OUR TEAM
Doyle Musser was raised in a family farm community in south-central Minnesota. The large extended family instilled in him a deep appreciation for strong families. Working the farms alongside his father, uncles and cousins provided a solid work ethic and broad range of fundamental life skills which have served him throughout his adulthood.
He received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Pre-social work and in Secondary education-Mathematics from Bethel College, St.Paul, MN in 1972. In 1981 he completed the Master of Science in Community Psychology at University of New Haven, New Haven, CT. An avid reader, he has pursued further education informally in a wide range of topics including: health and nutrition, inner healing and deliverance, Scriptures, parenting, gardening, honey bees, construction and remodeling, conservation, business, the cooperative model, civics and history.
For twelve years he was employed in residential treatment facilities in several social work positions. For the past twenty-five years he has been self-employed in the construction/remodeling industry. In that capacity he has devoted a great deal of time to mentoring younger men in both the skills for building safe structures and developing a good work ethic.
Married in 1974 to Rebecca LaGesse, he is father of eight, all of whom are married, and grandfather to 20 grandchildren and counting.
Along with his wife, Becky, Doyle has lived at and served an inner city low-to-moderate income housing cooperative. This has been an intense training ground in every dimension.
A committed follower of Jesus Christ, Doyle has served in the local church in many ways over the years of his adulthood: choir member, assistant financial secretary, Bible teacher and group leader, elder, prayer minister, healing and deliverance minister and all-around helper. His great passion is to be a catalyst for spiritual discovery, learning, healing and transformation.
Doyle is a licensed minister of the Gospel under AARM, the Apostolic Association of Related Ministers, Dr. William Sudduth, who died in 2019.
Member of ISDM, International Society of Deliverance Ministers, since 2019.
Second born in a preacher’s family, Rebecca, aka Becky, grew up in the greater St. Louis and northern Kentucky areas. Being a ‘PK’ was the training ground that brought forth fruit in the areas of work ethic (from baby sitter to research assistant), giving of oneself, developing musical talent, achieving Northern Kentucky Junior Miss, being faithful and faith-filled. Although her childhood ambitions ranged from ballet dancer, nun, missionary, doctor, nurse, mother – she settled for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bethel College, St Paul, MN, with minors in music and life sciences in 1974.
Her real career began after marriage to Doyle Musser in 1974: that of wife and mother of eight natural born children, five of which were home births. Before the first child was born, she was a house parent at Galloway Boys Ranch. A move to Connecticut brought many new challenges and opportunities. Studying nutrition through Donsbach University extension helped change the home diet leading to renewed health in the family. Along with changes in diet, she coordinated a food buying club/cooperative for about twenty years in order to make high quality foods available to friends and neighbors. This interest in health also led to development of a business in Shaklee for a number of years. As she continued to grow and bless her children, she grew in her own relationship with God. Becky has served as worship deacon, worship leader, teacher, nursery volunteer, women’s ministry volunteer, prayer minister, healing and deliverance minister in a local congregation. In the community she was a part of a low income housing cooperative where she served terms as President, secretary, and treasurer. She teaches piano and flute to many in the communities in the area, including having provided instruction for an inner city grant initiative to introduce children to keyboard arts. All of this while raising eight children on a shoestring budget.
God has promised to complete what He has begun. But the training ground isn’t always easy. Through the years ideas and dreams came, along with many and various trials. Praying through generational curses in 2009 seemed to be the final key to opening the door to a desire God had planted in both Doyle and Becky thirty-seven years earlier. The convergence of all the combined education, life experiences, dreams, personal growth and new found spiritual freedom has catapulted the Mussers into the vision aptly named Harbor Shalom. Here they apply all they have learned and done -parenting/teaching/healing/equipping/refreshing – to help others who need what they have in order to not just live, but discover their birthright and destiny in the Divine plan.
Rebecca is also a licensed minister of the Gospel under AARM, the Apostolic Association of Related Ministers, Dr. William Sudduth, who died in 2019.
Member of ISDM, International Society of Deliverance Ministers, since 2019.
OUR MISSION
To accomplish this vision, Harbor Shalom will implement a multi-faceted strategy.
Establish a house where informal, intentional, instruction of adults in fundamental social skills, healthy relationships, and spiritual discovery will be offered through a variety of venues: “family” suppers, book-talks, community projects, personal retreats, one-on-one mentoring, and other appropriate activities.
Develop a curriculum designed for small groups that provides formal education in spirituality–basics of Christianity, in-depth study of Christian Scripture; personal health and wellness—life skills, nutrition, hygiene, basic healthy cooking, maintaining a healthy home; and enterprise–developing a positive work ethic, basic economics and business; developing creativity and expression.
Develop a network of referral resources in areas of prayer ministry, licensed professional counselors and area churches to both serve those of their constituency who would benefit from Harbor Shalom’s service and to direct Harbor Shalom’s interested students into congregations where the larger mission of Christ’s church is at work.
Develop a network with other non-profit organizations and projects whose goals interface with ours in terms of equipping adults to become fully stable, successful/productive members of society and providing opportunities to invest in the needs of other people in the world.
Facilitate student development in practical areas of need such as income-generating work/business, housing solutions and budget management.
Maintain external accountability through organizations such as the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and internally through regular assessment of our various services and programs.
To engage in other activities related to educating adults in holistic healthy living.
VISION STATEMENT
Harbor Shalom exists to be a place for the generations to connect vitally with the heart of God for themselves and the world, by creating an environment of acceptance and nurture that will stimulate learning, resulting in spiritual and personal growth.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
We believe in One true God who exists eternally outside of all the created universe, and who has revealed Himself in the created order, to mankind visibly and audibly, and in the incarnation of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
We believe the Holy Bible was written under divine inspiration for the purpose of revealing the Person and the ways of the Eternal God, and as such is the final authority for faith and practice.
We believe that mankind was created by God, distinct from the rest of creation in that we have the capacity for life-giving relationship with the Divine Person and the freedom to choose it.
We believe that mankind chose, and continues to choose, to reject the boundaries for that relationship, which the scriptures call sin. Furthermore, the consequence of that sin is death, both spiritual and physical, which affects all of creation.
We believe that faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the means whereby one can be restored to communion with God, and that that restoration brings transformation to individuals and societies.
We believe the life-affirming truth of Christianity speaks to all of human life and thought. This means our lives are not to be divided into sacred and secular compartments, and that Christian faith integrates all of human life, including our minds, hearts, our work, our play, and our relationships. This also means that the arts, history, philosophy, economics, psychology, education, politics, science, contemporary society, religion, and all other realms of thought can and should be examined from a Biblical perspective.