The role of our staff at Church of the Servant is diverse and includes facilitating ministry from the ground up, providing direction and vision, addressing barriers to growth and development, and simultaneously, taking the part of a servant-leader and administrator. The goal is to coordinate and equip those within the congregation who are most passionate about and involved in a particular area of ministry. We encourage you to contact our staff members to see how your passions can be be used, so that together we can build up this body of Christ and expand God’s kingdom!

Senior Pastor

Rev. Jack Roeda has been the senior pastor of Church of the Servant for more than 25 years and is the author of various articles on preaching and applying the biblical text. He has also written educational and devotional materials for the Christian Reformed Church and other publications. Jack is married to Carol, an artist, and they have three children and five grandchildren. Jack and Carol enjoy long walks in the woods with their dog.

Phone: 956-7611 x21
Email: Rev. Jack Roeda

Minister of Administration

Lori Wiersma became the Minister of Administration in November 2010. This new position oversees the entire administration of the church and assists in implementing the church’s vision. Lori has more than 25 years of experience leading nonprofit, faith-based organizations. Many in Grand Rapids know her through her Executive Director role at Volunteers in Service (VIS) for 22 years. She was also the founding board president of Ramoth House, now part of Safe Haven Ministries, and is coauthor of The Deacon’s Handbook (Faith Alive, 2009). Lori and her husband, Jon, have three children. She enjoys visiting her two children who live out-of state every chance she gets.

Phone: 956-7611 x25
Email: Lori Wiersma

Minister of Congregational Life

Janice McWhertor has been the Minister of Congregational Life at Church of the Servant since 1991. Her task and her passion is to encourage herself and the congregation to grow in faithfulness to Christ and to continually build a vibrant sense of community at COS. She also leads anti-racism/reconciliation workshops in the community and provides leadership in dismantling racism within COS. Janice is wife to Tom, parent to four (now adult) children, and grandmother to two loving grand-daughters.

Phone: 956-7611 x22
Email: Janice McWhertor

Minister of Faith Formation

Annette Ediger joined the Church of the Servant staff in May 2012. Before becoming a COS member in 2001, she served other churches as campus minister and youth minister. At COS, she has served as a Sunday School teacher, Girls Club leader and Facility Committee chair, while homeschooling her four daughters and working as the wedding coordinator for her parents’ farm, Post Family Farm. As Minister of Faith Formation, she is developing a comprehensive plan for faith formation opportunities at COS for those 2 1/2 years old through adulthood, a plan that takes into account all ages and stages of faith. She also is seeking ways to encourage more memorization of scripture, doctrine, and other important works in the Reformed faith. Annette and her husband, Jay, and their children live in an 1892 farmhouse in Hudsonville.

Phone: 956-7611 x23
Email: Annette Ediger

Youth & Young Adult Director

Trent Elders was born and raised in Grand Rapids and attended Calvin College, where he majored in psychology and youth recreation, and minored in youth ministry. At Calvin he also met his wife, Kelly. Trent spent two years as a youth ministry intern at LaGrave Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids and was a seminary intern at Fifth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids in 2011. In addition to his youth ministry work, Trent is a part-time photographer. He enjoys engaging God’s creation through climbing, kayaking, backpacking, and fly-fishing.

Minister of Worship

Greg Scheer is Minister of Worship at Church of the Servant and Music Associate at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. His writings include The Art of Worship (Baker Books, 2006) and contributions to Reformed Worship, The Hymn, Call to Worship, Worship Leader, and New Songs of Celebration Render (forthcoming, GIA). His music is available from Augsburg Fortress, Abingdon, GIA, WorshipToday, Faith Alive, and at www.gregscheer.com. Greg and his wife, Amy, have two boys.

Phone: 956-7611 x26
Email: Greg Scheer

Resident Pastor

(financially supported with the help of a Transition-into-Ministry grant from the Lilly Endowment)

Rev. Ruth Lemmen began as a Resident Pastor in August 2011, with an emphasis on outreach and enfolding ministries. She holds a Bachelor in English degree from Calvin College and a Master of Divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary. In between college and seminary, she spent three years teaching English in China. She is excited to hear the stories of members of the congregation and community and to encourage them in building relationships with each other. Ruth enjoys reading a variety of books, trying new recipes and foods, and having friends over to her home.

Phone: 956-7611 x34
Email: Rev. Ruth Lemmen

Resident Pastor

(financially supported with the help of a Transition-into-Ministry grant from the Lilly Endowment)

Rev. Sam Lee joined the staff of Church of the Servant in August of 2011. Sam was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. degree in business administration and marketing. He married Jihye in Y2K and now has 2YK, or 2 Young Kids. In 2008 Sam moved to Grand Rapids to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Calvin Theological Seminary, submitting to a lifelong calling to serve Christ’s church. Sam loves to fish and to grill, and he really enjoys watching people enjoy the food he has prepared. As a Resident Pastor, Sam now calls COS his home, joyfully worshipping and reaching out to the neighbors with his fellow servants of the Servant.

Phone: 956-7611 x35
Email: Rev. Sam Lee

Full-Time Secretary

Phone: 956-7611
Email: Ruth Huisman

Part-Time Office Assistant

Phone: 956-7611
Email: Nancy Van Baak

Part-Time Nursery Supervisor

Email: Jana Brasser

Part-Time Music Assistant

Julia Start Fletcher studied worship and the arts at Belhaven University and earned an M.A. in worship from Calvin Theological Seminary. She has been involved in liturgical dance at the Calvin Symposium on Worship, has worked at Turning Pointe School of Dance in Holland, and has served as an adjunct instructor at Calvin College and Kuyper College. She became Music Assistant at Church of the Servant in 2012.

Email: Julia Start Fletcher

Facility Coordinator

Email: Ellen Westrate

Part-Time Treasurer

JoAnn Beattie joined the Church of the Servant staff in June 2012. She has more than 20 years of experience as a certified public accountant in public accounting, consulting, and management, primarily in health care services. JoAnn is a member of True Light Baptist Church, where she has volunteered in Sunday school and assisted with various church financial duties over several years. She is married to Willie, and they have two sons.

Phone: 956-7611 x29
Email: JoAnn Beattie

Part-Time Assistant Treasurer

Email: Cindy Van Scoyk