Groundwork Welcomes New Co-host
by Courtney Jacob
Apr 30, 2021
When Groundwork's founding co-host, Dave Bast, announced in 2020 that he would retire in Spring 2021, our team began a careful and prayerful search for someone to step into his shoes. After a year-long process, we’re excited to introduce you to Rev. Darrell Delaney, Groundwork's new co-host.
A Passion for God’s Word
Darrell’s passion for God’s Word and love for God’s people are evident. It only takes a few minutes of talking with Darrell to recognize his excitement for seeing people grow in their knowledge and love of God. He cares deeply about discipleship and believes that spending time in scripture is vitally important for strengthening our faith foundation and encouraging our walk with the Lord. When we asked Darrell what interested him about Groundwork, he said, “I love the interactive teaching style and collaboration...there is an opportunity to explain in more depth the concepts that help someone understand more about God, themselves, and their neighbor...As a believer, I love breaking open God’s Word like we do on Groundwork. I’m excited because this is an opportunity to help people grow deeper in their discipleship.”
As we got to know Darrell, we discovered that he’s a great storyteller, with a knack for recognizing spiritual themes in popular culture. We could also tell that Darrell is deeply gifted at identifying how scripture resonates with our everyday experiences. All of this makes him a natural fit to co-host alongside Scott Hoezee. We look forward to listening as together they unpack the richness of the Bible with insight for today’s world.
About Darrell
Darrell serves as Pastor at Madison Church, Square Campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He earned his Master of Divinity and Graduate Certificate of Urban Pastoral Ministry from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He also holds a Master of Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Darrell considers it his life’s calling to create and facilitate life-giving environments where all people can thrive and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Darrell and his lovely wife, Kia, have three children: Christopher, Tristan, and Acacia. Spending family time with them brings him great joy. He also enjoys walking, reading, basketball, chess, and video games.
Excited for Groundwork’s Future
Darrell and Scott have already begun planning insightful episodes on discipleship, 1 Corinthians, God’s abiding presence, and the 10 Commandments. Darrell’s first Groundwork episodes will begin airing in early May.
Groundwork remains committed to digging deeply into scripture as the foundation for our lives, and Darrell is excited to join us on that mission. “There is a demographic of listeners that may not know how wonderful a program Groundwork is. I hope to invite many more listeners to enjoy and grow from the gift that Groundwork has been for many people over the years. Having over 20 years of experience in youth ministry work, keeping a pulse on popular culture, and seeing God’s hand working in and through it, I see exciting opportunities to communicate these serendipities to a wider audience. That’s one of the many things I’m excited about bringing to Groundwork.”
Scott articulated our feelings well when he said, “Along with the Groundwork team, I am very excited to welcome Darrell to the program. Darrell's wide-ranging experience, his active pastoral ministry, and his deep knowledge of and love for Scripture make him a terrific person with whom to have conversations as we continue to dig into Scripture. His enthusiasm and passion for the Bible and theology will shine through in every Groundwork episode!”
Darrell’s first Groundwork episode will go live on May 7 at GroundworkOnline.com and it will air on most radio stations May 9.