Our Ministry Team
Pastor Mark Groen
Pastor Mark has served First Reformed since January 2016. He and his wife Kristin have been married since 1995. They have three children: Ahna (2000), Joshua (2006), and Carly (2008). Before serving First Reformed, Mark was a manager at Toys R Us (1996-2001), Youth Director at St. Paul Lutheran in Sandusky, OH (2001-2009), and Youth Director at his home church, Second Reformed, in Lennox, SD (2009-2015). Mark is a graduate of Liberty University (B.S. Religion) and Western Theological Seminary (M.Div). Pastor Mark was received as a Teaching Elder in the Rivers and Lake Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in April of 2023. In December of 2023, Mark released his devotional book “Dwell in Philippians”.
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is Michael Horton’s book on worship, “A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship” but when people ask that question, they are usually wondering about a work of fiction, so I will answer that as well. My favorite novel is “Till We Have Faces” by C.S. Lewis. I have read it three times, and every time, I enjoy it more.
What is your favorite movie?
The Dark Knight. I tend to like the middle movie in a trilogy the best (Empire Strikes Back and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers are two of my favorite films), and the story and acting in The Dark Knight are great. Batman is one of my favorite superheroes (Nightwing is my actual favorite), and so the entire Dark Knight Trilogy is one I enjoy watching.
What is your current favorite song?
“Banquet for Traitors” by Oh, Sleeper. The imagery of Christ as the host of the banquet and the forgiveness given to traitors, thieves, and liars nearly moves me to tears every time I hear it.
What is your favorite song of all time?
Reborn Empowered by Living Sacrifice. The band has been my favorite since the first time I heard them more than 30 years ago, and that song that starts off their album “Reborn” is powerful lyrically and musically.
What is one of your hobbies?
I’ve recently started enjoying collecting music. For years, I only purchased digital downloads of music. Now, I feel we are missing something by not holding a compact disc or vinyl album and owning it. I like a relatively small sub-genre of music, so it is fun to track down albums. I have also really come to appreciate the sound a vinyl album has compared to digital music. It is also refreshing to put on a record and listen to a band’s record all the way through without shuffling or skipping around to your favorite songs. While I love the convenience of digital music in the car or on a walk, there is something we are missing out on if we only pull up a playlist on Spotify and hit the shuffle button.
What do you like best about your job at the church?
There are many things that I love about my job, and that is what I like best. It is a job with great variety. I get the privilege of preaching God’s Word. I teach Middle School Catechism and go to RYM with them every summer. I work on the website and do some work with social media and communications. I have people stop in to talk and have coffee with me. I go to community sporting events, cheer on our students, and chat with people. You get the idea. It lets me be a jack of all trades and a master of none, but I am just fine with that.
Resource and Communication Director & Custodian - Caitlin Arp
Caitlin Arp has been a member of First Reformed Church since 2013.
She and her husband, Greg, have been married since December of 2005. They reside just outside of Edgerton with their five children: Keaton (2007), Tucker (2008), Bergen (2011), Sutton (2016) and Kevin (2020).
Caitlin began serving as the Resource and Communications Director in the summer of 2022. Greg and Caitlin have also been custodians of the church since October 2019. Caitlin worked at Edgerton Public School for three years in the preschool room. Before that, Caitlin ran an in-home daycare for 13 years. Greg has been the owner of Greg Arp Construction since 2016. He also farms when he is not swinging a hammer!
What are some of your favorite foods?
If you ask any of my kids, they will tell you I love chocolate and anything sour! And I usually have some chocolate candy on hand at all times!
What are your favorite hobbies?
Believe it or not, I am kind of a homebody. I love hanging out at home with our family, being outside with the kids, going for walks, riding four-wheeler, or sitting around a bonfire!
When not at home, you could find me at my kids’ sporting events, antiquing with friends, or at country music concerts!
I love staying busy, but always say, “It’s a good busy!”
What do you like best about your job at church?
When talking about both jobs - It’s a good mix of doing two things I love! I love working with children and helping them grow in their Faith, and I love to organize and clean!
Secretary - Kristin Kroh
Kristin Kroh has been our church secretary for over 20 years. She and her husband, Doug, live in Edgerton. Kris has been a professing member since 1984. They have two children, Tyler (1991) and Kameron (1997). Tyler and his wife, Megan, have a son - Bridger, and live in Aurora, SD. Kameron is an RN at Mayo Hospital.
What are some of your hobbies?
Doug and Kris both very much enjoy being grandparents. They love spending time with our children and chasing around their grandson. She loves a weekend away, especially to watch the Twins play. She also enjoys reading and going on walks.
Where have you all traveled?
Doug and Kris love seeing the outdoors. They recently took a trip to the Grand Tetons, which was just beautiful. She loves hiking in Duluth, as well as in the Black Hills. Doug travels for his job, so they’ve been to Europe and all over the world.
What do you love most about your job?
Her co-workers. :)
Edge Youth Group Directors -
Mark and Diane Brockberg
Mark and Diane Brockberg have been members of our church since 2008 and have been Youth Leaders for Edge Youth (Sr. High) since 2017. The Brockbergs also farm and install drainage tile. Mark and Diane have two children, Kaden (2009) and Jaci (2015).
What are some of your favorite hobbies?
Diane: I love fishing, but rarely do it! Maybe this is because Mark is afraid I will out-fish him. I also love to scrapbook!
Mark: Snowmobiling and camping.
What family activities do you enjoy?
We love to do a lot together as a family: camping, movies, playing games, or just cooking a meal together.
What do you like best about your job serving the church?
We love getting to know every single kid and seeing them grow in their faith. It’s exciting to see them step outside their comfort zones and allow the Lord to work through them, whether it’s in their personal lives or serving others.