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Reverend Dean Trapp
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Reverend Dean Trapp is the Pastor at
First United Methodist Church in Yankton. Reverend Dean is originally
from Milbank, South Dakota. He graduated from Milbank High School in
1979. He graduated from Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa in 1983 with
degrees in Religion and Sociology. He received his Master of Divinity in
1986 from St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri.
Reverend Dean was appointed to the United
Methodist Churches in Conde and Andover, South Dakota in 1986. He was
appointed to the Groton United Methodist Church and the Columbia
Congregational United Church of Christ in 1990. In 1995, there was a
realigning of churches in the Groton area. The Groton UMC and the Conde
UMC were joined together in one parish and Reverend Dean was appointed
to serve them. He was appointed to the Yankton-Gayville/Volin United
Methodist Churches in 1996 to serve as the Senior Pastor.
Reverend Dean is married to Susie (Megill)
Trapp and they have three daughters: Kimberly, a sophomore at Nebraska
Wesleyan University; Alyssa, a junior at Yankton High School; and
Erika, an 8th grader at Yankton Middle School.
In his spare time, Reverend Dean enjoys
singing and listening to Barbershop music.
Gena Brandt
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Gena
Brandt is co-coordinator of Sr. High Youth Ministry at First United
Methodist Church in Yankton. Gena is originally from Marion, Kansas. She
graduated from Marion High School. She graduated from Emporia State
University in Emporia, Kansas, as well as the University of South Dakota
in Vermillion, South Dakota with a Master's Degree in Learning
Disabilities.
In the past, Gena has taught Special
Education at the Elementary level for ten years.
Gena has
been married to Merle, a beekeeper, for almost 25 years. Together they
have three sons: Garrett, 19, Gavin, 17, and Garner, 10. Garrett
graduated from Yankton High School in 2007 and is currently attending
the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South
Dakota. Gavin is still in school and remains active in the church youth
group. Garner is also still in school and likes all sports.
Gena
enjoys baking, gardening, reading, and her dogs.
Diane Kisch
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Diane Kisch is co-coordinator of Sr. High
Youth Ministry at First United Methodist Church in Yankton. Diane grew
up on a farm southeast of Tyndall, SD. She graduated from Tyndall-Tabor
High School in 1977. She graduated from the University of South Dakota
in Vermillion, South Dakota in 1980 with an Associate of Arts degree in
Dental Hygiene.
Diane
works part time (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) at Dr. R.C. Grossenburg’s
dental office as a hygienist. She was hired in February 2007 as one of
the part time co-coordinators of Senior High Youth Ministry. Before
coming on staff Diane was a youth volunteer for many years working
mainly with Sr. High but also with Jr. High. She has chaperoned youth
at many rallies, on mission trips to Chicago, to Life Light, to Youth
'03 and Youth '07. She has taught Sr. High Sunday School, counseled at
Leadership Training Camp at Lake Poinsett, organized and worked
fundraisers, and can usually be found helping if there is a lock-in of
any kind.
Diane is married to Dennis and they have 3
grown children, Michael, Nicholas, and Jennifer, all of whom are
married. Michael is married to Kay (Daszkiewicz). They live in
Golden Valley, MN. He is an architect in Minneapolis. Nicholas is
married to Tracy (Enfield). They live in Yankton, SD. He works for his
dad in construction. Nick and Tracy have 2 sons, Caleb and
Parker. Jennifer is married to Blair Anderson they live in Durham,
NC where Jennifer will be attending seminary at Duke. In her
spare time, Diane enjoys reading, singing, scrap booking, and spoiling
the grandkids.
Sue May
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Sue
May is the Bell Choir Director at First United Methodist Church in
Yankton. Sue grew up in Ames, Iowa, Kitale, Kenya, and Bloomington,
Illinois. She graduated from High School in Normal, Illinois in 1982.
Sue graduated from the University of Iowa in 1986 with a degree in
Elementary Education. She received her Masters Degree in Elementary
Education in 2003.
Sue teaches Kindergarten at Beadle
Elementary in Yankton. She began playing hand bells in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in 1994. From there, Sue and
her family moved to Altoona, Iowa and played hand bells at the Altoona
United Methodist Church. In 1996 Sue's family moved to Yankton where she
has remained the Bell Choir director since 1997.
Sue is married to Jeff. Together they have
three children: Brittney, Dillon, and Kirsten.
Sue enjoys playing hand bells, quilting,
reading, and baking.
Melissa Rempfer
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Melissa
(Unruh) Rempfer is the organist at First United Methodist Church in
Yankton. Melissa is originally from Freeman, South Dakota. She graduated
from Freeman High School in 1998. She graduated from Mount Marty College
in Yankton, South Dakota in 2002 with a BA in Music Education.
Melissa
was the organist at Hope Lutheran Church in Freeman, SD from 1994 until
1999. She was also organist for the Bethany Mennonite Church in Freeman,
SD from 1995 until 1999. In 2000, Melissa began as the Senior Choir
accompanist at First United Methodist Church in Yankton. In addition to
her being the organist at First UMC, Melissa also teaches
Elementary Music in the Bon Homme School District.
Melissa is
married to Brian Rempfer, a youth counselor at the Human Services Center
in Yankton. Melissa and Brian have a son, Ethan. In her
spare time, Melissa enjoys performing and listening to music, reading,
and walking.
Brook Thurman
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Brook (Nelson) Thurman is a Nursery
Attendant at First United Methodist Church in Yankton. Brook is
originally from Creighton, NE. She graduated from Creighton High School
in 1994. Brook attended two years of college in Norfolk, NE at Northeast
Community College. In 1996, Brook moved to Yankton to attend the
University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD. She graduated from USD in
2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work.
During college, Brook worked at Kolor Me
Kids Learning Center.
She
did her internship at Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health and was hired as
a case manager for the Severely Persistently Mentally Ill population.
She took an opportunity to further her experience by becoming the
Director of Social Services at the Bloomfield Good Samaritan Nursing
Home in Bloomfield, NE. In 2002, Brook left the nursing home and took a
position with the Yankton School District where she worked with
Emotionally and Behaviorally Disturbed children. In 2003 she took her
current position with the State of South Dakota at the Human Services
Center where she is a social worker
in the Intermediate Psychiatric Adolescent Unit. In 2006 Brook started
her Nursery Attendant
position at First UMC.
Brook is married to Troy, a
Case Manager at Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Services.
They have four children: Jamee, 10, Gracie, 4, Bode, 2, and Tyce, who passed away five days after birth in 2002.
Brook
enjoys spending time at the beach when she can, camping, getting lost in
a good novel, cooking and baking, and sewing and quilting. Brook leads
a children's sewing group at the Human Services Center. She says
it is a lot of fun! However, Brook says her most favorite thing is
spending time
with her family.
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