Hi! My name is Verlan Van Ee. Now, I know that’s a bit of an odd name, but it’s really not so difficult to learn or understand. Think of the state of Vermont: “the green (ver) mountain (mont) state”. So Verlan must relate to “green land.” Green is my favorite color and I was born and raised in the green farmlands of the Midwest. My life’s journey began in 1958 with that seed of adventure God planted in “a place to grow” called Iowa. I’ve been growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ever since and I am grateful to be a pastor/missionary at work in the fields of God’s Harvest. The signature scripture I have most recently underlined with green pen in my green covered Bible is John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” That’s the verse God has given me to go and grow into here in my most recent field assignment: Fox Lake, WI.

My Family

My very first field assignment is the fruitful family with which God has blessed me: my wonderful supportive wife Becky (Smit) Van Ee and a quiver full of children – Noelle (1984), Nathan (1986), Nicholas (1989), Noah (1992), and Justin (1997). My family roots are in Pella, IA and Becky’s are in the Lansing/Beecher, IL area. We met at Dordt College, were married in 1980 and God’s field assignments have literally brought us around the world a time or two.

We have served in churches in Illinois, Michigan, California, New York, and now Wisconsin. We also served two churches in Australia!! Yes, our family loves to travel. We believe life is an adventure and faith is a journey.

We love hiking, biking, paddling; discovering God’s good green earth and we treasure the faith growth God has granted us through a variety of ministry experiences. Our journey from living “down under” to Living Hope church in Fox Lake, WI fits our adventurer’s profile perfectly. We are excited to be in this little rural town with a church that has big dreams: “a field of dreams” just waiting to be cultivated and harvested.

Offering Living Hope

As a pastor, I strive to live out God’s big heart and brave heart for mission. I want to keep growing in my passion for God’s mission and in my compassion to God’s people. I’m thrilled that God has drafted me to be a player on the LHC team. It’s a passionate and adventuresome bunch! And why not?? We’ve got the greatest offer on planet earth: Living Hope through Jesus Christ.

Join us in Living Life to the Full: Hopeful, Joyful, Fruitful!!

That Youth Pastor Dude

Hello! My name is Justin Douglas. I was born in Palm Spring, California. Around 8 years old my parents decided to do the reverse Beverly Hillbillies and move to Shelbyville, Indiana where my Dad was born and raised. I grew up there and during my senior year of High School I felt the calling to study to be a Youth Pastor. I visited many colleges and landed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. After attending 4 years at Liberty and getting my Bachelors of Science in Religion I took a job in Northern Virginia. I was in the DC suburbs for nearly 2 years. After Northern Virginia I took a summer position in Boston with the Boston Project. I was pretty much a neighborhood missionary for a summer. After much searching my wife and I landed in Fox Lake, Wisconsin in August 2008. We never thought we would live in Wisconsin, but the Lord has truly blessed us with a loving church and an amazing Youth Group.

My Family

My wife (Brittney) and I have dated since I was a Senior in High School and she was Junior in High School. We met at church/youth group. We dated over 6 years before getting married June 16th, 2007. Our beautiful daughter (Magnolia) was born on June 27th, 2009. Both Brittney and I have family in Shelbyville, Indiana and surrounding areas.

Offering to Living Hope

As a Youth Pastor I feel I offer the ability to connect with students. I strive to learn how to build relationships with every student I meet. Even though I am terrible with names, I try very hard to remember names because it shows that I care. Our goal in Youth Ministry is simply our motto; “Learning to live the way we should, Learning to love the way Christ would.” We want to help students understand that Jesus loves them and that He died for their sins and ultimately that they are in need of His saving grace. Beyond that we want to let them know that their choices matter and the way they love others in their community matters. We are and will always be a highly missional Youth Ministry, attaching action to the words found in the Scriptures. Students are often told what the Bible tells them not to do, and not what the Bible tells them to do. Purpose cannot be found in a list of items we are not aloud to do, but instead in a list of things we are called to. Our hope is to connect students with the Creators mission and when that happens they will see purpose within His plan and begin to let Jesus remove any of the junk they are struggling with.

In my time at Living Hope they have allowed me to preach on Sundays. I have really enjoyed preaching a few times a year at Living Hope. In the last few years I have become a better communicator and teacher because of the planning and preparation that goes into a Sunday message.

If you have anymore questions about our youth ministry or my roles at the church please feel free to email me.