Pastor Roger Grandia 

Pastor Roger came to our church as a SIM (Specialized Interim Pastor) after our former pastor took another calling. Roger has just "clicked" from the beginning with our congregation, so much so that he has become our "Minister Under Contract". As church Elder Carl T. puts it, "Roger has graduated from a SIM to a MUC". From his enlightening messages, to his using his artistic gifts to teach the Word, Roger has truly been a blessing to our Church family.

Bio

Roger grew up on a farm near Oskaloosa, Iowa, the youngest of eight children. While active in football, wrestling, baseball, student government, and 4-H, he still found time to pursue a love from his earliest years: art. He sought to explore as many art forms as possible, winning several contests.

In his junior year of High School, he was one of three boys selected to represent the state of Iowa at Boy’s Nation in Washington, D.C. There he was privileged to meet at the capital and White House with such dignitaries as President Gerald Ford, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, along with his own congressmen. At his local High School, he was asked with a friend to paint the Indian Head on the center of the new athletic complex.

His senior year found Roger busy as usual. He served as co-captain of the football team, co-captain of the wrestling team, catcher of the baseball team, president of his church youth group, president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, president of the Letterman’s Club and president of the Art Club. Amidst these time consuming activities, he still found time to study, graduating as Salutatorian of his class in 1977.

After a semester at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Roger transferred to Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he graduated in May 1981 with a B.A. in Religion. While at Central, he was active in sports, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, the Fellowship of Christian Athletics (serving as president two years) along with campus ministries. It was at Central where he met his wife, the former Diane Gamez ’80.

Following their marriage in 1980, he and Diane became active members of Adventure Life Reformed Church in Altoona, Iowa, where they taught the High School Sunday School class and Roger served as an elder. He was also instrumental in beginning a new FCA chapter in Ankeny where his wife taught HS Spanish. In July 1983, they moved to Holland, Michigan where he entered Western Theological Seminary. In May, 1986, he graduated with a Masters of Divinity. Since then, as an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America, he has served congregations as an installed pastor in South Haven and Rockford, Michigan. After further training and certification, he has gone on to serve several other congregations in West Michigan as a Specialized Interim Minister (SIM). He has also done extensive free-lance artwork and, for over 20 years, has utilized his artistic abilities in ministry in many ways, as noted in this brochure.

He and his wife, Diane, reside in Rockford, Michigan. They have two high school aged children still at home: Rachelle and Elliot. They also have one married daughter, Leticia and husband Rob, who have provided them with their first granddaughter, Madisyn Grace.