Pastor Matt Norlen
Pastor Matt is a native of Omaha, NE, where he grew up in the First Covenant Church. He studied at Northwest Missouri State earning his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & a Minor in Fine Arts. He went on to attend Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Kansas City, from which he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Pastor Matt was ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church in 2007. Pastor Matt has been in the pastoral ministry since 2000. He served as a Lead Pastor in Rhode Island, Michigan, and Nebraska. Pastor Matt and his wife Immy have been married since 2001. Immy is originally from India and currently works as a nurse in Lincoln. She loves having people over to their house and visiting. Together they have three children, Ethan, Sam, and Thomas. Pastor Matt absolutely loves hanging out with his boys! He is also a true outdoorsman and enjoys nature, hikes, working on the yard, and camping as a family — this may not be Immy’s favorite family activity, but she will lovingly tolerate it. In his spare time, he enjoys reading westerns and traveling. Pastor Matt is especially keen on traveling overseas as he finds other cultures fascinating.
Pastor MAryruth Farmer
Associate Pastor of Worship and Youth
Pastor Maryruth Farmer was raised in Roswell, New Mexico, and spent the majority of her life in the southwest! She got her bachelor’s degree in worship arts with an emphasis in Biblical Studies and voice from Colorado Christian University. Being raised as a pastor’s kid, she spent her whole life in the church and was very involved in her youth group and on her worship team- which led to her feeling called to full-time ministry. In May of 2020, Maryruth and Derek received the call to pack up, move 13 hours away from family, and receive a call in full-time ministry at Ceresco Covenant Church. She is passionate about worship and helping people of all ages feel open to finding creative, Biblical ways to engage with God daily. Maryruth and Derek are passionate about God’s movement in the young church and feel called to invest in young hearts and minds. Maryruth and Derek enjoy being outdoors and any activity that may go along with that (fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, etc). They have one son, Bowen, who was born in May of 2021 and are expecting baby number 2 in June 2024.
