I'm new too, but you definately came to the right place... AFAIK, the recorder you use doesn't matter too much anymore, but there are a few extra limitations that the older MD's have that you will not run into with newer setups.
I ordered a pre and some cardioids from Church Audio. I'm expecting them to arrive any day now, so although I cannot give firsthand experience on how well the gear works, I can say that I have had an extremely positive customer experience with Chris of Church Audio. He was very helpful, and answered all of my questions quickly to help me choose the right gear for my situation, and how to set it up to work well.
Good luck, I'm sure some of the regulars in the group will pipe up any time to help ya out!
J