flowers in the chancel

About Us

Who We Are
Staff and Leadership
Oak Grove Elders (Session)
Oak Grove Deacons
Location and Directions
Contact Us
Calendar

Who We Are

Welcome! If the Spirit leads you to be a part of this community we will welcome you, and we know that the new insights and gifts that you bring will enrich us. To the glory of God!

We are delighted you have found your way to us. We gladly invite you to learn about the Oak Grove congregation. We stream our worship services on YouTube and Facebook. The most recent videos are archived on our Sermons page.

Oak Grove Presbyterian is a vibrant, loving, open-hearted, generous community – always learning and growing in Christ.  Our Church strives to express God’s love in all we do and affirms the sacred worth of all persons and the earth.

We celebrate individuals of every sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, physical and intellectual abilities, economic status, political perspective, age, family composition, country of origin, and citizenship status. We all are created in the image of God! We recognize our differences and do not seek to erase them but to use them as a source of strength and encouragement, as we journey together as co-creators of a world in which justice, peace, mercy, and love flourish.

Oak Grove is located in the center of Bloomington, MN, on Dakota land.  As a community, we continue to learn more about this sacred land and its people.

Oak Grove is a progressive congregation, proud of its long history in the community, but looking forward — not backward. Oak Grove is unusually open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.

Our heart is mission. We are vitally involved in numerous mission ventures, locally and around the world.

Jesus welcomed the little children. So do we! We invest a significant amount of our resources in children, youth, and family programming.

Our music program is known both for its quality and for how much fun the participants have!

We are fully welcoming of LGBTQ+ folks and have an active Rainbow Fellowship. Our restrooms are fully accessible for all genders.

We are a courageous place. We value honest conversations. We know that we don’t have all the answers, but we do wrestle with the questions. We try to follow Jesus and are open to the Spirit leading us.

We are glad to be a part of the Presbyterian family, but our allegiance is to Jesus, not to any denomination. Many of our members have come from other denominations or from no church background at all.

We hope that you will feel at home with us! If you would like more information about the church, or would like to speak with a pastor, please call 952-888-4621 or email ogpc@oakgrv.org.  We look forward to connecting with you.

Staff and Leadership

Pastor Bart Roush
Bart Roush, Pastor/Head of Staff, broush@oakgrv.org
Pastor Mary Koon
Mary Koon, Associate Pastor, mkoon@oakgrv.org

Mary Koon is a 2011 graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary.  Mary, her husband Jim, and family moved to the Twin Cities that same year and was hired at Oak Grove as director of Faith Formation for children and adults. In 2014, she received a call from Oak Grove to serve as Associate Pastor and was installed in November of 2014. Mary continues to work with children and families, Adult Faith Formation, Deacons, and worship leadership.

She enjoys encouraging people of all ages to learn, grow and serve together. Mary and her husband, Jim, are the parents of four grown children, two daughters-in-law and one son-in-law. They are grandparents to four grandchildren. When she isn’t at church, Mary enjoys walking, reading, yoga, and being with her family.

Sue Gjerset
Sue Gjerset, Office Administrator, sgjerset@oakgrv.org

Sue Gjerset is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and comes to Oak Grove with more than 20 years nonprofit office experience. She brings a unique combination of administrative, technical, and creative expertise and is a life-long learner.

Sue enjoys making an impact on people’s lives, being a resource to others, and giving back to the community. When not working, she loves spending time outdoors, especially kayaking, whether on a lake, river, or the ocean. She has been blessed with the opportunity to travel, both domestically and internationally, and enjoys meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. Sue is a resident of Shakopee and an active member at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis where she was born and raised.

Judy Cooper
Judy Cooper, Director of Music, jcooper@oakgrv.org

Judy Cooper received music education degrees from both Augsburg College (BA) and the University of St. Thomas (MA in Music Education). She taught music in the Bloomington School system for 34 years, at many different schools and grades.

In 1985 Judy began directing the Chancel choir at Oak Grove and LOVED it! After retiring from teaching in 2005, she has enjoyed having more time to devote to the music program here at Oak Grove. After retiring from teaching in 2005, she took on the tasks of scheduling and organizing all musical groups and events at Oak Grove.

Because of Judy’s love of piano playing, she continues to accompany many local school and community groups. She also loves traveling and attending concerts and theater presentations.

Laura Nemcek
Laura Nemcek, Accountant, lnemcek@oakgrv.org

It is with great joy that God has led me to use my financial skills at Oak Grove as your new accountant. Although raised in Illinois, I stayed in Minnesota after graduating from St. Olaf in Northfield, at which time I began my career as a small business banker. I had the privilege of staying home to raise our children (now grown) and re-entered the workforce doing graphic design marketing for a national wholesale company in Eden Prairie.

God then called me to do non-profit accounting for His kingdom work and I am still accepting His call to join your team. I enjoy time with family, travelling, sewing, scrapbooking, reading, and playing piano. As a longtime resident of Bloomington for over 30 years, I look forward to meeting you. 

MartinAlan Smith
Martinalan Smith, Part-time custodian
Mary Pol
Mary Pol, Parish Associate

Location and Directions

2200 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55431 
ph: 952-888-4621

Contact Us

Email: ogpc@oakgrv.org 
Phone: 952.888.4621