Meet The Team
Pastor Derrick
Pastor Derrick started at Living Word at the beginning of the 2013. His wife, Carrie, along with their three children: Matthew, Lucas, and Natalie have loved being a part of the family here at Living Word.
Derrick has been a pastor since June of 2002. He has a real heart for meeting new people and growing God’s family.
Pastor Derrick says the most frequently question he gets asked is “why did you become a pastor?” For him the answer is an easy one – “I’ve never wanted to do much else, and believe me, I’ve tried other careers. I’ve sold cars, worked landscaping, cooked in restaurants, and other odd jobs around; but nothing has ever been my passion like leading people into a deeper relationship with Jesus. I’m truly excited to see what God has in store for us here at Living Word.”
If you’d like to chat with Pastor Derrick, have questions about Living Word, or want to know more about our mission Living God’s Story, Following Christ Together – just give him a call on his cell 937-209-0321 or send him an email at pastord@livingwordgalena.com.
Dalton Rau
Director of Christian Education
Dalton Rau is the Director of Christian Education here at Living Word. He graduated from Concordia University Nebraska in May, 2023. He is currently serving at Living Word as an Intern as his final year of education in order to be fully certified as a Director of Christian Education. He and his wife Abigail also got married in early July.
Dalton has always had a passion for the youth ministry because of the strong connections that come with it. The more he has had time to participate in children’s ministry he has found a passion for the creativity necessary for children’s ministry. Middle and High school are where many key foundational beliefs are established. Having a fun, safe, and healthy Christian environment to establish these beliefs in is incredibly important for young believers. This happens in two places, the home and the church. As such, supporting, equipping, and helping parents for their role is a critical component of a healthy youth ministry. Dalton is excited for the opportunity to serve here at Living Word and to be a part of the Christian walk of the youth here.
If you have any questions about youth or children’s ministry feel free to reach out to Dalton at dalton@livingwordgalena.com.
Bailey Bale
Administrative Assistant
Bailey Bale serves as the Administrative Assistant at Living Word, and grew up worshiping here with her family. Bailey and her husband Caleb have enjoyed serving at Living Word in various ways long before Bailey officially joined the team in January of 2021. They also welcomed their first child, Oliver, in June of 2023.
Bailey has never minded the tasks that some might consider “mundane” and “tedious,” and actually finds them fun. For example, she could sometimes be found organizing the books on her book shelf by size, color, and order she had read them while she was growing up. She enjoys the background work of what goes on at Living Word and is just happy to be serving her church family.
Any general questions, comments and concerns you may have can go straight to Bailey at info@livingwordgalena.com. She’ll be sure to get you an answer or point you in the right direction.