Staff
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EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
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Steve Norby
Lead Pastor |
Aaron Cloud
Ministry Development |
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CREATIVE ARTS
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Kyle Marker
Creative Arts |
Virginia Sprang
Design |
Jory Conrad
Technical Director |
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FAMILY MINISTRY
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Ryan Koltiska
Family Min Pastor Kate Bergstrom
Preschool Director |
Children's Ministry Jordan Verhoek
KidsPoint Resident |
Brennen Schmitt
Student Min Resident |
Ben Gietzen
OASIS (College) Jaena Gormong
Student Min Worship |
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COMMUNITY LIFE
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Dave Hopewell
Community Life |
Matt Douglas
Connections and Care |
Vicki Norby
Communication |
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CHURCH PLANT
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Jeff Ruggles
Watertown Pastor |
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OPERATIONS
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Amber Hobbie
Operations & Office Manager |
Jodi Krogman
Receptionist |
Nancy Stewart
Office Staff |
Larry Hobbie
Maintenance |
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Steve originally joined the staff at Brookings (now GracePoint) Wesleyan in 1996 as the Discipleship Pastor. He left a 15-year career at 3M company where he had held positions ranging from Project Engineer to Plant Engineering Manager. He has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and he earned a Bible degree from Indiana Wesleyan University while employed at 3M.
After being on staff here for 3 years, Steve was called to the lead pastor position at New Hope Wesleyan in Williston, North Dakota. He spent 10 1/2 years in ministry there until called back to Brookings in January of 2010. Steve is married to his high school sweetheart, Vicki. They have 6 children and 13 grandchildren. Steve loves to spend his spare time working out, golfing and hiking in the mountains with Vicki. Leading people to authentic relationship with Jesus Christ is Steve’s passion; he hopes that people become crazy in love with Jesus. He is committed to preaching God’s Word in a relevant and life-changing way. |
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Aaron joined the staff in April of 2011. He studied Christian Ministries and Biblical Literature at Indiana Wesleyan University and completed his M.A. in ministry leadership from Wesley Seminary and an M.A in Theological Studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary. Aaron met his wife, Lauren, at Indiana Wesleyan. Aaron and Lauren have 3 daughters, Eisley, Emery & Indie!
As the ministry development pastor Aaron works with Steve, our lead pastor, to provide tangible direction to the GracePoint vision of helping people encounter grace, grow in grace and become grace givers. To this end Aaron provides vision, development and direction to the GracePoint staff while also working to cultivate a healthy culture centered around our Church’s vision. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys photography, cycling and reading. |
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Kyle originally joined the staff at GracePoint Wesleyan in 2009 in the role of Interim Worship Leader and served in that role for just under 2 years. After that Kyle served as the Worship Pastor at Living Hope Wesleyan Church in Madison, SD for a year before being called back to GracePoint to serve as the Technical Director.
Kyle met his wife Kelsey at Madison High School and they got married in June 2010. Kyle graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in spring of 2013 with a degree in Ministry and Leadership. Their son, AJ, joined the family in January of 2016! Kyle is passionate about seeing people enter into a time of authentic worship. He also loves to see the way that technology can be used to spread the message of Christ. In his spare time, Kyle enjoys golfing, disk golfing, playing guitar, and playing board games. |
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Jory became a part of the GracePoint Family mid August 2019 as Technical Director to give his Audio Engineering degree from Western Iowa Tech to the church. Having a heart for worship, Jory felt the call to work with volunteers in the church to bring to life the worship service from the first chord of the music, to the final point of the sermon.
While in school, Jory met his fiancé, Chloe, at Sunnybrook Church where they were both volunteering as College leadership. They now have two fuzzy children in their dog and cat, Bently and Hibbert. Jory loves reading comics and books, working on cars, and enjoying cool weather when football is on tv and the cozy clothes make their way out of the closet. |
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Virginia earned a degree in graphic design from SDSU, and afterward did freelance design work while raising her family. She had helped with visual design at the church for many years before officially joining the staff in 2012.
At GracePoint she's responsible for everything visual from sermon series branding to stage design to paint colors. She likes everything to "coordinate" and makes sure we all use the right fonts! Her goal is to help create an environment that is warm, inviting and memorable, to allow people to meet Jesus without awkwardness or distraction. Virginia and her husband, Jon, have four children: Tyler, Jenna, Keira and Meili. She loves healthy cooking, studying nutrition and reading. |
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Vicki is a ministry assistant at GracePoint. Her responsibilities include keeping the website and facebook page up-to-date, and assisting around the office as needed.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, Steve. They have 6 children and 13 grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family and enjoys hiking, playing Ultimate, adventure-seeking, and getting high scores on her Fitbit. Her favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, “For God, Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” |
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Jessey joined the staff of GracePoint as Children’s Pastor in October 2013. He studied Children’s Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University and is currently studying at Wesley Seminary in Children and Family Ministry MA program. He was called into ministry as a 7th grader and has been following that call ever since.
Jessey is full of energy and excitement and is able to connect with children on their level, teaching them the importance of following God, loving others, and getting into the Bible. As the Children's Pastor, Jessey oversees the nursery, preschool, and elementary-aged programs ranging from birth-5th grade. Jessey was married in 2016 to his wonderful wife, Natalie. They have one son, Thor. In his free time, Jessey enjoys playing board games, training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and reading comics. |
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Kate joined the GracePoint Preschool staff as the Director after 13 years of teaching Physical and Health education in both the public school (K-12) and college settings.
She earned her Bachelor's degree in Education from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2002, her Masters degree in Teaching and Learning from St. Mary’s University in 2005, and a second Masters degree in Adaptive Physical Education from Minnesota State-Mankato in 2014. After moving to Brookings in the spring of 2017, Kate and her family began attending GracePoint. She has served on the GracePoint Preschool Board, leads the “IF: Gathering” women's group at GracePoint, and serves on the Brookings Fellowship of Christian Athletes Board. Kate is married to Brian and they have three children: Krayton, Beckett, and Berkley. |
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Ryan was born and raised in Sheridan, WY and has attended the Sheridan Wesleyan Church since the age of six. Ryan initially went to college for Musical Theater but God called him into ministry during his senior year. Eventually, this led him back to the Sheridan Wesleyan Church where he spent 10 years as a pastor leading worship, teaching and preaching, and leading community outreach. In 2017, Ryan became the Executive Director of Sheridan KidsLife, a Christian youth organization for kids from 3rd grade through high school with the mission of connecting kids to Christ.
Ryan is especially fond of Ashley, his wife of 8 years. They both love the mountains, good music and theater, and singing together. Together, they have three children, Levi (6), Ethan (3), and Eliza (1.5). |
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Shawn grew up and graduated from high school in Tea, South Dakota. Following that, he attended South Dakota State University and, after switching majors from chemistry to English education, graduated with an English Education degree in 2017. Throughout his college career Shawn knew that he wanted to teach, but was unsure of what he wanted to teach. While interning with Pastor Jessey at GracePoint, he realized his call to teach about Jesus, not a school subject.
Some of Shawn's favorite things are: reading, playing drums, cheering on Seattle sports teams, enjoying hoodie weather when it’s gray outside, and playing every and any kind of board/card game. |
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Ben originally joined the staff of GracePoint Wesleyan (at that time, Brookings Wesleyan) in 2010 as Interim Youth Pastor before moving to Minneapolis in the summer of 2011 to help plant a church. More recently, Ben has been serving as Worship Pastor at Cornerstone Church in Watertown, SD. After five years as Cornerstone’s Worship Pastor, Ben has been called back to GracePoint to serve as Pastor for the Oasis Young Adult Ministry.
Ben met his wife, Abby, while attending SDSU and they were married in June of 2010. Ben graduated from Crown University in 2015 with a degree in Christian Ministries and is currently working on his Masters of Divinity degree through Sioux Falls Seminary. Ben and Abby have two children: Wesley, 4, and Alice (AJ), 2. Ben has a passion for helping people grow in the character and competency of Jesus through leading worship, teaching, and making disciples with a priority on multiplication. |
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Brennen grew up in Sioux Falls, SD where he graduated from Roosevelt High School before coming up to South Dakota State University to get his Bachelor's in Economics and Communication Studies. Brennen first felt his call to ministry in his later years of high school while taking on a leadership role in his youth group. After two years of working in various roles within the Oasis ministry, Brennen has transitioned into the residency program to assist with both Oasis and Student Ministries. Brennen’s love for organization, people, and Jesus make him a great partner for these ministries. Together, they strive to demonstrate the love of Jesus in the daily lives of youth and young adults.
In his free time, Brennen loves hanging out with his wife and friends, watching and playing soccer, playing cards and board games, and eating Qdoba. |
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Jaena Gormong is a recent graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University. She finished in December of 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts, as a double major in Applied Music and Christian Worship. Jaena grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, and felt her call to ministry developing over the four summers of her college years as she served in a variety of roles in camp ministry! She comes from a family of farmers and pastors and is excited to continue the line of ministry present in her family.
Jaena is passionate about helping young people come to know Christ, and experience life-giving, chain-breaking, Holy Spirit-filled worship. In her free time, Jaena enjoys reading, sewing, spending time with friends and family, and being outside in the sun. |
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Dave joined the GracePoint team as the Community Life Pastor in early 2015. He studied Recreation Management at Indiana Wesleyan University, completed his M.S. in Leadership and Higher Education at John Brown University, and received his ministerial license through the Cross Training program at Oklahoma Wesleyan in early 2016.
After finishing his undergrad, Dave felt God's calling to Columbus, Ohio where he started working for Ohio Christian University. He spent seven years on staff there and had the chance to work in several different ministries, primarily in Student Development helping program Student Activities, Residence Life, and Student Success where he helped teach the incoming freshman class. He also began coaching volleyball on the side and was able to practice his leadership principles. As the Community Life Pastor he works to implement the fundamental values of GracePoint into the growth groups and organizes our Global Outreach efforts. He also enjoys officiating weddings throughout the year and the occasional speaking engagement. Dave met his lovely wife Heidi in Ohio, even though she is from Florida and he is from Indiana. They welcomed their first child, Phoenix, in November of 2015, and their twin girls, Zoey and Zion, in September of 2017. When they are not in Brookings, they are going on exciting journeys. Their favorite pasttime includes some sort of recreational exercise or traveling; if not to see family, then to new places. Dave still enjoys volleyball and will participate in any hobby from ping-pong to rock climbing. |
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Matt joined the staff in May 2010 as the Discipleship & Connections Pastor. He left a 9-year career in the manufacturing world, 7 years with Daktronics Inc. as a Crew Leader and 2 years with Rainbow Play Systems Inc. as a Design Engineer.
Matt studied Manufacturing Engineering and Industrial Management at South Dakota State University while working full-time for Daktronics and Rainbow. He is now taking ministerial classes through the Wesleyan Church. Matt met his wife Stacie while working for Daktronics. They have a daughter Morgan Grace, a son Jacob William and two wonderful dogs. Matt’s passion is to come alongside those who are seeking to grow in their faith and connect them with the vibrant faith community at GracePoint. Matt oversees the connections, assimilation and care ministries. |
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Serenity and her husband, Jeff, have been members of GracePoint since early 2012, finding their church family here. Together, the two made much-needed, life-changing connections through GracePoint growth groups held at the home of Pastor Steve and Vicki. Soon after, God began to issue an unexpected call into ministry. In the fall of 2015, Serenity graduated cum laude with a B.S. in biblical studies from Indiana Wesleyan University. She then continued working through ordination requirements via the non-trad program at Oklahoma Wesleyan University online, and she is now pursuing an M.A. in Psychology/Life Coaching through IWU.
Prior to this, Serenity gained over a decade of experience in media/events, followed by several years in manufacturing support roles here in Brookings, while discerning God’s call on her life. She was brought on staff in the summer of 2017 as a ministry assistant with the Community Life team, then transitioned in the spring of 2018 into a full-time role, serving our hospitality and local outreach ministries at GracePoint. Knowing personally how much Jesus can transform a life, Serenity is passionate about addiction recovery, jail ministry, mental health, and one-on-one mentoring. Her mission in Christ is to change the world by showing you how you can change the world, too! |
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Born and raised near Flint, MI, Jeff is an avid University of Michigan fan, and loves all Detroit sports, even the Lions. He and high school sweetheart, Kate, got married when they were 21 and when they were 24, they left Michigan for Virginia Beach, VA. There they lived for 6 years with no children. Jeff worked as a Polysomnographic Technician (a sleep tech) for a Virginia Beach hospital, and became a core member of a Wesleyan Church plant.
After about 4 years, Jeff felt a pull towards full-time ministry, and began pursuing licensing through the Wesleyan Church FLAME program. Through a long course of events, Jeff and Kate, still no children, wound up interning for New Hope Wesleyan Church in Williston, ND in 2008, under the leadership of Pastor Steve Norby. In May, 2009, Jeff accepted a lead pastor position at Watford City Wesleyan Church, where he served as lead pastor for 9 years. While there, he and Kate had two children, Olivia, now 7, and Makenzie, now 6. In 2018, Jeff and Kate felt God’s pull again, calling them away from Watford City and toward the church revitalization project in Watertown, SD. |
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Amber joined the GracePoint staff in May 2007 as the church secretary. In June 2018 she changed roles & became the Operations & Office Manager. She oversees & manages the facility as well as coordinates the many events at the church.
Amber grew up attending GracePoint with her family. After graduating from Flandreau High School she attended Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, OK, where she received a degree in Elementary Education. She lives on the family farm southeast of Brookings & loves spending time with her nieces & nephew, cheering on the SDSU basketball teams, spending time with friends, traveling, Broadway musicals & just about everything else in between. |
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After spending the last 14 years living and working in Mississippi, Jodi felt the Lord leading her back closer to her family. Born and raised in Brookings, moving back “home” was affirmed over and over showing she was making the right move.
Prior to joining the staff at GracePoint in August 2019, Jodi was managing a busy day spa where she learned all about southern hospitality! She is so excited to be back in her hometown and can’t wait to see familiar faces and meet many new people! When Jodi isn’t at work, you can find her with her sweet puppy, Willow Mae, along with keeping up with her niece and nephew. She’s looking forward to spending more time with her family and friends, watching endless amounts of SDSU sporting events, working out, and embracing this new season in her life. |
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Nancy experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus when she was 38. Following the Savior has been a great adventure that has included extended times of fasting, mission trips to Russia and Alaska, week-long trips in the summer to the Wesleyan Camp in Rapid City, and wonderful life-giving friendships with fellow believers.
She started coming to GracePoint Wesleyan Church in 1993 and a year later, she joined the staff in the church office. She serves the ministry staff and the congregation to express her devotion and faithfulness to the One who saved her. |
Larry has attended Brookings Wesleyan/GracePoint Church since 1963 when he was a sophomore in high school. There he met his wife, Connie, and they were married in 1969. Previously Larry had served in the US Army for three years. He has been a farmer all of his life and received the Outstanding Young Farmer award in 1982. Larry & Connie have two daughters, Tricia (Steve) Wilkins and Heather (Dan) Dubro and 8 grandchildren. Larry is currently semi-retired, but enjoys the maintenance position at GracePoint, as well as helping Adam Wiese during planting and harvest seasons.