Our Spiritual Compass

Featured Article About Debra Hollemans and Kurt Roscow, Beloved Long-Standing Mile Hi Church Members

“Everybody experiences tragedy, but that doesn’t make for a tragic life,” shares Debra Hollemans and Kurt Roscow.

At Mile Hi Church, this engaging and happy couple discovered a compass to navigate through very difficult personal times. In deep gratitude, they have now placed in their wills a financial declaration to the Mile Hi Church Foundation, which supports the long-term growth and vibrancy of their spiritual home through the disbursement of financial gifts upon their passing.

Finding Mile Hi began with both Kurt and Debra seeking a different kind of theology from what they grew up with in Michigan. Debra attended Christian Reformed schooling from kindergarten to 12th grade, while Kurt attended Catholic schools.

“Our old upbringing didn’t feel right and we wanted to shed the guilt,” Debra said. After college, work in sales management and high tech brought Kurt to Colorado and Debra followed. They married in 1983.

When their daughters Lea Anne and Claire were born, Debra and Kurt activated a search for a spiritual home. “Our neighbors were propagandizing, so we started to shop churches,” Kurt laughed.

Naturally drawn to aesthetics—design, shapes, and colors—Debra was captivated by Mile Hi Church’s unique and award-winning oval architecture from the original sanctuary. Three minutes inside the dome, “we were plugged in,” Kurt exclaimed. “We never knew there was a community like this. We were high! We finally had a language for our beliefs.” Debra added, “It was an ‘Oh my God!’ We consider ourselves spiritual but not religious.” Mile Hi checked off that box.

Meeting Dr. Barry and Stephanie Ebert, they dove in at Mile Hi, supporting the Junior Church—Kurt as a teacher and Debra and Kurt working at the inaugural and subsequent summer youth camps. Kurt later served on our board of trustees for ten years, including a term as president, while Debra continued in children-oriented outreach.

In 1988, Debra was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She adapted to the new reality of using a wheelchair and they continued to enjoy church, home, and occasional travel. “Our kids were central to us,” Kurt said. When their daughters passed in later years from a heart transplant issue and a mental health situation, Debra asked her husband if they would ever laugh again. “Yes, we will,” Kurt affirmed. The teachings of Mile Hi supported them. “We are not our bodies,” Kurt shares. “Instead of focusing on our daughter’s passings, we give thanks for the days we had with them and the role they played in our lives.” “Their memorials were the beginning of healing for us,” Debra added.

Today, Kurt enjoys many fun opportunities in retirement, and Debra artfully engineers vibrant home projects. When asked why they made a financial designation to the Mile Hi Church Foundation, Kurt remembered a stirring talk by former senior minister, Dr. Fred Vogt, that is a relevant message today for those wanting to make a legacy impact through the Nautilus Society at Mile Hi.

“Fred said to find something that excites us that we want to grow. And to give ourselves to it.”