Our Pastors
Pastor
Rev. Joel Wories
Mid-America Reformed Seminary (M. Div.)
Biography
Rev. Joel Wories brings a heart for authentic ministry and biblical preaching to his pastoral calling. A graduate of Mid America Reformed Seminary (M.Div. 2015), he was ordained in August 2016 and faithfully served as Pastor of the United Reformed Church of Wellsburg, Iowa for eight years before being called to Immanuel United Reformed Church.
Prior to entering ministry, Pastor Wories worked as an ironworker and fabricator, bringing real-world experience to his pastoral care. He felt God's call to seminary in 2009 during a season of unemployment and economic uncertainty, confirming his calling through internship and pastoral service.
Pastor Wories is known for his ability to connect with people genuinely and his passion for making the gospel relevant to everyday life. He typically preaches expositionally through books of Scripture. His ministry philosophy centers on authentic community, faithful biblical exposition, and shepherding care that goes beyond administration to truly knowing and caring for the flock.
He is married to Kayla (nee Faber), who actively supports the ministry through women's Bible study and community outreach. Together they have four daughters: Ainsley (14), Halle (12), Finley (10), and Maelie (7). The Wories family is committed to Christian education and building genuine Christian community within the church.
Associate Pastor
Rev. Ken Anema
Dordt University (B.A.)
Mid-America Reformed Seminary (M. Div.)
Biography
Pastor Anema is a native of NW Iowa. He and his wife, Renee, have been married for 26 years. Their three children range in age from college down to elementary school. Through the godly influence of his parents, Christian education, and biblical instruction, God gradually brought Pastor Anema to a saving faith at a young age.
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When he first entered high school, he pursued basketball, track, and cross country as his highest goals. Sports was his first love – not Jesus. God gently weaned him from his idols and instilled in him a longing to make Jesus known. By the time Pastor Anema graduated from high school he knew that he wanted to serve God with his life – in whatever profession God might lead. During his college and seminary years he worked in his Dad’s meat market and served in the Army National Guard. These eight years of working and studying brought clarity to God’s calling on Pastor Anema’s life. After seminary God called him to pastor a church for 21+ years where he gained experience for his present work. In 2014 God opened the door for Pastor Anema to be an instructor with the Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary. It is a dedicated prison ministry for making and training disciples for Jesus Christ.
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His passion for preaching and teaching is for people to meet God through the Bible. His aim is not a religion or a ritual, but a relationship. For him, the Bible is the only trustworthy book about a real God who still connects with real people in a real world.
Associate Pastor
Rev. Nathan Brummel
Calvin Theological Seminary
Protestant Reformed Seminary,
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Graduate School
Biography
Nathan Brummel grew up in the arctic climate of Minnesota. Although he never played hockey, he did learn the fine and pleasant misery of ice-fishing--without an ice-house. His dad always caught the fish. His dad also took his boys hunting and then wrote about it for the local newspaper, where he was an associate editor.​
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He grew up in a family that was devoted to church, the Christian school, and reading. Nathan's older brother, Allen, felt a call to the ministry when the latter was a senior in high school. A few years later, when Nathan was a freshman at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; he also felt a call to the ministry. Soon he was studying Dutch, Latin, and Greek as a pre-seminary student. Majoring in philosophy, he then studied the theology and philosophy of Jonathan Edwards in graduate school in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin. Returning to Grand Rapids, Michigan, he attended seminary. Upon graduation from seminary he pursued further graduate studies in missions.
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In 1999 he was called to the pastorate and for a decade served as founding minister in a Reformed church in Dyer, Indiana.
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In 2001 Nathan became the first faculty member at Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary, a dedicated prison seminary with campuses within Illinois and Indiana Prisons. He teaches Systematic Theology and New Testament. He loves to lecture in prison and to mentor his students. He has seen the lives of many men transformed by the gospel of Christ.
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Nathan is married to Paula. They have two children at home, Peter and Abrielle, who are home schooled.
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For hobbies, Nathan loves to read and write. Both he and Paula have self-published numerous books. He loves to take Peter hunting. He enjoys the warm winters in northwest Indiana. In the summer time the Brummel family likes to swim and hike at the Indiana Dunes.