My wife, Dawn and I have been attending Faith regularly since 1999.  We have five children and five grandchildren. 

Some of my first involvments in church were in music ministry back in 1973.  I continue to have a love of and heart for music and sing in Faith's Worship Choir.  I have also been involved in healing ministry from the early eighties and serve on Faith's Healing Prayer Team.  In past churches, I have served as head deacon and co-edited a manual on the deacons' ministry.

I have a bachelor's degree in design from the University of Michigan and have worked in the architectural and engineering field for over 40 years.  Along the way, I attended three years of Bible school.

Ritchie and I have lived in Traverse City for 12 years and have attended Faith since our first visit.  We have been married for 39 years and have three married children, Amy, Heather, and Scott who have blessed us with four Grandchildren to date.  I am currently on the Missions committee and help coordinate five local mission organizations.  I sing in the choir and am part of a worship team and small group.

I have served in a similar capacity to an Elder in the Lutheran Church when we lived down state and also taught Sunday School.  We were members of a small group in that church and still are very close to those special people.

I enjoy wood working and devoting my spare time to helping others.  I am on the Board of Freedom Builders helping advance that mission in the Grand Traverse area.  I have been on several mission trips with Jackson County Ministries and enjoy improving the living conditions of those less fortunate in South Eastern Kentucky.

I believe Faith Church is on the verge of a new awakening in the Traverse City area and look forward to advancing our mission and vision to serve as an elder.

Hello, I’m Larry Bouwense and I currently serve on Consistory as a Deacon.  It has certainly been a joy and privilege to serve at FRC during this exciting time in the life of the Church.

My wife, Sharon, and I have been members at Faith for over  years.   We were both born and raised in the Grand Rapids area and moved to Traverse City because of a job transfer.  We immediately found ourselves ‘plugged in’ to the family at FRC and made many lasting friendships.  More importantly, we have been able to deepen our relationship with Christ.  Sharon and I have recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and have two wonderful children, Matthew, age 17, and Andrea, age 15.  They have also enjoyed and benefited from the many youth programs and ministries over the years.  I currently work in sales for a pharmaceutical company.  We enjoy spending time as a family, As life seems to get busier and busier, we find it is evenmore important to carve-out time for each otehr, whehter it's meals, a "family night', or just talking around the fireplace.  We need to feel that connectedness.

Sharon and I have enjoyed being a part of several small groups over the years which provides the intimate environment where we can truly practice being Faithful Followers of Jesus Christ.  We also count it a privilege to worship and serve at the Crossings Campus.  This is how we connect with our church family and what makes FRC a great place, and a large Church, small.

Hi, I’m Mike Schrotenboer, and I’m happy to serve Faith Reformed Church as an elder.  I have been attending Faith the last 13 years.  I have enjoyed serving in the nursery and as a Sunday School teacher.  I have been especially blessed through being a small group leader.  Being part of a small group has allowed spiritual growth, as well as good fellowship and accountability with other believers.

I have been fortunate to grow up in the church and in a Christian home.  When I moved to Traverse City I began attending Faith and also met my wife, Paige.  Shortly after graduating from Calvin College, I accepted a teaching job in Traverse City.  I have been a sixth grade teacher for Traverse City Schools and I currently teach at Blair Elementary.

Paige and I are grateful for our three children.  Corinne is 8, Avery is 6, and Jameson is 3.   I love spending time with my family.  We enjoy camping and gardening together.  I also enjoy tinkering in the garage or doing home improvements.

If I can serve you in any way please contact me.

Email: mikeschrotenboer@alldial.net

Senior Pastor does not mean that I am the oldest person on the program staff (but I’m close).  As Senior Pastor I am the Team Leader for the staff and our lay leadership.  Vision, Mission, Alignment and Inspiration make up my responsibilities.  Along with our Executive Administrator I also serve as our staff supervisor.

I have previously served as Chaplain at Hope College, Executive Pastor at Christ Church of Oak Brook, Illinois, and Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church in Palos Heights, Illinois.  I love the creative part of worship preparation as provided in the variety of ways the Holy Spirit works.  I also love envisioning new and exciting ways to follow the lead of Jesus who came to “seek and save the lost”.

My wife of 34 years, Becky, is a special education professional.  We have three adult children, which means we are currently (things can change quickly) empty nesters.  My hobbies include coaching basketball at Traverse City St. Francis, reading, golf and a new-found affection for boating.

Email: peter@frchurch.org

My husband, Ric, and I have been married for 33 years and we have two daughters, one a graduate student in Chicago and the other just married and now in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Our family has lived in beautiful northern Michigan and has been a part of Faith Reformed Church for 25 years.

I have been a Christian all my life, baptized as an infant and making public profession of my faith in Jesus Christ when I was in high school.  The Lord has been faithful to me all these years, when I was faithful to Him and when I was not.  I still strive to be, am blessed to be, and am eternally grateful to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and to belong to the body of Christ.

Now that Ric and I are empty nesters, I have directed my time towards volunteer work both at Faith Reformed Church and in our community.  Along with my role as elder at FRC, I serve as director of mission service, setting up mission opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.  I also direct the Bundles of Love ministry, which provides infant items to families in need in our community, and I enjoy singing in the worship choir.  In our community, I coordinate Youth Friends (a mentoring program) for the Elk Rapids Schools.

If I can assist you in any way, please call (231-938-2046) or email me!

Bill has been a resident of the Traverse City area for 22 years.  He graduated from Michigan Tech University and began his short career in the Engineering field.  He soon realized that his real passion was working with people.  For the next 27 years he worked  in insurance and financial planning.

Bill and Tammy, his wife of 26 years, have 5 children.  Their family has attended Faith Reformed Church for almost 15 years.
 

Bill grew up attending a Catholic church and attending parochial schools.  In 1986 he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.  The Lord has made a tremendous impact in every area of his life.

Bill has a strong passion for serving the Lord.  His love and dedication to his family has always been a strong priority.  He looks forward to serving on the board at FRC and allowing God to use him in any way He can.

Hello, my name is Brad Wierda and I serve as a Deacon on the Consistory.  My wife, Julie, and I recently celebrated our tenth anniversary. We have two young children, Madeline and Cole. We moved to Traverse City from Boston three years ago. While we miss cheering for No-mah at Fenway Pahk, it has been easy to get used to the beautiful beaches, wide open spaces and well-manicured golf courses of Traverse City. 

I work as an attorney at a local law firm. I'm a graduate of Calvin College and Boston College Law School. Julie is a nurse at Munson Medical Center.

I've been involved at Faith with the music, Sunday school and Junior High youth group programs. I'm also grateful for a small group which isn't afraid to ponder whether the meaning of life is solely the conversion of lost souls or other deeper questions, like the relative merits of sweaters versus sweater vests.

I look forward to serving as a deacon and welcome anyone to contact me at 943-4558 or via e-mail.

My name is Laverna Witkop.   My husband Mike and I are “true” natives of Northern Michigan.  Both of us were born right here in Traverse City at Munson Medical Center.  I was raised in a wonderful Christian home in Interlochen and Mike here in Traverse City.  

I was baptized as an infant and as a young teenager made the commitment to live my life for Christ.  Mike and I were married in 1979 and today we live on the original Witkop farm dated back to 1892.  We have been members of Faith Reformed Church since 1994. 

 We have two great children.  Both of them have been very active in and blessed by our youth program here at Faith.  Our son Hiram is a senior at Michigan Tech University.  He will graduate with his degree in chemical engineering in May of 2007.  Grace is 14 and in 8^th grade at TC Christian School.   

In my early career days I worked for the original Traverse City State Bank for over 9 years.  This is where I met Mike; I was a teller and he was my customer.  In addition to being a teller I later became a New Accounts Representative helping people open their checking, savings, IRA and CD accounts.  Since then I have been a licensed life and health insurance agent for over 20 years.  I work with Ford Insurance Agency here in Traverse City where I specialize in life, health, annuity and employee benefits.  Recently I earned the designation of Registered Health Underwriter through the American College.  My career is somewhat of a ministry for me since I truly enjoy helping people understand their insurance needs. 

I enjoy being a part of ministry here at Faith Church and in our community.  Mike and I have been active in the Emmaus Community.  Here at Faith I have served as a Service Leader/counting team, Senior High youth group and mission trip, Bible School, drama team, choir musicals and the Nursery.  My greatest passions include the Good Sense and Dave Ramsey budget counseling programs and Small Groups.  Mike and I have been members of small groups for about 20 years and believe this to be a key program to reach all people associated with our church.  I recently traveled to Willow Creek with a group from Faith Church for leadership training in this area. 

Currently I am on the Public Relations Committee at Traverse City Christian School.  I volunteer for various activities at our school as they arise.  I also serve as Education Chair on our local Northern Michigan Health Underwriters board. 

In my free time I love just being with my family.  I love going to see our son Hiram as often as we can.  Our daughter Grace is involved with basketball at school and plans on playing soccer in the spring.  She also has a horse and we enjoy going to all her horse shows in the summer months.  We are blessed to have my Dad, Mom and Mike’s Mom here locally and we enjoy being there for them when they need us. 

I am looking forward to joining the rest of the Deacons and Consistory members to help Faith Church know Christ and make Him known!