Pastor Jeff grew up in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. He has his Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire and his Masters in Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Jeff and his wife, Bridget…..
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Jennifer Tripoli is our Executive Associate Pastor. She is a lifelong member who was baptized here in 1973 and married here in 1997. Jennifer joined us on staff in 2017 after years of volunteer work in various capacities. In January 2022, Jennifer was appointed
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Bridget is our Associate Pastor of Programs. Bridget Nelson works with a great team of staff and volunteers to offer a wide range of programming to the children, youth, and families at Royal Oak First. From nursery care to high school Youth Group,
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Nicole Wilson is the Worship and Formation Pastor. She will graduate from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary with her MDiv in 2027. She is passionate about the story of how God works in the world, both in the past and the present
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Kiersten has been working in the nursery as a staff member since 2021 and also volunteers at Holy COW. She loves building relationships with children and
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Karen has been a member at Royal Oak First since 2006 and joined the staff as Operations Manager in September of 2018. Along the way, Karen led “Parents’ Night Out” and “Career Ministry”, taught Sunday School (eventually becoming Superintendent), and
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Lee joined the staff in June of 2021. A proud graduate of Wayne State University and a lifelong seeker of wisdom, she is excited to be a part of Royal Oak First’s mission! Lee is married and is the exasperated mother to six cats. She enjoys movies, music, reading and TV.
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Lori Newton is a life-long Michigan resident who graduated from Wayne State University with an MS in Occupational Therapy. Her career focused on working with elders with dementia and their caregivers. Lori has one son, two daughters, and one grandson.
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Every person in our church is important to us and we work hard to know how everyone is doing. Danielle coordinates teams of callers, visitors, and card mailers
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Karla Goetz settled in Royal Oak in 2010, and in 2016 found a church home at Royal Oak First. Her family was drawn to Royal Oak First because of its
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Robert Bryson has been a resident of Royal Oak since 2020. At the beginning of 2024, with the support of his fiancé (now wife), he returned to school in hopes of
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Griffin grew up in the church and ministry in the metro Detroit area. He has served in music ministry for over 10 years, and has a degree in Music Performance from Northern Michigan University. He also works writing software professionally.
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