Brandon Ramazzina

Elder

God, in his infinite sovereign grace, has faithfully provided and guided me and my family at every step of the way. In 2005, after graduating from college in California and moving to Illinois, I married my wonderful wife Michelle (a Rockford-area native), and we lived in Rockford for the first three years of our marriage, as I taught at Rockford Christian Schools.

When we moved back to California in 2008, I took another teaching position, and God led us to a small gospel-centered, biblically faithful, and intentionally missional church in San Jose, where we thrived and eventually served as junior high ministry directors. 

Then God led us from San Jose to Sacramento, and once again he brought us to another like-minded church, where we became small group leaders, women’s discipleship leader (Michelle), and men’s discipleship team director (Brandon), with the desire to eventually be an elder alongside the existing elder team. We grew greatly in our knowledge of the Bible, of healthy church functions, and evangelism. We were also trained to be helpful leaders through year-long leadership cohorts.

That all came to a crashing halt, when in October, 2020, the church was suddenly closed. Through the nightmare and mess that the COVID-19 shutdown and mandates brought about, God had begun prompting us to consider a move closer to family in Illinois. With the collapse of our weekly church community, and then the sudden loss of my father, this became a more serious idea to consider and plan for. After selling our house and getting a new teaching position here in Loves Park, God thus led the five of us out of California in late May, 2021, and to a new home here the next month. By July, we were at Rock Valley Bible Church, where we have remained and been the beneficiaries of solid biblical edification and training.

Over the past four years, I have had the fortune to serve District 100 in Belvidere, as an EL teacher, First Love International as a board member (2024-2025), and alongside many faithful brothers and sisters who call RVBC their church home. In June of this year (2025), I was installed as one of the pastor elders, and have enjoyed serving the local body to an even greater degree.

In my “free time”, you might find me hanging out with Michelle and our kids (Jonathan, Natalie, and Brielle), reading systematic theology, watching a movie, listening to music or curating a music playlist, leading a small group, weightlifting, hanging out with friends, or planning our next family trip. 

As a disciple of Jesus and an elder of RVBC, my ultimate hope for you is that you would know Jesus by rightly understanding the gospel - Jesus (God the Son) sinlessly lived, died, and rose to life for sinners like you and like me - believe in Him as Savior, Lord, and Treasure, and grow in missional community, with the ultimate goal of enjoying his grace and extending his glory to a lost and dying world.