Pastor Ben Kempfert was born in 1983 in Watertown, Wisconsin, the son of an electrical engineer and a teacher who now live in Neenah, Wi.  He has a brother Jacob and a sister Zabet.  Ben married his wife Erin in the winter of 2008.  They have been blessed with two children, Margaret and Jeremiah, and a dog, Argo.  After graduating from the Seminary in 2010, Ben worked as a counselor at a halfway house in Oshkosh with those who struggle with addiction and substance abuse.  In the summer of 2011, he was assigned to Grace Lutheran Church in Oronoco, MN just north of Rochester where he has served for the last seven years.  In his free time, Ben enjoys reading and writing.  He has a great interest in literature and history.  His musical tastes include classical and sacred music, and clasic rock.