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Alethea "Lee" De Groot has been working with youth for over 33 years in one capacity or another. She is in her 15th year as Youth Coordinator for Minn-I-Kota Youth Network and enjoys every minute of it. She also has been involved in youth ministry by being a Champion (9 years for Minnkota, Iakota, and Heartland Classis) for the Christian Reformed Faith Formations Youth Ministry and also by serving on their Executive Team (7 years) in Youth Ministry for the CRCNA. However, Lee says her first and most important calling is being a wife, mom to her 4 sons+ 1 daughter + 4 daughter in laws + 1 son-in-law, and grandma to her 14 grandchildren. Lee is married to Pastor Doug De Groot. Doug is the Pastor of the Christian Reformed Church in Rock Rapids, IA since Oct. '20, where they now live after being in Hull, IA their entire married life. Doug and Lee's 5+5 children are... Chase (38) is a RN and is currently a traveling nurse manager. He is married to Beth, who is also an RN at the Rock Rapids, IA Clinic. They live on an acreage near Doon, IA and have 6 children: 3 daughters and 3 sons: Lauren (13), Faye (12), Jude (8), Eve (6), Graham (4) and Miles (3). Dodge (34), together with his wife Jordan, live in Kennewick, WA and are the founders and operators of Jordan Edens De Groot Photography and Dodge does all the IT work for her photography businesses. Jordan also works for a real estate company in the Tri-Cities of Washington where they live. They have one son, Bodin (4) and one daughter, Wells (1). Dash (32) is a data scientist at MetaBank out of Sioux Falls, SD. He is married to Amber, who is a stay-at-home mom. They live in Hull, IA with their 4 children: two daughters, Lilly (7) and Ella (5) and their 2 sons, Dallas (3), and Callum (1). They are expecting baby #5 in April 2025. Cruise (27) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a Sergeant in the US Army and is continuing his college education. Cruise married Makayla in June ’24. Cruise and Makayla both work in Marketing at P&G. AyshaLynn (25) lives in David City, NE with her husband, Isaac Cook. Aysha is a stay-at-home mom to their two daughters, Piper (2) and Caroline (1). Isaac is in his 3rd year of teaching History at Schuyler, NE High School.
Pastor Doug De Groot is the full-time Pastor at the Christian Reformed Church in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Before taking his call to Rock Rapids in October '20 he served 6 years as the Pastor of Cornerstone Prison Church, which is a Christian Reformed Church behind the walls of the South Dakota Men's State Penitentiary. This Church was the very 1st CRC behind the walls of a prison in the United States. Before becoming ordained, Doug also spent time working with youth. He was a Head Cadet Counselor for 16 years and helped out with his church's youth group. In September 2022 the MIK Youth Board saw a need and hired Pastor Doug as a part-time Coordinator to work alongside his wife, Lee.
When Pastor Doug and Lee find free time, they enjoy traveling to their distance children/grandchildren and they say their most precious moments are spent with the family eating a home-cooked meal around a (very big) table.