Mission USA -- Staff Bios

Glen Fitzjerrell, president and founder of Mission:USA, began his career as the chaplain for the nation's top juvenile correctional facility. Since then, he has been working with gang members and inmates for a decade and a half in both Chicago and his native home, Houston, Texas. In 1996, he founded Mission:USA. Mission:USA’s new BRIDGE program has taken the worlds of church planting, prison ministry, and urban churches by storm. Glen is a frequent guest speaker, and sits on the Board of Directors of City Seminary in Chicago. He has been a special guest chaplain for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. In addition to hosting his own radio program, Glen has been interviewed on National Public Radio's "This American Life", Moody radio, NBC, and WGN-TV news, and many more stations across the country (but his main claim to fame was actually turning down the chance to appear on the Jerry Springer show!). Glen is a natural storyteller and weaves his dramatic urban experiences with down-to-earth realistic spiritual applications for audiences everywhere.

Mike Gonzalez came on our staff as a full-time ministry worker in 2003. Mike is a product of Mission:USA’s work with Teen Challenge. After graduating from the Teen Challenge program, Mike completed an internship there, working with program participants. After transferring to work for Mission:USA, Mike showed a flair for urban ministry in the cutting-edge world of Mission:USA’s ministry. He’s thrived in the pressure-cooker environment of street and prison ministry, and he continues to learn and grow at a truly amazing pace. Mike handles all of our logistical needs, and is also our resident fix-it guy. We are greatly blessed to have Mike on our staff. Though Mike is the straightest-looking member of our staff (that’s him on the left), he often shocks people by telling them that he was once a gang member in the Imperial Gangster organization, and that he served time in Cook County Jail while struggling with drug addiction. He truly has an amazing testimony, reminding the many gang members he works with, “If I can make it, you can make it…if we both stay connected to God and each other.”

Jed Brewer is our director of Mission:USA Productions. A native of Miami, Florida, Jed came to Chicago as a college student in 1998, and has been here ever since. Jed served with Mission:USA on a volunteer basis for four years before joining our staff in early 2009. Jed has a wide-ranging background in media and technology and is our go-to-guy for communicating God’s love through music, print, and video. Before coming to Mission:USA, Jed worked as a media consultant, with clients ranging from hip hop artists to comic book publishers to retail food outlets. He has performed music across the country, and now leads our BRIDGE worship service each Tuesday night. Be on the lookout for new music, movies, and more from Mission:USA Productions!

Ben Blobaum, our Director of Outreach holds degrees in Psychology and Sociology, and out of school Ben was restlessly determined to make it big in one of two ventures; corporate America or rock superstardom. He was headed in the right direction for both, making some serious strides with his rock band, bringing them into the limelight of the local Chicago music scene. However, in the midst of this budding success Ben accepted Jesus as his Savior, and things began to change…DRAMATICALLY! Ben met Jed Brewer, Director of Mission:USA Productions, in mid-2008, and Jed invited Ben to help with the audio production at the BRIDGE service. Ben had never experienced ministry and worship in such an authentic context before, and immediately started attending and helping out at the BRIDGE every week! Ben fell in love with the ministry and wanted to be a bigger part of it. In November, 2009, he accepted a full-time position as Mission:USA’s Director of Outreach, where he working on new and innovative ways to promote the BRIDGE program to street gang members, ex-cons, and Chicago’s inner city homeless. Additionally he’s working to help churches better integrate BRIDGE attendees into their congregations.