Our Vision

Helping People Find and Follow Jesus!
 
 

Our staff:

Senior Pastor Bruce Droogsma

 

Pastor Bruce grew up in Baxter, MN, and attended Lakewood Evangelical Free Church. He came to faith in Christ at a young age. As a teenager, he worked at Camp Shamineau (mostly at Rock Ridge) for several years. Bruce and his wife Mary (Merv) have been happily married since 2006. They have four children (two sets of twins!). Pastor Bruce got his undergraduate degree from Crown College, graduated from Bethel Seminary with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies in 2013, and is ordained with the EFCA.
Throughout his time at the seminary, he was the Middle School Pastor at Westgate until 2019 when he transitioned. to the Pastor of Community and Spiritual Formation. He loves preaching, teaching God’s Word, and watching people take their next step in faith.

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Staff Assistant, Alicia Holmstrom

 
 
 
Alicia Holmstrom has been married to her wonderful husband, Hugh, for 16 years. She graduated from Watertown-Mayer High School and went on to pursue her BA in Social Work at Bethel University. Together, Hugh and Alicia have 3 children . Their names are Ella (15- Sophomore), Alanah (12- 7th grade), and Hudson (11- 6th grade). Alicia started at the church as our Administrative Assistant at the end of August 2021.  Hugh serves as an Elder in our church. They can typically be found chauffeuring kids between year-round sports and cheering them on either in the stands or as a coach. God has given her a heart for people, which is what drives her on a daily basis!

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Children’s Ministry Director, Bethany Loether

 
Bethany Loether has been happily married to her husband, Jesse, for ten years and has been blessed with two wonderful elementary aged daughters. After graduating from the University of Minnesota and working as a self-employed business professional for over a decade, God brought her to Watertown with new plans in store. With a heart for the next generation, Bethany is currently coaching softball at the local high school, homeschooling her two children, and going into her fourth year serving in our Nurture Ministry as the Children/Student Ministry Director.

Youth Ministry Director,

Luke Job

 
Hey! My name is Luke, and I am a senior going into at Crown College to pursue a degree in Next-generation Ministry! I have volunteered at RiverSide church from 6th-12th grade in Kid’s ministry, Youth ministry, and Adult ministry from Wednesdays, Saturdays to Sundays learning from those I served and those older than me to be the man I am today. Located in Monticello for most of my life, I went through all of Monticello schools district and in high school ended up doing 4 years of theater, allowing God to use the gift of energy he has entrusted upon me. God has served me well, and giving me an opportunity at this church is an answered long, awaited prayer. I am on the journey and process of our Faith walk. I am a follower before I am a leader.

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Specialist, Cher Lorentz

 
A Minnesota native, Cher has been married to her wonderful husband, Mike of 45 years. A graduate of Communications from Southwest State University, Cher has served in many different types of roles from creative & youth ministries to directing events and communications for most of her work career. One of her favorite roles is mom and grandma. She has three married children and twelve grandchildren, whom she loves to spend time with. Cher loves to pray, study the Bible, design, sing and enjoy time with family and friends. Along with her two sisters she has been blessed with the opportunity to help young couples with their weddings and receptions. Her greatest passion is to share the life transforming story of how Jesus redeemed and healed her for His glory and purposes for her life.

Custodians,  Dave, Cindy & John Peterson

Under God’s direction, they moved from Cambridge, MN to Watertown a little over a year ago. We were warmly embraced at Watertown Evangelical Free Church, and that solidified WEFC as our church
home. God answered their prayer and opened a door for them to serve Him in the capacity of custodial care. “ His timing is always perfect” Psalm 136:1

What we believe:

God

1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living
8. We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ’s Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.