Staff « Rockford Reformed Church

Staff

Rick Tigchon

Pastor Rick grew up in the Grand Rapids and Grandville areas. He graduated from Grandville High School and received a BA in chemistry from Grand Valley State back when it was a college. He then graduated from Western Theological Seminary in 1974. Prior to becoming the lead pastor of Rockford Reformed Church in 1997, he served congregations in Greenleafton, Minnesota and Vicksburg, Michigan. He and his wife, Nancy, have been married 40 years and have three married daughters and ten grandchildren. Pastor Rick is an avid fisherman and fly tier (although you would never know it by his sermons).

Bryan Boersma

Associate Pastor
bryanboersma@gmail.com

I love Jesus! And I want others to love Jesus too. The Apostle Paul says something similar in Philippians 3:10. I also love the Church. And I deeply desire for others to experience the local church as a place where they experience personal joy, hope, love, faith, kindness, care, forgiveness, and all the best words. These are two primary reasons I do what I do. I became a pastor in 2004 after graduating from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. The six years that followed, my wife, Melissa, and I, along with our, then, infant son, Levi, ventured to the West Coast where I served as a pastor of First Reformed Church in Oak Harbor, WA. In that time, our two younger children, Julia and Andrew, entered the world. Currently, we’re enjoying life in Rockford and are fully invested in the life of Rockford Reformed Church.

Joel Van Houten

Worship Leader
musicalfam4@gmail.com

Joel grew up in the Walker area and graduated from Grandville High School. He attended Grand Rapids Community Collage and Hope College, earning a degree in Vocal Music Education. Joel and his wife Linda joined the staff at Rockford Reformed Church in 1992 to start a creative/contemporary second service. Through the years the music ministry has evolved and grown to change with the growth of Rockford Reformed Church. Joel enjoys planning and organizing special musical services throughout the year. Joel currently is the choir director at Greenville High School where he directs four choirs and oversees the music department, theater department, and auditorium as the Performing Arts Department Head.

Ben Gandy

Director of Youth Ministries
benrrc@gmail.com

Ben has grown up in many places, but home to him is London, England (you wouldn’t know it by his accent though). He came to Michigan to go to Calvin College where he majored in English and Writing. He met his wife, Lindsay, at Calvin College, too! Ben enjoys running, biking, backpacking, rugby, acting his shoe size and not his age, and fishing. He’ll read almost any book you throw at him and is always willing to sit over a cup of coffee and talk for hours about dogs, music or faith. He is hardly ever without his faithful companion, Rocket, his Australian Shepherd.

Beth Jennings

Director of Children’s Ministries
rrcchildrensministry@gmail.com

Beth grew up in Rockford. She graduated from Rockford High School and attended Grand Rapids Community College pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education. She is married to an “amazing man” Nate, and together they have three wonderful children. Rockford Reformed Church is close to Beth’s heart because she grew up worshiping here. Beth strives to make every day a day to grow closer to Christ and loves teaching our kids to do the same. “Let your light shine!”

Audrey Shantz

Director of Kids Hope USA
audreyshantz@gmail.com

Audrey grew up in Northwest Indiana. She came to Michigan to attend Cornerstone University. She graduated from Cornerstone with a Bachelors degree in Social Work and a minor in Sociology. She is married to her best friend, Bren, and they have three kids – Ethan, Parker, & Alaena. Audrey is the Director for the Kids Hope USA program at Valley View, assists Pastor Boersma one day a week, and sings on the worship team in The Well. She loves to sew, read, and laugh!

Marcia Shanken

Administrative Assistant
churchoffice@rockfordreformedchurch.org

Marcia joined Rockford Reformed Church in 1986 and has been the Administrative Assistant at the church since 1997. She is married to Howard and they are the proud parents of two cats. Besides working at the church, Marcia is involved with the Puppet Ministry. She has been involved with Sweet Adelines International (Women’s 4-part Barbershop Harmony) for more than 25 years. She is the former director of the West Shore Chorus and now sings with the Grand Rapids Chorus and “Top Notch” quartet. As you can see, music plays a big part in her life and she uses her gift helping out vocally with worship from time to time.

Trisha Van Stensel

Youth Administrative Assistant
tvsatrrc@gmail.com

Trisha Van Stensel grew up in the Grand Rapids area. She is a graduate of Rockford High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Kuyper College. She has been happily married for nearly 8 years to her high school sweetheart and best friend, Dan Van Stensel. Trisha and Dan have two daughters; Sienna (who was placed in their life by the miracle of adoption) and Paige.