Mission Statement - "Encourage and
Enlighten Through Experience"
Mike Westendorf is a well established Christian artist and College campus music director out of Milwaukee, WI. Musically gifted as an acoustic/pop/rock artist Mike blends great lyrical story lines delivered with a passion and enthusiasm for the meaning in the music.
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The Short Version -
Possessing the characteristic of a storyteller, weaved with
the acoustic essence of this gifted musician, Mike Westendorf,
singer/songwriter and weatherman extraordinaire, brings a refreshing
quality to the stage. With lyrical portrayals that come alive
through his songs, Mike Westendorf reveals
a tale through music. "Mike's faith shines through
his heartfelt lyrics and his sensitive, genuine delivery. Each
song is arranged in a way that enhances the message..."
says Cheryl Berdan of Spring Creek Church, Brookfield,
WI. Audiences of every age and generation have been impacted
and changed through his performances, each leaving with something
they hadn't come with. An answer to something they were pondering,
or the realization of a question they didn't even know they
were asking. With the national release of his project, Color
Through the Gray, along with great radio success in 2007
from the single “Climb the Mountain”, Mike
Westendorf has melded his years of experience in the
media with his gift of music. What has come forth is a unique
portrayal of songs that have a storyline attached. Mike has
performed in a myriad of venues and he has a heart for the church
and sharing the story of God's Grace.

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The Longer Version -
A storyteller needs a story to tell. A story that will awaken
your senses and enhance the life of every individual within
earshot. This is the true gift of singer/songwriter Mike
Westendorf. He possesses a unique ability to take words,
blending them with music, providing you with a story that is
alive. When this is combined with his heart for his Savior and
God’s people, you will come away from the experience encouraged,
and perhaps challenged. “Mike’s faith shines
through his heartfelt lyrics and his sensitive, genuine delivery.
Each song is arranged in a way that enhances the message..."
says Cheryl Berdan of Spring Creek Church, Brookfield, WI. Audiences
of every age and generation have been impacted, encouraged and
challenged. “My hope is to encourage all of us to
go deeper in our faith through the word of God and to see Him
in all our circumstances. At the end of the day, I am an encourager
and educator working through Experience and music can be a great
experience!” states Mike Westendorf.
His hope is that everyone who attends his performance will leave
with something that they didn’t come there with. An answer
to something they were pondering, or the realization of a question
they didn't even know they were asking.
With a unique direction early in his life, along with the “love
of weather” and God’s amazing creation, Mike
Westendorf dreamed of becoming a weatherman. He pursued
this dream, accomplished a degree in Atmosphere Science
and was in the midst of a successful meteorology career when
God revealed another foreknowledge for Mike’s life. Having
grown up in pastoral surroundings, with a solid foundation in
his faith, Mike wanted to continue in the service of “the
church” at large. His passion for weather kept him from
the pulpit, but his other love, “music”,
kept bringing him back. Involved in radio through being a weather
personality taught him how to tell a compelling story to many
different types of audiences with the credibility that his position
allowed. His time at the microphone on the radio taught Mike
Westendorf about communications and how people, through
the media of “voice” - without pictures,
receive a message.
Mike Westendorf has also had the opportunity
to wear various hats that have parallels in his ministry of
music. He has taught at UW-Milwaukee, helping to develop “Innovative
Weather”, built youth groups and has also been a coach
for many years. Education was a vital piece in explaining the
how’s and why’s of weather. In his own words, “Weather
taught me how to teach abstract concepts in ways people could
visualize and understand and it taught me how to tell a story.
It has also kept me HUMBLE, both because it’s hard to
get it right all the time and because the weather just shows
the expanse of God’s power and wisdom."
As a singer/songwriter, the thoughts that permeated his very
being as he read biblical text began to take on a unique expression
as he added music to it all. The music gave the words a richer
meaning and the songs that were created from the words and music
are something an audience can relate to. A family-project album
was released in 2003 entitled Christmas Is.
The juices of his passion for songwriting began to flow and
Mike Westendorf’s next album, Another
Day, followed quickly in 2004. This latter release
was a reflection of his perception of life at that time. In
2006 he released, Run Boy Run with
the support of his supporting band, RESTORED. The success of
these renderings led to Climb the Mountain
(featuring the bagpipes) and his current offering, the acoustically
produced COLOR THROUGH THE GRAY.
Currently residing in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and three
(3) children, Mike Westendorf continues to map out the path
that God is directing him on. With the national release of his
project, Color Through the Gray, along with great radio success
in 2007 from the single “Climb the Mountain”, Mike
Westendorf has melded his years of experience in the
media along with his faith and gift of music. What has come
forth is a unique portrayal of songs that have a storyline attached.
Mike has performed in a myriad of venues and he has a heart
for the church and sharing the story of God's Grace. Mike
Westendorf’s vision is strong. “I want
to fearlessly encourage people to seek, find and then believe
in the hope of Jesus Christ, especially within the church. My
desire is to see the church live out it’s calling here
on earth”. A grass roots comment. Picking up where Jesus
Christ left off.