Meet The Team

Bethany Popkes is an ordained RCA Minister with an M.Div from Western Theological Seminary. Growing up in an RCA congregation in Northwest Iowa, she has spent enough time in the church that by third grade, she knew which Sunday School chairs had cracks in them that would pinch your bottom. After 5 years of life and ministry in the Pacific Northwest and 4 in New Jersey, she is convinced there is no area of life that is outside the love and concern of the church. She thinks outside the box: inviting imaginative play, reflection, and experimentation. She is committed to encountering the image of God in others, in the church, and in the world. In her free time she is a photographer and house plant hobbyist, she enjoys road trips fueled by good coffee, enjoying the outdoors, and has been known to strum a mandolin in a blue grass band. And like her childhood self, she still believes Jesus likes all the colors in her crayon box and still plays with Legos.

​“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth.” Psalm 96:1 - - Jim Slingerland has been the Minister of Music at First Reformed since 2000, and continues to add to the music ministry here. Jim is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, and serves on the board of directors of the Eastern NY Chapter of the AGO. Besides his work at First Reformed, Jim and his wife own and operate the historic Slingerland family farm near Delmar. They give thanks for the continued opportunity to serve!

Office tasks and duties are joyfully managed by a vibrant and dedicated team of congregation members, working together alongside the Pastor to support the ministry and mission of our church.