Search Committee Members
The Rev. Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis, Chair (revellis@ameritech.net)
Sharon is excited and delighted to serve as chairperson of the search committee for our next conference minister in the Illinois Conference. She expresses her love for our denomination and cares deeply about its present and future. She has served the United Church of Christ as a member of the Church and Ministry Committee in the Chicago Metropolitan Association, as president of the Conference Council for the Illinois Conference, and, currently, as vice-chair of the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ. Sharon is the founder and pastor of God Can Ministries, United Church of Christ, a local church of the United Church of Christ in south-suburban Ford Heights. About our work as a search committee, Sharon says, "I look forward to how God will use this committee and your insight in the call process of our next conference minister. Please keep us in your prayers."
Ms. Pheobe Amago (pmamago@aol.com)
Pheobe is one of the committee members from the Chicago Metropolitan Association. She is retired from work as an RN professor at the College of DuPage. In addition to the search committee, she currently serves on the Church In Society committee of the Chicago Metropolitan Association.
The Rev. Matthew Emery, Vice Chair (matt@secondcon.com)
Matt is the committee's Vice Chair and one of the representatives from the Prairie Association. He has been the Associate Pastor of Second Congregational United Church of Christ in Rockford since 2006. At age 28, he is the youngest member of the committee and one of the youngest ordained clergy in the Illinois Conference. In his ministry, Matt is passionate about liturgy and worship, encourages the reclaiming of our historic theological roots and traditions, and advocates for the radical inclusivity that God calls us to embrace. Matt has been involved in a diverse range of settings and ministries throughout the UCC, including an association-level committee on higher education ministries in the Michigan Conference; as a member of the pastoral staff of churches in the Central Atlantic and Illinois Conferences; as an active member and past worship coordinator for the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns; as the current secretary of the Prairie Association's Ministry Team for Authorized Ministry (a.k.a. Church & Ministry Committee); and as an attendee of every General Synod since 2003. Matt graduated from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2006, and during his time there, he was a part of the life of Chicago's St. Pauls UCC and La Primera Iglesia Congregacional congregations.
Ms. Sandra Fuller (snfuller@geneseo.net)
Sandy, member of the committee from the Western Association, has been a member of the United Church of Christ for over 35 years, and currently a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ of Moline. At First Congregational she currently serves on the Church Life and Growth committee. Sandy is also an associate member of Hope United Church of Christ, also in Moline, where she is co-chairing the stewardship campaign. Professionally, she is a retired RN. Sandy has served on many committees and boards at the local church level, and is passionately involved with the wider church, as a past moderator of the Western Association, a member of the former Restructuring Committee for the Illinois Conference, and currently as co-chair of the Western Association's Church and Ministry Committee.
The Rev. Luther Holland (Lutherholland325@aol.com)
Luther, one of the representatives from the Chicgao Metropolitan Association, is currently in his 14th year serving as the Senior Pastor of The Congregational Church of Park Manor, UCC, in Chicago. In the past, he has served as Association Minister of the Chicago Metropolitan Association and as Conference Minister for Church In the World and Affirmative Action Officer of the Ohio Conference UCC. Luther has pastored congregations in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, California, and Columbus, Ohio, prior to coming to Chicago. Currently, he has served for 12 years on the Board of Directors of The Chicago Community Renewal Society, including as treasurer and board president; is the national treasurer of Ministers For Racial, Social, and Economic Justice; serves on the Illinois Conference Council; and is chair of the the UCC Executive Council's Budget and Finance Committee. Luther is a member of the Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries of the UCC (COREM) and is married to Zelda Holland and they have three adult children.
Mr. Brett Johnson (brettdale@tmail.com)
Brett, a committee member from the Fox Valley Association, has been a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downers Grove since 1991. In the Illinois Conference, he has been active in our Confirmation Camp since its inception in 1994. By day, Brett is a managing editor for the Sun-Times News Group at The Doings in Hinsdale. Speaking about what excites him being a part of this committee, he says he "thinks the United Church of Christ has something to offer the many unchurched who are cynical about religion, and is excited about helping find a conference minister who shares such excitement for the future of our denomination."
Pastor Karen Karczewski (Karen.L.Karczewski@osfhealthcare.org)
Karen, a member of the committee from the Prairie Association, has been a member of the Granville United Church of Christ for 36 years, and was authorized as a licensed pastor by the Prairie Association in March 2006. Karen serves as the Congregational Associate at the Granville UCC, and also as the youth pastor at Zion UCC in Peru, Illinois. Karen is passionate about youth ministry in the Illinois Conference, and serves as a coordinator for the Illinois Conference Youth Initiative. She also serves as a member of the Outdoor Ministry System, and has previously directed summer camp programs at Pilgrim Park. Karen completed the LAMP program of the Illinois Conference, and very much enjoyed the ‘wider church’ experience, which led her to finding new ways to ‘serve the Still Speaking God’, such as the Conference Minister Search Committee. About the search process, she says, “I ask your prayers and blessings for the committee, that we may seek and find the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our search.”
Ms. Dalila Lopez-Gonzalez (Premeraiglesia05@aol.com)
Dalila, a member of the committee from the Chicgao Metropolitan Association, is the assistant-to-the-pastor/administrator at Humboldt Park's La Primera Iglesia Congregacional de Chicago (the First Congregational Church of Chicago, UCC). She been a member of "Primera Iglesia" for over 42 years, and sees it as "a UCC church with a rich history and great sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of the community at large." Among her many ministries and ways she has served both the local and wider church, Dalila has served on the Church and Ministry Committee for 3 years, and Dalila was comissioned by the Chicago Metropolitan Association in a"Special Ministry of Administration" in March of 2000. About the work of searching for a new conference minister, she says "I bring to the Conference Minister Search & Call Committee my love, passion and commitment for church life and my hope & prayers that the Spirit will lead our hearts and thoughts through the process of selecting a Conference Minister."
Pastor David Marquardt (dave@dirt-n-turf.com)
Dave, a member of the committee from the Prairie Association and representing the Illinois Conference Outdoor Ministries, is the licensed pastor of the Rollo Congregational United Church of Christ in Earlville. About participating in the search process for our next conference minister, Dave says, "It is indeed a great honor to have been selected to serve on the Conference Search and Call Committee. After all, who doesn't need another committee in their lives? Especially one with a couple of years worth of commitment that drags you from one end of the conference to the other! All kidding aside, in the two meetings we have had, the fellowship and experience have been invigorating. The awesomeness of representing both 'Licensed Ministry' and 'The Outdoor Ministries System' on such an important Conference Committee cannot be overstated. Please be in prayer for the Conference and the Committee."
Mr. Howard Nelson (hnelson@ctschicago.edu)
Howard, a member of the committee from the Chicago Metropolitan Association, has been a member of Epiphany United Church of Christ in Chicago for over 20 years. He lives in Tinley Park and works at the Chicago Theological Seminary as the Associate Director for Admissions and Financial Aid. In addition to service as an officer at Epiphany UCC, Howard has previously served as a member of the Illinois Conference Annual Meeting planning committee, a member of the CMA Council, as dean of CMA's Cluster 2, and as a delegate to General Synod 26 in Hartford. Currently, he is a member of the CMA's Church and Ministry Committee.
The Rev. Charlene Wordlaw Porter
Charlene, a committee member from the Chicago Metropolitan Association, has been a member of the United Church of Christ for 37 years, and is currently a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. A retired UCC minister, she has served on a variety of committees and ministries in her time in the United Church of Christ. Speaking of our search process for a new conference minister, Charlene says, "As a denomination, we have witnessed many wonderful changes, and now we are at another crossroad in the history of the Illinois Conference. God has given each of us another opportunity--called each of us to discipleship--to be a part of kingdom-building. Therefore, we are asking for prayer as we move forward in this process."
Mr. Keith Scott (keith@gnck.org)
Keith, a committee member from the Chicago Metropolitan Association, is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and a recent M.Div. graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary. Keith is currently the Director of Organizing for the Good News Community Kitchen and the community organizer for the kitchen's grassroots community organization, Northside P.O.W.E.R. (People Organized to Work, Educate, and Restore). He can also be found as a chaplain intern at Rush University Medical Center. Previously Keith worked 15 years as an educator at the Lincoln Park Zoo and did the "acting thing" for 10 years performing on stage, TV, films, and teaching in schools. In the church, Keith has been actively involved in Trinity UCC's prison ministry for the past 11 years, has served as the site coordinator for the Illinois Conference Annual Meeting for the past 8 years, and served on the planning committee for the 2008 National Youth Event. On any given Sunday, Keith might be heard preaching at various churches in the Chicagoland area, and in 2007 was a keynote speaker at the Illinois Conference Youth Initiative Midwinter Retreat. He also volunteers as a member of the board of directors of the Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) and, as an avid marathon runner, he is also the race director for their annual C4 Miles Run/Walk.
Ms. Nancy Wheeler (pgnwheeler@yahoo.com)
Nancy, a committee member from the Eastern Association, has been an active member of Immanuel United Church of Christ in Peotone for over 30 years. Currently, she works at Immanuel as a Visitation Minister, coordinating schedules for 6 pastoral care teams and herself conducting visits and taking Holy Communion to those who request the sacrament. Nancy has also been a youth choir director, pianist, treasurer, church council secretary, and was only the 3rd woman ordained as an Elder in Immanuel's history. During her time as elder, she began PEACE Meals, an intergenerational mid-week program for elderly to come for socialization, games, an inexpensive hot meal, and interactions with 5th graders from the local public schools. At the wider church level, Nancy serves a member and secretary for the Illinois Conference's Tuthill Commission, and has volunteered at Back Bay Mission and a UCC outdoor ministry at Shannondale, Missouri. Outside the church, she is a retired elementary and special education teacher and supervisor (and still occasionally substitute teaches) and volunteers with the Manteno Educational Foundation, the Manteno Public Library District, the Manteno and Peotone historical societies, and the Chicago Area Shaker Interest Group.
The Rev. Kim Wood (revwood4@gmail.com)
Kim, the search committee's chaplain, is a member of the committee from the Fox Valley Association, and recently completed her tenure as pastor of Immanuel United Church of Christ in Streamwood. She is currently serving as the transitional associate pastor of Flossmoor Community Church in Flossmoor.