gauch
Spiritual Director
Director of Operations | Co-Founder
Marcy helps make Safe Harbor a welcoming place long before someone arrives for an appointment. As Director of Operations, she coordinates scheduling, responds to inquiries, and oversees bookkeeping and accounts receivable. Behind these practical responsibilities is her genuine love for people. She enjoys listening to their stories, offering encouragement, and praying with those who ask.
Marcy is also a trained spiritual director through the School of Sustainable Faith and has completed training in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Although she is not currently offering spiritual direction through Safe Harbor, this training shapes the attentive, compassionate way she engages people and helps them recognize God's presence in their lives.
Her own experiences in ministry have given Marcy a particular appreciation for the importance of soul care and healthy, sustainable ministry. She also serves full-time as Director of Care and Connection at Karl Road Baptist Church. Whether helping someone schedule an appointment, offering encouragement, or pausing to pray, Marcy brings warmth and genuine care to everything she does.
Our Heart for People
We believe every person bears the image of God, and every story deserves to be received with dignity, curiosity, and compassion.
Life can bring seasons of pain, uncertainty, and questions that don't have easy answers. At Safe Harbor, we don't believe people need to have everything figured out before asking for help. Through pastoral counseling and spiritual direction, we offer a safe, unhurried place to be heard, explore what is happening within, and become more aware of God's loving presence.
Our desire is to make compassionate, Christ-centered care accessible to people regardless of their ability to pay.
You don't have to navigate your story alone.
Whether you're seeking pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, or simply wondering where to begin,
we'd be glad to hear from you.